I’d only ever visited garden centres out of absolute necessity until I discovered Fairweather’s. Based in beautiful Beaulieu, this place is rather more special than your standard garden centre and definitely somewhere to enjoy a good mosey around. The setting is really lovely and as you’d expect they sell everything you could possibly need to stock and tend to your garden. There’s also a great little cafe serving up a good coffee and superior slice of homemade cake.

But what really sets this place apart is Patrick’s Patch – a learning garden in which a wide range of vegetables, fruit, herbs and cut flowers are grown. The produce is used by the cafe and any surplus is sold in the garden centre. It’s free to enter and is a lovely, tranquil place to wander around and get inspiration for your own garden. Best of all, they run drop in sessions for children and parents every Saturday morning (March to September), as well as regular free courses and tours throughout the year. Perfect if you’re a gardening novice like me!

Photo courtesy of BALSAM baz on Flickr