More History

It is also worth remembering that the late eighties was probably the best time for the availability of some of the more unusual garden plants. I guess for the garden centres the issue with these plants was that they sat in the garden centre for up to, and beyond, a year and required constant care and attention so that eventually they were not making you much, or any, money. Compare that with a quick selling line like Leylandii and you can see from a business point of view which item made the more sense to stock. The arrival and preaching of retail consultants in the nineties would hammer that home much to the disappointment of plants people, both in the garden centre and their customers
The nineties also brought about a great change in garden centres and the industry as a whole. From the very early nineties onward, the DIY stores and independent hardware stores could see the potential of gardening and started to include a garden section in some shape or form in their stores. When these businesses started selling plants as well as garden accessories it meant that garden centres were no longer competing with each other but also with a new breed of retailer. The key to their success was not necessarily price but another big factor. Convenience.