Clifton Nurseries

Decent food in very nice surroundings.

This place really is a great oasis in the heart of Maida Vale. It is more than just a nursery, as it has a swanky coffee shop and swanky toilet facilities too.
I used to come here a lot when the Daylesford group had an outlet here. It is now the Quince tree café, located in what the nursery describes as the Palm house. They are open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
As well as having a large shop on the premises, they also offer an on-​line service for everything plant related (except plants). They also have events throughout the year. The last afternoon I was there, the nursery had the launch of Penhaligons latest fragrence Ostara. To mark this occassion they had a special afternoon tea inspired by Ostara, which was available to order in the Quince Tree café. Later this month, they are holding a perfume making workshop. At £60, you can see that it’s aimed at the high end of the gardening world. I amuse myself whilst there trying to guess the cost of the plants. I was a nice plant, and thought, it must be worth about £80. I turned the tag over to find out, it actually cost £295.
All in all, I find this a great place to spend some time, although not much of my money.

This being a nursery, I have surprisingly little to add when it comes to the plants or garden equipment that they are selling… so why bother writing a review about this place anyway? — Well, because aside from this whole plant and gardening business, they also rent out one of their greenhouses for events.
In fact, for our Christmas party last year, we actually did this and we had the most fun time: in conjunction with the folks behind Edible Experiences and The Two Hungry Girls (see separate reviews), we had the most memorable Gangnam Style Christmas party in a greenhouse… now, who can say that they’ve cooked, danced and drunk with their colleagues among palm trees in the middle of winter?
The communication with the staff at Clifton Nurseries was flawless and it all went so smooth.

What an amazing oasis in the middle of London! Though not the largest nursery, for obvious reasons, Clifton manages to have quite the selection of all kinds of plants — indoor and out. As well as a sweet little gift shop. It is an absolute delight to visit.

Look, I have no idea how it is as a nursery or garden center, although for its location it does look big. But it has a café in the back that is just awesome to sit in and have breakfast. My companions had the soup of the day, which was a huge filling portion, while I had some lovely eggs and salmon. The cakes looked delicious, the staff was fast and pleasant, and it was just so lovely to sit there among the plants.

I’m not sure how to rate a nursery, especially in a city with limited space, but Clifton is a high-​end and well-​stocked nursery for all the indoor and outdoor plants and tools you could need. The service is also very help and happy to take their time with you, teach you about the plants and explain how exactly to take care of them. I was leaning towards one particular plant that was 4x the costs of the others, and the man helping me said, ‘I know it’s pretty, but I think its a difficult one to look after, you should go with this instead’. I like the honesty. They also deliver the next day in London for only 10 pounds (for a tree 5 feet tall in a heavy pot…) which is huge for me as I don’t drive.
I’ll definitely come back here for my next tree shopping adventure!

Clifton Nurseries is a lovely place to visit, whether you’re there for just a browse and a coffee, or for more serious plant purchasing. For the former, the café is much better since they got rid of the Daylseford Organic outlet, and the range of gifts/​cards etc in both the café and the shops is excellent. If you’re looking for advice on plants, the staff are extremely knowledgeable and very passionate, and they seem to enjoy helping customers, which makes a change to the surly standard of service you get in many shops. I usually visit to buy plant and flower pots, as there is a distinct lack of places around Maida Vale where you can buy this sort of thing. And though they tend to be a little on the pricey side (as their products are generally), I don’t mind paying a small premium for a wide selection of good quality, well chosen stock.

At any time of the year, Clifton Nurseries is a great place to visit, you will find a beautiful display of whatever plants are in season, and you are always spoiled for choice.
They now also have a cosy café where they serve breakfast, brunch and afternoon tea.
The staff are knowledgeable and really helpful, whether you have just a window box or a huge garden, they will be always be willing to advise.

A great place to go to for fun, to browse, buy and to get your plants sorted out.
They have 1^st class fantastic flowers, plants and gardening stuff.
The staff really know their stuff, are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, they have saved a number of plants as I am not very good at knowing how to care for them.
Some of their things are expensive and the top end of the market but definitelly worth the money for even the most discerning customer if you can afford it.

Very stylish city garden centre, all at a price.
But lots of plants suitable for local gardens, especially large specimens.