I dont rate the Klondyke that highly as it is very dated, very grubby and very expensive but stores…read moreeverything for all your gardening needs but could definately do with a total refurbishment for a more up to date modern look.

This place is awesome…read more I have NEVER seen a garden center this large, and I'm from the land of large things. I recently became a homeowner with a bigass garden. This baby's huge. In that garden lives a greenhouse. In that greenhouse lives about 30 tomato plants, four cucumber plants, two strawberry, and various herbs. I'm not taking the gardening thing lightly, clearly. I got everything I needed for my garden here. The staff were helpful and chatty, and their pricing holds up to the exacting standards of my retired accountant father in law, which is saying a LOT. They have a garden club for £10 where you get a £5 discount card and then 10% off all plant purchases, as well as vouchers for their cafe. I'm not sure if it would be useful for me beyond this year when I'm starting up, but 10% can go a long way when you are building a garden from scratch. So, I'm thrilled to have this place 'round the corner from my house and I'll be visiting as often as The Man allows me to run away from steaming wallpaper. Plus, there are highland coos who live down the way from the garden center, which makes it even cooler.

One of the hidden attractions just outside Edinburgh is the labour of love run by Liberty and…read moreHamish Martin called The Secret Herb Garden. This idyllic venture lies 6 miles south of the city centre and allows the owners to share their enjoyment of herbs along with home produced food and drink, vintage furniture and candles made from the wax produced by the on-site apiary. Entry to the garden is free of charge, however, it is difficult not to spend money with a huge array of herbs for sale - I never realised how many types of mint existed until they were lined up, each with their own particular fragrance or taste. You'll also find it hard to resist spending some time in the cafe with a selection of cakes and scones as well as a very enjoyable lunch dish of Sweet Corn Quiche and Hand Picked Flower Salad. When you have finished lunch head beyond the glass-house and take a look at the apiary where you can see inside a working bee-hive; the medicinal garden and some innovative plant pots, including a Volkswagen Beetle that has herbs growing from its boot and bonnet. If you are looking for something a little different in easy travelling distance from Scotland's capital city then The Secret Herb Garden is a great choice.

The Secret Herb Garden is exactly what the name suggests; a hidden wonderland of herby goodness. If…read moreyou're a foodie looking for that special all-natural flavour or looking for a particular medicinal herb, then I've no doubt that SHG is just what you're after. I liked that all the herb labels shared a suggested use or some properties of the plant. For example, certain plants would make for a nourishing bath soak, and others, just perfect for an edible cake decoration. Secret Herb Garden, I do appreciate your passion for plant power! We were welcomed by a HUGE pregnant pig bathing in the hot spring sun. Aside from wanting to be that glorious pig, I thought it was just really nice that there's a big-ass pig just chilling up front. We said hello with a friendly stroke behind the ear, before heading into herby heaven. Boy, oh, boy! - There's so much. To express, just how much, I'll tell you that I was completely overwhelmed by all the variants of mint. You'd be a fool, like I was, to think that mint, as a herb, was constrained to the pepper and spear varieties. No, no, no! Just go have a gander at the impressive mint selection at the Secret Herb Garden. It's seriously impressive. - Mint! There's greenhouses adorned with herb after herb, with the occasional couch perched in amongst the madness of plants. There's also a café and a little shop selling beeswax, foraging books and other quirky goodies. You can sign up for meditation classes too. It's twee, and special in its very own way. Service is casual, and tables are dotted around the place, so your order may take a tad longer to find its way to you. Our table was a teeny bit rickety but we were grateful to have found a spot out front where our pooch could chill with us. (Dogs out front only!) I got a latte. Of course, it had a little heart in the foam. - A smile-inducer if every there was one. We waved goodbye to Secret Herb Garden, and to the pregnant pig. I'll be back to see the piglets, and to try the cakes, and, most importantly, for the wonderful herbs.

v successful shopping trip. partic impressed by Tameel's service- the extra mile with a broad…read moreBermudan smile

