visited the restaurant for breakfast on Monday 18th December at 10.30 am where the staff said , to their surprise ,they weren't busy. Two cooked breakfasts were ordered ; one being vegetarian with Quorn sausages which were dry and so hard couldn't be cut through with a knife and fork and the scrambled egg was over cooked and dry , the on,y edible part were the beans and a large mushroom. The meat bacon and sausage and scrambled egg were all said to be over cooked as was the potato scone. we were very disappointed and won't repeat the experience. read more

I visited Dobbies yesterday with my granddaughter. I wanted some advice as to what flowers would survive ,as I live practically on the beach on a very windy east coast ! the first assistant I asked couldnt help me but she found Mark for me ! He was really helpful. I explained that I knew nothing about gardening as it was my husband who had always enjoyed that but he passed away 8yrs ago and I have moved into a very small house with not very much garden space really But I wanted some pots with some lovely flowers to put on my decking He was an absolute find ! He was so helpful and knowledgeable. He even helped my granddaughter to put everything in the car I will definitely be back as I have my eye on a nice little table and chairs for the little space I have at the front (hopefully a little more sheltered from the wind ,but if not I might have to buy one of the screens /windbreak too!) And to finish my experience , at the checkout the very nice lady explained the advantages of a Dobbies Club Card and so I signed up for that too! And we had 2 free drinks after a snack lunch in the cafe. A very satisfying visit all round. Thank you ! read more

I always planned to go there and finally I made it last Saturday afternoon. The car park was pretty full and not much space to maneuver around. This place is massive and you can get all sorts of items, besides the obvious plant collection. They already prepare for Christmas and artificial Christmas tree choices are ready to be carried out. There are several sections for the young and older generation amongst us. Personally I liked the kitchen appliance selection , the restaurant (self service) and the gift choices. Its the ideal place to go xmas shopping. In the back there are more shops, like Lakeland. Its a shopping center within a shopping centre :-). You might ask why only 2 stars? The reason being that the animal section, I felt, was a bit neglected. I saw a hamster in a cage with a tumor on his back side, lying in his excrements. It made my heart bleed and I should have said something. Sadly I could not find anybody to complain to. Would I go back? Considering that this place is not the cheapest and how they keep animals caged up, I have my doubts I'm eager to go back. read more

This enormous garden centre is amazing. If you can make it this far out of town, then there is nowhere better for gardening supplies, plants, tools or water features. Dobbies also has an extensive pet shop area, so its not even boring to take your kids here! if you've already come this far then the awesome Butterfly and Insect World next door is also well worth visiting. read more

Dobbies Garden Centre - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Lasswade, MLN

Dobbies is pretty awesome, and super addictive. I first came here because I'm big into my garden and someone mentioned that it's a good place to buy plants. Is it EVER. It's massive. It's huge inside - full of indoor plants, animals, fish, furniture, gifts, tack, etc, but the outside is so big I've not even seen it all. Outside you will find TONS of different types of plants, a whole section of grow your own fruit/veg, trees, green houses, garden decorations, compost, summer houses, sheds, and CHICKENS AND DUCKS!! Despite looking, I've never seen the chickens and ducks because the place really is that massive. Almost better than the size is the fact that it's pretty reasonably priced and the plants are well tended and very healthy. Our primary reason for coming here in the winter months is defiintely the market hall. It's got a little section of locally grown produce, nice cured meats and cheeses, top end beers, wines and spirits, great flavoured oils and vinegars, a fabulous butcher section, and then basically all of that really pretty and expensive food stuff that you tend to get for gifts but would never buy for yourself because it's expensive and really not that practical. I heard from a friend recently that they host kids' parties here as well which are pretty reasonably priced and *really* well done. Dobbies literally has something for everyone and is in itself a fun day out just to look around and do a bit of exploring. It's kind of like Ikea for families and gardeners. read more

Within 5 minutes of driving I'm here. With the revamp they've had recently and long called for it's def made a difference, just ashame that it didn't reach the till area. Lots of plants to choose from and accessories for your outdoor space. There is now a lakeland, cotton traders, bike shop and a few other shops in the retail village. The cafe has an outdoor space too where you can sit outside with a cuppa coffee and listen to kids screaming in the play area (you have no choice in that matter). The cafe inside has ample seating too and a huge selection of food to feed up on. read more

This is a fabulous garden centre that also has a pet department and food hall. The pets section is pretty good and I'm embaressed to say I often visit here at the weekends just to look at the fish! The downside is teh fish don't always look 100% healthy. The foodhall is good, aiming more at the organic/local foodies brigade. read more

