Chepstow Garden Centre (From Free Press Series)

Chepstow Garden Centre

ALAN Titchmarsh would be right at home at Chepstow Garden Centre, in Pwllmeyric.

Forget your typical DIY bank-holiday haunt, where a few pansies lie bare and longing for water, Chepstow Garden Centre is a genuine garden lovers' paradise and it's all thanks to horticultural connoisseur James Boyle, who opened the store nearly two years ago.

"There are a lot of garden lovers in the area and I saw the gap to cater for their needs. It's such a colourful and green area that it seemed only right to bring a top-quality garden centre here," says James, who studied horticulture at the University of Bath.

There's a definite feel of Ground Force meets Ready Steady Cook at the centre, with its kaleidoscopic range of home-grown and cosmopolitan flowers, trees and exotic plants all nestling next to a sweet, homely restaurant and cafe where shoppers and passers-by to enjoy a meal or cup of tea.

"The restaurant and cafe are a big success with our customers. People can just come here to spend the day looking around and then have some lunch and something to drink.

"It adds to the whole experience of what we are trying to bring to our customers. For us, it's not about getting the cheapest product possible and piling it high. It's about top-quality goods at quality prices," says James.

Aside from the cafe, the centre is also home to four other franchises, including a garden-landscaping company and a conservatory specialist.

In total, the garden centre employs 30 staff, with four specialists, trained, like James, at a horticultural college, on hand to advise customers with their purchases.

"Customer care is very important to us. We try to give them plenty of advice and information. We're really quite a specialist operation and if people need to know what type of flower is best suited to their garden or how to look after a certain kind of tree, we are able to help them," says James.

The centre is open seven days a week and can be found just off the A48 near the St Pierre Golf Course. For more information, contact James Boyle on 01291 626035.