Best Buds: the most beautiful garden centres in London
In need of some green? Get thee to a garden centre. Any Londoner will tell you our parks are precious, but these humble verdant oases also do something close to a public service for those in need of a breather among the bamboo.
Some people, of course, will also want to buy a plant. Among the aimless wanderers (and those just in it for the cafe) are seasoned gardeners and spirited beginners with grand plans for a window box or balcony. With space at such a premium in the capital, almost every garden centre in London is the legacy of its resourceful, determined owners – the couple who carved out a nursery beneath some old railway arches, or the lone horticulturalist who spent years nurturing a forgotten sliver of a plot. But what the London garden centres in this list lack in square footage, they make up for in curation. Here we’ve rounded up the very best destinations for a plant-based pilgrimage, from Herne Hill to Hammersmith.
1. N1
Born from the remains of an old button factory, this boutique garden centre in De Beauvoir has earned a number of awards since it opened 25 years ago (and as there is no steady stream of passers-by in this pretty residential spot, its stellar reputation does much of the heavy lifting). Houseplants are predictably popular with local urbanites, but the range of outdoor plants is well-rounded and there are unusual varieties to be found among old faithfuls. Make a Sunday of it with a roast at neighbourhood haunt the Scolt Head, home to one of London’s loveliest beer gardens.
2. Camden Garden Centre
A garden centre with good intentions, this Camden social enterprise was founded 40 years ago by a group of locals determined to drive down youth unemployment in the area – some 300 trainees have since passed under the arch. So vast is the range of shrubs, perennials, palms and cacti that anyone could wholly replenish a tired balcony or patio garden in one enthusiastic visit, and there’s little need to call ahead unless you’re set on something special. The cafe and bar with a bookshop on the mezzanine only sweetens the deal.
3. The Boma Garden Centre
Set up by a green-fingered aunt and nephew duo originally from South Africa, this Kentish Town favourite has won a loyal fan base for its affable staff and sensible approach to the art of selling plants. Their offering is arranged to mimic garden beds and borders, there are houseplant bundles for beginners, and even the rarest plant specimens are selected to thrive in London’s climate. Spot resident cat Bluebell slinking around like a mini panther (don’t worry, Boma is dog friendly too). Oh, and you can also buy the plants you wish you’d come home with later via their top-notch delivery service.
4. Conservatory Archives
Do a disappearing act among the fronds in this jungle-like plant shop in Clapton. The second in a string of Conservatory Archives stores – the original opened on Hackney Road in 2015 – it has a window display that’s something close to kryptonite for houseplant lovers. Head inside for sculptural palms, succulents and cacti large and small, plus good delivery options, with staff on-hand to dish out care instructions for fussier varieties. It’s also a great place to track down appealing pots with a decent diameter – a surprisingly tricky task in London, as anyone with a flourishing monstera will tell you.
5. Flower Warehouse
While the masses reliably descend on Columbia Road Flower Market every Sunday, few seem to have caught wind of this plant-filled warehouse on Cambridge Heath Road (just look for the lavender, herbs and ornamental orange trees lined up against the wall outside). A somewhat calmer rummage among the rows inside will usually be well-rewarded and there are shelves piled high with terracotta pots at the back. Though there isn’t a full florist service (nor a website), the buckets of cut flowers and foliage at the entrance are far superior to any supermarket bunch – we’ve spotted ranunculi, peonies and branches of pussy willow.
6. Clifton Nurseries
Expectations are high in picture-perfect Little Venice, but London’s oldest garden centre holds its own among the area’s prettiest hidden gems; there’s been a nursery here since the two stucco-fronted villas that flank its entrance were built in 1851. All roads rightly lead to its grand glasshouse filled with ferns, trailing vines and orchids – it was once the capital’s largest after Kew – but there are plenty of plants that can cope with London weather in its network of courtyards and shady walkways. Clifton has a well-heeled clientele, so expect a good supply of smartly shaped bay and olive trees.
