Having to traipse through garden centres pushing trollies of plants

I do not revisit any garden centre that makes me go round it on a pre-arranged route. There is one local garden centre I no longer visit for just that reason.

In fact I abandoned my trolley and walked back the way I came in, in a Wyvale Nursery recently when I saw small plastic pots containing a scatter of sprouting carrot seeds on sale at nearly £5 a pot. Frankly that is taking the p**s.

Ceesnan The very same Bridgemere. I agree entirely about the lack of range and quality of plants. It nearly broke my heart when I first went there after the take over by Wyevale.

They have trashed the range of alpines in particular.
They now seem to sell more patio pots than plants.
They were not charging for the garden walk when I went last year.

This 'supermarket' marketing psychology drives me nuts and makes me quite rebellious (moi ? ;) )...In Leicester the new Rackams forced customers do go on a certain route that just could not be by-passed - it was never a success possibly because many of us felt that way and just didn't go again.

Same all over though- not just UK. I went to a Garden Centre in France today- the plants, etc are excellent, good advice too, but the trees and outdoor stuff are right at the back- and you just have to go through indoor plants, pets, fertilisers and BBQs, parasols and the like, and then through plant greenhouse - to the outdoor bit and back again thorugh the greenhouse and then to decor, etc, in a clear circuit! Same in the larger gardening centres in Switzerland and Germany!

Nellie is the garden centre Bridgemere? I used to love going there, but now don't bother as the quality and variety of the plants deteriorated when it was taken over IMO. It annoyed me too, when they started charging to walk around the garden!

If you can, order online. Takes a bit of preplanning - eg working out what you need the previous year and then ordering when it's time to. Including growing seeds when you can. Saves loads of ££££s. Most garden centres round here have no one capable of advising on plants so you end up buying an azalea to plant on chalk ... but be warned if you order plug plants on line you will get tiny chaps who need a lot of care.

Yes, I meant to say, they probably apply psychology in the layout of these places - like supermarkets.

We like going to a garden centre because a lot of them do nice lunches and, instead of just going to a cafe or pub for lunch, you can also have a wander round. If they don't they often have a coffee shop with .
DGD2 comes with us sometimes and we have lunch there. There is also a (separate) aquatic centre and she loves to go and see the fish (trying to find Nemo) and tortoises, dragons and snakes!
I do miss that when I go to Australia, they have good nurseries (and of course, the plants are all different and interesting) but they don't do lunches, occasionally one may have a coffee shop and they don't open on Sundays where we are.

It's OK to say you enjoy going to somewhere for all kinds of reasons but that you're not that happy about one aspect of it, isn't it? Or is that not allowed?

Meant to say - even better is Trago Mills at Newton Abbot
grump grump grump don't live near there any more

Is that allowed

We do use nurseries sometimes for plants but often go for lunch and a wander at a few local garden centres (well, one is local, the others further away).

But I know what you mean roses. However, at our local one, although we have to go through to pay at the till, most of the other stuff (candles, books, etc) is on the far side with the till in the middle. We do have to walk through the garden furniture, bbqs etc, so we have have a sit down and feel
The staff are very friendly and helpful (in the main) and the owner always stops for a chat if he sees us and he and DH have a bit of repartee. It's not part of a chain (yet) thank goodness.

Teetime yes, the fab loos there and those lovely flower basins!

IPad typo strikes again, garden not gearden ( though they do have a lot of gear.)

Back home again now and found a Viburnum Tinis Spirit easily at the local gearden centre,so it must be popular. Also a pretty blue ceramic pot for the daffs ( to replace the one that him indoors left out all Winter and was NOT frost proof.)

It's also quite compact so no long-distance trolley pushing!

We have a garden centre on the Welsh/Cheshire border at Holt that has gone down the 'lots of non-garden things to buy' route, but it does also have a very good farm shop and also a restaurant/cafe that uses local produce to make very nice food ?

Fabulous loos at Gates - love a nice loo!

Thanks Teetime but I am only in that area once or twice a year.Nice part of the world though. and I love love love Gates!

Have a look on your local site - there are some lovely smaller nurseries on the Leicestershire site (how did I know that).

Off to a nearby GC today yet again on the hunt for a viburnham called Spirit
We have an Eve Price but that is now 12 feet high! Anyone out there bought a Spirit?
Also fancy a new pot for daffodils by the door.

Most people enjoy life.

Djen, don't you have things to moan about on the political threads?What on earth is the matter with you?
People LIKE garden centres, they like all the things they sell, they like meeting friends and having coffee and cake there.

Yes I know. Just seems as if people are just sitting there waiting for someone to come along they can have a go at. It's ridiculous.

Sigh. Poor Roses! She tried to start a nice thread about garden centres and look what's happened....

Just looked at Birmingham Parks department, Elrel. Very impressive.
They've also won medals at RHS Tatton Park.

So it's okay for you to say "I hardly think a council outlet for plants.....", is it, roses? You do get upset, don't you?
I thought it very snobby, and answered your point. They sell a big enough range for me to look round.
As Elrel says, it is possible for councils to have a big enough range to go to Chelsea, and sell the excess plants. In fact, if all councils did this, they would probably make money for their council works department.
Are there any other councils that do it?

Well, you are lucky Alea sounds like a great little nursery.Especially with cake.
Merlot I like the thought of a Frank Spencer moment !

I try not to go to the Wyevale/Frosts/Dobbies type of GC if what I want is plants as although they have a massive selection, I am very put off by the tat garden ornaments, novelty items, clothes, stationery and bl**dyscented candles and all that.
We have a lovely little nursery just a mile outside the village, much of what they sell is home propagated, and very reasonable. They are helpful as well as knowledgeable and now also have a wonderful coffee shop/cafe with the sort of cakes you used to drive miles to a NT house for! You will always see somebody you know there too.
They will also deliver at no extra charge and a couple of years ago when I was redoing a border from scratch I chose my plants, but was about to go to Scotland for the weekend so they waited until we were due back before delivering the plants to the back garden and watering them before they left!!