Favourite Garden centres/Nurseries?

dannyblack140492

Evening all, 

I'm looking at getting some large pots around the sides of the garden and fencing and putting some shrubs and trees to add some more character to the garden on the paved areas 

I normally go to local garden centres ( North west England) like bents or tregaron, but also love travelling to grasslands in knutsford.

Wondered what your favourites are and why?

Perki

If you can plant in the ground shrubs and trees will always do better. 

Bents I thought you had to be a millionaire / bank loan to go there ? I've never been personally just what I've heard.  

I stick to local the biggest on I go to is Gordon riggs in Todmorden, I've been going to dove cottage now and for plants, if I can't find them Local I buy online. 

The last tow large pots I bought were online from primrose , fibrecotta pots 

BenCotto

For pots and terracotta plaques my favourite is Italian Terrace in Suffolk.

dannyblack140492

Perki said:

If you can plant in the ground shrubs and trees will always do better. 

Bents I thought you had to be a millionaire / bank loan to go there ? I've never been personally just what I've heard.  

I stick to local the biggest on I go to is Gordon riggs in Todmorden, I've been going to dove cottage now and for plants, if I can't find them Local I buy online. 

The last tow large pots I bought were online from primrose , fibrecotta pots 

I have a full established area around the lawn with lots if trees and shrubs so just looking to spice up the patio area at the moment

Bents is silly expensive for a lot of things but you do occasionally find some nice things at a reasonable price, plus its 10 minutes from me and the other half likes to browse the home sections too 😂

josusa47

If I  want a particular plant, I'll order it online, but for everyday needs I go to Batty's,  a local family-run nursery.  The first time I shopped there, I bought more than I could take home on the bus, so asked them to deliver.  When I told them my address, they said, "We used to live in your house!"

dannyblack140492

Haha small world we live in!

Mr. Vine Eye

My favourites are:

No 1 - Morrisons w/ Garden centre - because ours has quite a decent selection of perennial plants - not just bedding packs - and they change with the seasons, good selection of clematis and inside they have a plant of the week which usually sells for £1.50.

No 2 - B&M w/ Garden Centre - I've got a few bargain plants from there , they also sell top soil cheaper than anywhere else I've found and have some nice pots at the moment.

No 3 - Wilko - for bulb/bare root packs and seeds

Not really a garden centre but Aldi - have some good offers on plants but you have to get there quick!

Hornsea Garden centre (part of British Garden centres) is my favourite chain garden centre because it is massive with a really good selection of everything. Plants not ridiculous price either and some good offers.


What annoys me about all of my local garden centres (typical chain ones) is that each is good for one or two particular things which means I often have to go to all of them.
One sells compost substantially cheaper than the others because it doesn't just stock Westlands - but the plant area is far too small and overpriced. One has the best selection of starter shrubs and roses and even sells DAs a few pounds cheaper than the other that sells them near here. One has the best selection of herbaceous plants and offers them in smaller pots for a saving.

There's one that I've not bought anything from ever because it's so overpriced - except ehen they had 50% off all of their pots and containers last year, and this year they had some slightly damaged bags of garden grit sand which I bought for half price. Very expensive stuff otherwise!

purplerallim

Ruskington is a small GC good for finding slightly different plants, not the mass produced ones. Belton house GC is good for roses and trees, not cheeper but always seem healthier. Anwick is the cheapest for compost and a reasonable amount of veg plants. As you say @dannyblack140492 depends what you need to where you go.

ForTheBees

Wolverton Plants, NW of Basingstoke is the nursery I visit most. Decent selection and prices tend to be good. Also not far away I also have Hardy's, which has good plants but usually at a marginally higher price.

Rumsey Gardens & Herb Centre has been useful for tracking down certain plants but it means a decent drive down towards the south coast so I don't go often. Worth a visit if you are near and haven't been before.  Good but just a bit too far for regular visits also applies for the plant shop at Wisley.

Garden centre wise, I have access to a Wyevale, a Blue Diamond and an independent place called Conkers. I don't favour any of the others. 

Brexiteer

Brookside nursery in hints is fantastic but out in the country so a vehicle is a must. When I first started going there it was one fella and an assistant now it's expanding. The plants and choice are bang on and the place is great as a whole. Last year my lady friend went there looking for some 2 or 3 ltr hosta's and was surprised to find a whopper in a 20 ltr pot she said how much he said make me an offer (obviously been there years) she said £20 jokingly and he said OK. The good old days trying to get that in the back of a Ford fiesta 😂

punkdoc

For online nurseries, with an excellent choice: Paddock Plants, Southampton and Wootens of Wenhaston, are IMO excellent, with a wide choice, high quality plants and no hassle if you want to send something back.