I shouldn't be allowed within 10 miles of a garden centre.

There is a nursery near us which has grown and grown over the years and now resembles a garden centre without the clothes, scented candles etc.

We are spoiled for choice around here for GCs so the nursery has always been my first choice because they have always been so much cheaper but their prices are now creeping up.

In the good old days perennials used to be 12 for £10. I used to fill the boot of the car and spend no more than £20. Yesterday I was dismayed to find you now get 5 plants for £10.

Still cheaper than the big garden centres though.

I cant resist the poor dying plants i should set up a plant rescue site and dont get me started on poundland 99p shops wilko where they never tend after the selling plants. Get em in dont bother with them throw them away.

I avoid garden centres that are full of un-gardeny things like scented candles, ornaments, books, country clothing and the like. The plants seem to come second to all this stuff in so many of them. There is a wonderful nursery in St David's. The man that runs it raises most of the plants himself. He always has unusual things you don't often see anywhere else and he's a mine of information. When we holiday down there, we have to leave space in the car because I can't come back without something from him.

As a great garden centre is just up the road from us (literally) we called in on our way back from shopping earlier today, not to buy anything just to look;
we bought..... A purple Erysium plant, a lovely pale green ceramic pot for it to live in, a pinky purple Azalea, and a tray of small dahlias.This has got to stop.

I got DH's back up yesterday when we went into town, taking the tram instead of the car. We passed a market stall selling wonderful alpines and perennials. "Get them from the garden centre" he said, "it's easier". But no, they were superb plants and about half the price of the GC, so we came back with a bag full of alpines, and another full of perennials and, as my hands were also full, guess who had to carry them from one end of the town centre to the other, back to the tram stop, cursing all the way. I said "I think I'll go and get some more next week." to which he replied "Well you can b****y well go on your own then". When he'd calmed down, and they were in the garden, he had to admit they were a good buy!

Like others on here, we find garden centres hard to resist ( so we don't resist!)

Haha Merlot
I have had to tell MrA off more than once for doing that 'HOW MUCH??' thing in public . Most notably in a motorway service station when he said it to the girl on the till who had charged him £8.59 for 2 cups of tea and a scone.
I had to point out that she wasn't personally responsible for the pricing structure and was probably on the minimum wage

Mr M says Garden Centres are like IKEA - places where bad husbands go to do their pennance.

If I make him go with me I quickly lose him because I get so embarrassed at him constantly saying (at the top of his voice) 'HOW MUCH???'

As well as being tempted every time I pass the garden centre, our local Waitrose has now started selling plants so I have to run the gauntlet there at least twice a week too.
The annoying thing is that the plants are really good quality making them even harder to resist.
Like mrMerlot, MrA loathes Garden Centres, in particular the aroma of perfumed candles (which he also loathes) which permeates the air in the shopping area of our local one, so when I go there at least I am unencumbered by his presence.

Late second breakfast at local garden center this morning. No plants, just some meal worms for birds. Wanted Salvia "hot Lips" but too early.

I do miss garden centres! Here in France they are pretty dreary places and only sell plants, garden tools, lawn mowers and a bit of heavy-duty country clothing. Not a coffee in sight and some of the ones round us obviously don't bother to water the plants very often either.
We do have a very good plant nursery though and last week I bought eight rose bushes for a part of the garden that we are developing this year.
Today we have to lift the turf, which is my least favourite job in the garden.

We are surrounded by the blessed things! I've just counted ten within five miles!

We have just cleared two beds so have lots of opportunities for visiting! My favourite for shopping is Notcutts but the best plants come from one in the next village which is family owned and run.

Nelliemoser would that be Bridgemere by any chance? I used to love it, but now it is far too commercial.

I miss the Garden Centre where we used to live as there was a very large dog crate in the café area where you could leave your dog while you queued for coffee or lunch etc. It was very useful wish more places would do this.

whitewave Me too I hide the receipts when I have been buying plants. I am planning an outing to a large garden centre near me but if hasn't been as good as it was since being taken over by Wyevale.

They have turned a place that was an excellent plant Nursery and garden centre into a shopping mecca and the quality and range of plants has really suffered.

Garden centres are treasure troves and magical worlds for children at Christmas - wonderful!

anno but they don't sell "ladies folding walking sticks". I was there yesterday and as I'm having knee probs,I was sure they would have some as they sell everything else,but no!! The very nice assistand told me to try a charity shop.

I am very fortunate,I work in a Garden Centre,no exclusion zone for me ��

I usually go to a GC on my own because DH has no interest in them at all. Seeing all the couples and families I feel like Billy No Mates but then I spot the plants and realise what a pain in the arse neck he'd be if he were there!

Our local Nottcutts is getting more like a department store every time I go there. You enter through a delicatessen, negotiate a furniture department, eventually reach the bird seed and pet food, exit into the live plants, come back into the equipment and through the shoes and clothing to the checkouts. Fish are in a separate area! And Christmas starts in September. Last week I went in for some herb plants and came out with a quilted jacket (on offer) and a bargain pack of 'lady-like' gardening gloves. Today I managed to drive past the place.

PS they also sold plants!

Garden centres are great though, aren't they? They are developing into complete social centres. DH and I were at a Wyevale today. There was a baby class going on with lots of music and clapping, the café was full of older couples and mothers with children and more children were playing in the soft play area. There were several retail concessions doing a good trade, including a new Brantano shoe shop, and at the front was a newly built 'market stall' selling fresh fruit and veg. The only downside was the coffee, which was horrible, and the raspberries we bought at the market stall were mouldy.

I went last week to find some capillary matting - and I only bought ONE plant! Wowee!

We felt very "holier than thou" today as we didn't stop even for a cup of tea, but seeing as I has spent squillions not sure if we could have afforded it.

I've only been there 3 times this week, once for lunch.