They place to go for all your gardening and gift needs. Full or they not so run of the mill items. Christmas is a lovely time to go as they always have beautiful traditional decorations. The food hall is full or wonderful items you may of never seen anywhere else special honeys jams and perseveres as well as a good range of boiled sweets. Being next door to the butterfly farm only makes it easier to spend a whole day out in the area. The cafe offers something for everyone decent food for a decent price. read more

This is almost a morning or afternoon out. There is so much here. They have a great Christmas shop. There are quality plants, flowers and gardening equipment all kinds. Furniture for your garden and conservatories, interesting homeware and a bathshop. Gifts, cards and stationery and a great restaurant with nice home made soup. Farm foodhall with delicatessen is great and I like to pick up special things that i wouldn't normally find in the local supermarket. One of the nicest things about visiting here is that you can pop in to the Edinburgh butterfly and insect world. Dobbies are very generous, and I have collected for charity here. read more

Unfortunately I don't have a garden but thanks to this place I do have a lovely herb-filled window box and that will do for now. This place is massive and sells far more than your pot plants and shrubs. The staff seemed to really know their insert plant name here from their insert plant name here. if you've got green fingers. Well worthy of an afternoon if you've got green fingers. read more

Garden centres more often than not sell more than just garden related paraphernalia, and Dobbies is no exception. At the right time of year it has a large Christmas display presenting a wonderland of lavishly decorated trees and mechanical polar bears and reindeer. There are lots of plants, of course, a large outdoors area complete with ducks and ponds and a playground, and lots of garden furniture. There is a large pet area where you can look at, or buy, fish, hamsters, birds etc. There is also a butterfly and insect world. Dobbies is an enjoyable and relaxing place to visit at the weekends. With its café, food hall numerous gift options and abundant displays it's no wonder they have called it Dobbies Garden World (as opposed to centre like anywhere else). read more

Dobbies Garden Centre - Dobbies - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Lasswade, MLN

This a kind of mecca for the wrinkly crowd and I can see why. The cafe is seriously good. Not cheap but very good, fresh food. I came to Dobbies for a plant and a thing to plant it into, which I found after being overwhelmed with choice. They certainly have lots to chose from BUT it seems they also have fish, outdoor pond and pet supplies, sensible clothes for the wrinkly crowd, sensible shoes for the wrinkly crowd, posh garden furniture, posh garden sheds, conservatories, candles, gifts, books, toys and an entire posh market food hall. Like Ikea for grandmas. I can see older couples would have trouble working up escape velocity from such a palace of treats. Oh, and indoor playground and Butterfly World in the same complex. A rainy Saturday under cover with cakes, pots of tea and fancy things for all. read more

The gardens are lovely to look at sculptures, plants furniture, a lot of the items found there can be quite overly priced though. So yeah it's sometimes nice to "just look" there is also just more than garden sections to look at, they have a pet area to which birds, fish, and other caged animals can be found. As well as an outdoor shopping area. There is also a cafe is at the rear end of the building. The food... Is very mediocre though the cakes served are of a higher standard. 7 items are usually the building point to the breakfasts served. Though the way of ordering does somehow remind me of school procedures. (Lining up with a tray and asking for the items) It can be very busy on a Sunday morning queues can sometimes be hectic so be prepared to fight and scwable for a seat... Or arrive early to avoid the wait. Every year they make Santa a resident for a few weeks building up to Christmas. Which is lovely for the kids. Starts with an opening parade outside lasts merely 10 minutes. Then few weeks later you are able to make an appointment to the grotto to where the kids are guided through the "North Pole" where they meet Santa at the centre and have a chat/pictures and receive a gift. (Usually of good choice). read more

A big thank you to Dougie who found my trolley abandoned with my handbag and guarded it until I returned, frantic with worry and so very grateful! Irene W read more

Best value breakfast around. £5.95 with coffee for two. Lovely!

Big garden centre, good ranges. Large and busy cafe, the food hall is excellent with it's own butcher. Oviously plenty of plants and the like, big car park, helpul staff. read more

Spacious with an extensive range from plant labels to chainsaws, bird seed to dog food and a large aquatics section. Service was good and the café is worth a visit. Pricey though, so be prepared to remortgage your home before you spend! read more

Good combined with a visit to next door butterfly world. It's a nice place to visit around christmas as it always has a nice display. Theres also a really good coffee shop and play area. They are also one of the only places in Edinburgh to sell Yankee Candles- yay! read more

