Gardenwize is a small to medium sized nursery which offers a healthy variety of plants and outdoor…read moredecor. What I mostly love about this place is they have their specials displayed right at the front of the nursery so when I drive past I can easily see what's on offer. Most times, I turn around to have a closer look. This mostly leads to a successful purchase. The best feature of this business are the staff who work here. Every time I have shopped here, I am greeted with smiles and helpful service. Most times I have a browse, but when I am looking for a plant in particular or advice on plants and gardening, these guys are always there offering a hand. It's service like this that leads to customers like me, continually purchasing. Another fantastic part of Gardenwize is their wide selection in outdoor features. They have plenty of garden statues, water and pond features, bird ponds and other outdoor decor to compliment anyones garden. Even if there's nothing I need, I find it a nice place to walk around and have a look.

For places that you go when you want to feel a little bit of serenity. This is the place to visit…read more Oddly enough, right next the the Westside BMW dealership (they share parking) and smack bang in the middle of Darra's industrial area, this place has been around since I've been in Brisbane. There is a crazy range of bromeliads (a whole tent full) and overhanging, underhanging and side hanging plants to choose from, there's a wider range of hedge plants, flowering plants and a pretty good range of fruit trees as well (these will set you back about $30). There is also a restaurant called Verdant which serve a pretty good salmon main and the service is pretty good. The coffee's aren't bad as well, but it would be an idea to book as it does get pretty busy. What I love about this place is the giftshop. It isn't just a gift shop that sells the weird stuff you put in your house and garden, it is an excellent place to shop for gifts or whatnot for your kids as well. It has a pretty decent kids section, where there are cute baby onesies with crazy logos on them, kiddie gardening gloves, kiddie cook books, book dividers, very cute bath toys, and stuffed toys. Even kiddie books! Such a good array, you will always find something here for your green thumbed little man or lady. Make them assist you in the garden with style! On the flipside, I also bought a $5 outside broom here from Italy, great broom, still have it! The plants here are a little dearer than your cornerstore garden centre, but they have a pretty wide range as well.

Why aren't there more places where you can buy everything you need for your garden, everything you…read moreneed to make your home pretty, clothes and luxury bath products, then top it all off with a delicious meal? Garden Way is a lovely, peaceful place that provides all those things, and I suppose it can thank it's out of the way location for the lack of crowds. The location does mean most Brisbanites would only go there when that's the sole purpose of their trip, but the good news is you can kill a lot of time here so it's worth the drive. The homewares part is really beautiful, with gorgeous decor, divine smelling moisturisers and various little bits and pieces. The nursery is not quite as big as some of the others in Brisbane, but it is decent enough with a good range of plants, pots of all shapes and sizes, and decorative features for the garden. The restaurant section is nestled in between the nursery and the homewares section, and they serve delicious and unique quality meals, drinks and desserts. This is a place I often visit with the numerous generations of females in my family, for a bit of a wistful shop and a tasty meal.

Good size nursery that carries a little bit of everything. Always seem to have what you need. The…read morestaff are always super duper helpful and prices are very comparable to the large warehouse types (rhymes with Funnings)...we always go here.

I like to pretend I have a green thumb but the reality is that plants and I should agree to never…read morebe friends, or rather I should quit trying to be a gardening goddess. But it's small shops like Hanasho that bring my desire to garden rushing back. His carefully curated mix between greenery (starting from $10 already potted) to airplants and floristry make this a dangerous experience for myself. It's a beautiful store and truthfully, part art gallery in the way plants are expertly hung around the room. It's a fine place for gifts for you, a friend, family or even just because you want something different to decorate your home. Of course I didn't leave empty handed and of course I've got a mental shopping list for future visits. This is a small business in West End that I sense is often forgotten by everyone except locals, but I hope it is never forgotten so much that the doors shut. This is a beautiful gem that must be explored!

