I don't normally endorse big businesses but this one just might be the saviour (of not just me, but gardens all across New Zealand). I am blessed to live in walking distance of a Kings Plant Barn, a Mitre 10, and a Warehouse (or a short drive). They all have plants. There's also a Morrisons Florist, and well, the entire stretch of Lincoln Road used to be vineyards and orchards.
There's a Bible college, two retirement villages, a wananga, two intermediate schools, several churches, a pub and hotel, a hospital, cafes, yum cha restaurants, pizza outlets, dentist, beauty parlours, tattooists, a Bird Barn (that's always been there) gas stations, McDonalds, three supermarkets, a pet store, a sports stadium, actually almost everything I need is right up the road.
The only thing I'm really hanging out for is an independent bookshop, though the Warehouse has a book department. Although its not really the same, getting your books off a pallet in the Warehouse. Though I'm not fussed about shopping from a forklift in Pak n' Save. I just wish they'd continue to offer their old cardboard boxes like they USED to. And their stray shopping trolleys are a menace.
Anyhow. I am such an old timer I remember when Palmers had a garden centre at the end of Lincoln Road where the EuroDell is. Mitre 10 was only a small hardware store in Henderson Square, selling hammers and duct tape. It expanded a bit when it moved further up Sel Peacock Drive (where there aren't any peacocks) and then when Universal Homes shifted, a huge orange giant MEGA Mitre 10 was built right next to the biggest supermarket in New Zealand. We Westies are a hungry bunch. We're also mostly DIYers.
Now everyone in West Auckland knows, when you buy a new house (if you can afford one) the landscaping is not done for you. It's mostly bare ground and all the top soil has been scraped away to be sold somewhere else. I know. Why do they do that?
So if you want to have a garden - it's on you. If you don't have one, you could possibly use any flat land to build a car park and charge people to park there. It's not unknown for that to happen in Auckland. But there are a few homeowners who want to put food on the table and don't really want to have to shop at Pak n Save more than they have to. Renters too, at least want a little outdoor space so they can get out of the house for a bit for some fresh air.
Mitre 10 to the rescue. They have plants plants plants galore. In fact their Garden Centre section is threatening to overtake their indoor section. And now with the trend of houseplants, (instead of HVACS) to use as air conditioners, it's actually happening. At first it was just fake plants, but people really wanted the real thing. No longer just a decor item, the houseplant is the next essential ingredient for a healthy, happy home.
I am happy to report that Mitre 10 has practically everything you need, even a gift section and cafe, she sheds and mens sheds, baskets, pots, power tools, hand tools, fountains, compost, wheelbarrows, arches, benches, raised beds, that it's really giving Kings and the Warehouse a run for their money. The quality is good and the prices are fair. And they don't look down on you like Bunnings does! See previous blog posts about run ins with Bunnings staff.
