Having visited at least1 new garden centre every fortnight this year
with several friends, I can speak from experience about the state of
some of them! Nurseries attached to great gardens seem to NEVER have
plants that they grow in the gardens and the stock that they sell seems
to be in an inverse quality to the standard of the garden. All too often
the pots bought in or grown themselves seem to be awash with weeds or
pathetic hungry plants and the shop seems to have shelf upon shelf of
high priced non-essential goods.

However I have just been to Toad Hall near Fawley in Berkshire and it's
one of the best-stocked general garden centres I have come across. Row
upon row of pansies, cyclamen etc but that's okay for this time of year
but the plants are all watered and weeded and above all happy. They have
a vast range of plants, even a greengage, which pleased one of the
gardeners, I went with. The restaurant/cafe was friendly clean and had
20 different cakes and all the staff knew what they were doing.

Plants were arranged in 'lifestyles' as it were, by the entrance but
again properly alphabetically arranged further in. There was a wonderful
range of herbs and alpine even a Lippia for £2.00. More herbs there than
the herb centre at Sonning Common which is where we had come from.

So recommended by 2 gardeners today

Not so last weekend we found Merriments nursery, Hyde Hall was awful and
Glen Chantry in August was sad but was closing so that was inevitable.

Liked Dorney Court though plants were a bit thin on the ground but it
was change over for the season. Restaurant was exceptional. I believe
you have to book for their Sunday dinners in the summer as they get
coach parties!!

Perryhills was fabulous as usual but no shop bits or extras just good
choices and good information.
Herb Centre at Sonning Common not good, few plants few choices of most
herbs and place seemed to be in the middle of construction even though
it should have been well established by now. For a herb centre there was
a surprising lack of herbs though they did have a fair few thymes and
some salvias and Rosemarys but no Tarragon, Lippia, caraway, Melissa,
etc etc


Any recommendations from other people? We'd travel a fair way to a good
nursery or centre.


Janet

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Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk