An animal transporter carrying hyenas collided with a lorry full of Oxo cubes. Eye witnesses descri...
An animal transporter carrying hyenas collided with a lorry full of Oxo cubes. Eye witnesses described the scene of the accident as a laughing stock.
Member since:04.08.2003
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I can vaguely remember a time when garden centres didn't really exist and they were called nurseries instead. Strangely enough they only sold plants and garden accessories. How things have changed though, now you can almost do your weekly shopping there (well maybe I exaggerate a little), but they really do sell almost everything and you can even get a bite to eat when you're there. Peter Barratts Garden Centre in Newcastle is no exception.
WHERE IS IT ?
It's located to the north of the city next to Gosforth Park / Newcastle Racecourse. It's only a 5 minute drive from the A1 if you take the Killingworth / Wideopen junction, or similarly 5 minutes from the Killingworth turn off of the A19. One of the other main route's running out of Newcastle city centre, the A189, literally passes by too, so it's very accessible by car. Public transport may present more of a problem though, as there are no nearby Metro stations and very few buses pass by.
PLANTS N' STUFF
Naturally Peter Barratt's sells plants and just about every other garden accessory you can imagine, and what a selection it is.
Indoor plants are sold all year round and range from your bog standard houseplants and flowering baskets, through cacti, to larger specimen plants, such as a yucca tree, which was larger than me and had a price tag to match.
An absolutely bewildering selection of bedding plants are currently available, ranging from asters to wallflowers. Supplies and ranges are of course very seasonal, but it's safe to say they're probably at their peak right now. No matter when we've visited though, there's always been something of interest to find. We've been on the bleakest of January days and displays
of winter pansies and primulas have been there to brighten the day. Even in the autumn plants arte available to give a splash of colour to your garden prior to the winter gloom.
It doesn't stop there either, for if you venture further outside you're greeted by the shrubs from A-Z section, which are laid out in an almost Hampton Court maze style. This is probably some marketing ploy designed to lure you in to get you to succumb to temptation and buy something. It's very easy to lose 30-40 minutes browsing this section alone.
Accessories wise, you name it they sell it. From garden tools, power tools, planters, tubs, ceramic ware, fencing and trellis work, decking, patio slabs, compost, fertilisers, weedkillers, gnomes, bird tables,ponds.... need I go on? And of course once you've finished the garden they'll even sell you the furniture and everything barbecue related.
QUALITY AND PRICING
I'll make this clear now, Peter Barratt's is not cheap, but I strongly believe it's a case of you get what you pay for. Compared to say a B&Q store, I'd say they're probably around 15-20% more expensive, but the price difference really is reflected in the quality.
For example I bought two very similar heuchera plants last year, one from Peter Barratt's and one from B&Q for £5.99 and £4.99 respectively. They've been planted in close proximity in the garden, had identical watering / feeding regimes and even a complete garden novice would be able to tell which one grown more and is in better overall condition, you can probably guess.
Peter Barratts back up their quality with a 12 month guarantee on all shrubs, providing you retain your original receipt and of course return the dead/ dying plant. I haven't needed to invoke this guarentee yet, although my dad informs me that he returned a rather poorly honeysuckle there a few months ago and the whole matter was resolved amicably, without ever transcending into a Monty Python 'dead parrot' type scene (his words not mine).
I must admit I very rarely buy bedding plants from Peter Barratt's, as with their short life span I'm not sure the cost is justifiable. However, for anything of a more permanent nature such as shrubs or perennials they're always my first port of call.
THAT'S THE GARDEN SORTED, SO WHAT NEXT?
As I said earlier they don't just sell plants. A large section of the indoor part of the garden centre is devoted to what I'd describe as gifts / interior design. It's the sort of place where even the pickiest of shoppers could find the ideal 'Mothers Day' type gift or something for your grannies birthday. You know the sort of stuff I mean; vases, ornaments, dried flowers, clocks, cuddly toys, pictures, prints and even furniture. All these goods are displayed in an attractive eye catching manner. I don't usually browse in this section for too long, but I have lingered long enough to notice that some of the products are a touch on the expensive side, but then again I suppose the quality is substantially better than your local 'pound shop's' offerings. However, there's another reason I don't hang around this department too long.
