I've recently discovered that I absolutely love gardening. Maybe love should be replaced with the…read moreword obsession. What started out as only a few cute plants, you know, just to "green up the place," has morphed into living room JUNGLE obsession. Oh, us silly Americans. Go big or go home. The good news is that this obsession led me to find Podington Garden Centre. Quite literally in the smack dab of nowhere, this place is gardener's playground! I only wanted two things: a couple of 60 lt bag of organic soil for my courgettes and tomato plants. I wasn't expecting to find gardening nirvana. I'm pretty sure Jesus would shop here. Firstly, this centre is absolutely gorgeous. You have to hand it to these Podintons, they love their gardening! The centre is big, but not Home Base gigantic, and the staff are knowledgeable and genuinely care about their products. I was also shocked to find that the Guinness World Record for Largest Garden Spade was on display! Not sure if it was on the local garden tour, but there it was! I took a picture as proof, too. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/4000/largest-garden-spade Earlier in the day, I called to request a hold on two bags of organic soil. It may seem silly, but after two disappointing visits to Homebase (thanks LOADS you a-holes for lying to me with your BS reservation!) I wanted to make sure my soil was still there! When I approached the counter my soil was already on a trolly, with my name, patiently waiting up front. Seriously, that's service! HUGE KUDOS. My only complaint is, literally, how far away they are from Leamington. It also feels like you're traveling into the middle of nowhere, when suddenly, this place just appears! Absolutely worth the trip. I can't wait to go here again and buy more of everything!

Podington Garden centre is a really nice place to have a browse around in the summer even if you…read moredon't plan on buying anything! It's quite small compared with some garden centres although there is a good range of shrubs and trees for sale outside. There is a lovely gift area that also sells foodstuffs such as home made jams,marmalades, cakes and old fashioned style sweets. It has a lovely oldly worldy feel to it. At Christmas time they also have a fantastic range of lights and decorations, although they are quite expensive compared with larger department stores that sell the same sort of things. There is plenty of parking just outside the centre and there is a lovely cafe inside. Well worth a visit even if you are just browsing.