A truly enormous garden centre on the eastern outskirts of Cardiff, conveniently situated adjacent…read moreto junction 29 of the A48M where it meets the old A48 Newport Road. It's a popular shopping destination in its own right, and is actually part of the large UK-wide Wyevale chain. As well as an enormous range of plants, seeds, gardening tools and gardening supplies, it sells all sorts of gardening-related merchandise, such as garden buildings, garden furniture, pet supplies, books, ornaments, greeting cards, toys, clothing etc. Their prices aren't the cheapest, but it's all in one place and the quality is not bad (and it is getting very hard to find independent high-quality traditional nurseries, these days). Many of the staff are not that expert in the plants, though - certainly not compared with the horticultural or botanical expertise that resides in parts of the British gardening fraternity. That said, they always seem to be pretty friendly and willing to help, and the whole experience is rather less intimidating than it can be in some traditional nurseries. For those living in hope of a dry summer, there is an extensive range of barbecues and barbecue supplies. (Note: worth getting in stocks of charcoal, as there is always a run on supplies at the first sign of Bank Holiday sun). They also have a hire service for a very extensive range of garden and building machinery, if buying your own rotovator or mini-digger seems something of an indulgence. Perfect for the would-be 'Bob the Builder' (or 'Bob y Bildar'). There's a decent sized cafe, which is quite pleasant outside the week-end peak times, although there's no escaping the warehouse 'architecture'. It's very popular with pensioners during the week. At week-ends, the whole place is packed by families on an afternoon out, which makes for a slightly more stressful shopping experience. The centre has toilets and is designed to be accessible for wheel-chair users. The Wyevale website is quite interesting for the novice gardener, with a 'plant finder' facility, which tells you what you can grow in the soil and aspect of your garden.

Blooms is a massive garden centre that's easy to get to from either Cardiff or Newport, with…read morehelpful staff (though not all of them perhaps 'experts') and a huge array of plants, garden furniture and ornaments, and gardening tools and accessories. The centre is also home to a decent little book shop and a café, and it sells jewellery, clothes, pet-related products, farm-style foods and even fresh Welsh meat, jams and chutneys! Blooms even offer an equipment hire service, so you can hire garden and building machinery rather than go out and buy it if you only need it for a one-off occasion. Some of the stock can be a bit on the expensive side, but I think most big nurseries are the same, and at least you can browse around lots of different departments under one roof here.

This is another big but fairly expensive garden centre that sells everything you'd expect, from…read moreplants, pots and garden ornaments to barbecue equipment, garden tools and furniture. This place stands out from the rest, however, for its range of miniature 'Show Gardens' where they offer ideas and inspiration for your own garden, including some interesting designs and layouts, use of a variety of materials, and different planting styles. I was also quite impressed by their range of plant pots, both for indoors and outdoors, which included more choice (in terms of colours, styles and materials) than many of their competitors. They're also good for trellis, patio furniture and garden tools. There's a section selling aquatics, another selling gifts (some of questionable style, in my view, but each to their own!), plus a cafe.

A pretty good garden centre, large, with just about everything you'll need. An impressive range of…read moreoutdoor and indoor plants and pots, trellis, netting, patio materials and garden tools. Artificial flowers too, a gift department and a cafe (which could do with more choice, especially vegetarian). The 'show gardens' are interesting and a good idea to help people trying to plan the lay-out of their new gardens. Quite an expensive place.

If your garden is in need of a makeover of some kind then you don't need to look much further than…read moreCaerphilly Garden Centre. This large and well-stocked garden centre has everything you'd need (and a load of stuff you'd never need) for your garden. It boasts a huge array of flowers and plants in its outside courtyard-type area, as well as garden ornaments like frightening gnomes or bewildering pandas. It's got seeds, guys. Loads and loads of seeds. It also offers garden furniture and things like wooden arches for climbing plants. It would be nearly impossible to convey how much garden-related paraphernalia is on offer in this place so you'd have to see for yourself. The staff are friendly and full of advice, so if the stupidly long Latin names are too much for you then just ask and they can most likely point you in the right direction.

