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Agarden centre (Commonwealth English spelling; U.S.nursery orgarden center) is aretail business that primarily sells plants and related products fordomestic gardening.[1] Gardening centres usually revolve around outdoorhome improvement and décor, selling anything from plants to outdoor ordainments.
It evolved from the concept of a retailplant nursery, offering a broader range of outdoor products and additional on-site facilities.[citation needed]
Today, garden centres typically source their plants from specialist nurseries rather thanpropagating them on-site. In addition to plants, garden centres may offer a variety of other products and services, includinghomeware,gifts, andcafes.[2]
Garden centres across Europe play a significant role in supporting the region'shorticultural interests, catering to both amateur gardeners and professionallandscapers. These centres typically offer a diverse range of plants,gardening tools, outdoor furniture, and decorative items, as well as expert advice and workshops. With a unique blend of local traditions and modern retail practices, garden centres vary widely across the continent, reflecting the environmental and cultural diversity of the region.
TheUnited Kingdom has a large and diverse garden centre industry. There are over 1,500 garden centres in the UK,[3] ranging from small, independent businesses to large, nationalchains. The industry is worth an estimated £6.5 billion per year.[4]
The most popular products sold at garden centres include plants,compost,fertilisers, tools, and landscaping materials. Many garden centres also sell pet-related products, home and interior products, and food and drink.
Garden centres are an important part ofthe British economy. They provide jobs for over 100,000 people and generate billions of pounds in revenue each year. They also play a role in promoting gardening and outdoor living in the UK.
The first garden centre in the UK was opened by Edward Stewart in 1955 at Ferndown, Dorset, at his family's plant nursery. He opened a second, purpose-built one called Garden Lands in 1961 at nearby Christchurch.[5] This led to a succession of other nurseries converting to garden centres.[2] In the early days, garden centres were primarily focused on selling plants and gardening supplies. However, over time, they began to offer a wider range of products and services. Their increase in numbers was due to a number of factors, including the rise of themiddle class, the increasing popularity of gardening, and the development of new technologies that made it easier to grow plants in volume. This growth also coincided with the development of newshopping centres and the rise of national garden centre chains.
In addition to their product range, garden centres have also evolved in terms of their customer experience. In the past, garden centres were often seen as a place to buy plants and gardening supplies. However, today, they are more of a leisure destination. Many garden centres have cafés, restaurants, play areas, and other amenities that make them a popular destination for families and couples. They also sell pet supplies, home and garden products, food and drink, and even clothing.
The rise of national chains has been a major factor in the evolution of garden centres in the UK. National chains have been able to achieveeconomies of scale, which has allowed them to offer lower prices and a wider range of products. This has put pressure on independent garden centres, and many of them have been forced to close.
Despite the challenges facing independent garden centres, there is still a strong demand for them. Many people prefer to shop at independent garden centres because they offer a more personal touch. Additionally, independent garden centres often have a wider range of products and services than national chains.
The largest UK garden centre chains include:
| No. of sites | 2025 turnover | 2024 turnover | 2023 turnover | 2022 turnover | 2021 turnover | 2020 turnover | 2019 turnover | 2018 turnover | 2017 turnover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dobbies | 53 | £257m[6] | £271m | £279m | £279m | £304m | £252m | £166m | £148m | £151m |
| British Garden Centres | 75[7] | £172m | £162m | £161m | £162m | £125m | £49m | £32m | £29m | |
| Blue Diamond | 52[8] | £332m | £311m | £259m | £255m | £210m | £182m | £128m | £96m | |
| Notcutts | 19 | £81m | £79m[9] | £74m | £76m | £80m | £64m | £76m | £75m | £71m |
| Squire's | 17 | £67m[10] | £68m | £68m | £70m | £53m | £57m | £50m | £47m | |
| Klondyke | 22 | £78m[11] | £74m | £68m | £65m | £53m | £57m | £53m | £54m | |
| QD / Cherry Lane | 19 | £65m[12] | £65m | £68m | £49m | £49m | £43m | £39m | £35m | |
| Longacres | 6 | £61m[13] | £57m | £51m | £52m | £40m | £37m | £36m | £32m | |
| Hillier Nurseries | 23 | £73m[14] | £69m | £55m | £51m | £38m | £37m | £33m | £23m | |
| Haskins | 5 | £44m[15] | £45m | £44m | £51m | £38m | £31m | £32m | £32m | |
| Bents | 1 | £27m[16] | £25m | £25m | £25m | £18m | £23m | £22m | £21m | |
| Tates | 4 | £34m[17] | £33m | £32m | £30m | £23m | £24m | £18m | £8m | |
| Otter | 8[18] | £34m[19] | £33m | £32m | £33m | £26m | £26m | £21m | £20m | |
| Wyevale | 0 | £0m | £0m | £0m | £0m | £0m | £0m | £336m | £322m | |
| Yorkshire | 7[20] | £25m[21] | £23m | £15m |
Home improvement retailerB&Q, as well as variety retailersB&M,Home Bargains andThe Range have their own garden departments, alongside the main store buildings.
In France, garden centres, often referred to asjardineries, are commonly integrated with large agricultural cooperatives. Companies like Truffaut and Jardiland dominate the market, offering extensive selections of plants, garden supplies, and home decor. French garden centres are also known for their focus onorganic products andbiodiversity, reflecting the country's emphasis on sustainability.
