Our Top 3 Cotswolds Garden Centres
We have some fabulous garden centres here in The Cotswolds; and in fact we have several that are more than just garden centres – they’re destinations where you can spend a good few hours whether you’re a tourist or a Cotswold local. Friends who have children love to take their little ones to spend some time at garden centres thanks to the huge variety of ‘visual stimulation’ on offer, and often they have lovely cafés to enjoy a delicious hot drink or tasty treat too.
Read on for our three favourite garden centres for whiling away an afternoon!
Daylesford Garden Centre
As I’m sure many of you will know, Daylesford Organic is not only a farm shop – it has an excellent garden centre too! Daylesford stock everything from bulbs and seedlings, to wonderfully gnarled olive trees, beautiful David Austen roses, and from late spring into summer, little salad plug plants which are perfect if you didn’t manage to grow any lettuces / chillis / brassicas etc from seed. While much at Daylesford has a rather premium price tag, you’ll be pleased to hear that the plants at Daylesford are very reasonably priced.
Daylesford also has an indoor section where you can buy gorgeous garden tools, as well as a fabulous selection of gardening gifts, such as beautiful coffee table books, seeds, homeware and more.
Burford Garden Co
Burford Garden Company is one of my favourite places in the entire Cotswolds to spend an afternoon. I call it the ‘Harrods of the gardening world’ thanks to their incredible stock selection. It is absolutely massive, and they stock every plant and seed imaginable, and Charlie always makes a beeline for their incredible selection of artisan pantry food items. They have a great little cafe where you can stop for a chai latte and a slice of cake or two or even a lovely lunch.
Burford’s homeware section is also fantastic. They have lots of great kitchen & dining items, as well as foodie gifts, home decor and loads more. During the Christmas period they stock such lovely Christmas decorations and gifts. Whatever the season, popping into Burford garden company when you visit the Cotswolds is a must.
Nicholson’s Garden Centre
Nicholson’s are a garden design company who helped us to design many parts of our garden, and they also have an incredible garden centre which is located down towards Bicester. Apart from stocking some great plants and trees, Nicholson’s are also known for their wonderful Yurt, which is a cafe serving seasonal, creative and most importantly delicious food. Do pop in if you’re in the area!
Honorable Mentions
There are a few other great garden centres nearby which didn’t make my top three, but are still worth a visit!
1 – Fosseway Garden Centre
The Fosseway garden centre is located in Moreton-in-Marsh, and recently went through a renovation. It’s a great place to go for houseplants and garden plants alike. They have a good homeware section, as well as a great butchers and a cafe.
2 – Applegarth Nurseries
Applegarth Nurseries is a very practical nursery in Chipping Norton. I wouldn’t describe the place as a ‘destination’, as it’s fairly small and has no cafe or homeware section, but they offer some great value plants, pots and compost.
3 – Dobbies Garden Centre
Dobbies garden centre is a chain of garden centres, with our nearest one being just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon. Dobbies is a large garden centre with a great range of plants, however they don’t sell as much homeware or gifts compared to some of the other places mentioned.
