All In One Garden Centre

www.allinone.co.uk

Visited on September 16, 2009

Introduction: Our Brit Rail Pass had expired so it was time to explore the Manchester suburbs by bus and relax from train schedules and miles of walking in the gardens we had visited. We took an early morning bus ride to Middleton to All In One Garden Centre. When we walked into the garden centre parking lot we were greeted warmly by a young employee, Robert, who was tidying up the parking area. When he saw David with the camera, we told him that we were from the States and that I do garden reviews when we visit Britain. That was no problem. The day before, All In one Garden Centre had been visited by 250 professional horticulturist from 17 countries, who were attending the International Garden Conference being held in Manchester that week. This business was ready 24/7 for any pop-in garden centre reviewer.

Background

  • Location – The All In One Garden Centre is located in Middleton, Manchester, which is approximately 5 miles northeast of Manchester City on Rochadale Road, a major highway. The four and half acres site is directly across from red brick residential homes on Rochdale Road.
  • Transportation – We took a thirty-five minute bus ride on the number 17 Manchester-Rochdale from Manchester Center to a bus stop a block from the main entrance of All and One Garden Centre. The city bus sign is marked Rochdale Road Garden Centre.
  • History – The All In One Garden Centre was founded in 1971, by Dave and Beryl Stafford, at a time when nurseries and market gardens were the norm. The original brick building had been a foundry, which the Stafford’s rehabbed specifically for use as one of the countries first garden centre. Over the years Stafford’s continued to renovate the building. There was a major expansion with the purchase of additional land, major remodeling plus a coffee shop being added in 1988. Later, a Pet and Aquatics Department and houseplant area was added. Over the years, they have continued to expand plant areas that they have covered or canopied to provide shoppers protection from the Manchester weather. In October 2009, they announced the purchase of 4 ½ acres of land, which will double the size of their current property to 10 acres.

    Their website lists numerous awards they have received over the years. Most recently they received the 2008 & 2009 Worral Cup for Best Use of Signage & Point of Sale, as well as the Garden Centre of Excellence award for 2009, the fourth year in a row. The All In One Garden Centre is currently active in the local Rochdale community, from environmental concerns, working to beautify the community, sponsorships of charity events, as well as engaging the public in horticulture events.

  • Marketing – At the time of our visit The All in One Card provided cardholders with monthly vouchers for savings on home and garden, pets and aquatics. Members would also receive invitations to special events in the store, special vouchers and discounts off selected merchandise.

    All In One Garden Centre advertises on radio, TV, local magazines, newspapers, on line sources, such as Rochdale Online, a local online news source for the area. The All In One Garden Centre also places advertisement leaflets in print newspapers. The Rochdale Online posts articles relating to All In One Garden Centre’s business and community activities, which provides additional exposure to the business.

    Plants that they carry that are grown in Britain were prominently marked as such.

  • Service – Prominent signs advertising their:
    •  Free Potting Service with the purchase of a plant and pot
    • Free Gift Wrapping
    • Home delivery
    • Service for large items Portering Service for assistance with bulk and heavy items
    • Plant doctor Service
    • Garden information, monthly garden care sheets as well as Pet and Aquatic Care sheets were available from racks in the centre as well as being available on their web site as PDF files. On line shopping as well as additional information on their products are available through The All In One Garden Centre’s extensive web site.

