Description: I've already mentioned in my story about the restaurant belonging to Johnson's Garden Centre that visiting a garden centre is something of a family ritual as my Father is a very keen and excellent gardener. I've decided to write about this particular garden centre as I think it has something for everyone even small children. As well as a large restaurant serving home made food, cakes and desserts the centre has a lot more to offer. Here's a tour.
After we had finished our meal in the restaurant we needed a walk so we went to look at the plants and pots section. I was impressed with the layout of this area and the number of staff on duty who were available to give advice, help with lifting heavy pots or bags of compost and able to point you in the right direction when you were lost and couldn’t find what you were looking for. Dad had already planted his garden up by this time so we didn’t need any plants as such but there was a huge variety of seasonal flowering plants, shrubs, trees, vegetables etc. I always like looking at the seed section and was impressed with what I saw. I don’t have a garden at home but I have a very large patio so I was interested in seeds that I could plant in pots and containers. There were also seeds available for planting in borders as well as baby plants, herbs and vegetable plants.
Walking over to the glazed pot section was fun, so many colours and designs to choose from. Some of the prices were out of this world and I don’t think even if I was mega rich I could bring myself to spend £40 or £50 on a pot to put a plant in no matter how beautiful it looked. I would rather buy a terra cotta one and paint it myself. Some of the stone containers were huge and must have weighed a ton. As for the stone statues, these were amazing. My granddaughter loved this area as most of the designs were of animals. She kept walking around and shouting out the Polish names for the animals. Again, these were very expensive; something like a small hedgehog cost £25 and then a full size goose was over £100. I found the experience totally bizarre.
As you can imagine this section was massive and you could buy everything you needed for a garden here including furniture, sheds, paving stones, barbecues, fencing, children’s wooden playhouses etc.
It was good to know that Johnson’s have a delivery service so you don’t have to destroy the boot door by forcing a fully sized ceramic horse inside.
Now to another fun area, the Aquatic Centre. My sister’s boyfriend led us all to this area because he has been thinking about installing an aquarium into their home. I couldn’t get over how clear and clean the water was in each of the tanks. The varieties of tropical fish were lovely to look at, so many pretty colours. The small Minnows were cute as they darted about; I also liked the blue and yellow Rainbow Fish and the metallic blue and orange Tetras. I wasn’t too keen on the Siamese Fighting Fish as they looked aggressive or the Albino Cory Catfish, he looked real mean. There are lots of different sized tanks on sale suitable for cold water and tropical fish as well as various plants and accessories. If you wanted to install a pond in the back garden instead of a tank in the house there was a wide range of ponds to choose from. I overheard a member of Johnson’s staff speaking to a customer about installing a tank and what species of tropical fish to buy. He seemed very knowledgeable and happy to help without trying to sell him any old thing.
Before leaving we had to visit the gift shop which is filled to the brim with all sorts of fancy goods including ornaments made from bone china, gimmicky items for men and women, herbal fragrances and handmade soaps, individual gift cards and lots of things to tempt my Mother who loves buying. I only buy things when I need them unless something really catches my eye and nothing did so I saved a few bob. There is a gift wrapping service available too.
Moving on to the best part of the garden centre and to the end of my tour, the fine food and grocery store. My dear old Mum isn’t so good on her feet any more so she struggles with every day shopping. Johnson’s centre is a godsend to her as my sister can drive her to the centre and she can walk around the food store, take her time, have a cup of coffee in the café and buy all her provisions for the week. This really is a great food store, I loved it. As soon as we entered I noticed the fruit and vegetable section and how bright and fresh everything looked. I could smell the freshness. The bakery is only small but the aroma of freshly baked cornbread is wonderful. I spotted croissants, bagels and various Italian breads which I love especially focaccia.
The meat and cheese counter was closing so I couldn’t see what was on offer but my sister said that the selection of cheeses came from Britain and other European countries. She preferred to buy cheese from Johnson’s because it was super fresh. All cuts of meat came from local suppliers and were of a high standard. My Mum always orders her Xmas turkey and joints of pork from here as she says the quality is outstanding.
The thing I liked about the food store was that there were many products that came from small suppliers and were beautifully presented in decorative glass jars and packages. The herb, spice and curry section was interesting. I generally make my own curry sauces but I still like looking at what is available. Panjaban.co.uk are the main suppliers to this store, they pride themselves on creating handmade authentic curries from the heart of the Punjab. I have a jar of Naga Chilli (extra hot) in the cupboard but haven’t tried it yet so I can’t vouch for the authenticity. The jar and its contents certainly look good.
I have come to the end of the tour of Johnson’s Garden Centre, it is something I wouldn’t have thought about reviewing but I enjoyed my visit there and I recommend it. The garden centre is a twenty minute drive from Boston market square where you can catch a bus travelling in the direction of Skegness. Buses run every twenty minutes during the week and on Saturday, less frequent on Sunday.
Opening Times:
Garden Centre & Restaurant - 9am to 6pm - Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm – Sunday
Fine Foods Store 8am to 6pm - Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm - Sunday
Address:
Wainfleet Road,
Boston,
Lincolnshire,
PE21 9RZ
Telephone: 01205 363 408
Web: http://www.johnsonsofboston.co.uk
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