London’s best garden centres and plant stores

Among the pretty canals of Maida Vale you'll find Clifton Nurseries, a horticulturalist’s paradise on a grand scale. The centre’s impressive exotics are pampered in a large hothouse, there’s a huge flowering shrub and perennial section, plus a lovely indoor shop featuring tools, gardening accessories and lots of lovely ceramics. Non-gardeners may be interested in the legendary Clifton design and landscaping service... or the opportunity to drink tea beneath trailing houseplants in the atmospheric glasshouse cafe. 

Best for: Taking tea in the historic, picture-perfect greenhouse, a bag of freshly purchased plants rustling at your feet.

5A Clifton Villas, W9 2PH. Open Monday-Thursday 9am-6pm; Friday and Saturday 9am-7pm; Sunday 11am-5pm.

Alexandra Palace is famed for its rolling green lawns, but you don't need stately home style grounds to enjoy the wares of this nearby north London garden centre. It's packed with plants housed in what used to be an Olympic-sized swimming pool's glasshouse, and its neighbouring changing rooms. These spaces plus some more modern additions now house a solid selection of indoor and outdoor plants and shrubs, gardening tools and accessories. There's plenty in the way of cute and quirky gifts here too, and there's a sublime Christmas department to be explored in December as well.

Best for: Live events - you can mingle with other green-fingered types at this garden centre's summer BBQs, or listen to expert talks.

Durnsford Road, N11 2EL. Open Monday-Friday 9am-5.30pm; Sunday 10am-4.30pm.

Local values, sustainability and the gentle spread of nature are the goals at the heart of community fave Alexandra Nurseries. The much-loved Penge plant haven is a ramshackle herbaceous oasis in south-east London. Visitors can also find vintage homeware and a charming café, which sometimes stays open late in the summer months for barbecues and beer, under a canopy of vines.

Best for: Rustic atmosphere, especially when the sun filters through its reclaimed stained glass windows.

56b Parish Lane, SE20 7LJ. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm.

The N1 team knows their urban clientele well and the site is dressed like an interiors magazine, with garden design furniture and chic accessories (it's a gnome-free zone). But for all its designer's eye, it's hugely practical too with a good range of solid tools, and friendly and knowledgeable service.

Best for: Finding tough, good-looking plants that will survive on your inhospitable balcony or shady backyard.

25 Englefield Road, N1 4EU. Open Monday-Sunday 9.30am-6pm.

This family-run garden centre is absolutely teeming with outdoor plants, which fill every corner of a railway arch and yard. Its stock of reasonably priced bedding plants, vegetables, shrubs and trees will turn your outdoor space into a Garden of Eden in no time. Kind and knowledgeable staff will make sure you come away with the right plant for your patch.

Best for: Affordable but non-basic seasonal bedding plants to give your garden an instant lift.

Croxted Road, London SE24 9DB. Open Monday-Sunday 9.30am-6pm.

Located bang in the middle of leafy Crystal Palace, The Secret Garden was once a building site. Just over 30 years on, the centre sells a varied offering of shrubs, climbers, planters and roses. Lots of plants are proudly sources from the surrounding areas, including herbs from Surrey and perennials from Essex. As with all good garden centres, there are accessories, tools and gifts too as well as eccentric, kid-pleasing touches like little plastic dinosaurs exploring the foliage.

Best for: Buy a Christmas tree here and you get a free feathered robin decoration. A tradition well worth starting.

70 Westow Street, SE19 3AF. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm. Sunday 10am-5pm.

Escape the Camden Market chaos at this peaceful, plant-stuffed oasis, which is surprisingly extensive given its central location. You'll find a massive range of outdoor and indoor plants, plus an affordable onsite cafe Pritchard + Ure that'll encourage you to linger among the leaves. Plus, you'll get a virtuous glow long after you leave: Camden Garden Centre is a charitable enterprise that runs traineeships to help disadvantaged people develop their green fingers. 

