Cost Less plants really does have plants that - well - cost less. I was pleasantly surprised…read morerecently to realise that they had identical 'Tom Thumbs' (a little tub of greenery that is a great shrub for low level garden edging, trims easy and keeps it's shape for a mini hedge, etc) to one of those huge hardware chains that ryhmes with Runnings, for a couple of bucks less per plant (roughly 20% cheaper, actually). Thinking about it, the ferns I bought there whilst creating a fernery were a bargain, too (lost to the droughts a couple of years ago now, sadly) There's a huge range of plants here - from little potted colour to trees, ferns, shrubs, indoor plants, seedlings for herbs and veggies, all kinds of stuff - glorious pots too, and a wide range of fertilisers and garden conditioners. There's also a corner (to the right as you come in through the gates) full of bargains - plants near the end of their planting season, remainders, those stragglers left behind - but a great place to pick up some extra's you might not have been able to afford otherwise. I've been here a lot of times - it's my local plant centre, so I figure if the plants are thriving here they should survive ok at home, too - the one warning I'd give is that I've never been here and found it anything but busy - parking on the street can be quite a hassle at times.

I came here that time I decided I wanted to start a raised herb garden in my backyard. They had a…read moregood range of established herbs and seedlings. Of course, my garden only lasted a month because I went away for a while and didn't water it, but I'm sure thats more my fault than Cost less. They have a decent range of plants, shrubs, trees and so on. The staff are good, I found them really helpful in teaching me what would grow best in my area, etc.

I only really popped into Bennett's in order to buy a bit of extra clay for my sculpture class,…read morehowever, I really liked the place. They have terracotta pots of all shapes and sizes, as well as stoneware and building products, such as glazed bricks and tiles. It is a bit of a maze when you first enter as the stock room isn't really manned. This is because Bennett's are primarily manufacturers (which means everything is really cheap) and when I was there I had to go and hoy a dude driving a fork lift full of terracotta potts to get served. But that's kinda cool in itself. Oh and did I mention they also sell, clay by the bag, which is pretty cool, and hard to find, and also the reason why I went there in the first place.

I recently purchased some hanging pots from Bennett's after seeing their products online…read more They organised the delivery interstate and the pots arrived without an issue. They are the most beautiful terracotta hanging baskets. I have potted them up and hung them and they look fabulous. I would highly recommend these pots to anyone who loves terracotta. I only wish they are more available on the east coast of NSW.

When it is warm weather I am easily drawn to gardening. I guess most of us are. I start thinking…read moreabout starting a veggie patch and plating flowers to enjoy some colour when I am outdoors. It's also great to know where to go to get variety and quality at a good price. Gardening can become expensive. I drove past this nursery for many years but I never stopped in. Actually, when you do drive past you do not appreciate how big this place actually is. It's deceiving from the front. This Nursery has such a large variety of plants and gardening materials available. You will find everything you need here. Wether it is a gardening pot, tools, soil, statues, etc... They actually mix and make their own brand of soil. I got a pack and it is great! One other thing that I love about this place is the Cactus green house! So awesome! There are not many nurseries with that much variety. Staff here are great and happy to help out with enquires. Be sure to let them know if you need advice with your garden. Only negative was the entry and exit point was a little confusing. Entry via carpark and exit at the counter inside, walk around on the street to enter back into the carpark. Meh... it's about the gardening and customer services for me!

Heynes is certainly one of my favourite plant nurseries I've had the pleasure of sauntering around…read more Their enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff have cheerily assisted me with everything from identifying a tree in my new front yard, to diagnosing a sick plant, to helping me find a gift for a friend. Their items can be pricey, but the plant quality is exceptional compared to cheaper items from Bunnings or Masters. Every plant I have purchased here for my garden has thrived (with one or two exceptions where it was more a case of 'gardener error' on my part). Not only have my annual seedlings done well, many have self-seeded and continued to thrive for years past their expected life-span. For service and quality that is above and beyond, visit Heyne's, one of the longest-running nurseries in Australia.

The Northside Pets Superstore is a great place to grab a whole lot of different items needed for…read moreyour pets, with highly trained staff included vet nurses and breeders of different species. I always venture into pet stores to sneak a peak at the adorable puppies and cute kittens that they have in stock, wishing that I could take them all home. What I was not expecting when I walked into the Northisde Pet Superstore in Hillcrest, was a variety of snakes and lizzards to impress me. Which it did. There were some amazing creatures in that store. A cute little baby childrens python even tried to attack me, and smacked its face on the glass - highly entertaining. A pet store with a different sort of livestock than your average domestic pets is definitely something worth 4 stars, especially when I got the impression that the staff were more than happy to talk to you about any questions you had.

I'd always duck into Northside Pet Superstore when I was going past, after picking up some quite…read morerare fish for an absolute steal - browsing through all the standard guppies, tetras, platys and goldfish - nothing really unusual there, but it is a pet store, not a specialised aquarium shop - I found a tank full of algae eaters - again nothing unusual (and word of warning, they're only algae eaters when they're young, and hungry - as they get bigger, and find they can eat the food your other fish are getting, they get lazy - and they'll also latch on to slow moving fish, and use them as food too - not nice fish sometimes) except for five fish that definitely weren't your everyday algae eater - tall fins, and a much more elongated shape. I asked a staff member what they were, she told me algae eaters - I took a chance on them, as they looked really interesting, and I knew I could find homes for them even if they weren't compatible with my fish, and took two of the 'algae eaters' home. Turned out they were a variety of Hemoloptera - lovely fish that don't grow too big, and sell for about ten times the price of an algae eater - and when I went back for the other three the next day they even gave me a discount on them... *bonus* :) That aside, I see a good stock of the regular fish. There's often a special on something, tetras, goldies or guppies, which probably reflects a discount they've gotten from the suppliers, but it never hurts to get a good bargain. Overall the store looks good - I don't pay a lot of attention to the rest of the livestock, unless the kids are with me, but they have a good range of animals and products.