Dobbies Garden Centre, Chesterfield
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Click the picture to enlarge it.
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| Dobbies at Chesterfield has a particularly
impressive entrance. One glance inside is enough to convince you
that it offers a huge amount of choice. But is it a "good" garden
centre? Read on. |
This is a totally independent GardenAction opinion of
Dobbies garden centre in the Chesterfield area. Click any
picture to enlarge it.
PLANTS
| The outside plant area at Dobbies is very large and
offers a comprehensive selection of plants. The selection is so
large that the good signs are necessary. They allow you to navigate
around this large area to find the plants you want. The paths were
clear and wide enough for easy access by a wheelchair user. |
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All then plants we examined were in good condition
and well watered. Dobbies offer a five year hardy plant guarantee
which is amongst the best in the industry. The layout of the
outdoor plant area was functional but uninspiring. We visited at the
beginning of the year so this will possibly improve. There was an
evergreen show garden on display which was interesting and
informative. |
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There was a large and attractive plant information centre
which was unmanned at the time of our visit. As well as plants,
the outside area contained an impressive show of greenhouses and
garden buildings. The range of plants pots for sale was large
and varied. |
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We visited Dobbies in February and we were the only people in the
outside plant area. That included no staff. It was eerie, such a
large area totally unoccupied. The time of year was early, but other
garden centres we visited at the same time had a fair number of
people and staff browsing and working in the plants area. |
PRICES
Below is a typical shopping basket of goods and plants in 2008. The
prices were slightly below the average. The exception was the stainless
steel fork, but the prices of these differ considerably according the
manufacturer.
| Rose, 3 litre pot |
£5.99 upwards |
| Common shrub (e.g. hebe) 3 litre pot |
£7.99 but £2.99 for a small one |
| Clematis |
£9.99 upwards |
| Runner Bean seeds (4m) |
£2.79 (Unwins) |
| Multipurpose 75l |
£3.99 (3 for £10) |
| Fish, Blood and Bone, branded, 3.5kg |
£4.99 |
| Stainless steel fork |
£49.99 (Dobbies) |
| Economy spade |
£12.99 (Dobbies) |
| Tomorite 1 litre |
£3.49 |
| Medium cup of coffee in cafe |
£1.50 |
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DOBBIES, CHESTERFIELD GARDEN CENTRE
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