Picture posting is enabled for all :)
'Spose it has something to do with;Huge area to rent/maintain.Large staff.Large wastage.Desire to live??
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.
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.
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.
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!!RegardsMatt