'Big day out' sort of garden centre (site is the head office base of the UK wide chain), wide range of seasonal plants, additional large retail area of gifts, cards, garden furniture, lighting etc. Also sell fish and accessories for water features, bird seed, feeders etc and the usual tools and accessories. Lots of staff around for any assistance. Most of the retail is under cover, plants outdoors spread out over a wide area, section by section for fruit trees, annuals, shrubs, border plants and so on. Large restaurant area - good choice of cakes, hot and cold drinks, hot dishes, snacks. Occasional special offers on meals available to keep you on site and in a spending mood! Large food hall adjacent to the plant sales too - deli area, baking, fresh fruit and veg plus a large selection of frozen items - loose pack fruits, frozen pastries and veg. Some nod to local suppliers of preserves, baking, drinks and fresh goods - largely the usual brand names though, but nice environment for a browse. Butterfly World also on site is a destination on its own - family orientated attraction with creepy crawlies and interesting displays. Not the cheapest prices all round, but does have a large selection and worth a trip to view. read more

My only experience of Dobbies was to recently use the restaurant at their garden centre just outside Edinburgh. The garden centre itself looked very attractive, but my wife and I were travelling and required only a meal. This is NOT a mistake we'll be repeating EVER. The cafe was busy but not enough to excuse the painfully slow progress from servers to checkout by the time we paid for food that had been handed to us piping hot, it was almost cold. Though there was a solid tailback, only 2 of the 4 checkouts were manned. As the checkout for our own queue was closed, we were obliged to carry full trays of food to a checkout on the other side and wait. My own choice of sausage and mash proved quite tasty or might have been had it been hot I left most of it. My wife's choice of a chicken curry was bland, tasteless and once cold rather disgusting that too was discarded. Both meals were quite small given the prices. The coffee was fine, but the cups were rather small. The last straw was when the small cake my wife had hoped to enjoy with her coffee proved to have a long hair inside it! And the cost for this fourth-rate self-service meal? Almost £23(!!!) for a meal that would have averaged £12 to £14 elsewhere. I suppose we could have complained though judging from comments at nearby tables we might have had to queue for that too. Still hungry, we were simply glad to get out of the place and seek a decent meal somewhere else. If this single visit was representative of Dobbies' garden centre restaurants, then they're a disgrace. Not an experience we'll be repeating. read more

very well laid out store helpful staff the cafe excellent value and good

Dobbies garden centre in Edinburgh. The cafe is absolutely over priced and the food is absolutely sickening. Me and my friend ordered 2 sausage and chips kids meals which shockingly added up to £11!!! We might as well have went to KFC, better meal and cheaper. To compare the chips with bricks would be an insult to bricks, and the sausages resembled a limp penis as they were so undercooked I could still hear a crying pig. read more

Although I used to enjoy going to Dobbies, when I had money stolen from my car at the car wash there, I phoned and put onto head office, where the assured me that they would look into it, and keep me updated. They also said they would send a voucher for afternoon tea for myself and a friend - has either happened NO so you go down in my estimations even further. read more

The Butterfly World is 5*! :)) However the shop, especially the part where you can buy fishes is horrendous! Firstly because the fishes are very expensive. Secondly, we bought few fishes from them couple of days ago. On the very first day one of them died for unknown reason. Now day by day more fishes are dying in my fish tank - even those which were fine and lived in the tank long. I never had any problems with my fishes (all perfectly healthy) and now I brought some bacteria from the shop and soon all my fishes will be dead (I'm trying few antibacterial medications for the fishes and water but after few days half of my fishes are dead - hope it will start working on them). I will never buy there anything ever again and I do not recommend it for any one to buy fishes there. The people selling them were very happy to sell them and process the sell as fast as possible, which seemed strange but I was happy with the fast service. Now I know that they were trying to sell the fishes as fast as possible so I won't recognise that there is something wrong with them. I am very frustrated and I do know what to do now. I wish I could put those people in jail or make them pay for all the fishes I lost (and still im losing) and for those I bought and for all the medications that I have to pay for now and possibly for an entirely new tank! :,/// NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. read more

My review concerns the pet department. I was hoping to start a marine tank and after the tank and its equipment was running for a while took a sample of the water to Dobbies to take advantage of its testing service before putting fish inside. I was told all was fine and purchased fish for the tank. After three days the fish died I took the fish and a water sample back to Dobbies. They informed me the salinity was too high! I asked how this was possible when the water was tested by them and I was told everything was fine? The manager proceeded to give me a condescending lengthy lecture on how they would not test for salinity he was getting to the ranting level however I consider it the usual situation regarding the complex's of an irrelevant little man. I was refunded the cost of the dead fish however a great pity they died in the first place! It is disappointing that what I would consider the main fundamental test regarding a marine tank was not done so beware water tests at this branch of Dobbies are in no way reliable! read more