Best for: Bag a seat near the edge of the mezzanine cafe and you can pretend you're sipping your flat white in the jungle.

2 Barker Drive, NW1 0JW. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5.30pm; Sunday 11am-5pm.

One visit to Conservatory Archives’ urban jungle and you’ll be lusting after its hanging greenery and climbing vines. Its shops on Lower Clapton Road and Middleton Road are lavish indoor gardens stuffed full of weird, wacky and wild vegetation. Prepare to fall hard for the green stuff.

Best for: gigantic houseplants with the 'wow' factor.

3-7 Lower Clapton Rd E5 0NS. Open Monday-Sunday 11am-6pm.
2-3 Middleton Mews N7 9LT. Open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday-Sunday 11am-5pm.

Puns always deserve praise, but its name isn’t the only reason we love Battersea Flower Station. The sprawling space is a homage to shoots and roots. Its narrow space alongside a railway line is like taking a wander in woodland, past two huge greenhouses full of houseplants, pots galore, huts, hanging lights and bunting. Let it lead you up the garden path.

Best for: No garden? No problem. Pop in for hand-tied bouquets of the season's best blooms.

320 Battersea Park Rd, London SW11 3BX. Open Monday-Sunday 10am-5.30pm

This mammoth Chelsea garden centre isn't as bougie as the postcode might suggest. Instead it's got a sense of fun that sees a giant gorilla sculpture hulking amongst delicate blooms, and witty quotes about gardening scrawled between its aisles. It's a fun place to explore, especially if you meet the resident cat who strolls amongst the plants. But even a casual browser will struggle to come away empty-handed, with such a wide selection to choose from.

Best for: A weekend wander - you'll feel as though you stumbled into an eccentric neighbour's garden.

441-457 King's Road, SW10 0LR. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 10am-5pm.

Transform your outdoor space without chipping a single manicured fingernail at this haven for well-heeled gardeners. The Chelsea Gardener offers landscaping services that'll transform your patch (at a price) as well as top-quality plants, ornaments and planters that'll astonish your neighbours. Plus there's a shabby chic cafe where you can take tea among potted olive trees.

Best for: Glowing LED garden ornaments, unusual water features and rusting sculptures that'll make your outdoor space look magical, all year round. 

125 Sydney Street, SW3 6NR. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm.

This vast warehouse of houseplants brings a green oasis of tranquility to a busy stretch of Cambridge Heath Road. It stocks a really great selection of pots, succulents and cacti. It’s also a cheaper alternative to the pricier nearby plant shops, with some top local advice from the friendly owners.

Best for: Intriguing terrariums that won't bankrupt you.

517a Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9BT. Open Monday-Wednesday 10am-6pm; Thursday-Sunday 10am-7pm.

If you're a sucker for rare plants with intricately patterned leaves and uncommon blooms, you'll want to make for this Streatham boutique. As well as houseplants, it offers striking pots, baskets, candles and homewares with an earthy aesthetic inspired by nature. Perfect for adding a bit of rustic charm to your home. 

Best for: Buying a housewarming gift that won't be shoved in the cupboard under the stairs.

63 Streatham Hill, SW2 4TX. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10.30am-6pm; Sunday and Monday 11am-5pm.

Kentish Town spot Boma is jam-packed with bedding plants, trees and bushes, plus pretty pots and cans. But it's not just a place to visit when you're in need of some plants. Boma's horticultural experts also offer the complete gardening package, including regular gardening services, advice on revamping your outdoor space, plus personal shopping to help guide you through your purchases.

Best for: Too busy to water your plants? These guys have all the equipment and know-how to set you up with an automated irrigation system.

51-53 Islip Street, NW5 2DL. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 11am-5pm.

The gardeners of Dulwich would be bereft without the boutique-sized Alleyn Park, which emphasises UK-grown stock from small suppliers. Reimagine your shrubbery with its carefully curated range of herbaceous perennials, or head indoors to stock up on tools, gifts and houseplants. 

