Garden Centre

With our horticultural background, plants have always been a key part of Meadow Croft Garden Centre. W.D Smith & Son (the owners) have been growing plants and selling them to retailers in the South-East of England for over 80 years.

We pride ourselves on the quality and range of plants offered, many of which are grown in our glasshouses. Approximately 75% of the garden plants sold at Meadow Croft Garden Centre are grown on our nurseries just across the road. This means we only use approximately 130 delivery miles in a year for 75% of our plants. Another 7.5% of plants are grown locally in Battlesbridge and 96% of our garden plants are English and grown within 100 miles of Meadow Croft.

The entrance glasshouse is a showcase for the products grown on our own nursery, including our free range vegetables and homegrown bedding plants. The best thing about our bedding plants is that they are grown locally meaning they are already hardy to our climate.

We are extremely well-known for our homegrown Viola & Pansies – each year the garden centre holds the largest independent variety trial of these plants in Great Britain and visitors to the garden centre play an important part in the trial. More information can be found on our Viola & Pansy Festival page.

We stock a large selection of hardy plants that will compliment any garden for many years to come. Don’t be shy to ask any member of staff for help in finding what you need. We stock a large selection of roses in our dedicated rose garden. Fruit, deciduous and evergreen trees can also be found in the Rose Garden, almost all of which are grown within a 100-mile radius of our centre.

We are so confident that our plants are of the very best quality that we offer a ‘no quibble’ 3 year guarantee on all our hardy perennial plants. If for any reason any of these plants should fail to establish with reasonable care, we will offer you a full refund or replacement. Find out more here.

We aim to cater for the needs of all – the experienced gardener will find an enormous range of plants of all sizes to suit every garden situation, and a lot more besides. For the first time gardener, our trained horticultural staff are available to give advice and guidance. We also look after the garden owner who isn’t a gardener or has no time to spare. Meadow Croft Garden Centre always has a wide range of planted containers and hanging baskets ready to take away. All you have to do is remember to water them.

Homegrown Bedding

The entrance glasshouse is a showcase for the products grown on our own nursery, including our free range vegetables and homegrown bedding plants. We have been growing plants and selling them to retailers in the South-East of England for 80 years. 

Houseplants

Newly renovated and expanded, our Houseplants department is where you will find plants that will bring your home to life with their colour, vibrancy and impact. Houseplants are becoming increasingly popular due to the wellbeing benefits. Houseplants are known to purify the air we breathe, lower stress and anxiety as well as create a calming environment for everyone to enjoy.

With regular deliveries, we pride ourselves on having a vast selection available as well as sourcing the most unusual houseplants. You can find flowering houseplants that add a splash of colour to your home or office space or foliage style houseplants that provide year-round interest with their striking leaves. Our trained horticultural staff are happy to help you with your houseplant purchase, so please do ask any questions you may have.

The Garden Shop

In the arches, our garden shop stocks all the products you need to keep your garden healthy including feed, fertilisers, weedkiller, and lawn care. You’ll also find a wide range of containers, compost, tools, and garden ornaments.

Our wild birds need our help all year, especially during the cold of winter. We have a great range of wild bird food, feeders, nesting boxes and other accessories to keep our native species thriving.

Our trained staff are on hand to answer any question you might have about the best products to use in your garden.