Sometime over the past few years, I've turned into my parents. As a child, I remember accompanying…read moremy father to places that I'd deemed boring: places like home improvement stores and plant nurseries. But I recently realized that I am now that person who spends money on garden supplies. Maybe this is because I live in Berlin and I'm trying to get back in touch with my suburb roots. Or maybe since I fail at things like sewing and painting, gardening is my way of "creating" without screwing up (too much).
Whatever it is, I find myself visiting Der Holländer more and more regularly. And while I am no expert on gardening centers, this one seems OK by my standards. It's true what some reviewers have said, that people working there aren't necessarily friendly... but they're not unfriendly either in my experience.
The selection here is good, and there are some things like soils and pots and seeds that are available year-round. But when it comes to the plant offerings, it varies based on the season. Even though everything is rearranged each time I visit, that makes it interesting for me, because I see new stuff and find out what's changed.
As for the prices, they're also reasonable. If you want to get a plant, or flowers, or whatever else, some things are expensive, but it's also easy to find something beautiful for not as much... this variety in offerings is nice.
Hooray for urban gardening!