Belgium and the Netherlands boast some of the most innovative garden centres in Europe, given their strong horticultural traditions. The Netherlands, in particular, is home to cutting-edge centres that incorporate advanced greenhouse technology andhydroponics, alongside vast selections ofornamental plants, bulbs, and seeds. Popular names like Intratuin and GroenRijk set industry standards with large,eco-friendly retail spaces.
In Italy and Spain, garden centres often showcase plants and materials suited toMediterranean climates, such as olive trees,citrus plants, and drought-tolerant flora. Italian garden centres, like Viridea, often combine traditional plant sales withboutique experiences, featuring cafes and cooking classes using home-grown herbs. Meanwhile, Spanish centres, such as Verdecora, emphasise outdoor living trends, includingterracotta pottery and furnishings suited to warm climates.
In Portugal, garden centres are smaller in scale but serve as key suppliers of native plants like cork oak andsucculents. They often cater to both locals and tourists looking to create sustainable gardens in coastal and arid regions.
Garden centres in Germany and Scandinavia focus heavily on functionality and sustainability. German retailers such as Dehner lead the industry, offering everything from garden equipment to landscaping services, often in collaboration with environmental organisations. Scandinavian garden centres, reflecting their climate, specialise in cold-hardy plants, indoor gardening solutions, andminimalist outdoor décor.
In Poland, Hungary, and other parts of Central Europe, garden centres are increasingly modernising, with companies like Ogrodnik and OBI expanding their operations. These centres often highlight regional plants and seasonal flowers, catering to the area's strong gardening culture. In Russia, large-scale centres near metropolitan areas focus on ornamental gardening, offering exotic plants alongside traditional varieties.
In the Balkans, smaller garden centres typically act as community hubs, offering locally-grown plants and tailored advice. However, countries like Croatia and Serbia are seeing a rise in larger chains as urban populations grow interested in gardening as a leisure activity.
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In 1737, Robert Prince opened theLinnean Botanic Garden inFlushing, Queens,New York, which was one of the first commercial nurseries in what would become the United States.[22][23] In the 1870s,lawn ornaments became popular features, with decorations such asbird baths andgazebos being particularly popular.[citation needed] With theurban sprawl in the United States afterWW2, Americans became more able to spend their money onhome improvement and outdoor décor.[citation needed] The increasing popularity ofyards andfront yards as more Americans moved to newly developed suburban areas strengthened growth for garden centres.[24] Having a large, well-maintained lawn began to be seen as a core part of theAmerican Dream, causing the importance of garden centres to increase.
The United States retail garden centre market contained roughly 16,000 independently operated companies in 2010, according to Research and Markets. The combined annual revenue for all of them is about $46.2 billion.[25] Most garden centres are independently owned. There are some regional chains, but there is no national US garden centre chain, unlike in the UK, where there are several. However, both of the largest home improvement stores in the US—Lowe's andThe Home Depot—refer to their gardening departments as garden centre and largerhardware stores have "Lawn and Garden" departments.
Some of the items that can be found in US garden centres often called nurseries, includeannual andperennial flowers, trees and shrubs, roses, container gardens, hanging baskets, houseplants, water gardening, seeds and bulbs, potting mixes, soil amendments andmulch, fertilisers and chemicals, pottery, garden tools and supplies, fountains and garden décor, much like their UK counterparts.
Many US garden centres have other departments including wildbird feeding, floral, gift, outdoor furniture and barbecue grills, home décor,landscape design, landscaping services, and pet supplies. Most garden centres have a large Christmas department during the holiday season. Some garden centres have added a café or coffee bar, but not like the restaurants found in some European garden centres.[citation needed]
Greenhouses are commonly part of a US garden centre. Greenhouses protect the plants from late cold snaps, allow stores to keep houseplants in prime condition, and keep the customers dry on rainy days.
Garden centres employ horticulturists who can diagnose problems and make recommendations togardeners. This is almost always provided as a free service in the store and some of the bigger garden centres have classes that are open to the public.
Many garden centres belong to a buying cooperative. The largest is Master Nursery Garden Centers with just under 800 members followed by Home and Garden Showplace (part of the larger cooperative the True Value Company) with 260 members, Northwest Nursery Buyers Association with 46 members and finally, ECGC with 14 very large garden centre members.[citation needed]
The trade associations of independent garden centres in the US are theGarden Centers of America and the American Nursery & Landscape Association.
| [26] | No. Of Sites | 2023 Turnover |
|---|---|---|
| Armstrong Garden Centers & Pike Nurseries | 48 | $212m |
| Petitti Garden Centers | 9 | $104m |
| Meadows Farms Nurseries | 17 | $74m |
| Mahoney's Garden Centers | 7 | $50m |
| Green Thumb Nursery | 5 | $49m |
| Oakland Nurseries | 4 | $44m |
| Stauffers of Kissel Hill | 7 | $40m |
| Earl May Garden Centres | 28 | $39m |
| Summerwinds Nursery | 8 | $35m |
| Sloan Garden Center | 12 | $32m |
Many European garden centres emphasise eco-friendly products, native plant species, and biodiversity, in line withEuropean Union policies promoting green practices.
As urban populations increase, centres have begun catering to city dwellers with solutions for balcony and rooftop gardens.
A shift toward providingexperiences—such as workshops, cafes, and community events—has helped garden centres attract a broader customer base.
Online platforms and e-commerce have become integral to the success of garden centres, especially in densely populated regions like Germany and France.
European garden centres face challenges including climate change, rising costs of imported plants, and competition fromDIY stores and online retailers. Nonetheless, the sector continues to innovate, balancing tradition with modern retail strategies.
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