Facility

  • Structure – As a commercial building across the street from a residential area, the red brick structure blends with the neighborhood brick homes. All In One Garden Centre uses the services of the landscape architectural firm of Wertheim, van der Ploeg & Klemeyer of SanFranciso, CA., who have an impressive list of garden centre clients both overseas ( e.g., Bents, which I reviewed previously) and in the United States. In our Tidewater, Virginia area, White’s Garden Center and Nursery in Chesapeake, and McDonalds Garden Center of Hampton are clients of this firm.
  • Access – All In One Garden Centre faces Rochdale Road, a major highway for the bus route and by car. The parking lot was well marked on the pavement for directions to parking and exiting. An area for customer loading was marked clearly on the pavement with a sign on the building, conveniently located by the front doors, and with its own traffic lane. Parking facilities for the disabled were convenient. Wheel chairs were available with an attached trolley to carry lightweight products. The interior isles in the centre were wide, free of merchandise or clutter, which provided maneuverability with a wheelchair, large cart or a child’s strollers. The washrooms were handicap accessible.
  • Traffic Flow – The customer service desk was conveniently located near the front door. The facility had a smooth transition moving from interior displays, from Outdoor Living with furniture to garden tools and supplies, houseplants, to the covered plant area to outdoor plants and displays.
  • Appearance – As we approached the All In One Garden Centre from the bus stop, we could see from the distance the pots of winter yellow and purple pansies lining the interior fencing of the centre. Closer, a well established beds of perennials border an attractive wrought iron fence. The Cotinus bush with its deep purple red leaves planted next to the entrance sign, blended their colors while the mixed geraniums provided a lighter summer lift. Large baskets of mixed annuals hung from the side of the building and at the front entrance doors. Contemporary pottery, containing white and yellow mums framed the clutter free entrance-exit doors.
  • Environment – The entrance area with furniture products had carpeted flooring. As you moved into the houseplant area and then into the outdoor plants and displays, brick or masonry pavers were used to cover all the walking areas. Flooring was clean, dry with no obstructions. The benches were clean, plants well organized and labeled. Colorful banners hanged down vertically from the roof structure, which provided a festive touch and filled the cavernous upper space of the covered walkway.
  • Signage
    • Interior Signs – The All In One Garden Centre’s signage provided direction from one department to another and back to the checkout. The interior signs you could not miss, as they are large with bold print. Interior colorful banners hanging from the roof structure are used to identify particular areas. Around the interior walls, products are clearly marked by the signs above them. Their signs carried the All In One Garden Centre logo.
    • Exterior Signs – The outdoor plant area was well marked and categorized for specific plants with the All In One Garden Centre signs. Prominent, colorful signs identified plants from Soft Fruits, Encourage Wildlife, Moist Soil Plants, Heavy Clay to Shade Loving plants. Instructions signs were posted for tree care. In the Landscape Department, patio products were identified with prices as well as installation tips. The bags of landscaping materials were neatly stacked with identification signs of the product in the bags and prices. The majority of the signs at All In One appeared to be fairly new.
  • Displays
    • Interior Displays – JUNGLE FEVER was the name of an interior waterfall display in the shade area that was impressive. In the covered area, topiary evergreen shrubs in contemporary pots were set out, ready to take home for the patio. Stylish season plantings with current popular garden plants such as the mums, heathers, Hydrangea, Clematis, Miscanthus and New Zealand Flax were used in attractive displays.
    • Exterior Displays – The All In One Garden Centre had five outdoor display beds, planted for different seasons of the year, with signs indicating all of the name of the plants and their location in the beds. These display beds were located around the wooden structures of playhouses and summer house with masonry pavers as part of the landscape. A Japanese Display garden included a miniature pagoda, Buddha and red railing bridge. This outdoor area of All In One Garden Centre had the FEELING OF A PARK with mature plants established in the ground. PERMANENT MASONRY PLANTERS (unusual for a garden centre) with Yucca "trees" gave a feeling of sturdiness and permanency. There was a vegetable garden display along with a back yard green house with ripe tomato plants growing in it. Examples of smaller displays at All In One Garden Centre were several grouping of water features available for the garden, popular seasonal border plants and bird feeder displays.

Plants

  • Outdoor Plants – The All In One Garden Centre produced plants for their baskets and hanging baskets in the spring from their own greenhouses. Seasonal bedding and ornamental plants for fall planting were available. Ornamental trees for small and large gardens, bushes, roses, clematis and honeysuckle climbers, bamboo and grasses alpine and heathers as well as familiar herbaceous perennials were available for fall planting. Rhododendrons and Azaleas were advertised as hardy grown stock from Britain and Europe. Bulbs to plant for the spring blooms were well stocked.

    For the summer patio, with recommendations to move into the conservatory in the winter, Fuchsias, Bottle Brushes, Citrus and Olive trees were available. Care instructions signs were provided with the display of trees, which range from Eucalyptus Trees to dwarf and giant Conifers. The fruit trees were well organized and at each section of trees, the varieties were indicated along with photos. Pollination guides were also posted.

  • Indoor Plants – The All One Garden Centre indoor plants were neatly arranged on benches, with the familiar African Violets, Orchids and Bromeliads colorful and in bloom. Also available were cactus and succulents plants, carnivorous and bonsai plants. For convenience, many plants are already matched and planted in ceramic pots. Larger houseplants could be found as accessories in the furniture display area. Informational leaflets on houseplant care were conveniently available in that department.
  • Warranty – The All In One Garden Centre plant warranty at the time of our visit was a replacement of any hardy shrub or tree that fails with return of the plant, label and receipt within twelve months of purchase.
  • Quality of Plants – The indoors and outdoors plants were of excellent quality.

