Grosvenor Garden Centre

Visited on September 10th, 2009

Chester was a historical city we had wanted to visit on a previous trip but due to rail line work on the day we had planned, we had to change destinations. This year we were fortunate to visit the medieval walled city of Chester on a beautiful sun filled day. We had not planned on visiting a garden centre, but at the visitor services we did inquire if there was one nearby with public transportation. We were provided with bus information that would take us to the Grosvenor Garden Centre.

The day after our visit, Grosvenor Garden Centre was visited by 250 professional horticulturist, from 17 countries, who were attending the International Garden Conference being held in Manchester that week.

Background

• Location – The Grosvenor Garden Center is located on Wrexham Road, Belgrave, Chester. The center occupies a fourteen acre site on the boundary of Eaton Estate, which is the principle home of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster.
• Transportation – From Manchester it was approximately a 45 minute train ride to Chester. We took a fifteen minute bus ride from Chester to Grosvenor Garden Centre. The garden centre is easily accessible by car from major highways and routes from Cheshire and Wales, and directions are on the Grosvenor website.
• History – The Grosvenor Garden Centre was established in 1974 using estate buildings existing at that time, with a small staff and DIY products. Over 30 plus years, Grosvenor Garden Center has expanded it facility, the garden and home products it sells, the café, and the addition of a farmers market.

  Grosvenor Garden Centre website has listed numerous awards they have received over the years. Most recently, Grosvenor Garden Centre received the Garden Centre of Excellence award for the 10th consecutive year. The centre had also received Awards of Merit in numerous categories.

  Grosvenor family charitable foundation is the Westminster Foundation established in 1974, by the current sixth Duke of Westminster. Funds are donated to numerous causes as well as to charities that serve those in need. A popular event with gardeners is the opening of the Eaton Hall Gardens three times of year, to raise funds for charities.

• Marketing – At the time of our visit, Grosvenor Garden Centre carried a “Pounds for Plants” program for customers. For every 10 pounds that a customer would spend in the centre during the month, a one pound plant voucher for the purchase of plants would be given for the next month.

  Grosvenor Garden Centre sends e-mails to customers with current news and garden center offers. The web site lists a news and events page. Grosvenor Garden Centre holds an annual Christmas open house in the evening for mailing list customers with wine, deserts, and food tasting in festive atmosphere while they shop.

  The Adult Gardening School with speakers and demonstrations, is listed on the web site as well as a Children’s Plant Workshop. The plants that were grown in Britain were prominently marked as “British Grown.”

• Service – At the time of our visit, Grosvenor Garden Centre offered free Wi Fi in the cafeteria and encouraged business lunches and meetings in the cafeteria. Online shopping for garden products has been an available option for customers. If you have a plant problem you can bring it in for a diagnosis. A sign in the garden centre stated that if you had a plant or pest problem, to speak to a staff person. At Grosvenor Garden Center free local delivery within the area is offered if you spend over 200 pounds. Free gift wrapping was listed as a service in the interior shops.

Facility 

• Structure – At the Grosvenor Garden Centre, the front entrance, with two stories of glass, framed on each side of the doorway with red brick, green trim and the Grosvenor logo centered at the top, conveyed the appearance of a contemporary garden business. On each side of the entrance was the lower interior green house and shopping area. Inside looking carefully, I could identify the original structure area but the additions have been seamlessly built around it.
• Access – The Grosvenor Garden Centre is located on a two lane road outside of Chester and easily accessible by car and local bus service. The parking lot was well marked for entrance and exit. The Pick Up Point was marked in large letters on the pavement as well as wheel chair symbols for handicapped parking spots. Trolly carts were neatly stacked outside the centre near the front entrance. In the parking lot were trolly parks for the return of the carts. Immediately inside the front entrance were wheel chairs. The isles at Grosvesnor Garden Centre were wide and uncluttered, so the centre was accessible for disabled customers.
• Appearance – At the main entrance the sign was slate, with the Grosvenor Centre’s logo. A green metal signs on the opposite side of the drive indicated the Farmers Market and other businesses on the Grosvenor Garden Centre’s property. Large plantings of Yucca, bushes and trees lined the driveway to the car park, which was uniformly landscaped with additional trees and bushes. Large planters that contained potted plants, stationed uniformly on a brick walkway, led directly to the front entrance door. Flowers planted around the entrance were begonias, dahlias and palms, which were attractive.
• Environment – The original music of Carole King, (a favorite artist of mine) was heard playing through the speakers in the interior of the store. It was a refreshing break from the recycled jingles of oldies I call muzak, that I often hear in businesses.

