Topic: Why are garden centres so expensive?

[wahaj]

So um yeah....why are garden centres so expensive?

I mean the one i went to today is the biggest one nearby and everything cost so much. one small heather cost £2.50.....small cyclamen without any labels were the same price....
Even bulbs costs so much more. An Allium globemaster was priced £4.50 yet they cost £3 at wilkinsons...which are bigger and healthier looking than the ones at the garden centre!

even though B&Q and wilkisons don't exactly take care of there plants in that great detail....but they are so much cheaper!

you would have thought that garden centres produce a lot of their own plants using cuttings and seeds and they buy things in bulk and they dont have to keep things seasonally and throw them away after that.....they can still sell herbacious plants even if they've died down. Like they were selling one plant of a russell hybrid lupin at the garden centre for £6!!!! that's madness!

[tim]

'Spose it has something to do with;
Huge area to rent/maintain.
Large staff.
Large wastage.
Desire to live??

[wahaj]

'Spose it has something to do with;
Huge area to rent/maintain.
Large staff.
Large wastage.
Desire to live??

well...the one i went to today was huge....yet they only had 2 people on the floor and 2 on the tills. and it's in an industrial estate so it's not as epensive as it would be if they were in the town like B&Q are here. and i'm assuming a lot of the wastage there is compost-able...which is surely something they could make more money out of.

i don't see it costing them anymore than any other shop of that size.....well...any DIY store anyway.

i mean no wonder the gardening industry in UK is worth over £4.5 billion a year.

[wellingtons]

Garden centres are like any other business ... they're just that ... a business.

They are there to make money.  On the whole they buy their plants in, and the more middle men involved in any equation the higher the mark up.  B&Q and the like have far more buying power than any garden centre.  They have stores up and down the country and can shift 1000's whereas a one or two site garden centre can only shift 10's or 100's.

And you're right they are more expensive.  But there are other options, local nurseries, garden centres that grow their own, local plant sales.

But sometimes it's worth paying a bit extra, I bought two hop plants from a local garden centre and within days both developed rust ... I took them back and without a flinch was given a full refund.  Now I'd have preferred healthy plants, but  if I've got a problem I want someone who understands plants not someone who sells paint.

[wahaj]

Garden centres are like any other business ... they're just that ... a business.

They are there to make money.  On the whole they buy their plants in, and the more middle men involved in any equation the higher the mark up.  B&Q and the like have far more buying power than any garden centre.  They have stores up and down the country and can shift 1000's whereas a one or two site garden centre can only shift 10's or 100's.

And you're right they are more expensive.  But there are other options, local nurseries, garden centres that grow their own, local plant sales.

But sometimes it's worth paying a bit extra, I bought two hop plants from a local garden centre and within days both developed rust ... I took them back and without a flinch was given a full refund.  Now I'd have preferred healthy plants, but  if I've got a problem I want someone who understands plants not someone who sells paint.

true. I understand what you mean now.

It's just that....i'd love to help local businesses a lot more....but it just happens that i end up going to a DIY store to buy most of my stuff and only go to the garden centre if i really want something that i can't buy elsewhere. it's just a shame i guess.

[wellingtons]

I'm lucky here, closer than B&Q I have the choice of two nurseries ... and just a little further is an independent garden centre that grows their own.

The prices are a little more than B&Q but the quality and variety are outstanding.

[wahaj]

I'm lucky here, closer than B&Q I have the choice of two nurseries ... and just a little further is an independent garden centre that grows their own.

The prices are a little more than B&Q but the quality and variety are outstanding.

oh yea definately. i mean i try to avoid buying plants from places like wilkinsons because well....from when they buy them...they don't water them so the shelf life is really poor.

Atleast MOST garden centres look after their plants and are dedicated to them. I was surprised to find that i asked for a plant and the lady knew exactly where it was and all about it.

