Plants always expensive. Quality normally pretty good. Helps to have a Dobbies card ...free coffee monthly plus 10% discount on plants. Coffee shop meals OK ..good place for meeting friends.
There is a branch in Perth. Plant knowledge for their ordering dept is dreadful.(Maybe done by Head office) They sometimes get in tender exotics ....then put them outside to get frozen! Often plants that are on the outside section are just not be hardy in Scotland. Cruelty to plants. Buyer be ware. Reduced section worth a look.
We have a Blue Diamond a little further away and I much prefer that or small independents.
As far as GC are concerned we are a bit spoilt for choice here in Hampshire, our fav is also blue diamond in Brambridge park.
I'm in Winchester, which other GC's would you recommend in the area? I'm walking distance to Hilliers in Winchester but find the stock a bit uninspiring. I'd like to try some smaller independents.
Unfortunately Dobbies also bought my favourite nearby GC and before acquisition a nursery too (Woodcote Green) and the prices have definitely gone up and also the variety has diminished. I do stick with any family run ones at a reasonable drive from home and some nice nurseries. But so sad to lose that brilliant GC to the boringly uniform Dobbies, they seem to continue to use the same principles of expansion as they did when they belonged to Tesco. Totally disregarding regionality and demographics.
Hmmm.......sound pretty 'run of the mill' then , probably best avoided ! Thankyou all for your replies though '
We used to frequently visit a small private nursery/garden centre near Anwick in Lincolnshire ; the sort of old fashioned place you would feel comfortable walking in with your wellies on . Could always find something different .
Guess what happened a couple of years ago........yes , you guessed right , sold out to a large chain of GC's .
We've only been back once since and never again ; greeted with the miasmal stench of scented candles and the inevitable mind-numbing ambient background music ; staffed by clueless wonders with no interest whatsoever in their jobs , their seemingly pointless presence there terminating every day at 5.00pm .
Oh well , now I've put the world to right I'LL SHUT UP !
Slightly different but along the same lines, a local GC split between cafe, gifts and plants sold out. The cafe is now a much larger restaurant, no bedding plants and much reduced plant area. Spoke to an employee about plants wilting and was told less staff = too much to do.
Posts
Quality normally pretty good.
Helps to have a Dobbies card ...free coffee monthly plus 10% discount on plants.
Coffee shop meals OK ..good place for meeting friends.
There is a branch in Perth.
Plant knowledge for their ordering dept is dreadful.(Maybe done by Head office)
They sometimes get in tender exotics ....then put them outside to get frozen!
Often plants that are on the outside section are just not be hardy in Scotland.
Cruelty to plants. Buyer be ware.
Reduced section worth a look.