This is the granddaddy of all the garden centres in the greater Birmingham area. It does exactly…read morewhat it says on the tin and much, much more. If you are after some good garden ideas it is worth a visit just to help you with inspiration for your own backyard. There is a wealth of outdoor plants, trees, sheds, fencing, patios etc. There is a good choice of outdoor and even indoor furniture. In addition there is plenty of other shopping to be done with outdoor footwear and clothing, local farm produce and gifts. Really you should just go ahead and make a day of it - this would include enjoying coffee or lunch in their ample restaurant that serves lunch, cakes, jacket potatoes, soup, sandwiches. There is an outside seating area if the weather in good. For £10 you can join their annual discount club and receive 10% off everything, sometimes increasing to 20%, and enjoy two free coffees a month.

When I used to live in Norwich, they had a Notcutts and we would visit semi-regularly to buy…read moreslightly pricy gifts, plants or have something to nibble in the cafe. I used to love it, more than any other garden centre, as there was something extra 'posh' about it. Imagine my joy to discover there's one just down the road in Solihull! So this is now my place to go, if I'm that side of the city, and need to surround myself with pretty fragrant things and older people. Around xmas, this is a bit of a wonderland and totally worth taking your kids to, as alongside the decorations for sale, the whole place transforms into a glittering fake-snow dream-like grotto. Perfect!

Mere park is literally around the corner from where I live and so is often first choice for…read moreanything to do with the garden or just for a good shop. On the site they also have a specialist camping store (great to hit just before the festivals) and an aquatics shop. Inside Mere park itself you'll find a cafe serving lovely food, a homeware section and of course everything you could want for the garden. Currently they have their Christmas selection on display which includes some beautiful items, set out like a Christmas market in wooden chalets, which is wonderful to shop in.

Mere Park can be considered to be in direct competition with Wyevale; which is only about 2 miles…read moreaway. However when comparing them, especially this Christmas time, Mere Park comes out on top not only with it's innovative store layout, but the selection of decorations and gift ideas on offer. I spent about twice as long looking around their Christmas 'market' than I did trying to find my way around the maze at Wyevale. I also find Mere Park to be slightly cheaper, and their cafe is a lot better, both in terms of food quality and customer service.

Wyevale has the benefit of being one of the few gardens centres in Telford & takes full advantage…read moreof the fact. The store is large, well laid out & in terms of non-plant produce, well stocked, if largely overpriced. The plants however, are generally very disappointing, due both to the limited range & the poor quality. A lot of the plants are either unwatered or over watered & worringly often diseased or suffering from infestations. The few plants that I have purchased have been badly root bound & failed to flourish.

I like Wyevale, it's a good garden centre and the plants I have bought from there have always been…read moregood. They also have a very nice resturant/coffee shop which is worth a visit. Has a good range of pet products, but no pets unfortunately. Great christmas range at the moment, lots of different trees and decorations to choose from. Good range of homemade cakes too. Large Aquatics centre too for those of you interested in fish.

Excellent traditional nursery with many specialist plants…read more Very popular cafe. Everything is quality, a real pleasure to visit, well worth a drive.

Lovely staff. Just been post lockdown for the first time. Prices have risen, food quality down and…read moreeverything served in plastic tubs or paper cups. I assume staff still on furlough! A shame as this place could have done better, more outdoor seating and proper menu!

Situated down a pleasant leafy lane as Sutton Coldfield gives way to the countryside, Newlands is a…read moredecent nursery and garden centre but the shop is the best part. As you enter there's a remarkable selection of gifts available. If you're on present buying duty, this place is probably worth a visit before hitting the high street. We have a friend who's a keen cook and found a great selection of Birthday gifts we couldn't have found anywhere else. The cookbook stand we bought her now sits atop her kitchen work surface. I have strict orders from my mother-in-law that next time we visit she must come as she wants to take home some biscuits, and chocolates for her peckish hour before bed. Walking out the back of the shop the nursery is pretty well stocked, although it's just not as impressive as the shop. There's also a landscaped garden, planted up to show you all on offer. Once you've satisfied your shopping needs there's a pretty little cafe doing a nice line in teas, coffees and breakfast sandwiches. It may be looking a bit tired these days, but when the sun's shining it's still a nice place to enjoy a pot of tea from the café or for planning your purchases.

OK, so I'm a bit biased, as I tend to automatically love anything green. However, Bournville Garden…read moreCentre is a particularly good haven for all things bright and beautiful that you may fancy in your garden. Personally, I would like almost everything that they stock in my garden. But this is sadly unfeasible. As well as the beautiful plant displays outside, they also have a lovely shop inside, with lots of lovely Emma Bridgewater-style gardening ornamentation as well as things for the boys like barbecues and fire pits. They also do a great Christmas tree service: they will cut and plant to your requirements as well as carrying the darn thing out to your car. The shop always looks amazing at Christmas as well, with lots of lovely hand-crafted decorations. They have their own store card as well, which is great if you're a regular. Which I am. Even if I just spend most of my time strolling around looking at plants rather than actually buying anything. Perhaps I need to get out more....

I'm a big fan of this place. As a garden centre it's a lot bigger than you'd expect, given it's…read morelocation in sleepy Bourenville. There is a large outdoor section with a huge selection of plants and shrubs and the interior boasts a whole host of goods, from the decorative to the useful. As I'm currently taming my large and unruly back garden, I'm often in here looking for dangerous chemicals! The have a 'Gardening Club' reward scheme that is free to join and actually works out as a genuine reward scheme - many is the time I've got to the counter to pay and fished out my card to receive a discount. They also post you a leaflet every month or so with a list of offers and some vouchers.

Yep, another indoor market - much better than Harborne's offering (but not as good as Bearwood)…read moreWeoley Castle Market has a rather baffling selection of stalls - as you first walk in there's a nail bar and facing you a computer repair shop - complete with chap whacking a hard drive with a hammer - still, it beats the usual 'turn it off and on again' technique I suppose. There's a pet shop selling frozen pet treats - which sounded intriguing, a Caribbean food stall which was sadly closed when I went (it looked nice) as well as a couple of stalls selling cheap birthday cards and the like. It also has a cafe and is handily placed by the 448 and 29 bus stops as well as an array of recycling bins.

a market hall that prides itself on helping the community and providing free educational booklets…read moreand anti bullying training for local schools!

I love indoor markets and for a really good indoor market this side of Birmingham you can forget…read moreabout Harborne (although the cafe is still going strong) - Bearwood is definitely where it's at. Outside, signs promise a dazzling array of stalls - including 'bags 4 u' and my favourite 'smokers paradise'. Inside there are one or two shops that deserve a special mention: * The Sewing Box Sells ribbon by the metre, lovely wool - included textured yarns, buttons, hair accessories, buttons and thread. It's really cheap and the lady who works there is lovely * DJ Pet Supplies Sells dog treats, toys, bedding, leads and the ever popular pigs ears at a good price - the staff are funny and if you don't get called 'bab' at least three times during your visit you're obviously doing something wrong * Andy's Cafe If you're vegetarian you may struggle a bit, but if you like a hearty English breakfast washed down with tea then this is the place to come. Also offers OAP specials!