Garden Center and Nursery
Benefits of Using a Garden Center or Nursery
We don't advocate always buying plants from Garden Centres. There are cheaper alternatives for obtaining high quality plants
(see Less Expensive Sources for Plants).
However, there are times when even the most thrifty gardener needs to buy fully grown plants that they cannot obtain in any other practical way. For most people, that means visiting a Garden Centre or Plant Nursery.
However, as with most things in life, some garden centres or nurseries are better than others and it is worth making a few enquiries about those in your area to establish their reputations.
Whilst costs are an important consideration, it is not all important. There is no benefit in saving a few pence or even pounds on a plant if the results are not what you were expecting some months down the line. High standards of service and guarantees are well worth seeking out.
Although you have to pay for your purchases, you can also gain far more for you money than the actual plants, for example:
- You may be looking for some inspiration about the kind of plants you need for a particular place in your garden. At most Garden Centres, you can view a wide range of plants, varieties, colours and stage of maturity, often in typical surroundings that are akin to your own circumstances
- If the displays are not enough, there should be well-trained staff on hand who are willing to make suggestions and provide all kinds of helpful advice. If you ask, most Garden Centres have professionally qualified gardeners on hand who can help with particularly difficult issues.
- As well as being able to observe the general standard of plant care, you can closely inspect specimens you are thinking of buying to ensure they are healthy and free from pests and diseases.
- In most Garden Centres, plants come with some kind of guarantee in case they don't thrive in your garden. It is always worth checking the terms and conditions, however, to see what is excluded from the guarantee and what forms of recompense are available to you should you need to return a plant.
- In addition to plants, many Garden Centres and some Nurseries also sell a wide range of other gardening products, such as tools, garden furniture, hard landscaping, composts, fertilizers and much much more. It's always useful to know what is available even if you do not currently need to buy anything.
Read more about Garden Centres |
Read more about Plants |