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Good garden centre/nursery
Hi All
I was wonder if you could help me out with a little survey kind of thing.
-What would you class as a good Garden centre/nursery one that you would advise to a friend?
-how many times a year do you go to your local centre?
-Who would use a delivery service if it was offered to you?
Thank you very much in advance for all you help
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Posts
Hi Nic
parking essential. Coffee shop. Good variety and turnover of annuals. Good range of pots. clean and tidy. No old stock. Helpful staff. Range of seeds. A USP like a particular plant specialised in.
Examples of garden centres I'd highly recommend are reg Taylor's in normanton, hollybeck near southwell and ruben shaws.
A good GC i would recommended would be good quality plants ( most important ) - reasonable price - lots of different variety - most be tidy
I dont think anyone counts how many times they going to the GC just multiple time, I go even though I dont need anything.
I would only use a delivery service if the plant was huge / to much hassle getting into a vehicle.
I wouldn't expect the same things from a garden centre as from a nursery.
I don't expect a nursery to have a coffee shop or sell anything other than plants, pots and composts etc, but I do expect them to raise a large proportion of the plants they sell themselves and to know more about them than is usual at most garden centres.
The best nursery I know is http://www.woottensplants.com/index.html and I frequently recommend them very enthusiastically to friends and fellow gardeners.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
a good garden centre/nursery is a place you can go where
Plants, variety and price, good selection of roses and shrubs - all in good condition and well labelled with name and price. Useful gardening equipment and accessories. Decent, clean loo with hot water and paper towels, coffee shop. Helpful, knowledgeable staff. Good range of seeds, bulbs, tubers (in season) etc. Most English GCs I've been to are like that.
The GC near where I live in Dordogne is almost the opposite.
No coffee shop, disgusting loo, plants often in poor condition. They don't even sell runner bean seeds or perpetual spinach and only 2 varieties of broad bean. They are having sales at the moment but only the nastiest cheapest looking stuff is in the sale. Sale plants are usually half dead or annuals at the end of the season.
But I still go to it at least once or twice a month. You live in hope!
Essentials:
Good range of plants in good condition not just the most common ones
Plenty of information about stock and knowledgeable staff
Parking
Help with loading if required
Good selection of support products (plant foods, seeds, compost, pots, garden tools etc etc
Delivery available for larger items if required
Nice to have
Good quality coffee shop
My local garden Centre has all these (Ashoods) and I visit on average twice a month
Wow!!
Thank you very much for all you quick answers.
The most important thing about the GC I go to is the staff, they are
1) Knowledgeable
2) Friendly
3) Actually interested in my garden
I can shop around as we have plenty of choice locally and I do visit others The one I go to most often for everyday purchases is the one where the staff ask me if I have pictures of how the garden is progressing, remember my past purchases and know me by name.
I agree with just about everything said above. It amazes me when I go to my local GC (actually quite good) , the carpark is nearly full, yet there is no-one outside around the plants, they are all in the coffee shop! I think we badly need some gardeners' centres!
A good GC for me would stock a larger variety of plants than is usually seen. Too many have the same mass-produced, latest fashion plants at high prices.
Until this happens I'll stick with nurseries and plant fairs.
In the sticks near Peterborough