More than a dozen horticultural bodies have signed an open letter to the Scottish Government pleading with it to allow garden centres to reopen.
The businesses were categorised as essential in Scotland through much of last year but are currently shut, meaning they are set to miss out on a second peak season.
Bosses at Glendoick Garden Centre in the Carse of Gowrie say March to May is traditionally their busiest spell, but this year, they are restricted to running a click and collect service.
Garden centres in England are able to open and Glendoick owner Jane Cox is among the signatories to the letter to the Scottish Government asking for parity.
It is also signed by representatives of the Royal Horticultural Society, Scottish Retail Consortium, NFU Scotland, Dobbies and number of independent traders, part of an industry that is worth £2.2bn to year to Scotland.
The letter states: “It is imperative that garden centres and retail plant nurseries are allowed to reopen before the end of March.
“Facing the loss of a gardening season for a second year running will mean disaster for some businesses, possible closures and job losses.”
Mrs Cox said supermarkets and corner shops are selling plants at their front doors ahead of Mothers Day, but garden centres are being instructed to stay shut.
She said: “We were essential from May to December last year but we missed most of the busiest three months.
“Garden centres are big, open, well-ventilated spaces with outdoor areas and what we sell keeps people at home and helps their mental health.
“The supermarkets and warehouse stores that are able to open usually use suppliers in Holland, not Scotland. The family-run independents here are having to throw away stock they potted when garden centres were still essential.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Under the current restrictions, garden centres and plant nurseries are allowed to operate click and collect services and can still provide delivery of items ordered by telephone and on-line.
“Our Strategic Framework sets out a phased easing of lockdown back into levels which envisages the opening of non-essential retail, including garden centres, in April. This is conditional on the progress of the vaccination programme and the six conditions recommended by the WHO being met.”
They added: “We know that the tight restrictions currently in place cause significant harm to individuals, communities and businesses and we do not want to keep them in place any longer than is necessary.
“We will ease the current restrictions in a gradual way which stops the virus taking hold once more, limits opportunities for new variants and allows time for the vaccination programme to roll out.”