We visited Hillside on Saturday past, to have some lunch and take our little boy to see Santa. We…read moredecided to come because it's great to visit and spend a few hours. This is so much more than just a boring garden centre, because I really would not be excited about visiting a garden centre! Hillside really have gone the distance to make this an interesting place to visit, regardless of whether you are into gardening, or not. Aside from the massive range of plants, shrubs and gardening accessories, Hillside also have a large section selling fish from Maidenhead Aquatics, which is lovely to have a look around. They also have a massive indoor shop, selling everything from standard gardening items, to barbecues, water features, and even homeware. They had the place all done up for Christmas and it really got us all in the festive spirit, it looked absolutely magical. The Santa's grotto was in aid of Clic Sargent, so as well as getting a great festive experience, we were also helping to support a great cause. There was a bit of a wait when we arrived, however we simply took our ticket and went off to get some lunch at the on-site tearoom. I had been to Hillside a few times before, however this was my first time visiting the tearoom, and this exceeded our expectations by far. I was expecting tea/coffee, tray-bakes, and potentially some pre-packed sandwiches, however I couldn't believe the fantastic full menu they had on offer, hot foods such as gourmet hotdogs, burgers, pies, quiches, and any type of sub or sandwich you wanted. We had a sandwich and a toastie and the quality of the food was excellent. We had so much fun at Hillside and will look forward to coming back again soon!

My parents are both big green fingers and loving daughter thatI am *ahem* when they need a hand…read moregarden wise I'm often called upon to trek up to Hillside with them to help out with carting all the goods to and fro. (Thankfully aided by those huge trolleys they have!) Hillside is a great garden centre which stocks a massive range of anything and everything you could ever need for your garden. Hillside Nursery is now the biggest garden centre in Northern Ireland. It's located on the Doagh Road, Newtownabbey. It recently underwent a major renovation which saw the premises extending with a new car parking space, a lovely though expensive coffee shop and an indoor covered plant area. They really needed this new parking space as it used to be on a sunny Saturday the whole place would be totally packed out and often put people off visiting but thankfully there's room for everyone now. Happy gardening everyone!

With Valentines Day fast approaching the staff in Hannah's Courtyard will be flat out wrapping…read morebouquets and pruning roses - they definitely won't run out of flowers though because this place is jam packed! They have a huge display of flowers outside the shop so you don't even have to venture in to find the perfect bouquet. The shop itself is a bit of a rabbit warren, it seems that most of stock is outside the on the street rather than in - but this isn't a bad thing. They don't just do flowers in Hannah's - they also have a hardware section out the back although you wouldn't know it even existed unless you ventured in. When you go out the back you sort of feel like your entering someone's garden shed. There's bits and bobs everywhere. I actually came in here looking for a shower curtain pole after mine collapsed - no valentines shopping for me (forever alone), only DIY! My only criticism is that it's a bit of a mess out the back and hard to find what you are looking for. Hannah's Courtyard is a must if you're looking to get out of trouble with the missus - I was shocked at the amount of different flowers they had on offer so if you want something specific get down here. Beware you may develop hay fever on entrance!

This branch of HSS Hire is located in Mallusk Industrial Estate just outside Belfast. HSS Hire…read moreprovide customers with a market leading supply and extensive catalogue of tool and equipment hire. Their customer base ranges from individual needs to multi national companies. HSS employ more than 2000 people in their company and deliver from more than 800 vehicles from over 250 outlets. They are a company very well known for their safety measures and precautions. They achieved 4* British Safety Award and also testament to this they have won eight awards in the past five years for their excellent safety measures. "HSS will never hire tools or equipment that are not thoroughly tested. We deal with you in the way you choose - by phone, text, online, through a dedicated account manager and through the branch and supercentre network." Visit http://www.hss.com for more information and details.

I ordered trees and hedging through Woodcroft Landscapes' online shop and was really impressed with…read morehow easy the process was. The plants arrived healthy, well-packaged, and exactly as described. It's clear their nursery stock is top quality and well cared for. On top of that, I've seen some of the landscaping projects they've completed, and the standard of work looks excellent, professional, tidy, and built to last. You can tell they take real pride in both the plants they grow and the gardens they create. Between the convenience of the online shop and the craftsmanship of their landscaping, Woodcroft Landscapes is a company I'd highly recommend.

From the owner: Whether you are starting from a bare area of earth or are looking for ideas to enhance your…read moreexisting garden, we can provide the inspiration, plants, trees and expertise.

Landscape centre is a long way from anywhere and quite hard to get to, not recommeded even trying…read moreif road conditions are poor. For the centre itself they dont really stock what i would call a wide selection of plants and their prices are really high, Cafe is nice, food is good and never too busy. Their Christmas grotto and walk is worth a visit if you have young ones

I also totally disagree with Emmavicious. The Landscape Centre is well marked and very easy to get…read moreto, being mere minutes off the M2 motorway from Belfast. If road conditions were very icy, like we have had this winter, yes, I would hesitate to negotiate that very steep road, though I wouldn't be surprised if the owners didn't grit the road themselves! As angel111 says, its location is one of its best features - the views are amazing. When I was needing to buy pots and plants for a large courtyard in a holiday complex, I compared quite a number of local garden centres with regard to price, choice, and customer service. The Landscape Centre won hands down. Their choice of pots and plants was better than anywhere else, their prices on a par with all the others, and the service outstanding. In other places I had to follow staff around asking questions; even though I made it clear that I was interested in buying quite a lot, they barely answered my questions before turning away. At the Landscape Centre, I not only was given educated advice, for no extra charge they potted the plants for me, as it was too heavy a job for me and I had no assistance at work, and for a £5 fee they delivered everything, the same day, and placed them exactly where I needed them. Whenever I need anything for the garden, I don't waste my time even considering anywhere other than the Landscape Centre, and no, I don't own shares in their business!

It's labelled as a Garden Centre, and they do sell plants and saplings, and Christmas trees at the…read moreusual time of year, but I think they could do a lot better in here. It's a local family run fruit and vegetable shop, but it's a bit old and tired. I know the important thing about a fruit'n'veg shop is the freshness and quality of the produce, and I will get to that, but I think if they gave this place a face-lift it would invite people in a lot more and encourage them to spend more. It hasn't changed in all the time I've known it. As for the produce, it's fine. It's quite well-priced too, reasonable and affordable. They don't do a massive wide-range of veg, you won't see anything unusual here, which is a shame because I think they would get more custom if they branched out towards being a little more 'gourmet' in their approach. For a local Fruit'n'Veg shop, it's fine.