Where do Dobbies, B&Q, Homebase get their plants? And why should you beware of their provenenace?

You wont find any plants grown in Scotland on sale at Homebase, B&Q or Dobbies. They buy them all in from many miles away and they are transported in large lorries from as far as Italy. Indeed you wont find many British Plants at the Garden Centre and DIY chains, as most of them are imported. Why does this matter? 'Plant Miles' matter. And plants grown in Scotland are in tune with the seasons: ready to be planted out in Scottish Conditions. Dobbies used to be independent and used to support Scottish horticulture. Since Tesco took over, things have changed.  Many Scottish wholesale nurseries have gone bust because they cant sell into Dobbies and other chains of garden centres.

So why does this matter?

• 1. Why bring plants 1000s of miles when they can perfectly well be grown locally? it wastes energy, causes pollution.
• 2. The practices of the chains has destroyed over 50% of the Scottish horticultural industry. For example 25 years ago there were 7 Scottish rose growers. Now there's only 1. We can grow plants really well in Scotland. We have plenty of land, plenty of water and great skills. 
• 2. When you bring a plant in from Spain or Italy or from a tunnel house in southern England, its growth in Spring is far further advance than it would be in Scoland: up to two months. Herbs grown in Itaily are commonly sold in chains of garden centres as early as February. I have seen them killed stone dead.