FISHY BUSINESS
We currently keep a cold water fish tank and I've found that Peter Barratt's are one of the best local stockists of all things fishy. What's more, contrary to some of their other departments, the pricing is quite competitive without quality being compromised. Asides from a good selection of tropical, coldwater and outdoor pond fish they also stock a wide range of tanks starting with the humble goldfish bowl and ending with tanks that would give a 42" plasma screentelevision an inferiority complex. Add in all the plants, food and accessories and you've got the complete pond or aquarium package. They also offer a water testing service (but not during peak periods).
One final fishy point to note is that all fish guarenteed for 48 hours after purchase, so should you suffer a hasty bereavement, you simply return the fish along with a sample of your tank / pond water and the appropriate course of action will be decided. Fortunately I've haven't yet needed to pursue this option, in fact two of the fish in my tank are still alive and swimming almost three years after I purchased them from Peter Barratt's.
HO(E) HO(E) HO(E)
No matter how keen a gardner you are, you've got to admit it's not high on your list of priorities during the winter months. So it follows that visiting a garden centre will be well down the list too. Well think again, because for children aged 1 to 101, a visit to Peter Barratt's in the lead up to Christmas becomes a necessity. Well over half the indoor space is transformed into a veritable cornucopia of everything Christmas, from fibre optic trees and lights through to candles and cards. As soon as the advent calendar goes up at home my son is badgering us to visit, even if your intent on purely browsing and marvelling at the array of goodies on offer, it's extremely difficult to leave without having succumbed to a purchase or three. Again the prices aren't the most competitive, but much of the merchandise on offer is of a higher than average quality, a lot of it is even quite tasteful and subtle. Even the most bah humbug amongst you should leave feeling a least a little Christmas spirit.
ANYTHING ELSE?
Besides all the products on sale you can also get a coffee or a meal during your visit, as there's a restaurant with seating for over 150 people on site. As well as a selection of teas, coffee's, pastries, cream cakes and sandwiches, which pricewise, compare favourably with the likes of Costa or Starbucks you can also choose from a range of salads and hot meals. The menu is largely traditional British fare based along the lines of cottage pie etc.. with some ethnic additions such as chilli con carne. There's also a daily special which happened to be lasagne last time we visited. Pricing is on a par with most pub chains and the food is of a good standard and always piping hot (except the salads). The restaurant is always clean and well presented and the service friendly.
OTHER FACILITIES
Toilets are provided on site and the times we've visited they've always been spotlessly clean and more than adequately stocked with loo roll and hand soap. The whole garden centre is well set up for wheelchair / pushchair access and any changes in ground level are catered for through the use of ramps. My only possible criticism is that some of the aisles in the indoor part of the centre are a touch on the narrow side and bring many of the products (particularly the breakables), within convenient reach of inquisitive pushchair confined toddlers. On site parking is free and usually ok, but during busier periods can be a bit frantic. We usually manage to find a space eventually, but have occasionally found ourselves in the overspill car park which hasn't yet been properly surfaced.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
When it comes to gardening I've got enough knowledge to know that Primula isn't just a processed cheese and Hyacinth isn't just a sitcom character, so I haven't often found myself requiring assistance from the staff. On those occasions it has been necessary, I've always found them to be extremely helpful and knowledgable, even the weekend staff (and I'm not getting at students here) have more than a basic knowledge of the products they're selling. What's more you aren't just pointed in the general direction of the product you've asked for, but actually taken to it.
Peter Barratt's do also offer a delivery service for those heavy and bulky items you're unable to fit in your car. Charges are based on a radius system and delivery times vary depending upon how heavily subscribed the service is. We've never utilised this service so I can't really comment on punctuality.
IN A NUTSHELL
Peter Barratt's are not the most competitive pricewise, but the old adage of 'you get what you pay for' certainly rings true as regards the quality of their goods and services.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Fantastic review.... really well presented have an E.....It's a bit too far for me to go though...I just love garden centers and although I don't buy a lot from them i love browsing. I usually swap plants, seeds, cuttings, bulbs etc with friends, relatives....... Heatherx
marylou2u 15.09.2005 22:37
What a great review and have to agree about the bedding plants. Mostly I go to these big garden centres just to get ideas for planting arrangements and buy the plants at the local nursery.
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