  In certain areas indoors, bamboo shades covered the greenhouse glass above, providing shade. Display areas against the wall and the wide isles, were neat with no clutter. Simulated hardwood floors, carpet and brick were the major floor covering in the indoor area with bright floor covering accenting the isles. Colorful banners hung from the windows. The outdoor eating area had container plantings, ringing the perimeter of the seating area, DISPLAYING SEPTEMBER BLOOMS. A children’s play area was nearby.

• Signage
• Interior Signs – All of the directional signage above the doorways, with arrows pointing to named departments were prominent.
• Exterior Signs – Grosvenor Garden Centre had detailed signage in the outdoor sales area. Ornamental trees were arranged in alphabetic order from A-Z, each bench well marked with the letters that applied for the trees stocked. Large signs, cut in the shape of a garden label, identified the Fruit Trees, Ericaceous Plants, Climbing Plants, etc. Benches were marked for Plants that Attracted Butterflies, Ideal for Autumn Color, Shrubs for Clay Soil, Full Sun, Evergreen Winter Shrubs and Hedging Shrubs. Benches continued to be identified further as shrubs Ideal for Acid, Lime, Sandy, and Clay Soil. Plants that were considered air purifiers were marked as such. Plants were marked alphabetically within groups and picture description tags were attached on the benches.
• Displays
• Interior Displays – At the time of our visit, there was an attractive display of furniture for outdoor living with garden plants, in a THEME OF GREEN AND WHITE COLORS WITH PINK ACCENTS. The natural light coming into the front window and the prominence of this area by the front entrance did provide an impressive area for displays.
• Exterior Displays – Outside the Grosvenor ‘s Plant Information booth had a large yucca by the doorway and HYDRANGEAS OVERFLOWED THE BENCHES NEARBY. Outdoor benches were artistically arranged with color combinations. Throughout the outdoor area I found patio displays of container gardening. An area marked Water Features, had various sizes of sculpture and pots with container plantings of palms, Aucuba and Rhododendron.

Plants

• Outdoor Plants – Grosvenor Garden Centre stated that 85% of their plants, trees, and shrubs were grown in Great Britain. Those plants, from azaleas, Rhododendrons, conifers, ornamental trees to fruit trees, were tagged as British Grown. They stated that they used the best suppliers as close to their garden centre that they can. The bulbs that they carried came from Taylor Bulbs, the bulb grower to Her Majesty the Queen. The brands of roses represented, were by David Austin, Henrietta Barnet and the Harkness Modern Shrub Rose. Patio roses were also available.

  Fruit trees for the yard were pears, cherry, plums, apricots, and apples. Reminder tags that fruit trees need pollination partners and to ask a member of the staff for a pollination guide. Grosvenor Garden Centre also had small varieties of fruit trees for patios and small gardens. All fruit trees were well marked as to variety and tagged with care and planting instructions.

  In a shaded area I found a half a dozen TASMANIAN TREES. approximately 12’ in height with a tag that the fern had been harvested in accordance with a management plan approved by the government of Tasmania and the Commonwealth of Australia. There were other varieties of large, outdoor palm trees in this area also. An attractive overhead plank covering was used for a shade covering.

