Christmas Shopping with a Difference: Why Your Local Garden Centre Should Be on Your List – If you think garden centres are just about plants and pots, think again. This Christmas, they are becoming destinations for festive inspiration, decorations, gifts, food and a rather lovely day out.
I was recently at the latest CIJ Christmas Press Show, where I was introduced to three garden-centre names that reminded me just how much there is to discover beyond the traditional high street Christmas shop.
There is something rather appealing about doing your Christmas shopping at a garden centre. You can browse at your own pace, see decorations displayed rather than simply stacked on shelves, stop for something to eat and, quite often, bring the family along too. And if you are buying plants, trees or outdoor decorations as well as those all-important baubles, it makes sense to have everything under one roof.
But there is another reason I like the idea of shopping locally at your garden centre. You don’t necessarily have to make Christmas shopping an exhausting expedition. Your nearest centre may be only a short drive away, and what starts as a quick trip for a wreath or a few decorations can easily turn into a festive afternoon.
And these three garden-centre groups each have their own personality.
Blue Diamond Garden Centres – Christmas with a countryside twist
Blue Diamond Garden Centres is one of the UK’s major garden-centre groups, with 55 centres across the UK and Channel Islands.
What particularly caught my attention is its partnership with Diddly Squat Farm. It brings together Blue Diamond’s horticultural expertise with the distinctive personality of Diddly Squat Farm, creating a collection that feels a little different from the usual garden-centre gift offering.
For gardeners, there are plenty of ideas including seeds, bulbs, bird food, growing products and other garden-related gifts. It is also a reminder that a Christmas present doesn’t have to be something that gets put away once the decorations come down.
I particularly like the idea of gifts that continue into the garden and can be enjoyed well beyond Christmas.
Blue Diamond itself has an interesting history too. Its story goes all the way back to 1904 and the Fruit Export Company in Guernsey, originally set up by local businessmen to export fruit and vegetables. Plants remain at the heart of the business today, although the group has grown considerably, employing around 5,000 people across its 55 centres.
Visit Blue Diamond Garden Centres
British Garden Centres – family-owned and full of festive inspiration
British Garden Centres has a very different story. The business began in 1990 when brothers Charles and Robert Stubbs opened their first garden centre next to the family farm at Woodthorpe in Lincolnshire.
Today, the group has more than 70 centres around the country and remains family owned and run.
There is something reassuring about that family connection. These aren’t simply places to pick up a bag of compost; the centres have grown into destinations in their own right, with restaurants, seasonal events and extensive Christmas departments.
And this is where garden-centre Christmas shopping can really come into its own. Decorations, Christmas trees, lights and festive displays are arranged to give you ideas for how you might use them at home.
That is something I particularly enjoy. Rather than trying to imagine what a decoration will look like while standing under harsh shop lighting, you can see it styled as part of a whole festive display.
Explore British Garden Centres
Dobies – Christmas with plenty to discover
Dobies is another name that has become synonymous with the garden-centre Christmas experience.
Its festive offering goes beyond decorations, with Christmas gifts, indoor plants and outdoor plants all forming part of its seasonal range.
And this is perhaps where garden centres have an advantage over many traditional Christmas shops. You can decorate the house, the front door and the garden at the same time.
Think potted plants, winter greenery and seasonal planting alongside Christmas decorations. A holly, Christmas rose or winter-flowering plant can make just as much impact outside the front door as another string of lights – and, unlike many Christmas decorations, it can come back year after year.
Our Christmas Finds
Of course, the best part of visiting a Christmas press show is seeing everything together. There is something about walking into a beautifully decorated space that immediately makes you want to start planning your own Christmas.
These were some of the things that caught my eye and might just inspire your own festive decorating.
Christmas decorations with personality
There were plenty of ideas for moving away from the same decorations we bring out year after year. From traditional favourites to more unusual pieces, I loved seeing how a few carefully chosen decorations can completely change the feel of a room.
The finishing touches
It is often the smaller things that make a Christmas display. Candles, lanterns, table decorations, ceramics and little decorative details can bring a festive feel to a room without covering every available surface in glitter.
Gifts for the gardener
If you have a gardener in the family, garden centres are an obvious place to look – but there are also plenty of ideas that will appeal to anyone who enjoys being outdoors.
The Blue Diamond and Diddly Squat Farm collection particularly caught my attention, with gifts that can continue to be enjoyed in the garden long after Christmas has finished.
Don’t forget outside
Christmas decorating doesn’t have to stop at the front door. Wreaths, winter plants, outdoor lanterns and festive containers can make just as much impact outside the house.
And perhaps this is one of the things I like most about buying some of your Christmas decorations from a garden centre – there is always something that can carry you from Christmas and into the garden for the rest of the year.
Make Christmas shopping a day out
For me, this is the real appeal of garden centres at Christmas.
We can all be guilty of rushing around the shops, ticking things off a list and wondering where December disappeared to. A trip to a good garden centre feels different. You can take your time, look at the displays, pick up something for the house, find a present for the gardener in your life, buy a wreath or plant for the front door and then stop for lunch or coffee.
And choosing your local garden centre for some of your Christmas shopping is a simple way of supporting businesses in your area too.
So, before you automatically head into town for your Christmas decorations this year, have a look at your local garden centre. You might find the decorations, gifts and inspiration you are looking for, but you might also discover that the Christmas shop is only part of the attraction.
Sometimes the best Christmas shopping is the trip you don’t have to rush.
Poppy Watt