A real growth industry: a guide to the region’s best garden centres

With spring in the air, we look at some of the region’s garden centres, pick out a few to visit and select some essential plants for your plot.  As it warms up (hopefully!), the sunshine encourages us to spend more time outdoors it also hastens a visit to local garden centres to stock up on plants, pots and perennials.

Nic Hardy, a former owner of garden centres, believes we are well served in this region and there’s room for growth in the sector with so many new homes being built in Essex and Suffolk.  So, with his expertise, where would he advise the green fingered to explore in the coming months?

“Simpsons at Fordham is a sound source for a complete range of plants in all sizes, excluding houseplants.  They’ve got a great range, knowledgeable staff and offer value for money.  There’s a restaurant on site for a longer visit but, in the main, this is the place for plants and their accessories.

For the modern garden centre offering, I suggest recently extended Perrywood, near Sudbury, and over near Woodbridge there are a few good ones including the well-established and extensive Notcutts.  Woolpit Nurseries serves excellent annuals for the summer and good specimen large hardy plants.  Over the border into Norfolk, Thetford Garden Centre is a fine medium sized independent and I would recommend Barcham, in between Newmarket and Ely, for speciality trees.”

A larger centre, he says, will require significant back-of-house warehousing for stock, a significant source of seasonal water, and the restaurant side of things can be viewed as a separate facility – these are big businesses on their own and may have 40 staff for example.  What might the average garden centre visitor not appreciate while strolling around the aisles of pots and plants?

“Plant supply sources were severely challenged with Brexit as much was purchased in Europe.  It is no longer simple and straightforward, and transport costs have strongly affected price.  Note garden centres are not growers, so they rely on nurseries for supply.

Seasonality is a challenge as use of space is changed frequently, the best example of this being Christmas departments taking over from September – to the delight of some and the despair of others!  This has a bearing on service as a horticulturist knows little about festive lights!  This seasonal purchasing is carried out way ahead as a lot of products are imported.  For example, garden furniture for 2026 will have been ordered in August 2025, and Christmas products purchased in January/February.

The garden centre – as we now know them – has grown from a plant nursery in the early ’80s into today’s retail superstore. It is a theatre and a leisure destination, constantly changing each month, offering all sorts of opportunities for diversification,” says Nic.

Worth a visit:

Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens, Clacton Road, Elmstead Market, Essex, CO7 7DB
The home of sustainable and ecological planting, there are over 2,000 varieties of plants here so whatever the conditions in your garden – dry, shade, general or damp – you should find what you are after.  Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens also worked alongside local developers Lanswood Homes on their neighbouring development, Chattowood.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Creephedge Lane, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 8ET
From a handful of trees on an exposed, windy site has emerged a layout of wild woodlands, majestic meadows and stylish gardens.  Not strictly a garden centre but it’s definitely worth a visit and there is a shop, plus a restaurant and café.

Perrywoods, located in Tiptree, Sudbury and Chelmsford
Founded in 1955, they initially focused on growing potatoes and strawberries, but over the past 70 years have transformed the business into an award-winning garden centre who produce more than a million plants.  They hold regular events and have on-site coffee shops and restaurants.

Henstead Exotic Garden, Church Road, Henstead. Suffolk, NR34 7LD
Not a garden centre but this mini jungle near Southwold is a delight.  Now fully matured, it boasts some huge plants with many now towering above the owner of the site, Andrew Brogan, who is 6ft 6”.  The nursery offers locally grown specimens for sale, and the gardens are open on Sundays and by appointment during the week.

Ladybird Nurseries, Gromford Lane, Snape, Suffolk IP17 1RD
This family-run business offers an extensive range of plants, with over 90% grown on-site.  Easily accessible from the A12, they offer seasonal bedding plants, vegetables, alpines and perennials, along with hanging baskets and a variety of garden products.

Suffolk Plant Centre, Pettistree, nr Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 0HH
This independent garden centre is well-regarded for its broad range of plants, flowers and shrubs, many of which are homegrown at their on-site nursery.  They now offer garden furniture, tools and plant care – and are well known locally for their Christmas trees which offer great value for money.

Six essential plants for every garden:

Perennials
Agastache ‘Blackadder’ – Vertical brushstrokes with an abundance of flower spikes that are smoky violet in colour emerging from dark purple buds.

Ground cover
Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’ – Silver leafed plant that loves the sun but is non-flowering. Handy for breaking up the edges of paving.

Climbers
Clematis montana – Early flowering, deciduous climber with profuse amounts of small, single flowers. Ideal for covering large wall areas or scrambling over fruit trees.

Grasses
Arundo donax var. versicolor – A rampant spreading grass with leaves that are striped creamy white.

Evergreens
Phillyrea angustifolia mock privet – Good all-rounder – copes with the shade, can be left or clips well into shapes.

Shrubs/small trees
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ – The spiky fingered purple leaves of this Japanese maple make an emphatic colour statement and can be a good backdrop for fresher, brighter colours alongside. Comes into its own amid autumn shades too.