More than just a garden centre

Advantages: Wide range of goods, service, food
Disadvantages: Not enough stores, can be pricey

...Last year my mother said that she'd take me to a garden centre over the weekend. I was not too impressed, why should I get up early on a lazy Saturday to go to a garden centre? I was dragged along to the Cirencester store preparing to be bored stiff but much to my surprise I was impressed! What is Dobbies? Dobbies was founded by James Dobbie born in 1817. He started off as a horticulturist and nursery owner and since then the business has expanded vastly. Dobbies is now a chain of 19 garden centres. So it's just a garden centre? As well as a wide range of garden products there is also a fresh food hall for locally produced food, an aquatic department and a great restaurant. First impressions: It is a pleasant looking (and eco friendly) wooden and glass building on the outskirts of Cirencester. Dobbies is clearly marked...

Katieshaz 18.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Dobbies Garden Centre

Garden Centre - Taverham Norfolk

Advantages: Plnety of choice and shops
Disadvantages: Can be tiring for children

...Taverham Garden centre & Craft Centre is one of the biggest in the area with a wide selection of retailers to visit. Address details: Taverham Garden and Crafts Centre Fir Covert Rd Taverham Norwich Norfolk NR8 6HT Tel: 01603 860522 Location: The Garden centre isn't easy to find, you may need a good local map to pin its location or a sat nav. We missed it several times on our first visit and had to ask directions. Once we found it we never use any other garden centre now. Whats on site: Main Garden Centre - This includes everything you need for your garden and more. The area is huge and may take a while to get round but there is plenty of staff around if you can't find something to ask. I am not really into gardening but i was really amazed at the different items you can find to jazz up your garden. I wish i had a bigger...

CRAFTYDONNA 10.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Taverham Garden Centre

Wyevale - A Garden Centre...no, Pleasure Land

Advantages: Lots of outdoor plants and pots, regular offers on, nice place to browse, lots of unusual things
Disadvantages: Garden tools expensive, plants are not the cheapest around

...In the world of gardening there's no escaping Wyevale. According to its website blurb it's Britain's biggest dedicated Garden Centre Group owning over 110 centres throughout the country. Us Brits are pretty much a green-fingered lot. Our gardens are now 'outside rooms' and if you believe the hype require the same amount of attention lavished upon them as our homes. Blame Charlie Dimmock, Diarmuid Gavin and Alan Titchmarsh if you will. WHY WYEVALE? I tend to visit Wyevale because it has a far bigger choice of products than any other garden centre in my vicinity. Being big it has what business folk call 'buying power' to offer big deals. My local one is near Harlestone Firs, Northampton, a large plantation of fir trees and popular haunt for dogs walking their owners. Sunday afternoons regularly see a long string of cars parked...

simoncjones 21.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Wyevale Garden Centre

One of the best Garden centres in the North

Advantages: great value and choice
Disadvantages: bad queues

...Gordon Rigg's Garden centre is situated in West Yorkshire in Pennine country. It is at a place called Walsden on the Yorkshire and Lancashire border 2 miles off Todmorden and 4 miles off Littleborough. It is one of my favourite Garden centres in the North of England ( and it is fair to say I've been to a few !) They are a friendly , family run concern and offer quality plants at very very competitive prices. They are also big enough to stock nearly every plant you can think of . This site must be at least 5 acres and boasts 2 giant glasshouses one of which is heated to tropical temps. This contains tender houseplants and a wide range of orchids and such like. The other greenhouse is used for seedlings and plug plants. This is a real quality of Rigg's that they sell young trays of newly germinated seedlings at a price very...

Gardenex 25.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Gordon Riggs Garden Centre, West Yorkshire

Notcutts (Solihull) - Great Gardening

Advantages: Excellent range and quality.
Disadvantages: Slightly pricey.

...I love garden centres and Notcutts is one I visit regularly. My nearest branch is just off the M42, junction 4, south of Solihull. This is the only Notcutts I have ever used although they do have a further 12 around the midlands and south east. This branch has a large car park which is shared with Tesco, so at busy times it can take a while to find a space. On walking into the garden centre you first go through the cut flowers section. This always smells lovely. Their flowers are not the cheapest but the quality looks excellent. If I wanted to buy flowers as a gift I would choose them from here. Further on there are indoor plants. These appear healthy and there is a good selection of both foliage plants and flowering plants such as orchids. Whether you need houseplant food, bonsai equipment or a pot for your precious...

