The plant nursery crawl

One saturday afternoon I was in a non-gardening shop that happens to sell plants and couple of pretty pink heathers caught my eye. Spotting me admiring the heathers a gentleman stopped to ask if he could give me some advice - free gardening advice is most welcome and so I gladly accepted. He said not to buy the heathers from there but to go to Hollybeck nursery just up the road in Oxton or Timmerman's in Woodborough because "they're much cheaper and really look after their plants". I made a note of them on my phone, thanked him and then pretended to walk away from the plant section. When he wasn't looking I snook back and guiltily bought the heathers anyway.

I am glad of the advice though because it set me off on an idea to look up some of the perhaps less known (to me) nurseries nearby. I was aware of the big local garden centres but often walked around tut-tutting at the prices and the lack of care of the plants. The less commercial nurseries I didn't know about and, with gardening season coming to an end, realised I needed to visit them soon before they close for the winter. I found 5 nurseries in total, not all strictly in Gedling but not far away.

The great Gedling plant crawl was planned and my lovely friend Claire and I set off on a sunny Saturday morning for the first nursery on the list. This was to be Hollybeck nursery, recommended by the wise gardener and furthest away from home. Unfortunately we came unstuck with this one quickly because there had been a flood on the very road that Hollybeck stands and it was closed in both directions. Even with sat nav and directions from a local publican, we couldn't find another way in. So, we decided to jump to the next on the list...

Timmerman's
This is a big garden centre in Woodborough so they sell pots and planters, aggregates and tools as well as plants and seeds and all kinds of gifts. However, the prices weren't unnecessarily high compared to other similar garden centres and they had a sale on quite a few things, not just the sad "poorly corner" specimens. The range of plants and trees available was wide and everything looked healthy and cared for. There were some nice touches too, like the seasonal display suggesting autumnal plants that go together. Claire treated me to lunch here as well. The food was fresh and tasty and the staff in both the cafe and shop were friendly and helpful. From Timmerman's I bought some Chrysanthemum carinatum sunshine mix seeds (longing for summer already), some pretty coloured plant markers, two 'Scaredy Cat' (Coleus canina) plants - that's a whole other story - and a Skimmia Japonica 'Rubella'.

Tall Trees
Next up was Tall Trees in Bulcote. This had a much less commercial and really inviting feel on arrival. The entrance to the nursery was attractively framed with, you guessed it - tall trees. This nursery has a lovely layout, allowing you to wind in and out of the shelves and displays, and a nice selection of trees as well as perennials, alpines and annuals. They also have an indoor section for house and exotic plants. I think we just hit this one at the wrong time of year because stocks were quite low and dead plants hadn't been removed from the displays. I'd like to visit again in the spring when they're setting up for a new year and everything is fresh. I think the resident hen and cockerel would like us to go back too after treating them to a few raisins from Claire's snack stash.

Greehills
I know that Greenhills is a chain garden centre but this one is a little different because it is situated inside the campus of Portland College, set back in Thieves Wood. I really liked this garden centre, it had character. It isn't very big but they have packed in a lot and the setting is lovely, within the wood. They had a half price sale on pots (so I bought two) and lots of seasonal plants like cyclamen and heathers at a really good price.

Hilltop Nurseries
Now this one is a beauty. It's the closest to home just in Lambley and literally doors away from another nursery (Ashdale mentioned below) that we'd taken to this year. Hilltop is big, it's huge and how I've managed to miss it previously I have no idea. This is the nursery that we said we'd definitely come back to as soon as the season starts again next year. There's a big selection of fruit, veg, trees, shrubs, alpines - you name it. When we visited, they were running an offer of buy one get one free on planters and pots too. I bought an echinops tienschanicum and a deep red dianthus. Claire and I were so pleased to find this place and decided straight away we'd be back as soon as they open again in the spring.

Ashdale Nursery
Ashdale we already knew and is still my favourite. On another garden centre outing earlier in the year Claire and I found Ashdale by happy accident. I could stay there for hours, there's something about the friendly staff and the unusual plants that you don't necessarily see elsewhere which makes this place really special. Their prices are the most competitive I've seen so far and I finished the day by buying a stunning Red Twig Dogwood. I was very happy.