CHOOSE GARDEN CENTRES BY COUNTY BELOW
This independent review of Burston Garden Centre was written by David Marks and was last updated in November 2025.
This is an in depth review by a real human as a result of visiting this garden centre, no Artificial Intelligence is involved! We reviewed the inside and plant sales areas, took pictures (see lower down this article) and checked out the cafe. The cafe check involved ordering and tasting the food and reporting our findings for you to judge.
Burston Garden Centre is owned by the Pearson family who have a long history in the horticultural business. It began in the 1950s when William Pearson established a smallholding of a few acres. In 1962 John and Richard Peason founded Burston Nurseries which still thrives today growing roses and bedding plants.
Burston Nurseries PLC specialise in growing herbaceous perennials and bedding plants (primroses in particular) producing more than 6 million plants for sale to the horticultural trade.
In the 1970s the Pearson family watched garden centre businesses in the UK expand at a phenomenal rate and they decided to become part of that. In 1978 they opened up Burston Garden Centre for the first time. Expansion of the Garden Centre continued over time and it now occupies 5 acres. Many of the plants for sale at the garden centre are grown on the nurseries.
One major expansion was the acquisition of Hertfordshire Fisheries in 1998 which is why the aquatics section of Burston Garden Centre now offers such a comprehensive selection of fish and aquariums.
Certainly up to 2023, dogs were not allowed into Burston Garden Centre. However the policy has now changed, dogs are allowed in all areas of the garden centre except the main cafe seating area. There is an outdoor seating area next to the cafe where dogs are allowed. Unfortunately it is not covered so this is only a satisfactory solution for dog owners on dry and mild days.
Entrance to Burston Garden Centre
Aylett Nurseries - 5 miles away
Carpenters Nursery and Farm Shop - 6 miles away
Notcutts St Albans Garden Centre - 8 miles away
The cafe / restaurant is located in its own dedicated area. Overall the decor is very pleasant.
They have done a good job in cheaply obscuring the ugly roof - a couple of large hanging decorations and a lick of white paint makes it almost unnoticeable.
The tables and chairs are plastic although they are an up-market plastic, so they look reasonable. Each table has a small bunch of fresh flowers on it, a nice touch. The furniture is arranged in simple rows, a bit more thought could have gone into breaking up the long and rather narrow area. The overall impression though is fine.
The serving area is at the far end of the cafe and there are no queues. There is a small coffee / tea seating are just outside the main cafe area but this looked like it needed a good clean when we saw it - the main cafe area is far better. Hot meals are served to your table with minimal wait by pleasant staff.
Prices are reasonable for this type of garden centre cafe. There was a choice of main meals (including two vegetarian options) at £12 to £13. Less substantial meals include filled jacket potatoes, paninis, baguettes and sandwiches. Breakfast meals (Light breakfast at £11, full breakfast is £13) and snacks are served from 9 to 11 (starts at 10 on Sundays) and main meals are served from 11.30 onwards.
The current lunch time menu can be found here (subject to change).
We sampled a full breakfast (two slice of bacon, not just one as served in many cafes!) and one of the main meals and can report that the food quality is very good and it's well presented. Breakfast is served from 9.00 to 11.00 (10.00 to 11.00 Sundays).
The current breakfast menu can be found here (subject to change).
There is also a children's menu which can be found here (subject to change).
Burston is a large garden centre and the plants display area is divided into two. The smaller part is a covered area housing tender plants and the larger part is uncovered where the majority of the plants are displayed.
There is a covered pathway in the plants area and we estimate that about one quarter of the entire area is under cover.
The whole area is paved making wheelchair access very easy and the paths are wide. The plants are displayed in attractive wooden bays with pergolas and displays to provide interest. The signs are very good. Large clear signs to show where plant groups are located and helpful individual plant signs.
The plants all looked in excellent condition and Burston have a one year hardy plant guarantee should any of their hardy plants fail.
Some AI overviews quote that Burston Garden Centre offers a "lifetime guarantee" (as at 26/11/25) on all hardy plants - they definitely do not, it is a one year guarantee.
The vast majority of the plants are grown in the UK and the nearby Burston Nurseries (clearly visible from the garden car park) supplies them with many of their plants.
Prices are about average in general although the price of our test shrub, the potentilla, was definitely on the high side. There is a wide choice of plants and lots of larger plants. Shade loving plants are grouped together in a a separate area. As well as the popular plant varieties they also stock some more unusual plants. If topiary is something you are interested in then this garden centre has lots of it.
The inside sales area is very well designed, pleasant decor and spacious feel to it. This is a large garden centre and they provide a very comprehensive selection of gardening accessories. On top of that they stock all those non-gardening items that are so common now in large garden centres - cards, gifts, books, clothes and much more.
They have designed special areas for displaying their indoor, conservatory and garden furniture. There is lots of it and advice is readily given about specific types of furniture if you ask for it. Houseplants are not forgotten, there is a large display and they certainly looked well kept. The Food and Cookshop is a new addition which stocks deli items, cakes, jams, conserves and more. They sell a range of gluten free food.
Feeding garden birds is becoming increasingly popular nowadays and Burston garden centre have a large choice of different bird feeds, bird tables, nesting boxes and bird baths. They have also recently opened a new pet care department. No live pets buts lots of feeds and accessories for pets.
In a separate building outside of the garden centre there is a combined aquatics and reptiles shop run by Hertfordshire Fisheries. This well worth a visit even if you are not looking to buy anything.
As well as an excellent aquatics department selling a large number of fish of all types they have lots of water features, pond plants and garden statues.
Large and small these are very well displayed and the descriptions are very informative. The reptile and exotic pets section is also very interesting.
They have designed special areas for displaying their indoor, conservatory and garden furniture. There is lots of it and advice is readily given about specific types of furniture if you ask for it. Houseplants are not forgotten, there is a large display and they certainly looked well kept. The Food and Cookshop is a new addition which stocks deli items, cakes, jams, conserves and more. They sell a range of gluten free food.
Feeding garden birds is becoming increasingly popular nowadays and Burston garden centre have a large choice of different bird feeds, bird tables, nesting boxes and bird baths. They have also recently opened a new pet care department. No live pets buts lots of feeds and accessories for pets.
In a separate building outside of the garden centre there is a combined aquatics and reptiles shop run by Hertfordshire Fisheries. This well worth a visit even if you are not looking to buy anything.
As well as an excellent aquatics department selling a large number of fish of all types they have lots of water features, pond plants and garden statues.
Large and small these are very well displayed and the descriptions are very informative. The reptile and exotic pets section is also very interesting.
The inside sales area is very well designed, pleasant decor and spacious feel to it. This is a large garden centre and they provide a very comprehensive selection of gardening accessories. On top of that they stock all those non-gardening items that are so common now in large garden centres - cards, gifts, books, clothes and much more.
ADDRESS:
Burston Garden Centre
N. Orbital Road
St
Albans
Hertfordshire
AL2 2DS
GOOGLE MAP:
Click here for a Google map showing the location of
Burston Garden Centre.
OWNER:
Privately owned by the Pearson family.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
01727 832444
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