JoannaPiano 10.05.2008 (09.05.2008) · Read review
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Review of Notcutts Garden Centre

Tivoli Gardens - the centre of Copenhagen

Advantages: Red noses, cold hands and wonder galore - a must do Christmas experience
Disadvantages: It gets might darned cold!!!

...of Tivoli in 1844, "Tivoli will never, so to speak, be finished," and he was right, it has changed and grown over the years. Tivoli is situated in the heart in Copenhagen at Vesterbrogade, it is situated right beside the Town Hall square and Central Station., there is no missing it and the buses all stop at the garden entrance. I have heard people give bad reviews of Tivoli gardens, but I think the reason for this is that they are expecting a 'Disney' type park - that is not what Tivoli is about - it is an amusement park that has timeless charm and class that you can't get anywhere else. Tivoli Gardens truly is a remarkable place.There are beautiful gardens, wonderful restaurants and entertainment. With great rides for both children and adults. I have never been to Tivoli during the summer so this review is about the Christmas Market...

oldchem 30.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen

In an English country, garden.

Advantages: Everything.
Disadvantages: None.

...Being of the younger male variety, I tend to find that garden centres are about as boring as watching paint dry. But with Endsleigh it is different, as this review will seek to find out. Endsleigh is situated on the outskirts of Ivybridge, a decent sized small town some 10 miles away from central Plymouth. It is visible from the main A38 route from Plymouth to Exeter, but you actually have to leave the main route and just skim through a little bit of Ivybridge in order to get there. It is of course well signposted on the main road, from whichever direction you are travelling in. There is plenty of car parking which is good, although on busy day it can be quite full. There are a number of disabled spaces just by the entrance, and a feature I like is sheltered parking underneath trees for those people with dogs. As with everywhere...

dynamicnurse 28.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Endsleigh Garden Centre

One of the most extensive garden Centres in the UK

Advantages: Superb range of products, friendly staff
Disadvantages: Not cheap!

...Situated some 7 miles North of Chester on the A540 Road to Hoylake is Gordale Garden Centre. Gordale opened in 1948, one of the first Garden centres in the UK. I have been a fairly regular customer over the last 20 years and have watched the developments with interest. The Garden cenre is still owned by the family that started it - Peter Nicholson and wife Jill now run it having taken over from Peter's parents who started it all. A clue to their management style is that it is rare to be at the garden centre for very long without seeing one of them clearing the tables in the Cafe, or helping in some other menial task. Every year since we started going there has been some kind of major development going on, and its clear that a lot of the profits are ploughed back into the business. The staff are always helpful and all...

shricthism 17.12.2006 (22.09.2007) · Read review
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Review of Gordale Garden Centre

Gardeners Delight

Advantages: Wide range of good quality goods
Disadvantages: Not the cheapest

...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...

scampi1 30.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of Peter Barratts Garden Centre

A Garden Centre and lots more

Advantages: Largest garden centre in the area. Good range of products. Plenty to occupy people who wish to spend some time here. Meals or snacks available
Disadvantages: With the new epansion there is a lot of walking between departments now. Lots mor people going now and I have found car parking very busy even though there are more spaces

...Heighley Gate have just opened a massive Phase 1 of their extension to the existing site. There are a lot more products and because they have more buildings available for indoor housing it means there are more departments. The Garden Centre is situated on the A697 Wooler to Coldstream road North of Morpeth and opening hours are :- 9a.m. - 5.30 p.m. Mon - Fri. in Summer closing at 5p.m. in Winter. Saturday and Bank Holidays - 9a.m. - 5p.m. Sundays. 10.30 a.m. - 4.30 a.m. The main indoor area is accessible from a large car park and houses a gift shop where all sorts of items can be bought even down to pans and china. Ther are a large variety of house plants and all of the garden fertilisers, chemicals etc as well as pots and tubs. All sorts of garden tools are available and a very good selection of seeds and bulbs . I was very...

Procumbens 29.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Heighley Gate Garden Centre, Northumberland