We live very close to Blooms of Bressingham. Up until a few years ago it was still owned by the Bloom family and you would often see family members walking about and only too ready to pass on their advice and experience. You could buy some very rare plants and something different. They sold only plants, had a small tea shop and a shop for gardening sundries.
About 5 years ago they sold out to Wyvale. They have doubled the size of the tea shop and have included a large childrens play area which is very noisy. There used to be a large area dedicated to shade loving plants. That has been built over and in its place a shop selling sportswear etc. It also sells shoes, craft stuff, toys, books, candles, you name it they sell it. Basically what you can buy at any other Garden Centre. Bank Holidays are devoted to Fireman Sam days etc aimed at families.. Also prices of plants are high and the quality low as selling plants seems to be secondary.
I do not visit there anymore but give my business to the individually owned nurseries. It is such a shame to see such a renowned business be reduced to a run of the mill department store type oulet.
Hi all this is such an interesting feature the answers of what people want should be sent to all G/C because some of them hav,nt a clue,as Dovefromanbove has told me im lucky to have one near me at Overstrand Norfolk its just what everybody's asking for and i Dont work their honest, its just so good i noted the prices were sometimes half the local ones here in Wales,its has got little cafe, and the family talk to you and value your custom and no silly stuff for sale.im looking forward to using it, and i alwauys try to do a deal with the prices of things in a friendly way and get free delevery when they are passing it works ,good for their bussiness and good for me Alan
Its a shame Blooms is no longer run by the family. When I bought this house I travelled to Blooms, buying shrubs, and perennials for this garden. I could not have fitted another pot into the car. All excellent quality, and they have grown really well.
I recently found Ashwood nurseries near Kingswinford, West Midlands.
It makes it a full day trip, but I think it's worth it. (excellent coffee and cake too)
I know I posted this a few months ago so sorry for repeating it, but I thought it is very apt!
The Nation's Love Affair
As a nation, we have often been regarded as dog lovers, tea lovers, useless lovers and also garden lovers and today it is the latter that I most want to focus on. We would all like to think that we are as green fingered as the next man, but when we look at the houses and gardens around us, it is quite easy to see that we are more like a village or small hamlet rather than a nation of garden lovers.
This is why I am going to make this claim. We are not a nation of garden lovers; we are a nation of garden CENTRE lovers. That’s it, we are obsessed with spending every un-worked minute, casually browsing the endless displays of pitch forks and gas barbeques, knowing full well that the more time spent planning where the decking will go, the less time spent turning the borders and digging up weeds.
Now, I don’t blame people for choosing this addiction, as I have to admit that I am also an addict and no amount of self denial will change this fact.
I am an addict, I feel liberated for saying that. In fact I might even form a support group so we can talk about petrol hedge trimmers whilst slurping a cup of tea and munching on a sports biscuit. (Biscuit may vary)
What is it that we adore so profusely about the garden centre? I found myself trying to answer this question a few weeks ago and I came up with: plants, hanging baskets, tools and country clothing, but then I realised, I had forgotten the most integral part to any self respecting garden mall (sorry, centre) and that is the café. People, old and young, flock to the café to queue for their cup of Earl Grey, homemade soup & a roll or may be a flap jack, which will need a good twenty five minutes to work around the mouth before you can even think about swallowing.
The garden centre cafe is slowly taking first place in the race to become the hub of the social community. When once it could be said that the local pub filled this role, it is the garden centre that is taking the baton and leading us all to a life of fertilisers and scones.
Is this a bad thing? Well who am I to judge? All I can say is that, I for one enjoy this craze and I hope that it lasts. Oh and if there are any garden centre managers reading this, please, moisten the flap jacks.
My favourite local GC has the following; it is of medium size so it carries a good range of plants at reasonable (average to slightly high prices). They do buy in as well as growing some themselves. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and prepared to spend lots of time with you. Several have become friends over the years and we spend time just chatting. Gardens we have visited, Chelsea, GW, MD etc all favourite topics. They have a discount of 10% for "super adults" i.e. pensioners on Mondays which seems to be very popular, and a second loyalty card for the rest of the clientel and rest of the week. They have a very good tearoom with excellent lunches, cream teas etc, which seems to bring in lots of people. They do not do "lifestyle".
They have a garden construction service should you have a project.
Wow - thank you everyone. I hadn't realised there had been so many contributions (I was away for much of September and life has been hectic since I returned, so I hadn't been on here at all). Thee are really fantastic ideas across the board here, as well as a clear neiva tour of what does/doesn't float the boat of those truly into their gardening. I think at the entrance of my garden centre I'll need two boards: one that's says 'Newbies' and then lists how we have show gardens, instructions,eto etc for ideas. And one board that says 'experienced gardeners' and lists that we have rare/wide varieties of particular plants, ability to orr in specific plants etc. it's clear there's a distinct divide. And then there's the tea,cake and a day out people - so a big sign advertising the cafe for them!