Merchandise

  • Gifts – The gift shop was located next to the cafeteria and its quality merchandise, for babies to adults, was subdivided by well marked signs. An excellent selection of horticulture books, covering the subject of house plants to vegetable gardening were available. The Home and Gift Shop with ornaments, silk flowers, figurines, candles and greeting cards, etc. is reminiscent of the Hallmark Stores here in the States. The jewelry cases display temptations to the gardener (such as I) with floral designed jewelry.
  • Food – All In One Garden Centre restaurant, Coffee at Ones, is open 7 days a week as a full service restaurant, offering hot breakfasts to daily hot food specials and deserts. The restaurant seats 160 people. You can check their website for holiday events.
  • Farm Shop – The All In One Garden Farm shop carries international as well as local favorites. Fresh baked bread, preserves, meats, sausages, cheeses and wines were for sale.
  • Seasonal – Christmas trees and holiday displays were set up at the time of our visit. The Halloween merchandise for October was also on display. Check their website for events throughout the year.
  • Fireworks – This was the first garden centre where I found fireworks for sale, from sparklers to displays. Further information on the type of fireworks available, can be found on their website.
  • Clothing – The All In Garden Centre had a clothing department with a quality selection of clothing for men and women. Fashionable knit sweaters for women as well as men’s and women’s winter coats and hats were displayed for the winter season. Colorful Town and Country Welly boots, Cloggies, children’s raincoats and boots in colorful designs were uniformly displayed.
  • Furniture – The All In One Garden Centre carried several styles of solid oak furniture, which they told me had been a popular seller such as their oak dining sets and cupboards Indoor and outdoor wicker furniture were also on display. Varieties of outdoor leisure furniture come in cast aluminum designs, granite, teak, aluminum, stainless steel, glass, textilene and hardwood. Accessories for the furniture were available also.
  • Stoneware – The All In One Garden Centre carried a very large selection of decorative planters and containers of terracotta, slate and glazed. A sign in the stoneware area showed a picture of potted stoneware, which was a reminder that they will pot your container with a purchase of a plant and a container. Hand thrown terracotta pots for the garden, by Dunne & Hazell were an attractive alternative from commercially produced pots. Birdbaths, sundials, as well as critter and bird stoneware for the garden landscape displayed with the outdoor pottery.
  • Gardening – All In One Garden Centre had compost bins for the home gardener. Organic soil products were available. Growbags for fruits, flowers, as well as Miracle Grow Organic Choice potato and vegetable gro-sac were well stocked. Westland brand providesd organic farmyard manure and Vegetable Growing Compost for the vegetable gardener. The brand of Levington was represented by John Innes brand of mature plant compost and their Tomorile Giant Tomato Planter which had seaweed added.
  • Aquatics & Pet Department – In the aquatic department Pond fish were available as well as supplies for installing a garden pond and its accessories. The benches for the pond plants were in the outdoor area and labeled and organized for placement in the pond. Tropical fish, aquariums and related supplies were well stocked in the pet department.

    All In One Garden Centre displayed a large selection of wild bird care products. The bird seed and suet was broken down by types of birds with their food preferences and identification of the birds on the products signs. If you have a preference to enjoy the company of small domestic birds in the home, colorful Parrots, budgies, canaries, cockatiels, lovebirds, and Zebra finches are available. For the outdoor ponds, Mallard and Muscovy ducks were for sale with a reduced price to buy in pairs. The Pet Department had on hand a half a dozen different varieties of chickens, such as Speckled Stars, listed as a garden pets but also important for eggs and organic chicken fertilizer. Hutches for chickens, rabbits and ducks were available.

    Other pets in this large department included rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, reptiles, turtles and crabs. Accessories and food for all the pets are sold there. Books could be purchased on bird and pet care plus free informational leaflets.

  • Structures – All In One Garden Centre had a variety of garden buildings on site. Their web site had photos, specs and pricing on greenhouses, sheds, playhouses, summerhouses, and log cabins from Holland. Several styles of arbors were for sale.
  • Landscaping/Hardscaping – All In One Garden Centre had a large area with an impressive display of large rockery and stones. Examples of products were preconstituted Stone Eco Paving Patio Packs from recycled quarry material and natural stone walling. Border stones were available in a variety of colors as well as natural slate border packs, stone balustrading components, stepping stones and small colored gravels. The products in this department were well identified and priced.

Ecology

  • Recylcing – Under their “Reduce, Re-use and Recycle Strategy,” an All In One Garden Centre, customers can bring back plant pots and seed trays that they no longer need for recycling or reuse. Four recycle bins were on premise to take bottles, cans, and paper products. The All In One Garden Centre uses biodegradable carrier bags. For watering plants in their nursery they have a rainwater recycling system. They encourage homeowners to collect rainwater for garden use. They had a display of their rain barrel with instructions how to set up and use in their Water Equipment section. At All In One Garden Centre there was a recycling center for residents of Rochdale to drop off their Christmas trees for recycling.
  • Carbon Footprint – All In One Garden Centre advertises buying and planting trees to reduce carbon footprints. The centre has been involved in donating a tree for every tree bought, to the local community through Groundwork Trust. They recently received a ‘Town & Country Award” for its commitment to promoting the value of plants and green spaces in the local environment.