Day Out at The Garden Centre

I am sure all countries have their own version of a Garden Centre but to me they have always seemed particularly British and, controversially, very suburban. People flock to their nearest centre at the first hint of any sunshine. As well as offering a wide range of shrubs you can usually have a lunch or coffee as well as, if you are so inclined, buy farm fresh foods, garden statues or even a hot tub.

Visiting a garden centre therefore seemed a very “grown up, conventional” weekend pursuit and as I never wanted to be grown up or conventional I therefore avoided these places like the plague. You can also tell that gardening was not one of my interests.

However, having been without a garden for a number of years and now with the possibility of having my own bit of outside space again (fingers and toes crossed) I have fallen on every garden centre within a radius of 10 miles like a drowning women. This photo was taken today on a beautiful Saturday morning in a lovely centre in the middle of Sussex. I couldn’t have been happier. So clearly, at a later stage in life, I am now grown up and very conventional.