[plimsoll plot2]

I found a garden centre that was set up and ran by people with special needs and with the help of there helpers they do a great job.

they are very,very cheap as they grow everything there selves from seed.

its even better then the garden centre  the only thing is that they dont open on weekends as it is part of the special learning school.

but the flowers ,veg plants, seeds, plants are of the same standard as you wiould find anywere.

two years ago i brought a lilly plant you should see it now its hugh, he garden centre wanted £9.99 for the plant i got it for £2.00.

i always try to buy stuff from there to support them and make sure they keep going cause they do a great job.

its in west drayton hayes middlesex

[muddy boots]

Wahaj, if there's a hospital/psychiatric unit near you, as plimsoll says, often they have an occupational health set up where they grow plants and veg from seed.  Great value and well looked after.  Might be worth a bit of investigation.

Also, as mentioned before, local nurseries.  Are there any garden clubs you could contact as they would know what's about  :D

[wellingtons]

A bit of on a tangent, but I would never buy roses from anywhere other than a rose nursery.  I do actually drive quite a long way to get mine from a fabby little nursery in Denham.

But he's brilliant, I wanted to plant a rose hedge around my front garden, 13 years ago and he spent quite a long time talking to me before giving me 3 recommendations.  13 years on my rose hedge is beautiful, I chose Fragrant Delight.  My neighbours all comment on my hedge and I have had people stop and ask me which rose it is.  All of the roses are still growing well, producing lots of flowers and foiliage ... gorgeous!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Before you buy from a garden centre, it's worth looking at online stores and comparing prices; they're often much better value.

[saddad]

There is also the tendancy to want to sell you "new" plants, that aren't really happy in our climate or untested new hybrids rather than the old standby's. Remember if they sell you something and it doesn't die you won't need to come back for some more next year!
 ::)

[ACE]

Buying from schools and hospitals is alright if you do not worry about sterilised pots and cross contamination, Buying from B&Q,Wilkos, etc. is aright if you are on a tight budget but 'you gets what you pays'.

My garden must work out between £70 and £80 a square metre I would not risk putting cheap and rubbishy plants in it. I prefer my plants to have a plant passport which certifies their health, the compost they are in and that they come from a certified nurseryman.

How often have I read on these board about why won't my plant flower, why has it died, it is not the colour on the picture etc.etc. Then you go and brag about the good deal you got with a cheap plants.

Garden centres have very big overheads and should look after their stock properly, so the premium you pay for something that you think is expensive is not that much.

I grow for our show gardens and the plants have to be in tip top condition, if they are not they get burnt. It cost me between £4 or £5 to produce a plant in a 2 litre pot. If we sell after the show we try and get the money back to finance the next lot of plants. We only sell the best and people have to pay for that. But the same people come back year after year because the plants have not let them down and they know a bargain when they see it.

[wahaj]

Buying from schools and hospitals is alright if you do not worry about sterilised pots and cross contamination, Buying from B&Q,Wilkos, etc. is aright if you are on a tight budget but 'you gets what you pays'.

My garden must work out between £70 and £80 a square metre I would not risk putting cheap and rubbishy plants in it. I prefer my plants to have a plant passport which certifies their health, the compost they are in and that they come from a certified nurseryman.

How often have I read on these board about why won't my plant flower, why has it died, it is not the colour on the picture etc.etc. Then you go and brag about the good deal you got with a cheap plants.

Garden centres have very big overheads and should look after their stock properly, so the premium you pay for something that you think is expensive is not that much.

I grow for our show gardens and the plants have to be in tip top condition, if they are not they get burnt. It cost me between £4 or £5 to produce a plant in a 2 litre pot. If we sell after the show we try and get the money back to finance the next lot of plants. We only sell the best and people have to pay for that. But the same people come back year after year because the plants have not let them down and they know a bargain when they see it.

hmm...the way i look at it, is that life finds a way. so regardless of what certifictae a plant comes with....as long as you know what you're doing you can't go wrong most of the time.

for example....i bought a passionflower from a big garden centre for £11. i did everything they told me to...and it died within a few weeks. i bought 2 of the same from a green grocers in london for £1.50 each...pretty much the same size and they're still alive 3 months later.

and you can spend as much money on your garden as you want....it'll still be ridden with weeds and your neighbours weeds will set seed in your garden when the wind blows.