• Indoor Plants – The houseplant display area was on clean, simulated hardwood floors. A large selection of tropical plants such as Orchids, Bromeliads, cactus, succulent plants as well as Carnivorous and BONSAI PLANTS. were attractively arranged in groups. The Ficus, dracaena, mums, hibiscus, ferns, mini roses were well stocked. One table was marked as plants that were air purifiers. A contrasting display of colors was a bench of Stephanotis floribunda (or Madagascar Jasmine) with deep green leaves, and their white star shaped tubular scented flowers, placed with the pinks, reds, and purples of gloxinia plants.

  Dibleys Nurseries of North Wales, an award winning houseplant specialist grower for Saintpaulias and other Gesneriads, provided Grosvenor Garden Centre with Streptocarpus in a range of bi-colored, variegated, trailing, doubles and miniatures. Hybrid begonias grown for their attractive bronze, red and silver patterned leaves, are also from DIBLEYS NURSERIES.

  All of the houseplants provided by British Nurseries were marked as such. The plants did have photo identification tags in their pots with care and temperature instructions. The commercial pots in numerous colors for the houseplants were conveniently located on shelving against the rear wall in that area.

• Warranty – At the time of our visit, Grosvenor Garden Center had a guarantee of 5 years for all hardy plants and trees.
• Quality of Plants – I found that the quality of plants, both indoors and outdoors, at the Grosvenor Garden Center were excellent at the time of our visit.

Merchandise

• Gifts – A section called the Potting Shed, displayed decorative garden products. Quality life style products such as candles, vases, gift cards, jewelry, books, gifts for gardeners were available with gift wrapping service provided. Other items in the gift shop were kitchenware, crockery, glassware, artificial and dried flowers, toys and games for children.
• Food – At Grosvenor Garden Centre there is indoor seating at the café as well as outdoor table for dining with a play area close by for children. ATTRACTIVE CONTAINER PLANTS. displayed around the outside café add to the ambience. For a customer who does not have time for a sit down lunch, a selection of freezer prepared meals were available for take home. Also for take out were sweets, cakes, jams, breads, and meats. Whenever possible, food in the café, such as beef and grass fed lamb, came from local farmers and producers within a twenty-five mile radius of Chester. The café used local free- range chicken as well as eggs. Seasonal fruits and vegetables came from local farmers and producers. Grosvenor’s café used organic sources whenever possible and teas and coffee included Fair Trade products. We did take the time to have lunch at Grosvenor Garden Centre and had excellent sandwiches with fresh greens.
• Farmers Market – A Farmers Market is held the second Friday of every month, year round. The Grosvenor’s web site states that produce from the farms in Cheshire and North Wales (such as cheeses, organic meats and eggs, fruits and vegetables) are available on market days. Venison, which is raised on the Eaton Estate, is sold at the the market from September to January.
• Seasonal – The seasonal activities can be found posted on the Grosvenor Garden Centres web site under Events & What’s On"
• Clothing – At the Grosvenor Garden Centre, the clothing selection included brands popular for gardeners such as Sherwood Forest and Tulchan. For garden footwear, outdoor boots were from Hunter and the Croc brand shoes were available. Jackets, t-shirts and polo shirts, trousers and jumpers, hats, gloves, scarves, handbags, umbrellas, and wellies were neatly displayed.
• Furniture – At Grosvenor Garden Centre, there was a large selection of various types of interior furniture for sale. The mango wood furniture had a sign stating that these pieces were ethically traded. It also stated that mango wood is a fast growing non-endangered source and for every mature tree cut, it was replaced with a sapling. The furniture was made with traditional tools that used very little fossil-fuel energy. The workers were paid in Java above minimum wage by the government, medical and pension scheme provided and no workers employed under the age of 18 years.
• Stoneware – Grosvenor Garden Centre carried a large selection of pottery for indoor and outdoor use. The usual commercial ceramic pottery in contemporary colors in various shapes and size were neatly arranged on shelves and tables. At the time of our visit, Grosvenor Garden Centre carried UNIQUE POTTERY FROM OREYA LTD. This pottery was hand thrown from the Isle of Crete where they used Cretan clay, high in minerals, which provided the pots with strength, durability and frost resistance. Grosvenor Garden Centre sold FORT PotMovers, a trolley carrier designed for the home gardener, to move heavy pots.
• Gardening – On site at the Grosvenor Garden Center was an independent business, Morgan Machinery, which specialized in the sale and repairs garden machinery. Of interest to me was the German Stihl garden tools sold there. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, the Stihl company has a major manufacturing and administration facility, and currently is the largest private employer in Virginia Beach. The sales representative at Grosvenor did tell me that Stihl products were very popular in the UK and unrivaled in the chain saw business. Also available at Morgan Machinery were Viking Mowers from Austria, Husquarana garden products from Sweden, Gardena from German, Hayter from Britain and Honda mowers.