7. World’s End Nurseries
No, not the pub next door, but Chelsea’s longest established garden centre – and this is a borough that knows its hydrangeas from its hellebores. Though fairly cosy, World’s End has been keeping locals in good stock of shrubs, bedding plants and garden statues for five decades and there’s a considered selection of seeds, pots, tools and compost inside. Its address on the King’s Road is classic Chelsea, but there’s a relaxed, unpolish feel to proceedings here and we suspect some of its patrons simply pop for some peace. Like all good garden centres, it comes with a cat.
8. Petersham Nurseries
Equal parts garden centre, cafe and lifestyle shop – and all the better for the blend – Petersham Nurseries is something of a Richmond institution. Its glamorous custodians are the Boglione family, who bought this site next door to their grand family home, Petersham House, in 2000 with initially little in the way of a plan. Pick up a plant or vintage pot and then settle in for a seasonal Italian lunch under a canopy of bougainvillea and jasmine: one of the Boglione offspring now runs a 90-acre Devon farm that funnels organic produce straight into the kitchen here.
9. W6 Garden Centre and Cafe
A west London offshoot of the N1 garden centre, this economically named nursery and cafe has carved out a remarkable home for itself under the railway arches of Ravenscourt Park tube station. There is more space here than in the De Beauvoir outfit and all of it is enthusiastically utilised – think rows of herbaceous perennials, herbs, climbers, shrubs and citrus trees outside, plus a lush jungle room with towering tropical plants tucked away under one of the exposed brick arches. W6 is also home to a garden design team for those with greater ambitions, but we say a browse is always a good place to start.
10. Alexandra Nurseries
There might be a Homebase down the road, but those in-the-know – along with Crystal Palace residents – make a beeline for this beloved independent. Founded a decade ago by landscape designer John Parker and now run by his son, Owen, it operates from what was once the estate house for the tenants of the surrounding Victorian homes. Impulse buyers beware: the team has a brilliant eye for small suppliers and we’ve spotted coloured glass candlesticks, sheep-milk soaps and stylishly packaged Piccolo seeds (for discerning green-fingered friends) among the geraniums and lemon trees. Don’t leave without sampling a slice of cake made by local bakers.
11. The Nunhead Gardner
A steady flow of foot traffic is certainly a boon to this independent garden centre opposite Nunhead station, but we suspect it could just as easily survive on a quiet backstreet. Founders Peter Milne and Alex Beltran had corporate jobs for decades before packing it all in for a bramble-choked strip of land with no electricity or running water. Now the greenery outside is of a rather more considered kind and the old railway arch is filled with stylish tools, pots and tableware. It has since spawned offshoots in Camberwell and Elephant & Castle, but the original branch in Nunhead remains the biggest and best stocked for the urban gardener.
12. Battersea Flower Station
Come for the pun, stay for the plants. An offbeat spot in increasingly slick Battersea, this independent nursery and florist has the friendly, homespun feel of a community garden and is accessed through a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance by the railway bridge on Battersea Park Road. Founders John Schofield and Lisa McCormack had searched high and low for a suitable site before stumbling across this sliver of land by the tracks, sealed off for some 30 years. The mood is gently encouraging (they’ll sell you compost by the scoop and repot your houseplants for a small fee), so whip out those beginner questions without shame.
13. Croxted Road Garden Centre
Established in the 1960s, this cherished local resource draws in a diverse crowd from neighbouring Dulwich, Brixton and beyond. It’s a garden centre in the traditional mould, making it a good bet if you’re after a trellis, some turf or a tool-sharpening service (though you might be pleasantly surprised by the houseplant selection inside too). Prices are sensible – not a given in London nurseries – and the friendly staff are well-prepared for enquiries about drooping peonies or alarmingly vigorous bamboo. Make a day of it with a stroll in nearby Brockwell Park or a dip in the lido.
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