Found on the outskirts of Caerphilly, the Garden Centre is Caerphilly's home of horticulture…read more With more garden products than Alan Titchmarsh's shed, this is the place to go if you're in need of anything for your back yard. Whether its compost, plants, weedkiller or flowers, Caerphilly Garden Centre will have what you're looking for; and a great selection at that. They also stock a wide range of garden furniture and patio sets, for those rare occasions the weather is decent enough to warrant a relaxing lounge in the sun. In addition to these, they offer a good variety for the budding outdoor chef with their extensive barbeque range. If you're bringing the kids along for the ride, the various pets on display will surely keep them occupied; with animals such as birds, reptiles and tropical fish. Also, should you be visiting during the festive season, the Garden Centre boasts one of the best Christmas Grottos this side of Lapland. And if that still doesn't entice you to the Garden Centre, then how about sampling the on-site restaurant, which offers a great selection of food; from steak and ale pie and beer battered cod to toasted sandwiches and baguettes, as well as a range of specials which alter daily. They also offer a variety of freshly baked cakes for those who just feel like stopping by for a brief snack and a cuppa. The restaurant is available for private functions, and the manager will be happy to alter the menu to suit your needs.

This is a very large garden centre situated in West Monkton, just to the East of Taunton. It has a…read morelovely range of trees and outdoor plants, plus an enormous gift centre with crockery, local foodstuffs, etc. The cafe sells nice cakes and a wide range of cold and hot drinks.

From the owner: Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centreread more

The ordering process did not go smoothly. I had to explain what I wanted to a second person, two…read moredays after I had originally placed the order. I asked for the bouquets to be delivered to a particular place and they were delivered to a different place. But the worst thing was the actual flowers. I asked for brightly coloured flowers. Instead I got a mish-mash of random types of flowers, and most of them in drab and washed-out colours. A lot of them had started curling at the edges of the petals, even though they were still in water and there were lots of stalks of berries for some reason. I asked for flowers, not berries. It looked like I got palmed off with the flowers nobody would choose at the shop.

I don't like red roses, boys/ men. Take note. I do like flowers though. Actual, real flowers in the…read morewild, in plant pots, but mostly in big bright beautiful bouquets given to me, meant for me, from someone quite lovely. What kind of flowers? Orange gerberas. Sunflowers. Crazy exotic creations. Daffodils. Cornflowers. Pretty little posies of wild flowers and sweet peas. I am not alone in this. A lot of people like giving and receiving flowers. They say things we don't know how to otherwise. Things like: 'Sorry' I dumped you/ ran over your cat/ spilt red wine on that dress I borrowed and promised not to spill red wine on... 'I love you' friend/ mum/ tiddles/ Romeo/ Charlotte Church 'Thinking of you' ... I know I've not called for three years but, well I've been busy Gran, and I'm sure you understand. Things like that. If you need to say things like that I'd recommend the Secret Garden because they can say it beautifully. They've got fashion know how to bring to creating bouquets. They offer a sensational selection of seasonal blooms, full of vibrant colours for any occasion - hand-tied bouquets; wedding flowers; corporate contracts; gift ideas and sympathy flowers. Delivery: They have a same day delivery service to surrounding Cardiff, and a next day delivery for nationwide orders placed before 2pm.

This is THE BEST hardware shop in town. They sell everything - the kitchen sink and the kitchen…read moresinks mother! Clarence hardware is a proper old fashioned shop, a family business that has been open for the last 50 years. The hardware and DIY shop offers something that very few other shops do these days, they offer a one to one service. Their staff are friendly and knowledgeable and are more than likely to crack a good humoured joke or two. They don't have a website because they just have too many varieties of things to list. To give you a picture they stock 11 types of florescent tube and 80 different types of light-bulb. This isn't spatially a huge shop, but they manage to fit a massive amount in...In fact their stock is so extensive that it spills out onto the street, tin baths, bonfire bins, compost and more are stacked by and even hung up on the wall outside. ...Oh and they are extremely reasonably priced. Tip: Clarence hardware offers a brilliant value key cutting service (only a few quid) and free local delivery of large goods. Open 9.45-5.15 Monday - Saturday

I have used this store more times than I can remember they carry everything and if they ain't got…read moreit they will get it for you Martin and the guys are so helpful and nothing is to much trouble and as a Grangetown boy I saves a lot of bother looking elsewhere' Keep up the good work lads Mike C Avondale Crescent