Posts
We live very close to Blooms of Bressingham. Up until a few years ago it was still owned by the Bloom family and you would often see family members walking about and only too ready to pass on their advice and experience. You could buy some very rare plants and something different. They sold only plants, had a small tea shop and a shop for gardening sundries.
About 5 years ago they sold out to Wyvale. They have doubled the size of the tea shop and have included a large childrens play area which is very noisy. There used to be a large area dedicated to shade loving plants. That has been built over and in its place a shop selling sportswear etc. It also sells shoes, craft stuff, toys, books, candles, you name it they sell it. Basically what you can buy at any other Garden Centre. Bank Holidays are devoted to Fireman Sam days etc aimed at families.. Also prices of plants are high and the quality low as selling plants seems to be secondary.
I do not visit there anymore but give my business to the individually owned nurseries. It is such a shame to see such a renowned business be reduced to a run of the mill department store type oulet.
Its a shame Blooms is no longer run by the family. When I bought this house I travelled to Blooms, buying shrubs, and perennials for this garden. I could not have fitted another pot into the car. All excellent quality, and they have grown really well.
I recently found Ashwood nurseries near Kingswinford, West Midlands.
It makes it a full day trip, but I think it's worth it. (excellent coffee and cake too)
I went to our local Blooms last weekend to get some flower pots - they didn't have any. Wrong time of the year apparently!
I got some in Homebase - says it all really
I know I posted this a few months ago so sorry for repeating it, but I thought it is very apt!
The Nation's Love Affair
As a nation, we have often been regarded as dog lovers, tea lovers, useless lovers and also garden lovers and today it is the latter that I most want to focus on. We would all like to think that we are as green fingered as the next man, but when we look at the houses and gardens around us, it is quite easy to see that we are more like a village or small hamlet rather than a nation of garden lovers.
This is why I am going to make this claim. We are not a nation of garden lovers; we are a nation of garden CENTRE lovers. That’s it, we are obsessed with spending every un-worked minute, casually browsing the endless displays of pitch forks and gas barbeques, knowing full well that the more time spent planning where the decking will go, the less time spent turning the borders and digging up weeds.
Now, I don’t blame people for choosing this addiction, as I have to admit that I am also an addict and no amount of self denial will change this fact.
I am an addict, I feel liberated for saying that. In fact I might even form a support group so we can talk about petrol hedge trimmers whilst slurping a cup of tea and munching on a sports biscuit. (Biscuit may vary)
What is it that we adore so profusely about the garden centre? I found myself trying to answer this question a few weeks ago and I came up with: plants, hanging baskets, tools and country clothing, but then I realised, I had forgotten the most integral part to any self respecting garden mall (sorry, centre) and that is the café. People, old and young, flock to the café to queue for their cup of Earl Grey, homemade soup & a roll or may be a flap jack, which will need a good twenty five minutes to work around the mouth before you can even think about swallowing.
The garden centre cafe is slowly taking first place in the race to become the hub of the social community. When once it could be said that the local pub filled this role, it is the garden centre that is taking the baton and leading us all to a life of fertilisers and scones.
Is this a bad thing? Well who am I to judge? All I can say is that, I for one enjoy this craze and I hope that it lasts. Oh and if there are any garden centre managers reading this, please, moisten the flap jacks.
GB
My favourite local GC has the following; it is of medium size so it carries a good range of plants at reasonable (average to slightly high prices). They do buy in as well as growing some themselves. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and prepared to spend lots of time with you. Several have become friends over the years and we spend time just chatting. Gardens we have visited, Chelsea, GW, MD etc all favourite topics. They have a discount of 10% for "super adults" i.e. pensioners on Mondays which seems to be very popular, and a second loyalty card for the rest of the clientel and rest of the week. They have a very good tearoom with excellent lunches, cream teas etc, which seems to bring in lots of people. They do not do "lifestyle".
They have a garden construction service should you have a project.
Hope all this helps.
Wow - thank you everyone. I hadn't realised there had been so many contributions (I was away for much of September and life has been hectic since I returned, so I hadn't been on here at all). Thee are really fantastic ideas across the board here, as well as a clear neiva tour of what does/doesn't float the boat of those truly into their gardening. I think at the entrance of my garden centre I'll need two boards: one that's says 'Newbies' and then lists how we have show gardens, instructions,eto etc for ideas. And one board that says 'experienced gardeners' and lists that we have rare/wide varieties of particular plants, ability to orr in specific plants etc. it's clear there's a distinct divide. And then there's the tea,cake and a day out people - so a big sign advertising the cafe for them!