With a newly acquired allotment my plant addiction has intensified. Given a bit of time, I can be found trawling garden centres, sipping coffee and trying to avoid cake, the 40 something’s version of a pub crawl with equal amounts of damage to the credit card!
So here are my top 10 places to buy plants and garden related paraphernalia. I love them all for different reasons.
I’ve included the Discover Bath Map below which will quickly plot out all the garden centres & nurseries I know of in the area with a simple sort.
Special Plants is a curated garden, nursery and online seed shop run by Derry Watkins, a self confessed plantaholic. Derry started the nursery as a way of justifying all the plants she just had to buy, specialising in tender perennials. She’s grown her ever changing collection from her global travels to include hardy herbaceous and rockery plants, usually those which are difficult to find elsewhere. She also runs an array of gardening courses and you can visit the gardens on Tuesdays from mid March through October.
Opening: 10-5pm Tue – Sat, gardens open Tuesdays only – (March through to October)
Downside Nurseries is the latest to be added to my favourites. A top tip from a fellow allotmenteer sent me off on another plant adventure last weekend. They have an impressive site with so many greehouses they’ve produced a guide map to help you locate your pittosporums! It’s a family run business and they grow most of the 3,000 herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs onsite.
Make a trip of it and visit the wonderful Gardens at Iford Manor and the National Trust’s Westwood Manor set within topiary gardens, not forgetting a pit stop at Iford Manor Cafe.
Opening: 9-5pm Monday to Sunday
Location: 143 Upper Westwood, Westwood, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 2DE
Botanica Studio is easily one of my favourite shops in Bath. Tucked down Union Passage, it’s packed to the rafters with a huge variety of unique & beautiful houseplants. There’s also a tempting selection of pots and plant paraphernalia. The staff are also able to help with plant dilemmas and dying plants! There’s also a cool minimalist studio space upstairs for hire too.
Opening: Mon – Sat 10 – 5:30pm & Sun 11 – 5pm
Location: 17 Union Passage, Bath BA1 1RE
The Urban Garden is a small garden centre near the Royal Crescent. It’s a social enterprise who’s profits fund a programme in Practical Horticulture and supported work placements, helping to improve the mental health and wellbeing of local adults of all ages.
I visit a lot at the moment to buy veggies for the allotment. Most of the plants have been grown on site or locally so they will be well suited to my garden and allotment. They also sell some unusual annuals and striking perennials as well as container grown plants for window boxes. Did I mention their vintage coffee truck for a cake pit stop.
Opening: 10:30 – 5pm Thur, Fri & Sat, 11 – 4pm Sun (check website for winter opening hours)
Location: Marlborough Buildings, Bath BA1 2LZ
Gardenalia is a small garden reclamation yard offering an eclectic mix of antique and contemporary garden ornaments, furniture and plants at bargain prices. They also offer a selection of new and used garden equipment as well as a small selection of plants, organic and natural composts and sundries. Brace yourself for a search and you might find some treasure.
Opening: Thurs, Fri, Sat 10am to 5pm & Sun 11am to 5pm.
Location: 4, Mile End, London Rd, Bath BA1 6PT
Lowden Garden Centre is pretty big, popular and has a lot going on. It offers a mix of home grown and responsibly sourced plants and trees including some unusual ones. Their shop is great for gifts with a range of home accessories, children’s toys, furniture and artisan ceramics and kitchenware. There’s also a Farm Shop onsite with fresh local produce, a Restaurant with plenty of indoor and al fresco dining space – book ahead, it gets busy.
Opening: Open Mon – Sat 9-5pm & Sun 10-4pm
Location: Folly Ln, Shaw, Melksham SN12 8EZ
Prior Park Garden Centre It’s probably the largest to central Bath and has a great selection of plants. There’s a shop, a delightful cafe and small farm shop. There’s also plenty of free onsite parking. I almost always combine it with a trip to Widcombe High Street or a visit to Prior Park Landscape Garden.
Opening: 8:30-5:30pm Mon – Sat, 10:30-4:30pm Sun
Location: Prior Park Rd, Bath BA2 4NF
St Aldams Nursery A bit further afield in Pucklechurch, we visit to pick-your-own strawberries, raspberries and anything else that’s in season but it’s also a big plant and vegetable nursery.
Opening: 9-5pm Mon – Sun
Location: Westerleigh Rd, Bristol BS16 9PY
Bathford Nurseries is probably the closest to my house, so I tend to visit for stuff like mulch and compost but it also has a huge variety of plants, shrubs and flowers. The staff are always lovely and happy to share their expertise.
Opening: 9-5pm Mon – Sun
Location: Box Rd, Bathford, Bath BA1 7LR
Supermarket plants – Morrisons – a bit left field and certainly not a destination plant centre but I’ve found supermarket plant selections can have some really lovely plants at great prices so it’s worth having a look. Morrisons is our closest supermarket and has a large selection of indoor and outdoor plants for really good prices. My best find has to be a 5ft Fiddle Leaf Fig for £15!
The map lists all the garden centres and nurseries in and around Bath. Simply select from the list within the map.