Meerkat fountain? check. Meerkat wearing a neckerchief ornament? check. Meerkat surface to air…read moremissile? we'll order one for you...... Yep,it was trawl around a garden centre sunday day for me and Mrs Z last week. To be honest I only went because I wanted a bacon sarnie from the caravan that parks outside,only for it to be not there anymore!! That's probably because the centre has recently open up a bistro on the first floor,which I will check out one day. Can anybody remember a time when garden centres only sold things for the garden? On Sunday at Gordon Riggs I had the opportunity to buy (Deep breath):- Candles,Locusts,Crickets,Rabbits,Bearded Dragons,Vases,Books,Paving stones,Bloody Meerkat tat,Plants,Incense sticks,Essential oils,Bird Food,Bird Tables,Bird poison (Not really),CD's,DVD's,Tins of minced beef and onions and a carvery. And that is a good thing! because when I go to a garden centre the last thing I want to look at is garden stuff,as I stated in last years review of All in One garden Centre I hate gardens and gardening, so the more non gardening related things they sell the better, which is why I have a soft spot for Gordons place, anything that stops me having to look at bulbs and seeds is a good thing. Although less Meerkat related stuff would be nice : )

Gordon Riggs is a great all year round garden centre which is conveniently located just off a new…read moremotorway extension and exist in Kingsway, Rochdale. The plant and flower stocks change seasonally and the items usually have helpful tips and information on the suitability. There are sections of the centre suitable for most purposes, from gravel and rocks to statues, fountains and pond liners. The pets section always has a great selection of fish too. My one gripe is that Christmas always comes VERY early to Gordon Riggs, with a strong emphasis on a very large (and impressive) seasonal lighting display. It could just do with arriving a few weeks or months later than it does though. That said, it's especially great for your pick of healthy, juicy christmas trees.

The only word I can use for Wyvale Garden Centre (formerly Barton Grange) is "epic"... it's a…read morehumongous space full of everything you could need for your garden, from plants and shrubs, to trees, fountains, statues, tools, and equipment etc. It also has a cafe/restaurant, and a large shopping area of books, toys, games, gifts, food items, and a branch of Edinburgh Woolen Mill, as well as an aquarium. It's a nice place just to have a wander around to be honest, there's far too much and too many things for me to list. It also has good parking, and good disabled access, as well as friendly and helpful staff.

I'm awarding four stars for this garden centre (Ooooh, I feel powerful). It's had to look at…read moredifferent things than a few shrubs and bulbs and you can now buy all sorts of internal and external decorations and ornaments apart from the usual flowers and stuff. My missus gets very excited every time she goes in. We even honoured this place last year when we purchased our Christmas tree from here. Praise indeed. I've not tried their cafe, but friends who have say it's extremely good food, but very expensive. That covers the rest of the place really - you will get what you want here, it will be very good quality and it will be top money.

I was a bit surprised about going out to eat at the Nursery Garden Shop since our nurseries in USA…read moredon't have a cafe, but my inlaws come here a lot. I've been here two or three times to eat and it's quite nice. The sandwiches here are hearty as well as their bowls of soup. I've also had afternoon tea here too which was tasty and not expensive. The prices here are very reasonable, so it's a nice breakfast and lunch spot. I didn't notice, but my husband was quick to comment when we sat down that the crowd here is mostly pensioners on a weekday. I'd happily eat here again. Make sure to grab a rewards card when you're here if you're local; they'll give you a free hot drink after several hot drink purchases.

Plantation is a great family run garden centre located in the village of Plumley. The emphasis here…read moreis on the quality of the plants, and also on the wide range of horticultural knowledge the staff are able to share with customers. The colonial cafe is opening at the beginning of December and can only add to what is already a really special place.

This Garden Centre is very hard to find unless you have local knowledge and is off the main road…read morebetween Urmston and Stretford at the end of a path. It has a nice selection of bedding plants and hanging baskets. You can also get Christmas trees here in December.It does not have a tea shop or many additional items for sale like pots etc but ok for basic planting material.

