The premier gardening information source
This is a totally independent GardenAction opinion of
Dobbies Garden Centre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Click any
picture to enlarge it. PLANTS
The outdoor plant area at Dobbies in Milton Keynes stocks a large range
of plants. The paths are massively wide, allowing easy access to all areas. All the
hardy plants are covered by their comprehensive 5 year guarantee.
Conveniently they have ordered the plant groups in alphabetic order.
Great if you are looking for an individual plant. The plants were in good condition,
tidy and well-watered. There were no specialist plant groups but they did have a
particularly comprehensive range of fruit and ornamental trees.
On site was a franchise which offered garden design services. Their informative display
of well-developed trees gave a good guide to their final appearance. The individual tree
write-ups was also extremely useful.
At the far end of the outdoor plants areas were several show gardens. Of
particular interest were three gardens which displayed how gardens might have looked in
Roman times. Other garden displays included an artist's garden complete with it's own
chicken (click left picture to enlarge it) which was more than happy to pose for this
photograph! PRICES
Rose bush (named variety)
�6.99 upwards
Common shrub (e.g. hebe)
�5.99
Clematis
�6.99 upwards
Runner Bean seeds
�2.79
Multipurpose Compost 60l
�3.99 or 3 for �10
Miracle Gro 1kg
�4.99
Stainless steel fork
�25.99 (Dobbies)
Economy spade
�19.99 (Dobbies)
Tomorite 1 litre
�3.69
Blood Fish and Bone - 3.5kg
�5.99
Medium cup of coffee in cafe
�1.80
Dobbies Garden Centre, Milton Keynes
As the picture above left shows, there was also another franchise on site which offered a
comprehensive range of sheds, greenhouses and other garden buildings. This is definitely the
garden centre to visit if you want a large shed or greenhouse.
The prices of everything except the spade and fork were about average for this area of the
country. The spade and fork however (especially the cheapest spade) did appear to be high.