Hayes Garden World

Visited on September 17, 2007

Monday was the first day of using our Brit-Rail pass and we had hoped for good weather for our first trip to the Lake District.  In terms of weather, the day started poorly as it was rather wet and cold in the morning when we visited the Brockhole Visitors Centre up the lake from Windermere.

Our day was salvaged when the bus from Brockhole stopped in front of the Hayes Garden World at Ambleside.  The surrounding hills with the slight turn of mid-Septemer's red and yellow foliage was a display unto itself.  The sun began shining providing light and warm between the sporadic scattered showers.

Background

• Location – Hayes Garden World is located in Ambleside, Cambria, UK, near Lake District Road at the north end of Lake Windermere. Ambleside is a small village, but a popular commercial location in the Lake District for tourists, hikers, and rock climbers.  
• Transportation – The train ride from Manchester to Windermere was approximately two hours, followed by a short bus trip to Ambleside after stopping at Brockhole. Hayes Garden Centre can easily be accessed by car, just off of the Lake District Road. 
• History – Hayes advertises 200 years and five generations of family involvement in gardening, landscaping, and design work.  In 1825 two Hayes brothers from Ambleside joined together in a business as gardeners and seedsmen.  At that time, the Lake District was becoming a popular vacation spot for the wealthy cotton and shipbuilding Barons of Lancashire.  Landscaping and gardening was a growing business, especially for designing rock and water gardens for the upper class.  Over the years the Hayes family became known for their garden designs and landscaping in the Lake District and throughout England.  At Sizergh Castle near Kendal, the Dutch borders and rockery were the work of the grandson, Thomas Richard Hayes in 1925.  The gardens at the Castle are a tourist attraction to this day. Thomas Richard opened the” Lake District Nurseries” on the present site in 1921. In the 1960's it became a Garden Centre which over the years expanded and became the current ”Hayes Garden World.” The "CRYSTAL PALACE", opened in 1987. They also have a centre in Leeds.  They state that they have a million plus visitors a year.
• Marketing – Visitor guide books to England list Hayes Garden World as a tourist attraction, noting that gardeners can wander this place all afternoon. Hayes advertising indicated that the shopping experience at Ambleside was unique due to the beauty of the setting, special atmosphere, and good vibrations of the centre.  Shopping with them was a joyful and uplifting experience.  As advertised, the centre was “a place of stimulation, serenity and Sheer Inspiration.”
• Service – The outdoor perennial area has an attractive stand-alone building with a prominent sign stating PLANT INFORMATION.   In the gift shop I did purchase Christmas tree decorations.  An employee there was helpful in packing the decorations in a box for travel.  Hayes also has a delivery service available thru the Royal Mail and carrier.  Hayes operates its own fleet of delivery vehicles to deliver high-end products not suitable for regular mail or carrier.  Their drivers will deliver throughout mainland England, Scotland, and Wales.  On the internet site they advertised a creative design service that provides year-round care and maintenance service for small to large gardens, both private and public. This service includes mowing, weeding, trimming, pruning, clearing, and replanting.

Facility 

• Structure – As I first walked directly towards the front entrance of Hayes, it appeared as if the Crystal Palace was rising from the earth, in competition with the hills surrounding it. The evergreens and surrounding trees could not dwarf the view, even from the highway. 
• Access – This centre is easily reached by car, just off the Lake District Road. There was a bus stop directly in front of Hayes and we walked through the parking lot to the front door. There are wide isles inside and outside making it user friendly for those with disabilities.
• Traffic Flow – Most of the outside benches were arranged in a concentric pattern around the Plant Information building in a roughly octagonal layout. The remaining benches and exterior displays radiate outward toward buildings on three sides. (HOVER HERE for image of layout.)
• Appearance – Even on an overcast day, the beauty of the hills could not dampen the enthusiasm of this gardener as she approached the “Crystal Palace”.  What was special when entering the main entrance of Hayes was an overflow of flowering and foliage plants.  Popular houseplants such as Cyclamen, Orchids, Kalanchoe, Hibiscus, Cactus, Begonias, and Ivy filled the benches. Hanging baskets filled in spaces above the benches. This is why gardeners come to garden centres.
• Environment – Hayes was a fun, informal place to visit – in and out of the rain. Outside speakers played music of Elton John, Elvis, and the Beatles.  Between songs, there were info commercials on plant care and plants for sale.  Dave found a comfortable chair inside and chatted with another gentleman who was also waiting for his wife.
• Signage
• Interior Signs – The interior areas were spacious with directional signs displayed high on the walls for clear visibility. There were multitudes of departments inside so the identification signs with arrows were important.
• Exterior Signs – In the display areas outside large colorful signs indicated individual groupings of plants. Directional arrows were used often to indicate the location of the numerous and varied buildings, products, and plant sections.
• Displays
• Interior Displays – Plants were not intermingled with the gift shop displays so common with other centres I visited. The entrance brings you directly into the greenhouse where the benches are full of greenery and color. The benches are of varying heights and the plants are grouped according to their light and water requirements. A Kyoto Bonsai Centre is displayed with the necessary accessories for growing and care of these specialty trees. They carried a large selection of cactus and cactus terrariums. Against one wall was a stand with an extensive choice of vegetable and gardens seeds from two popular seed companies in the UK, Thompson & Morgan and Sutton. Orchids were in growing pots as well as packaged in decorative containers as gift items.
• Exterior Displays – I did not see any formal theme display gardens at the time of my visit. The large selection of herbaceous perennials and woody ornamentals were grouped separately and subdivided.

