Stores have to sell what ever it takes to stay in business. I would rather see bric-a-brac on the shelves instead of not having a garden center.Maybe it helps that I have tunnel vision...lol...Jean

My pet peave with garden based businesses is cheap, junky massed produced garden decor or tools-especially tools.

The garden center that I go to does have jewelry and purses etc but I certainly would not call it cheap junk.I quite enjoy looking at this stuff and yes buying some especially when the garden season is done for the year.

I would be happy just to be able to visit a garden center.

I can't say I've ever noticed that! Maybe garden decorations, but I've never seen purses and jewelery.

I can tell you it would never tempt me though. If I had extra money for a purse it would be spent on more plants. ;)

My very favorite garden center was back in Ottawa (Orleans). There was a place called White Rose that was a full garden center including everything you need for a yard and garden, all kinds of house plants, fake (silk) flowers and greens, lots of wicker, and all kinds of craft supplies. For me, it was heaven. I lived close by and at the time I was still enjoying unemployment so had plenty of time to find reasons to stop in there, and I would spend hours in there. They have since closed all their stores - I think they went bankrupt. Probably cause I moved away, LOL.

> My pet peave with garden based businesses is cheap, junky massed produced garden decor or tools-especially tools.

Cheap tools have their uses. I don't use the good tools when I deal with rocky subsoil.

It's always interesting to hear other people's point of view =:)

Yeah, that does kind of irk me, NAF. I'm not even sure why...it just does. That is one reason why if I can, I like to shop in some of the smaller greenhouses, rather than the great big ones. They can be a bit more pricey, but I often find that they will get in what you specifically want, and sometimes they have some pretty neat new plants that don't seem to show up in the bigger greenhouses for a few years. And the little ones pretty well never have "extras"..just horticulture stuff.

I often prefer to shop at the smaller places, too. The owners are generally the ones you get to talk to, which I like to do. Sometimes at the bigger ones they have staff that don't know the difference between a marigold and an onion, or are only there for a summer job, and the owners are only there part of the time. I like to see the owners, and like to think I'm helping a real person make an honest living.

It is interesting how nurseries or garden centers can have as much variations as any gardens can. I can truely say that I have never met a nursery that I didn't enjoy, but where I spent my money was a different thing entirely.

A lot of garden centres seem to have pottery, crafts, ornaments, and I guess it sort of fits into the theme of garden decor. Some even have herbal remedies and vitamins sections. Some have gimicky items like chia pets. I guess they have to diversify for the times of the year when no one is buying many plants.

One pet peeve was last winter when I went to a local mid-sized nursery. I was looking for a nice house plant or something like a mini potted rose or impatien plant. It turns out they had the greenhouse section closed and had a few scrappy houseplants on a rack under a plant light by the cashiers. I just assumed that they would be the prime place to buy houseplants year round but in winter I guess business doesn't warrant it.

Yeah, probably better off buying house plants at some cut flower shops and such places. Some grocery stores too. Certain big greenhouses usually stay open all winter and some of them seem to specialize in house plants.

I may be mistaken, but I thought I read that miniroses REALLY don't do well inside? I may be wrong. But I thought that they almost always die if kept inside, because the conditions just aren't right and they can be quite fussy. Could be totally off on that!

The problem with my mini rose is bugs! It's gotten aphids before and this year it was spider mites. I rinsed it really well, took out all the fallen leaves and cut it back. I don't know if it will help. Just before that all happened, it got a really nice little bloom.