CHOOSE GARDEN CENTRES BY COUNTY BELOW
We cover everything from the modern large super-store garden centres through to the independent small nursery. Both have their part to play in providing a wide range of plants and gardening goods for your benefit.
JustGardenCentres is unique amongst garden centre review websites. We actually visit over 90% of the garden centres we review. Our extensive experience, having visited over 300 UK garden centres, allows us to compare their facilities. Our reviews are very detailed, documenting the plants areas, the indoor sales areas, the cafes, car parking facilities and more.
Another unique aspect of our garden centre reviews is that we take pictures of the interior, exterior and cafe sales areas to enable our readers to compare garden centres and decide which are of interest to them. No other garden centre review site offers the insights of JustGardenCentres.
This changes occasionally, but currently Bridgemere Garden Centre (owned by Blue Diamond) is the largest in the UK. It is situated in Nantwich, Cheshire and covers an area of over 50 acres.
Blue Diamond take this crown with a turnover (excluding VAT) in 2024 of £308m. Dobbies are a close second as far as turnover (excluding VAT) is concerned with £278m. Third largest garden centre chain is British Garden Centres.
Savills (estate agents) predict that the gardening market in the UK will expand to a massive £5 billion per year. The gardening market has consistently grown over the last 10 years, with no adverse effects from COVID.
Previously they were owned by Tesco but now are owned by Midlothian Capital and Hattington Capital Holding Company.
This award goes to Longacres in Surrey. Sadly the founder, Mr Long, passed away in 2022. He started Longacres Garden Centre in 1979.
Cafes and Restaurants are one of the outstanding growth areas as far as garden centres are concerned. In 2021 revenue from cafes and restaurants in garden centres was 7% of turnover. By 2023 this had more than doubled to 14.9%. There is every indication that this is on the increase.
There is a key point to this increase beyond the above figures. Customers visiting a garden centre primarily for the cafe / restaurant are likely to make other purchases simply because they have visited the garden centre.
Geography plays an important part in deciding which garden centres you may be interested in. If you live in the Midlands then you are unlikely to be interested in a garden centre in Scotland. To help you locate the garden centre that suits you we have divided the UK into county areas. Any given county can be selected at the top of each page to allow you to see all the garden centres reviewed in that county.
The are a few areas of the UK which are no longer in a county, for example Coventry and Birmingham. They are authorities in their own right so we have listed them as if they are a county.
A good proportion of plants sold at garden centres are frost tender - many only require a single night of frost to kill them. These frost tender plants represent a large percentage of income to garden centres and customers over the last decade have realised that they need to purchase these plants only when the likelihood of frosts is past.
Recently we have started adding food hygiene ratings which have been given to cafes, restaurants and food establishment in garden centres. These awards are given by the Food Standards Agency and although not fool proof, they do give a good idea idea as to the cleanliness of a cafe.
Wherever possible we also comment on how a garden centre or nursery is arranged for the purposes of wheelchair users.
Garden Centres have increasingly expanded into the market for all types of Christmas trees, decorations and gifts. Kids love the elaborate displays which some garden centres provide and a visit to Santa is now almost the sole preserve of garden centres. This market has grown considerably and will continue to do so
All our full reviews are always the result of a personal visit to the garden centre or detailed investigation into their facilities. We have absolutely no association with any particular garden centre or chain of garden centres. All the reviews are our own personal, unbiased opinion.
Over the past decade we have visited and reviewed in full over 300 UK garden centres so although our opinions may not necessarily be the same as yours, at least you can be assured that it is an informed and independent opinion.