Hanasho is a work of art in of itself. I automatically…read moreassume my art gallery stride while I'm in this store. The stencil art, pottery pieces, bamboo sculptures, the handmade stuffed toys and everything in between has an air of elegant simplicity about it. Hanasho also likes to keep it local and stocks local artist's wares. What most people come here for is the Ikebana (Japanese form of flower arranging). It's an art form I have always admired. It's not just the practice of making nice, visually pleasing floral arrangements- the 'pieces' are sculptural and thought provoking. I also like that whenever you pop in to visit, the owner can be seen in the back half of his store on the floor kneeling over a new creation. It is his workshop and his gallery, per se. If he's not working on something out the back, you'll generally find him outside amidst the potted succulents having a cigarrette. The owner has a particular character that spills out of him into his immaculately arranged shop. If you're looking for something unique for a gift, I'd suggest coming here. It's full of contemporary, often wierd and wonderful surprises.

I love outdoor landscaping and design. I haven't practiced it enough, but I love watching TV shows…read morewhere landscape design is involved. As a regular past time, I love going to Plant Factory Outlet to imagine what my future fully landscaped garden would look like. They have one of Brisbanes widest selection of pot plants and all at really cheap prices. It is the best place for find a bargain on plants, but not just that, an array of outdoor landscape fittings. These including garden statues, water features, ponds, wall hangings, big palm trees, pots and unique plants. This is a big sized nursery with plenty to offer. The staff here are helpful with suggestions and advice on planting, goodness knows I'm grateful for their help. It's a great shopping experience and you can take your time and relax as you sift through their pots and plants.

Look no further, a Quality and Stylish florist in Ascot. Beautiful flowers and stunning customer…read moreservice. I just go crazy in this lovely shop on Lancaster Road in Ascot. Mandy is so wonderful to deal with and my clients just LOVE her flowers. thank you! The gift lines are also great, I purchased a ginger jar and my husband actually liked it!!! wow..

If you've read some of my other reviews, you might know that I'm a big fan of cake. Vanilla Pod, my…read morefavourite Brisbane cake destination happens to be right next door to The Flower Man and it was in my pursuit of cake that I came across this pretty little florist. It's a tiny shop so the selection isn't huge, but what is there is top quality and fresh. The prices a very reasonable for what you get and the flowers I've bought from here have always lasted well too. As well as flowers, The Flower Man has managed to squeeze a few little gifts and cards in among the bouquets and at Christmas last year they had some really lovely tree decorations. I love that The Flower Man is next to Vanilla Pod because whenever I go to buy cake for a friend's birthday I can get them a bunch of beautiful flowers. Flowers and cake: two of life's simplest pleasures!

Markets. Brisbane has many. But Plantage Botanical Market (launching yesterday) is something…read moredifferent. Small to start with I can see this growing to something much larger in the coming months as it settles in. As the name says, it's a botanical market. The majority of stall holders are selling greenery. From Urban Orchard selling fresh herbs to Blossfeldts with a range of fresh blooms to take home. With Brisbane's Winter translating to mid-20 temps and sunny skies, Saturday was the perfect chance to wander down to Logan Road in Woolloongabba and explore this new market. My prescription for a great Plantage experience? Stop somewhere near by for breakfast (Pearl for example), before taking a stroll down to the markets. Perhaps grab a second coffee from the coffee mobile van they have on-site, wander the stalls and then make yourself comfortable in one of the provided deck chairs on the grassy knoll in the middle of it all. Soak up some Vitamin D and plot what you might cook with the fresh herbs you just bought. Maybe even order a slice of pumpkin pie from one of the stall holders before going back to get that air plant you wanted to think over or join in one of the kokodema workshops. Pro Tip: Bring cash. It'll make for an easier market experience.

This little gallery is a real gem in New Farm, hard to spot…read morebut it is worth a definite visit. Suzanne O'Connell gallery deals with gorgeous indigenous artworks. The boss lady (and namesake) Suzanne is a respected art consultant and dealer who sources art works from all around aboriginal communities in Australia. The space is small but intimate. The cool white walls compliment and showcase the diverse, rich and vibrant pieces beautifully. With most of the pieces up for grabs this place is worth a definite visit to fill that blank wall in your house or as a unique gift.