Plants

• Outdoor Plants – At the time of our visit there were large selections of azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangea, camellias, heather and cotinus ‘Grace’ smokebush, for fall planting. A Rockery Plant section featured alpines. Roses, sedum, daisy, and winter pansy were a few of the favorite plants also available. In anticipation of spring a large selection of bulbs were available for fall planting. Their web site indicated that their plants were obtained from all over Europe. They listed their nursery suppliers in the UK as Brilliant Gardens, a plant breeding and nursery company specializing in begonias and primula. The other supplier listed was Bransford Webbs Plant Company, a wholesale grower. Of interest, the Bransford’s web site also indicated that they provide plants for Brookside, Wyevale, Klondyke/Strikes & Houghton Hall Garden Centres.
• Indoor Plants – A selection of well-known herbs was located in the greenhouse. Haynes did carry the largest selection of indoor plants for the centres I visited. Photos of this site show the varieties for sale (see the photo archive).
• Warranty – At the time of our visit they indicated a two-year plant guarantee on any outdoor plant provided that it has been properly cared for and you have your original receipt. Their updated website in 2008 indicates that they are so confident that their hardy plants will perform, they now offer a five-year plant guarantee.
• Quality of Plants – At Hayes, the indoor and outdoor plants were of high quality.  Identification care tags were in individual pots.

Merchandise

• Gifts – Their bookshop carried an excellent selection of garden books for the home gardener, as well books focusing on the Lake District area. A selection of cookware with utensils and pans was the first I had seen at a garden centre. The gift shop also carried music CDs, DVDs, greeting cards, candles, and curiosity knick-knacks.  The glassware, figurines, and decorative pottery they carried was of high quality.  Gifts could be found for Christenings, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. They state that they change their displays with the seasons and keep current with the marketplace.
• Food – On the premises is a Four Season Café featuring a children’s menu. All of their food is cooked on the premises.   They use fresh local ingredients when possible. This café does provide a restful stop from shopping. Stained glass windows, with a flower motif, gave a feel of privacy. The use of wooden beams, paneling, and furniture softened the cafeteria self-service style. In the downstairs area near the gift shop, there was a large section of take-home food items such as specialty jams and jellies, drinks, and smoked meats. For the customer with a sweet tooth, there was a good selection of confectionery items.
• Seasonal – While we were there Christmas tree displays were being set up for the holiday season. The shelves were stocked with decorations. Nature and bird decorations for tree hanging were popular items on display.  
• Clothing – There was a separate clothing department with summer clothes marked down and winter clothes in stock.
• Furniture – The lower level of the facility showcased their casual furniture and accessories. Their wicker and resin furniture would be a quality addition to any home interior or conservatory. Their on-line site carries both wooden and metal garden furniture, benches, hammocks, garden lounges and parasols.
• Stoneware – Garden statutes and decorative items, from hand-carry to cart size were for sale. Glazed and terracotta pots of various sizes and shapes and birdbaths were also available.
• Gardening – Gardening products for the home gardener filled the shelves and walls.  Fertilizers and plant foods, lawn care items, small and large garden tools, and plastic pots were well stocked. The section that carried insecticides and fungicides had a video playing on a TV that was advertising one of the brand names but was also educational in showing the correct use of these products. Garden items such as netting and meshes, plant supports, plant labels with ties and misc. hardware items used with garden products were also stocked. They carried a small selection of electric garden tools. Since gardeners tend to enjoy birds in their gardens, Hayes shelves were well stocked with bird and squirrel feed, feeders, and birdhouses.
• Aquatics – Aquatic supplies and water plants were available.  Attractive self-contained fountains, which can be used in the garden or conservatory were displayed.  They did have an ATTRACTIVE WATER DISPLAY when we were visiting.
• Structures – On the premises I saw fencing materials, trellis, arbors, wooden storage sheds, and gazebos available for purchase.
• Landscaping/Hardscaping – They advertise that they can offer you everything you need in the way of garden walls, driveways, fences, rock gardens, pools, ponds, terraces, patios, and seating areas through their on-line site.