This B&Q is massive and is well located around several other DIY type stores. They have a good…read moregarden section and can have some good deals. BUT - one chain home DIY store is just like any other chain DIY stores, the only thing that really differs between them is how they are laid out and the staff. The Man and I come by here occasionally to pick up housey bits and bobs and were in the other weekend looking for something to repair our (brand new) waterproof laminate in the bathroom (the plumbers scratched it while installing the million-ton cast iron bath). We looked around and didn't really see anything which seemed to do the job, so the first place we asked was the paint counter. We thought - fillers go with paints, so the guy here might know. We walked up "excuse me?" *no response* "um, excuse me??" *slow eye roll in our direction* The guy hardly moved a muscle and provided us with his most bored and put-upon voice to tell us to try the flooring section. Ok right well yeah that makes sense, could have been a bit more pleasant about it but that's fine. So, we head to the flooring section where we approach two employees having a conversation. We are clearly customers in need of help but they only stoped their chat and turned their attention to us when when we practically had to stand between them and interrupt them. The Man said "Hi, we recently purchsed waterproof laminate and..." "There's no such thing as waterproof laminate" the flooring guy said. "Well, actually there is" The Man said "it's called Dumafloor..." He was interrupted again by the flooring guy who said "No, laminate can't be waterproof, it gets wet and it expands, it's not waterproof" Um anyway... He didn't even let us finish our question before attacking our "waterproof laminate" - listen guy, maybe you're right but also maybe there is a product on the market you *gasp* don't know about! Either way, don't interrupt your customers when they're asking you a question. He finally told us where to find flooring crayons, and sent us off with a cheery "but anyway, there's no such thing as waterproof laminate" Note to B&Q -a little customer service training would go a long way. Further note - and no, I don't want my wedding registry here. In fact, it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

visited the restaurant for breakfast on Monday 18th December at 10.30 am where the staff said , to…read moretheir 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.

I visited Dobbies yesterday with my granddaughter. I wanted some advice as to what flowers would…read moresurvive ,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 !

I took my grandparents here when they came to visit. I think this says it all. It's a lovely little…read moreshop selling everything from tea-cosies to candles, everything you would want in your stately home. Unfortunately for me, I live in a 2-bedroom flat in Holyrood, and have no use for this sort of stuff. Don't get me wrong - it's a lovely place and my grandparents loved it (Gran bought a cushion, she takes it out every Christmas and Meg next door is green with envy) and I'm sure it has a large market, but for the younger generation I think it simply isn't appreciated. Maybe I'll come back when don my power-suit and 2.3 children, but until then I think I'll go to Ikea. Gran's cushion was £45, so you get a sense of the general prices. Granda still can't believe the woman who won't spend an extra £1 on real soap (she prefers Asda's own) spent that much on a cushion. A festive cushion, no less.

Clementines is another of Bruntsfield's little gems that makes me wish I was a whole lot richer…read more Another pretty little shop filled with beautiful treats for your home. I would love to decorate my flat using this shop as inspiration as everything is just so darn nice. They have gorgeous cushions, quilts, teapots, candles, hanging things and ornamental bits and bobs. There is a real rustic, country feel to this shop. Everything seems to come straight from someones summer house in the Hamptons or at the beach. If you like pretty and nice, then you will love Clementines.

Friendly people , and excellent service…read more First class work And very reasonable prices

As I've mentioned in previous reviews - I'm not very lucky in carpets. It doesn't matter what…read morecolour I get, or how carefully I tread on them, I always manage to get some kind of tea/food or make-up stain smeared all over them. Nevertheless, I still like carpets and rugs, there's nothing nicer than waking up in the morning and stepping onto a nice fluffy rug. I popped into G&C carpets the other day and even though it's quite a small store, it has an excellent selection and I noticed a very pretty black rug with red flowers on it for a mere £35. They also had washable furry rugs for £15. The prices are very reasonable and the selection is good so if you're looking to add something extra to your home then a nice rug is the perfect idea, plus, if you're a student, the prices here won't break to bank.

You use your pillow every day and they usually last a good few years so buying a good pillow does…read moremake a decent amount of sense. If you do want a good pillow, this is the place to visit. The prices are rather reasonable here, given what you are getting, but this does come at a drawback and that is with the sheer volume of choice you will be presented with. The reality is that you are going to struggle to decide what exact filling you want. For some this will be brilliant and all part of the fun, but I fear that others will run out proclaiming that all they wanted was a pillow. That said, they have nice pillows here.

When it comes to pillows, these are the guys who really know their stuff. I didn't think that it…read morewould be viable for a business to succeed selling pillows but these guys prove me wrong. If you ever have a problem with your sofa cushions, need them replaced this shop is the solution-they are able to make new cusions for your sofa tailored to your description. I only needed a bog standard pillow for when I moved into a new flat in the area- their prices start at £7.50 for pillows and that's the one I opted for, and so far it has been great. The shop does however have a huge amount of pillows- with various different feathers. They also do different types of cushions whether it be for sofas or benches or even cushions for window seats these guys have it all.

This a small specialty shop carrying Annie Sloan paint, doing Annie Sloan workshops, and possibly…read moredrinking Annie Sloan koolaid. They sell furniture that has been painted with the aforementioned brand, lovely pieces for good prices. The owner can give you all kinds of tips on using the paint, ideas for how to wax or varnish, color tips, and possibly anything else you might need to know about painting. Tip: don't buy the brand brushes, which you wouldn't once you discovered the price tag. They have a few other home items, pillows and rugs, cute items that are sometimes well priced and in the instance of the rug that caught my eye (£500) a tad over my budget but likely handmade and quality and worth it. Good shop.