Garden Centres - Is It Just Me ?

The local GC comments got me thinking. At the other end of the scale we have a local nursey that is very basic - no tea room, no obvious toilet, no advertising, no labelling and no prices

Its run by a true plantsman who has stated that he would be happy to close the doors and keep the public out - a bit of a challenge for business. He has his opinions and is happy to force his opinions onto his customers who return because of the quality of his stock.

It does ok for trade during the summer but could do so much better with customer facing staff and a bit of a makeover. Its the sort of place that I would love to get my teeth into and make into a real nursery...……. and then sell out to a chain

 

Me too, good choice

 

Its all too familiar, a lot of folk do not realise, the Dutch horticulture industry is subsidised by the Dutch government and EU grants, its become like supermarket veg, it looks fine, but once you bite into it you realise. In the past the Dutch with their subsidised automation were churning out really good quality, so it made sense to buy the slower growing plants like Rhoddos in bud, pittosporum tenofolium, Daphnes etc, but in the past few years its become overpriced intensley produced rubbish in most cases, forced to grow, forced to flower, and forced down peoples throat, dont get me wrong, they are still churning out great quality cut flowers, and young plants, for others to grow on, but this process has been at the expence of the British and French plant industries.
With regards to the high street, its demise is partly because of online shopping, but its also the rise of supermarkets, and out of town shopping centres imo, but some towns are fighting back, Frome in Somerset is a great example, the council changed direction about 10 years ago, no supermarkets in the town, there is a large co op, and a asda on the outskirts, but in the town, you can still find a butcher, bakers andvyes a candle shop, a seamstress, an ironmonger, where you xan still bye 1 nut and bolt, or 1lb of screws, there is the obligatory charity shop, but its thriving with local business because the impact of big business has been kept to a minimum. Imo, brexit (sorry) should be a good thing for local british business, as long as local authorities stop the strangle hold of larger chains, we need to go back, to producing as much as we can for ourselves, and replacing backbone industries with cheaper imports. (That was a party political broadcast by the plants party ) lol.

 

@DMM I always say its in Tod but it is in Walsden, I don't think Mr Riggs would be to pleased how its turned out in regards to plants etc. I believe it got a turnover well into the Millions though so who knows .

@shiney I've haven't been yet , my sister lives in Shap which is a bit higher up than Penrith, I know its expensive having bought from the website in the past . I'll be gallivanting up that way soon or later to visit Levens Hall, I were going late last year but its just wouldn't stop raining.

 

I've always been like that, I just don't draw attention to it.

 

Sadly gardening is being killed off. The garden centres have made it too expensive for those looking to buy plants,pots,compost etc.
Gardens are getting smaller or being built on.
Its all about selling food, coffees, and clothing now.

The garden centres around us get in expensive shrubs, exotics etc that are used as space fillers that wont sell as they are so expensive and require little employee care. Some seasonal pansies etc are brought in to pretend its an active garden centre whilst filling the cafe's.

 

I can't stop laughing at the "true plantsman who has stated that he would be happy to close the doors and keep the public out" .... hilarious. Bless him. I want to do his makeover .... both of the place and him. NO chance he'd accept that however!

 

Gardening will never be killed off Wee Tam ...... unless the current "UK under water, Australia on fire and worldwide pandemic disease" prophesies that are apparently in that bible book thingie are about to come to be. In which case we're all doomed anyway aren't we ?!
We - here - all love our plants, our gardens, our nature and will do all we can to preserve it. Surely.

 

Waaaaaaaaaaaa !!!

 

@andrews ....... nice one ... you started a great thread! It's certainly attracted some fab opinions/ideas/comments etc etc