Quiet London: 3 Beautiful London Garden Centres

I wrote earlier this year about the positive benefits to mental health of gardening.  For me, this has been a year of rediscovering gardening.  I have always loved flowers and plants and spent many happy hours earlier in the year enjoying some of London’s beautiful gardens.  Another joy has been the London Nurseries and garden centres  I have visited.  These have been places of calm and quiet, places not just to buy plants, but places to eat and drink and browse and be inspired by nature combined with glorious creativity.

Clifton Nurseries 

Clifton Nurseries is in Maida Vale in the heart of a very pretty part of London.  It is just a 10 minute walk from Paddington Station.  It is also a lovely walk.  Leave Paddington Station at the canal exit and turn left and follow the canal.  Pass pretty canal boats,and  restaurants and pause at the bridge to watch the frequent passage of boats before crossing and  turning left to meander past some typically elegant London houses before turning right into Clifton Villas and Clifton Nurseries.

This is a very smart garden centre, which is exactly what you would expect from its location.  It is also London’s oldest garden centre, and has been in existence sine 1851.  There is a beautiful glass house packed with indoor plants, succulents and gorgeous pots and planters.  Out side everything is very neatly and beautiful organised.  It is a pleasure to wander up and down the rows admiring the well tendered plants and reading the labels

There is also an excellent cafe where on my recent visit I enjoyed a delicious lunch.  We arrived around 12 0’clock and had no difficulty getting a table but it did get busier later on. This is a garden centre worth visiting for the cafe alone.  There are various shops within the garden centre selling bulbs and a myriad of gardening paraphernalia.  You may find it difficult not to keep reaching for your purse when you are here.

W6 Garden Centre

W6 Garden Centre is a very short walk from Ravenscourt Park station on the District Line.  It is set almost within Ravenscourt Park which makes it a lovely place to visit and combine with a walk through the park.  I was last there in October and the trees were clothed in their gold and amber autumn finery.

This is a great venue for urban gardeners.  It has a wonderful selection of imaginative plants for even the smallest plot or window box.  Everything is creatively displayed and looks beautifully tended and cared for. It isn’t a huge garden centre but there is plenty to see and be tempted by.

The W6 Cafe, which is part of the garden centre is lovely.  Chilled music, lots of plants hanging from the ceiling a fresh healthy menu, and delicious coffee and cake.  The only down side is,  it is under railway arches and so there are noisy trains passing over head very regularly.

Petersham Nurseries

Petersham Nurseries is easily accessible by car but it is much nicer to walk there. From Richmond, stroll along this popular part of the river before veering across a field with the Thames stretching out to the right and Richmond Hill above you. By far the best way to approach, and is very in keeping with the rustic, rural feel of Petersham.

Here you will find rows of stunning plants and flowers, both familiar and more unusual.  All is planted in such a creative and decorative way it is rather like visiting a garden rather than a garden centre.  There is a shop filled with pots and planters and tools, and I always come away with something whenever I visit.

There is a renouned restaurant here where everything on the menu is seasonal, inspired by Italy and cooked by a michelin starred chef.  The prices are high, but this is high quality food, and although I have not eaten here I would love to.  In addition to the restaurant, there is a very pretty tea house serving more affordable fare where I have eaten and would recommend.  Like the restaurant, the food is seasonal, inspired by the kitchen garden and has both a British and Italian twist.  There is an excellent selection of teas and coffee and salads and melt in the mouth cakes.

All of this is enjoyed on an collection of battered tables and chairs, either in a long green house or in a shady or sunny spot outside surrounded by creamy hydrangeas and terracotta pots.  This is a lovely place for lunch.

The latest addition to Petersham is an incredibly beautiful lifestyle and homewares shop, selling a fabulous selection of gifts and furniture.  Everything is displayed in keeping with the feel of the rest of the nurseries and has a stylishness that would not look out of place in the most expensive London gift shop.

There  is another branch of Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garden, and although gorgeous, it is not on the same scale as the original and becomes very busy!  For a quieter experience I would definitely venture out to Petersham itself.

Even if you are a non gardener, I feel sure that any of these places will bring you joy.  Garden Centres are no longer just places to by plants, they are places of beauty and education and calm.  If you feel the need for a little plant therapy or quiet time, then Clifton Nurseries, Petersham Nurseries or W6 Garden Centre will meet all your horticultural needs.

Read some of my other garden related posts:

The Positive Health Benefits of Gardens

London’s Garden Squares

The Garden Museum

Osterley Park Summer Garden