The summer it opened, I spent an stupid amount of money in the Potting Shed, which I should point…read moreout is a shop rather than an actual shed. My garden was beautiful though, with hanging baskets and planters overflowing with lovely flowers and trailing things. And I had the most fab garden candles and lights. Come to think of it, where have all those candles and lights gone?? The Potting Shed sells everything you could need to creates your own hanging baskets and planters, but that's really not for me. What if I had to touch the compost, or saw a worm? Thankfully, they also sell the most beautiful ready made planters and baskets which are crammed with lovely things like trailing honeysuckle. Even better, when the next spring rolls around, you can bring in your empty basket or planter and they will fill them without you having to pay for the container. Perfect. They also sell compost, lawn feeder stuff and gloves for any crazy fool who does want to create their own little bit of nature. Here's the bizarre bit, they have recently started selling furniture. It's really lovely white painted furniture at very reasonable prices, but I still find it weird. But as long as they keep filling my baskets, I'm happy.

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.

My mum is rather green fingered( I mean that in the gardening context and I'm not hinting at some…read morekind of hygiene problem, just in case she were to read this!) so I have been dragged to my fair share of garden centres and nurseries with her, and this is one local to me, and is very good. The staff are very knowledgeable and are likely to know what you need and want before you even say it! We came here looking for saplings of trees to add to our garden, and they were able to tell us what trees would suit our garden best. Our reams of a chestnut tree were shattered as our ground wasn't likely to be fertile enough to support it, so we were guided to some lovely ash trees that were more suited to our garden! They have a wide range of hanging baskets, flowers and composting and fertilising materials, and will have everything you need to satisfy your gardening needs at reasonable prices!

Brilliant Garden centre. Found what I wanted I could'nt get…read moreonline(climbing roses).Golden Showers,Galway Bay),Beautiful grounds to amble around. Staff so helpful,Highly recommend!

Great place to explore and find an array of items to suit all family members.You will surely find…read morewonderful secret Santa pressies too. Other little bonuses and offers to take advantage of too- booklet of vouchers with freebies and special offers to redeem over the next few months. If you have any young children or relatives who are interested in the outdoors there is a mini gardening club to bring them along too which takes place on the first Saturday of each month from 10-11am.

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 unassuming Belfast buisness has actually serviced some pretty high profile clients like Justin…read moreTimberlake, President Bush, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Owner, Elizabeth reels off a list of high prestigious clients such as Parliament Buildings Stormont, Belfast's Hilton Hotel, Jury's Hotel, and Queen's University. The shop itself, whilst small, is warm and inviting and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Inside there are an eye-popping range of arrangements and colourful flowers on display. The old romantic favourite, 12 red roses will cost you £40 with most other boquets averaging at £28. They also offer flowers for weddings, corporate purposes, sympathy and have an impressive range of outdoor tress, shrubs and garden ornaments. One arrangement that caught my eye in particular was a handtied 'Gerbara Zest'. I think it woukd look stunning in someones home, with it's bright cheery colours.

I'm very into improving my home and so am always putting up pictures or touching up paint and I…read moregenerally go to B&Q or Homebase for supplies. But there are times when I just need something really small like a tiny pot of white gloss paint or another little bit of black gloss - thanks to the five year old standing on the wet door saddle, exactly where I told him NOT to stand. Or times when I'm really in a hurry to touch up a skirting board before the school run. Yes, I know it's not normal. On those occasions, a jaunt to the cavernous DIY superstores, where I can get lost for hours, just isn't on the cards. That's when I go to my little local place, Decorator's Touch. This is a small shop which I can park right outside so that's time saved before I even go in. It's one of those mysterious little places that seems to have more stock than its space should allow. Paint, varnish, brushes, wall paper, check, check , check. They also offer a full interior design service - curtains, cushions etc. Quite how they manage to pull all that off is a miracle, but manage it they do. The owner is usually behind the counter and is really helpful if you're not sure which product you need. And best of all, he doesn't patronise me just because I'm a laydeee.

The world of student housing can be a very bleak one with unhelpful landlords, last weeks baked…read morebeans stuck to the way behind the bin and the kind of temperatures that would make an Eskimo feel at home. The least that can be done to make your place to live is get it decorated a wee bit( with the landlord's permission of course!) to make things less sterile and more conducive to good times! So when I was driving with my friends on their way to their new abode, we went out on a whim and called in here to pick up a few bits and pieces, and I was quite impressed! The staff were helpful and informative, and were ready to guide our bunch of unruly males to the lower cost end of the paint spectrum! There are a wide range of paints we were able to pick from, as well as other wallpapers, paintbrushes and other accessories that would be useful to the more advanced DIY consumer! We were just idiots with brushes, so basic coloured paints were just the ticket for us! I find the likes of Homebase and B&Q almost too large at times, and the customer service is sometimes lacking, so I find places like this most refreshing!