The occasionally visited Wyevale nearby is up for sale, £7 million
Is that the Windsor/Dedworth one @Mark56 ? Its rubbish, but handy to have one I can dash to in my lunch hour for bits and bobs like string or compost. The Squires one down the road has already announced it is closing this autumn ☹️
@chicky , did you ever go to Springfields , near Bordon? That was a proper garden centre / nursery. 99% stuff for the garden and some odd bits and bobs. No £1,000 suites of furniture, no coffee shop . The owner retired a couple of years back after over 30 years there and just shut up shop. He didn't even sell it.
Never knew that one @Hostafan1 . Have to admit I like Forest Lodge down the road at Alice Holt - at least all the tat is concentrated in the same area, and they still have a pretty good selection of plants, plus a few staff that know what they are talking about.
Pretty much all my plant purchases these days come from nurseries mail order .....I’ve got choosy about particular varieties ☺️
The occasionally visited Wyevale nearby is up for sale, £7 million
Is that the Windsor/Dedworth one @Mark56 ? Its rubbish, but handy to have one I can dash to in my lunch hour for bits and bobs like string or compost. The Squires one down the road has already announced it is closing this autumn ☹️
That one is rubbish indeed, always gets blacklisted here the 7 mil is for the Hare Hatch one in Twyford, which we occasionally visit to browse. Did you hear about the wild fire in the fields surrounding the Little Marlow one off the roundabout?
Bridgemere was a bit of a trek for me, but used to go at least once a year to stock up from their wide range of perennials and the odd shrub. There was an aquatic shop and a Hobbycraft too, plus well kept show gardens to walk round, so it made a good day out.
Went once after Wyevale took over: ghastly noisy child attractants, gardens neglected, plants poor choice, poor quality and stupid prices.
Left with nothing and never went back. That one may well go for housing, it was a big site.
I didn't realise that Wyevale had bought Bridgemere. Had fond memories of it, as you say @Buttercupdays , it was a good day out. Always went home with a bootful of plants. It certainly seems that Wyevale will not be missed, l feel for the staff though.
Just Caught up, @ZeroZero1 I agree completely about Aylets it is our first port of call most times, meanwhile as we are naming names @Fire I presume we are both talking about Clockhouse near Forty Hall Enfield. Its a bit further for us to travel to from home, the only reason it is second choice, excellent plants, good range of (useful ) garden sundries, even for things like their Bamboo canes which are the thickest & strongest, I have come across & no more expensive than B&Q ones which are thinner than most pencils. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Wyvale at Crews Hill as another large (I think independent) down the road has mostly become a retail outlet, clothes shoes, furniture etc, with just a small part still having anything to do with gardening.
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I wish I could do them!
Pretty much all my plant purchases these days come from nurseries mail order .....I’ve got choosy about particular varieties ☺️
IMHO "equity firm" = spivs.
@ZeroZero1 I agree completely about Aylets it is our first port of call most times, meanwhile as we are naming names @Fire I presume we are both talking about Clockhouse near Forty Hall Enfield. Its a bit further for us to travel to from home, the only reason it is second choice, excellent plants, good range of (useful ) garden sundries, even for things like their Bamboo canes which are the thickest & strongest, I have come across & no more expensive than B&Q ones which are thinner than most pencils. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Wyvale at Crews Hill as another large (I think independent) down the road has mostly become a retail outlet, clothes shoes, furniture etc, with just a small part still having anything to do with gardening.