Secret Garden Florist is a pretty lovely little shop, and the previous reviews have inspired me to…read morelove it even more! Although not a standard combination I actually think that selling flowers, hats and fascinators in the same shop somehow makes sense. Maybe because the fascinators are so flowery, or maybe it just feels right to see so many pretty things in one place! This shop has recently opened and has yet to put up a sign, but the interior is very inviting, with a minimalist whitewashed look, a large display of hats and fascinators and some beautifully presented flowers. The hats and fascinators are large and flamboyant and adorned with feathers flowers and bows. Perfect for the races (if you're into that sort of thing) or a wedding. The milliner who creates these wonders does a bespoke hat-making service and specialises in creating pieces for weddings. Bouquets are made to order and are sure to impress!

This beautiful little shop is a brand new edition to the sweet little run of shops along Roundhay…read moreroad in Oakwood. Being fortunate enough to work practically in the forest (my work base is right out in the countryside) I have to catch the bus through Oakwood on a Mon-Weds. As such I'm always staring out of the bus window, eyes glazed over in the morning light, trying not to fall asleep. One fine morning I realised that this place was re-opening and so decided to nip in on my way home! What a delight. It's a bit of a random mix, flowers and fascinators, but then if you are a creative person you'll know what it's like to have more than one outlet for your imagination. The shop may only be in its infancy, but that doesn't mean there are few items to browse - oh no. With a back wall dedicated to a range of exquisite fascinators one could simply stand for an age taking in all of the detail. There are large ornate pieces, with huge illustrious peacock feathers and bright colours, to a more modest set of hair comb based feathered creations. Literally something for everyone and with a price range of £30 - £100+ this could not be more true! There are also a selction of delightful mini felt top hats decorated gloriously with a range of feathers, and my favourite piece of all, an utterly beautiful fascinator hat. That last piece is not for sale, as it was a competition piece, but you really must go in to see it. It's a sort of 20s style hat, exquisitely crafted, and won its crafter a place as one of 12 finalists *in the world* for one of the largest hat making competitions held worldwide. Wow! The crafter, also owner of the shop, is a truly lovely lady as well and more than happy to chat about her creations. If her fascinator artistry is anything to go by her floristry will certainly be exquisite too. She has a workshop inside the building as well, crafting on site, and can make up specialist hats and bespoke flowers to any specification. If you are thinking of saying it with flowers, or perhaps fancy an outing to the races, you now know your first port of call! I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful shop. I know I'm looking forward to watching it flourish!

I think you can tell the class of a place when you wander by the window and the displays are so…read morecared for that they edge onto the street. This is certainly a flower shop that does more than sodden bruised bunches akin to a back street market. I think it's becoming my phrase of choice, but what you pay for is usually what you get. £3 for pizza means stomach ache the next day. £3 for flowers means they have already begun to wilt and won't last a few days. On the other hand you can spend £30 on flowers and have them last for a month and make that special someone swell with surprise/gratitude. Cheesy as it is, it works, and this is the place to achieve that. Care and effort goes into every bunch and display, with knowledgeable and helpful staff, to make sure you get exactly what you want - even if you don't know what you want yourself!

Anastasia Flowers has a large shop for a florist with a huge variety on display, from cheerful,…read moresimple yet pretty bunches of roses to beautifully-crafted bouquets. Their bouquets show real confidence and artistry without looking OTT or trying too hard to impress. They somehow appear stylishly simple yet beautifully elaborate at the same time...I think it's their careful choice of colour, often pairing completely different flowers of the same colour together, which looks attractive and striking, or knowing when they have just enough variety in a bouquet. Bouquets start at about £25 but for this price you know you're buying quality and considered design. The shop also sells some gorgeous pot plants and gifts, such as soaps, candles and vases. They specialise in wedding floristry and also sell award-winning wedding cakes, come of which are on display in the shop and look rather impressive. Anyone looking for a quality florist will likely be impressed by Anastasia Flowers and those looking specifically for flowers or a cake for a wedding should be in safe hands.

Brian's is what I imagine to be a typical market florist - a stall selling a range of brightly…read morecoloured flowers emitting a gorgeous, refreshing scent into their modest surroundings. Brian's actually sells more flowers and a wider variety than most florist shops, which oddly I feel tend to be a bit minimalist flower-wise. The flowers here look happy and healthy and are affordably priced. There is a nice range to suit most tastes, though nothing particularly exotic or unusual. They also sell a small range of pretty pot plants. If you're looking for a reasonably priced gift or want to brighten up a dull room, Brian's Florist may well be worth a look.

Brian's is a lovely florists selling not only bunches of flowers but pot plants and herbs. At this…read moretime of year there are plenty of bunches of daffodils for sale and at Brian's they are market price, only £1.50 for 3 bunches, but of quality equal to any fancy shop-florists. A bunch of daffodils is a bunch of daffodils so why pay more? They have neat bunches of roses and pretty bouquets of lilies and other wonderfully colourful flowers that I don't even know the name of. Oh how out of touch we are with nature in this technological age! If you fancy a brush with nature and genuine Yorkshire folk then you can pick up pots of primroses for a mere 50p at Brian's!

I have driven past The Vale Stables and their signs indicating logs and manure for sale many times…read morethinking it was just a horse stables. It may well be this but when I walked past I was overjoyed to find a little garden centre that looks like it rose up from ground and grew out of the trees that hide it. It exists mostly outside with a lady, a cat and dog huddled round a wood burner, running the place. There are plants everywhere, planted in boots, old toilets, amongst carved pieces of wood, as well as in pots, for sale. Recently I picked up a pot of thyme for £1.50 but there were loads of herbs and flowers I could have chosen from. I also wanted some trays and pots to plant my seeds in so I asked if they had any. The lady told me they had loads and to help myself from the pile for no charge! This beats sterile and expensive landscaped garden centres I have tried to avoid since my childhood any day.

