GC/Nurseries Review

[cheerypeabrain]

I'll start shall I?

Gates' Nurseries

www.gatesnurseries.co.uk/pp/gold/viewgold.asp?id=3600

Huge great place with everything from the inevitable gift shop to an excellent garden centre. Sells just about anything you could need and has an excellent cafe (it takes at least 3 hours to wander round the place so you need somewhere to have a cuppa) Plants are usually in pretty good nick, prices about average for a GC...they usually have a good selection of herbs. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. One of my favourites if I have a free day!




Bluebell Arboretum

www.bluebellnursery.com/

In the yellow book...the nursery has a selection of trees and perennials. No tea room last time I was there...but worth a visit to admire the lovely selection of trees...(not a huge place) I went on one of Roy Lancaster's guided walks around the arboretum, he worked at Kew with the owner...great fun highly recommended.




Dobbies Garden World


www.dobbies.com/atherstone-garden-center.aspx

Another huge GC...good tea room. Plants in good condition, nothing out of the ordinary ;D (I'm so hard to please!) good tea room. I thought some of the stuff was a bit expensive, especially the houseplants. Lots of stuff for children here, including the maze (and large stock of toys!)

[Sleepy]

Ambleside Garden Centre
Norton Lane
Earlswood
Solihull
B94 5LR

home.btconnect.com/Ambleside/htm/index_1.htm

Nice little garden centre with an eclectic range of plants that are healthy and well cared for

The coffee shop, Stringbeans, is small but has a lovely selection of cakes and pastries. A decked area outside the coffee bar is much more spacious and rather pleasant overlooking the clematis section.


Webbs of Wychbold
Wychbold
Droitwich
Worcestershire
WR9 0DG

www.webbsdirect.co.uk/

An absolutely Trinormous garden centre and aquatic centre near Droitwich.

So big it has submitted an application to become a city in its own right.

Excellent selection of high priced plants. Since it's maga-expansion the cafe has gone down hill and now offers boring food at high prices.

Wonderful selection of Christmas decorations at the right time of the year - all in colour coordinated sections and ranging right across the spectrum from the naff right over to the not so naff.

[4pygmies]

I know there aren't many Norfolk/Suffolk area people on here but I thought I'd put in a good word for the little nursery on the outskirts of Brandon, Suffolk (go straight through there....). It is a lovely little place run by a very nice young woman. She has a very good and wide ranging selection of plants - all very well looked after and a LOT cheaper than in the chain garden centres.
The nursery is out of the town on the B1106, over the railway bridge, turn immediate left and follow the signs to the fish and animal feed place. The nursery is tucked next to them and has good parking facilities.
I think we should all encourage the independent nurseries.