Amerton Garden Centre, Stafford
 

This is a totally independent GardenAction opinion of the Amerton Garden Centre, near Stafford. Click any picture to enlarge it.

PLANTS

Amerton garden centre is slightly different from most garden centres. We visited it at the very end of April and were surprised at the small number of bedding plants available. A chat with the manager enlightened us. The garden centre relies on the majority of its customers visiting as part of a day out at Amerton Farm and Craft Centre. These visitors are unlikely to buy bedding plants but would browse around the centre and buy slightly unusual herbaceous or shrub plants.

So, we will judge this garden centre on that basis. The range of shrubs and herbaceous plants was large for a garden centre of this size and they do stock some unusual specimens. The majority of the herbaceous plants are home grown on the sister site at Bradley. Nice to see that Amerton is one of the few garden centres who grow their own stock locally rather than buy them in or distribute them 100s of miles up and down the motorways.

The plants all looked extremely healthy although there was no advertised hardy plant guarantee. The outdoor area was more attractive than most with maximum interest being extracted from the plants on display. This is a garden centre where you felt at ease browsing amongst the plants rather than walking along regimented rows. The main paths were solid paving stones and wide enough for wheelchair access in all areas.

PRICES

Amerton's prices were slightly higher than average. An example shopping basket is shown below. Don't make Amerton's your "everyday" garden centre, they don't pretend to aim at that market. But pay them a visit and you are likely to find more interesting plants than normal.

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