The Vale Stables is truly a hidden gem…read more A lovely rambling space packed with seasonal plants of all kinds, where the owners can be found warming their hands on a crackling wood-burner in all weathers - inspiring you to the outdoor life. They sell beautiful healthy plants which are so much cheaper than at any local garden centre. You can also buy wood and good quality manure in the autumn. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. The owner, Gwen, and her daughter, have a wealth of gardening knowledge and will go out of their way to help and advise. My 3 year old boy loves to visit and see the hens, the dog and the river while I browse the plants on offer and soak up the atmosphere.

The Perfumed Garden has a suitably romantic name for a florist, conjuring up images of a wild…read moregarden filled to bursting with a cacophony of gorgeously scented blooms. I like my flowers to look as natural and straight from the garden as poss, and I found the flowers on display a little too 'professionally presented' for my taste, rather resembling the kind of artificial bouquets or dried flowers my nana used to decorate her house with...though I'm sure some people love the immaculate, very thought-out look. You can either buy a bouquet on the day you want it or order from a slightly different range for the next day, and all bouquets can be viewed online. They can deliver within Leeds and areas surrounding Leeds the next day and you can also buy balloons champagne and gifts to be delivered.

The Perfumed Garden is a florists in Chapel Allerton selling bouquets available to buy or order for…read morethe same day or the next day. I had no idea that a special bouquet could be so expensive until I looked at their range but maybe my eye caught the particularly pricey ones. There were some at around £20 but some larger ones went up to £90. Many of the range can be viewed and ordered online, which is handy but if like me, you like to see things in the flesh before you buy them then it is better to pop into the shop to get a more 3D view on the bouquet situation. Helpfully they offer things to accompany the bouquet gift such as chocolates or a vase.

Leeds House of Flowers is an Interflora Florist. There are two shops, one on Otley Road and this…read moreone on Commercial Road. I don't know why but for some reason the Commercial Road shop is called 'Event Leeds House of Flowers'...what the 'Event' means I'm not sure. It is a petite shop with just enough space to display some rather gorgeous bunches of flowers! I know Interflora is a giant chain but the flowers here really are beautiful! Very natural and not too OTT looking, like a posy picked straight from a secret garden! But whatever style of bouquet you like you can have one made specially to your requirements. Leeds House of Flowers also sells fair-trade flowers, including roses and sunflowers, for anyone concerned about the treatment of workers in the flower industry.

I use this florist when I need something special and something special is what I always get. The…read morearrangements and bouquets are very stylish and they are particularly skillful at combining colours and variety. You can also buy beautifully potted bulbs and orchids and the wrappings and ribbons they use make it all the more luxurious and glam. It's a small shop but the variety is brilliant and I have always found them very helpful.

Excellent service and flowers were beautiful. The lady in shop who assisted us, clearly knew her…read morebusiness and was very helpful, patient and friendly. Thank you!

Floral Expression is a little florist and card shop with a spacious, calm and pleasant feel and of…read morecourse a gorgeous smell! I can't help but love florists and this is no exception - there's just nothing like the smell of freshly cut flowers - every time I go in one I just want to hang around all day browsing and inhaling. Floral Expression also sells cards. They have a limited variety but most of them appear to be handmade and much more attractive than those you'd find in say, Clinton Cards. The woman behind the counter seemed lovely and helpful and though I didn't buy any flowers, I'm sure anyone choosing a bunch of flowers here would experience excellent customer service.

I didn't even need flowers, much less a day of browsing in Meanwood, but I happened upon Floral…read moreExpression and from the shop window decided that I really ought to go in and have a look. There were some lovely displays and so I went in to just have a little look around. Inside they had a range of different bouquet displays and floral arrangements - all of which appeared to be carefully arranged and of a great quality. The hyacinths in there smelt beautiful! I found that they do lots of arrangements to order, including birthday, special day and wedding day arrangements. There are also lots of fixed price arrangements to choose from! If you live near by and need something special I'd give these guys a call for sure.

This place is a fabulous little party shop, if ever there was one. In all my wanders about town I…read moredon't actually think I've had the pleasure of visiting a shop decdicated entirely to joy, as it were. This shop isn't just a card shop or a balloon shop, but a party shop. Imagine that. Being a proper nosy sort, as you might say, I went in for a browse. I also needed to purchase my Mother's day card so I had everything to gain by my brief visit! Instantly I was greeted by a really friendly store owner who asked if I needed any help, to which I responded that I was just browsing thanks. Balloons of all kinds, a medium range of cards (although the styles weren't so wide ranging they were really nicely made simplistic cards) and even a section dedicated to kids' party were all around, displayed decoratively and in a way which made it easy to browse. Once I'd picked my card I went to pay and decided to enquire as to the origin of the beautiful smell inside the shop - there was a gorgeous scent coming from somewhere. He laughed and said, "Ah, that'll be me of course," which was very funny. Even more funny was that the smell was an air freshener and nothing to do with the stock inside the shop! Still, it can't hurt to ask, can it? And now at least you'll know too when you next pop in. A brilliant place to plan your party - from your Mum's 50th to your niece's 3rd. You get the idea. Fun!

There aren't many shops that are brave enough to be solely party-focused, because, let's face it,…read moremost people have one party a year and don't even use decorations when they do. Because of this, Bash (cool name) pretty much has the north Leeds party-shop market cornered. Everything you could really need for a standard party is here - decorations, wrappings, more decorations, etc. It's the sort of place you'd go when preparing for the party for a four year old rather than a forty year old, but it's well stocked and prices are spot-on.