[MattyJC]

I try and avoid garden centres these days, although I'm trained in Horticulture (specialising in Garden centre management!) I get really fed up with the same plants and very little variation you get. I guess Wyevale and co are more like B&Q`s these days with the buying power. I much prefer the local nurseries and even on line for my plants and seeds.
That said, we still like a mooch round the garden centre on a Sunday afternoon!!

Regards

Matt

[wahaj]

I try and avoid garden centres these days, although I'm trained in Horticulture (specialising in Garden centre management!) I get really fed up with the same plants and very little variation you get. I guess Wyevale and co are more like B&Q`s these days with the buying power. I much prefer the local nurseries and even on line for my plants and seeds.
That said, we still like a mooch round the garden centre on a Sunday afternoon!!

Regards

Matt

yea totally....i love little nurseries and markets. I mean don't get me wrong....my boyfriend shouts me all the time because i spend £7 on the bus every few days just to go down to the garden centre. not really with the intention to buy anything...and most of the time i don't. just to walk around it really.

[MrsKP]

in the beginning, when i was gullible, i paid £7.99 each for two holly ilex twigs from my local garden centre.  i nearly choked on the price then, but even more so when i took a stroll around our country park and saw WALLS of the stuff just begging to be snipped.  i didn't of course, but you get my drift.  i must admit though, that the man in the GC was actually quite informative, whereas i never even saw any holly at B&Q.

now i do it the free way and take a clipping here and there or beg borrow or scrounge from lovely people on here, or at work.

what takes up all my hard earned is compost, manure and bark and i really should make more of an effort to source elsewhere other than B&Q. 

buying power and profit margins is what the makes the world go round these days.   :-\

[Conker]

One of my local garden centres started off as a small hut by the side of the road years ago (I'd imagine about 30 years ago), selling a small amount of cuttings and established plants in pots for the garden from their own garden nursery.  Bit by bit, they expanded, which should be seen as a great achievement!  However, they started to put their prices up as they expanded and, while their quality and range of plants is very good, they are exceedingly expensive in comparison to other places.

For anyone who knows it or who has heard of it, it's Bents in Glazebury.  Wonderful for a day out and expending even as we speak to have the largest covered area of outdoor plants in Britain.  (But at what cost to the consumer??)

But still expensive, even though they started out as an incredibly small local garden shop.

Bob

[froglets]

My twopenneth:

I always look for non chain garden centres or nursries who grow their own plants.  Many of the expensive plants in the big chains are the new marketing introductions and cost more because they are registered under plant breeders rights.  It can take 10 years to bring a new variety to the shops so breeders have to make a living somehow. It'a just a judgement call as to whether or not you want new varieties ( they may be more consistent and disease resistant) or are happy to have soemthing generally available.

A lot of the very cheap plants in Wilko's etc are imported from Europe & grown in vast automated sheds, to my mind, soulless and not sustaining local communities.   The have put lots of UK growers out of business ( my avatar is of an ex-daffodil breeder's stock fields - can't compete with imports).

The chains serve a market segment for people who don't know much about plants but want a garden that looks nice, others of us have learned to spot a tub of twigs that will turn into a fab display in a couple of years time & are prepared to wait.  I buy from people who care about their plants - I bougt at several plant fairs this year ( Arley Hall Gardens & Norton Priory)  and had a chance to discuss the plant & it's needs & generally chat about garden stuff.  Makes it an enjoyable experience rather supermarket shopping.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Not only that, but if you're not sure what you want, you've a much better chance of getting it.