  Grosvenor Garden Centre carried water butts for the homeowner to collect water for reuse in the home gardens. Large compost bins, along with disinfectant powders for odors, were available for purchase. There was a large selection of seeds for the home gardener.

  Grosvenor Garden Centre carried a wide range of soil products for the garden. Westland and Miracle Gro appeared to be a major supplier. Available at the time were organic vegetable growing compost, organic farmyard manure and multi purpose compost, organic peat free planter soil, organic garden mulch, and Moisture Content Compost for containers and baskets. Sutton brand was also represented and carried organic soils also such as organic manure. Grosvenor Garden Centre soil selection continued to include potting on compost, young plant compost, seed sowing compost, rose tree and shrub compost and mature plant compost. The giant grow bags for vegetables and strawberries were also for sale. Sunshine of Africa Cocoa Shell Premium Mulch, a by product of UK chocolate manufacturing process, that was advertised as a natural, renewable mulch and soil conditioner, was sold at Grosvenor Garden Centre at the time of our visit. Also available was Mineralized Straw Mulch for organic gardening, which was also used at the Eden Project.

• Structures – Crossley Garden Buildings, www.crossleysheds.co.uk ,an independent family business with a facility on Grosvenor Garden Centre site, displayed quality sheds and playhouses for the garden.

  Other independent business on the property was Casey’s Outdoor Leisure for camping equipment, Roche Awnings and Garage Doors, AARCO Timber Buildings, and Baja Quality Spas.

• Landscaping/Hardscaping – There were laminated books in the department to browse through for ordering products from Haddonstone, a leading UK manufacture of contemporary and traditional garden hardscaping and landscaping materials. Haddonstone products included garden ornaments such as planters, statutes, fountains, sundials to cast stone building materials such as balustrades and columns. On premises there were several piles of rockery stones in different colors and shapes. Bagged aggregates of gravels, slates, and pebbles to use as landscaping materials, were stacked neatly on pallets.

Ecology

• Recycling – Bins were located in front of the centre for plastic pot and glass recycling. They also provided recycling for old textiles as well as household batteries. The fire or hardwood logs that they sold at Grosvenor were cut from sustainable managed woodlands on the Duke of Westminster’s Easton Estate. Flexible stones made of 100% recycled rubber advertised as eco-friendly were available for purchase.
• Environment – I found that they had energy efficient hygienic hand dryers in the bathrooms. They state that their lighting is an efficient system, throughout the garden centre, by using photocells for lighting in the car park, the outdoor plant area and entrance way. At Grosvenor Garden Center they have created their own ‘green footprint’ logo to be used on eco-friendly in-store products.

  For a complete listing of Grosvenor’s environmental policies, from the reduction of peat in horticulture products to business standards for purchasing Fairtrade products, visit http://www.grosvenorgardencentre.co.uk/go_green.html. Grosvenor’s Garden Centre has been the winner of the Green City Town and Country Community Award for their community service and the numerous environmental policies that they espouse.

• Carbon Footprint – At Grosvenor Garden Center carbon footprints are reduced by using local farmers and producers to provide food for their café as well as using suppliers for their plants and trees that are close to the garden centre.