Plants
Although we don’t sell plants over the internet, we’re always happy to give advice over the telephone or via email through our contacts page.
Gordon Rigg Garden Centres stock a massive range of indoor and outdoor plants with fresh deliveries arriving daily from the British and European Nurseries we work with. Our range of available plants changes weekly and with the seasons, so we’ll have the right plant for whatever time of year you wish to enhance your garden. We even maintain a stock of plants during the winter months!
If you are visiting the Garden Centre and are looking for a particular item we would always recommend that you call us to check availability on 01706 813374 in advance to avoid disappointment
We very much look forward to seeing you at our Garden Centres.
Alpine plants thrive in gritty, sandy rockery soil and are often quite small with delicate foliage and flowers. A site in the full sun is necessary for these plants to show their best. Unfortunately these plants are only available in store. The pictures below give you an idea of the range we stock, but are subject to availability – we recommend dropping into the garden centre for a good look.
Heathers are hardy, colourful, low-growing perennial shrubs native to the heaths, moors, and woodlands. Well suited to marginal pastures, heathers are low-maintenance plants that can thrive in acidic soil with little fertiliser and in near-drought conditions.
The evergreen plants provide year-round displays of colour from flowers and leaves. Depending on the type of heather, the flowers bloom between July and November and come in pink, lavender, white, magenta, amethyst, purple and red. If planed right, a field full of different types of heather will remain colourful for a longtime, with new plants blooming just when others begin to fade.
From elaborate public garden designs and street planters to the smallest front garden, bedding plants can been seen everywhere they provide a temporary decorative seasonal display for beds, borders, containers and hanging baskets. Bedding plants can be bought as young seedlings (plug plants) or purchased as pot-grown specimens, we stock a huge selection in multi-packs and cellular trays, ready for planting.
Climbers are perhaps the most popular of all hardy garden plants, Clematis being probably the most loved. Climbing plants provide foliage and flowers, texture and colour in areas of the garden that might otherwise be overlooked.
As gardens become smaller and smaller they offer fewer possibilities for planting, but by using fences, trellises, pergolas and other structures you can create more planting areas. The roots and stems take up very little room at ground level, leaving room for underplanting with shrubs and bulbs. Some climbers like to grow through other shrubs and trees .
Many varieties are suitable for container growing.
Conifers are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue, all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being trees with just a few being shrubs. Typical examples of conifers include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews. Although the total number of species is relatively small, conifers are of immense ecological importance. Boreal conifers have many winter time adaptations,many of them seasonally alter their biochemistry to make them more resistant to freezing.
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground. Herbaceous plants may be annuals, biennials or perennials.
Annual herbaceous plants die completely at the end of the growing season or when they have flowered and fruited, and they then grow again from seed.
Herbaceous perennial and biennial plants have stems that die at the end of the growing season, but parts of the plant survive under or close to the ground from season to season (for biennials, until the next growing season, when they flower and die). New growth develops from living tissues remaining on or under the ground, including roots or various types of underground stems, such as bulbs, corms, stolons, rhizomes and tubers. Examples of herbaceous biennials include carrot, parsnip and common ragwort; herbaceous perennials include potato, peony, hosta, mint, most ferns and most grasses.Some relatively fast-growing herbaceous plants (especially annuals) are pioneers, or early-successional species.
When you embellish interior spaces with houseplants, you’re not just adding greenery. These living organisms interact with your body, mind and home in ways that enhance the quality of life.
At night, photosynthesis ceases, and plants typically respire like humans, absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. A few plants such as orchids, succulents and epiphytic bromeliads do just the opposite, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Place these plants in bedrooms to refresh air during the night.
Roses are one of the most popular garden plants. These beautiful plants come in a range of colours, many with scented blooms, and they can be grown in borders, containers, over arches, pergolas and as groundcover. They are easy to grow and live for a long time, if looked after.
Specimen plants are plants which are grown as exhibition pieces in the garden. They are typically isolated from other plants so that they stand out, rather than being situated in a mass of plantings. Specimen plants are one of the key aesthetic elements of the garden, and in some cases they can be decades or even hundreds of years old. In antique gardens, the specimen plants may include rare and unusual species, such as heritage roses and unique tree cultivars.
Many specimen plants are trees or large shrubs, for a number of reasons. Bigger plants tend to stand out and look appropriately scaled when they are planted alone in an open space, for starters, and they also tend to be more long-lived. Since a specimen plant is intended to be a permanent display piece, a plant with longevity is desired so that the plant will stay healthy for years. Large plants can also be more showy, with features like bright flowers, unusual foliage, peculiar twists and turnings of their branches, and so forth.
Whatever the size of your garden, there is a tree or shrub just right for it.
There are many environmental benefits to planting trees. By having more trees on your property, you can help to reduce the impacts of climate change, increase wildlife habitat, help control erosion and flooding, improve air and ground water quality.Many small trees and shrubs are ideal for growing in pots and containers.
Save time and money with our pre-planted hanging baskets and tubs, from an extravagant display of colour to a subtle waterfall of delicate flowers, you will find everything here at Gordon Rigg Garden Centres.
If you don’t find what you’re after, we offer a tailored planting service to your specifications, this will include a consultation with our expert to agree your preferred colours, plant varieties, basket size, lining, price and timescale. We can also re-use your own hanging basket if you bring it in!