Best for: The friendly team here are ready to advise you on every gardening conundrum, from making terrariums to pruning fruit trees.

77 Park Hall Road, SE21 8ES. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Set in the railway arches of Deptford Market Yard, Forest is a leafy space populated with unusual houseplants, terrariums and the kind of understated homeware that Instagram dreams are made of. Fronds hang from the ceiling while shelves and surfaces are covered in a clutter of potted plants. It’s blooming marvellous.

Best for: Repotting and plant care workshops will teach even houseplant serial killers how to mend their wicked ways.

Deptford Market Yard, SE84NS. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm; Sunday 11am-4pm.

Few garden centres serve up good vibes quite like this south London store, which has a retro disco soundtrack, artistically arranged displays, and deliciously incense-scented air. Its original Nunhead site packs a surprising range of outdoor bedding plants, shrubs and perennials into its small footprint. There are now also branches of the Nunhead Gardener in Camberwell and Elephant and Castle, which are more indoorsy in feel, with a focus on gorgeous houseplants, pots and homewares. 

Best for: This store is a master of effective repeat planting combinations that can go straight from their displays to your garden borders.

1a, Oakdale Road, SE15 3BW. Open Monday-Sunday 9.30am-6.30pm.

The Palace Gardener is a teeming haven for west London's greenfingered residents, run by the team behind the Chelsea Gardener. There's a massive range of indoor and outdoor plants, plus plenty of accoutrements like barbecues, planters and ornaments, and advice galore on putting together impressive pots and window boxes.

Best for: Make an outing of it by stopping into the Glasshouse Cafe, with brunch and sourdough toasties available til 3pm each day.

Bishops Avenue, SW6 6EE. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 11am-5pm.

What would happen if a garden centre and Anthropologie had a love child? This. Petersham Nurseries is a cathedral to leafy bohemian chic, with as much focus on moss-covered statues or bougie homewares as on the actual plants. There's also a famous (and pricy) café and restaurant housed in its beautifully shabby greenhouses, which now has a picture-perfect outpost in Covent Garden.

Best for: Vintage vessels and Murano glass vases to arrange your blooms in.

Church Lane, off Petersham Road, TW10 7AG. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm.

At the fringes of Wandsworth Common, Neal’s is one of the largest garden centres in the capital. Pitched at the mainstream gardener, it comes well stocked with a wide selection of popular plants, covering fruit and veg to roses, as well as a small number of specimen trees. The spacious shop, meanwhile, offers a wide selection of garden accessories, designer garden furniture and indoor plants. Staff are helpful and offer on-site assistance (for free) or a landscaping service (for a charge).

Best for: Everything under the sun, at affordable prices.

Heathfield Road, SW18 2PH. Open Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 10.30am-4.30pm.

A visit to Rassells is probably as close as you’ll get to children's book, ‘The Secret Garden’. On first sight, this century-old shop looks like a florist, but once inside a hidden door leads to an expansive and completely unexpected courtyard. Rassells is a wonderful centre to explore, full of surprises at every turn. Plenty of staff are on hand too, with friendly advice. 

Best for: All the ingredients of an English country garden are here, such as roses, clematis and fruit trees. 

78-80 Earl's Court Road, W8 6EQ. Monday-Thursday 10.30am-5pm; closed Friday; Saturday 10.30am-5pm; Sunday 10.30am-4.30pm.

Urban gardening is the focus of this west London garden centre. It’s on the edge of leafy Ravenscourt Park, in and around the railway arches, and staff pride themselves on knowing everything there is to know about keeping plants alive and well in a city. Pop in for a plant, or for a coffee and a slice of organic cake in their botanical-themed cafe. 

Best for: Compact, hardy plants that are ideally suited to shady urban gardens or bright balconies.

Ravenscourt Avenue, W6 0SL. Open Monday-Friday 9.45am-5pm; Saturday 9am-6pm; Sunday 9.30am-6pm.