Reighton Nursery

Reighton Garden centre review On arrival I was confronted with a row of rusty wheelbarrows to push around for my purchases. It wasn’t until I got inside that I realised there were also baskets to carry. Since I wanted a bag of potting compost plus plants for my window boxes I had to get a wheelbarrow. I was attempting to pick up the smallest bag of compost in the entrance when a very nice young man told me that a member of staff would get one for me and take it to my car. He wouldn’t, however, come home with me to take it out of my car and upstairs to my flat so I still needed to know if I could pick it up and carry it. My next encounter was a lack of signage. Everything seemed to be general – pointing to specific areas for types of plants. Bedding plants and containers seemed to be located in cloches. I plodded hopefully on and these seemed to be at the furthest reaches. I accosted another helpful young man who pointed me in the right direction and even suggested some likely plants. The names of the plants are on a small tag pushed in the containers soil so you have to crouch or bend down to read it. At rising 70 I’m reasonably fit but my crouching days are over. I picked up a couple of plants the young man had suggested, unfortunately I couldn't find more, and returned to the entrance to pay. The place was busy and the queue to pay long. I then remembered I also needed some new lining so went off on another search. I finally found it but there was no facility to cut it myself so I asked a harassed looking lady at the till, who told me I had to queue to pay first and she would go and get it for me. Well no surprise then that the queue to pay is so long if the till operators (2, I think) have to abandon their tills so serve individual customers like this. At this point I gave up and went home to get painkillers for my poor back. I’m sure this is a great garden centre if you’re young and healthy and know what plants you want but I am not and went for inspiration. My back will not take being bent over pushing a wheelbarrow or bending over to read the names of plants.