TL;DR - A gardener's delight. Huge choice and incredibly low prices…read more Officially called "Pole Green Nurseries", but everyone I know seems to call this place "Brennan's". This place is an absolute delight. There's a car park on site, but from the road you can't really appreciate how much there is here. The main building has lots of plant food, pots and containers, ornaments and house plants. Then behind this you'll find a vast array of greenhouses filled with lots of plants - I'm particularly fond of all the fruit, vegetables and herbs they have for sale. I've had several tomato plants from here and they've all produced tremendous amounts of fruit. Then behind this is a huge outside area with all kinds of plants and you'll even find a variety of trees for sale, ranging from fruit trees and conifers to more exotic things like monkey puzzle trees. This place doesn't have the fanciness of many modern garden centres today - no gift areas, or greeting cards, or kitchen areas - and there's no cafe or toilets. But they have more plants than you could possibly imagine, and the prices are incredibly low. A monkey puzzle tree for under £15! Tomato plants for 75p! There's so much here that even with the low prices I could spend a fortune!

A good garden centre. A large outside area selling plants trees grasses and herbs. They also sell…read moreaquatic plants. Inside you will find bulbs, grass seeds and house plants. They also sell a large range of plant food, various pest killers and fertilisers. They also sell wild bird food and feeders. Outside they have fencing, wooden buildings(various types) loads of planters, decking and patio flags.They have car parking. This is a useful rather than exciting garden centre. This company used to have another branch that recently closed and this branch feels a little cluttered. They used to carry a large range of gifts, candles & cards . They still have some but not much. This garden centre is great for buying plants (particularly out of season)but it is a no frills type of place.

Homesense at the Trafford Centre is fairly tucked away within Trafford Palazzo (formerly Barton…read moreSquare), it is a large store and it is over two floors. The store looks fairly nice from the outside and is reasonably spacious and presentable for a Homesense store, which can be a little like a non-clothing, home goods version of TKMaxx, their parent company. They had a small selection of furniture and some interesting items, some prices better than others. I like how this store is open late into the evening, which for night-owls like myself is ideal, they're open until 10 pm during the week, closing a little earlier on weekends. I did find the store to be both understaffed and untidy, the shelves were full of rubbish left by customers, including half-eaten food and empty cups, I understand this isn't the store's fault but it was just rather unpleasant, and with no staff members on the shop floor, it wasn't getting tied up to look more presentable. Again, a lack of staff on the shop floor meant I struggled to find what I was looking for. 4* - I like this HomeSense store better than their Manchester Arndale location, it is larger and has a nice range of stock, yet they could for sure improve the staffing levels and cleanliness around the store.

Home Sense is one of the greatest discoveries of the Western world. Where else can you create a…read moredesigner home for half the price? It looks very TK Maxx with endless aisles of furniture and ornaments in no particular order or organisation, but you do not have to look for as long in Home Sense to unveil a bargain. I love the grandeur and scale of some of the items; there are enormous Baroque mirrors which lounge beside huge terracotta pots- its like being in the Land of The Giants. Union Jack painted cabinets stand patriotically next to mirrored Art Deco inspired dressing tables and there are pictures galore promoting everything from Pop Art to Hollywood legends. Home Sense's garden range is definitely worth taking note of, there are table and chairs in ice cream colours and last year I saw a stone table and bench which was absolutely divine and I still kick myself for not buying it. So I have versed you well Yelpers on the stock, now for the prices! This is one of the cheapest priced shops I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Cabinets costing £600 elsewhere are £250 here, crockery is a steal and glasses are great quality and £13 for a box of 6 champagne flutes. I am serious, you blink twice with astonishment when you go to the till. What is appealing about this quirky treasure trove is its ever changing stock.There is no point admiring a Home Sense bargain found by someone else and hoping you can get it for yourself. The majority of the stock are one-offs and will not be featured again so this is a buy-it-when-you-see-it type of place. Yay! I'm a fan!