The opportunity to say something nice about somewhere you really like is extremely appealing. When I’m blogging properly I do link to businesses I love just for… erm.. love but when Notcutts offered me a voucher to review the brand new garden and home website, I couldn’t turn it down really. Apart from anything else, the garden was in serious need of some colour as all the tulips and daffs had gone, leaving it feeling rather drab.
When we first moved to Peterborough, Notcutts was the only garden centre in town that wasn’t really a DIY shop; it was also at our end of town and in those days before children, we used to quite enjoy a trip there to furnish our first ever garden with flowers. Practically every garden shot on my blog in 10 years has plants bought there, all our rabbits have been purchased from them (and have always been good purchases too from highly responsible staff) and most of our Christmas decorations too. It’s a running joke in town that Notcutts put their Christmas display up in the lobby just as summer gets properly underway.
I thought I would spend my money on plants that will last a few years. We have a south facing garden but a high fence so one side doesn’t grow very very fast and had got a bit bare. It hadn’t occurred to me but shopping by internet was quite a good plan; I wended my way to the perennials section (see how I used the word!?) and dived in and out of the house looking at spaces and what would work where. I could pick for my deadly shady area too.
Some added ferns for a bit of home grown Dartmoor flavour 🙂
I’m very distractable when I shop for plants in a centre because I don’t really know what I’m doing, I don’t plan and I get carried away – so for me, online worked really well. The site is well designed and well organised and has plenty of information on it too and I could check my basket to make sure I had a good colour mix because in the pictures everything is flowering. So far mostly reds and pinks have come out though!
Maddy has been in charge of the garden for the last year and we had to give up our allotment with Bene arriving and everyone going off to school. I’m inspired to sort out the garden more now. While I’m pretty passionate about supporting local business and so I will keep going to my local store, this review and the thought and care that has gone into planning their new site will help keep my loyalty to them and has strengthened my resolve not to divert to one of the bullying big boy corporates that has moved into town recently.
And old purchase from them, still beautiful and going strong.
Freddie’s rose, also bought 3 years ago with generic garden vouchers I could use at my local Notcutts store.
Delivery was quick and everything came really well packaged and in good condition. I was impressed.
It was only afterwards that I said to a friend “oops, I was supposed to be paying attention to how well designed the website was!” but as she pointed out, I’m a pro ecommerce shopper as well as owning my own and if it had been hard to use, I would have noticed – so a 5* rating to them for designing an easy and intuitive website too.
Disclosure: as mentioned, we received a voucher in exchange for this review.
