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Russell's Garden Centre, Coventry
The most impressive garden outside Russell's
Nurseries in Coventry.
This is a totally independent GardenAction opinion of
Russell's Garden Centre in Baginton, Coventry. The main body of this article is from our review of the garden centre in
2007. Our visit in December 2008 concentrated on how the garden centre had changed over the
previous 18 months. Details of our re-visit can be found on the last page of this article.
To skip there immediately, click here. As far as garden centres go, Russell's Garden Centre gave us
the biggest surprise of them all. The site is set in over 20 acres of
beautiful countryside and offers you a morning or afternoon out for
possibly nothing. As well as excellent nurseries, on site there is
another specialist nursery (Avondale Nursery) featuring a wide range of
unusual cottage perennials and grasses. Avondale have their own
plant-packed display garden which is free to enter if you purchase any
of their plants. In addition to that, Russell's have their own much larger
gardens (admission free if you purchase �10 worth of plants) which has
to be worth an hour of any gardeners time. These gardens have been
designed by a master-designer. In the middle is a large waterfall with
paths weaving up the garden slopes, a delight! Finally, there is a huge display
of paving, chippings and walling stones, the largest we have ever seen, all courtesy
of Stonemarket. Take a peek inside Dave's wood working shed and you will
be watching a master carpenter at work. The log cabin which houses the
workshop has been featured in many a magazine article. Russell's Garden Centre was started 80 years ago and is still
run by the family. In 2006 there were negotiations with Webbs of Wychbold
who were
planning to takeover the garden centre but they fell through.
With so much currently on the site, the Russell family now plan to refurbish
it themselves for 2008. This garden centre offers so much for the
gardener now, let's hope the refurbishment adds even more. Note that in many of the directory listings on the
internet, Russell's Garden Centre appear as Baginton Bridge Nurseries. This
was true many years ago but the correct name now is definitely Russell's
Garden Centre. PLANTS
As well as a good range of bedding plants, Russell's
stock a large variety of top condition shrubs some of which are not
readily available at other garden centres. They also stock a large range of conifers (click
the picture to the right to enlarge it). The plants were all
healthy and well-watered. There was a lack of signs in this garden centre which made finding
plants difficult. Nurseries such as Russell's are often more spread out
compared to the average garden centre which is pleasant. However, a few
basic signs would be beneficial as well as organising groups of plants
possibly into alphabetic order.
Russell's Garden Centre, Coventry
Click the picture to enlarge it.
Most of the shrubs and especially the clematis are
grown or potted-on on site and the quality shows.
To the left is a
long row of clematis, all in peak condition, of 30 or so varieties.
If you plan on buying a clematis this is the place to visit. The
larger garden centres simply cannot compete. And you know they are
grown on site at Russell's so no large carbon footprint to worry about.
