Gardenway Home & Garden

This place is the reason why we shouldn’t shop at Bunnings. It’s really carefully curated for a start, so even though it may feel weird to have a garden centre with a restaurant and gift shop most of the stuff is a cut above the average tat.
The staff are super knowledgeable and really helpful, and are endlessly patient with plant nerds like me (sorry, I tend to gush sometimes and never once have I seen eyes glaze over).
The restaurant has only ever lured me for a takeaway coffee (which is the perfect accessory when browsing plants) mainly as this place is in Darra. Sure, that’s a while away from where I live, however it’s right in the middle of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Brisbane so I always go to lunch first so I have plenty of energy for an afternoon of garden fun.

Why aren’t there more places where you can buy everything you need for your garden, everything you need to make your home pretty, clothes and luxury bath products, then top it all off with a delicious meal? Garden Way is a lovely, peaceful place that provides all those things, and I suppose it can thank it’s out of the way location for the lack of crowds.
The location does mean most Brisbanites would only go there when that’s the sole purpose of their trip, but the good news is you can kill a lot of time here so it’s worth the drive. The homewares part is really beautiful, with gorgeous décor, divine smelling moisturisers and various little bits and pieces. The nursery is not quite as big as some of the others in Brisbane, but it is decent enough with a good range of plants, pots of all shapes and sizes, and decorative features for the garden. The restaurant section is nestled in between the nursery and the homewares section, and they serve delicious and unique quality meals, drinks and desserts.
This is a place I often visit with the numerous generations of females in my family, for a bit of a wistful shop and a tasty meal.

For places that you go when you want to feel a little bit of serenity. This is the place to visit. Oddly enough, right next the the Westside BMW dealership (they share parking) and smack bang in the middle of Darra’s industrial area, this place has been around since I’ve been in Brisbane.
There is a crazy range of bromeliads (a whole tent full) and overhanging, underhanging and side hanging plants to choose from, there’s a wider range of hedge plants, flowering plants and a pretty good range of fruit trees as well (these will set you back about $ 30).
There is also a restaurant called Verdant which serve a pretty good salmon main and the service is pretty good. The coffee’s aren’t bad as well, but it would be an idea to book as it does get pretty busy.
What I love about this place is the giftshop. It isn’t just a gift shop that sells the weird stuff you put in your house and garden, it is an excellent place to shop for gifts or whatnot for your kids as well. It has a pretty decent kids section, where there are cute baby onesies with crazy logos on them, kiddie gardening gloves, kiddie cook books, book dividers, very cute bath toys, and stuffed toys. Even kiddie books! Such a good array, you will always find something here for your green thumbed little man or lady. Make them assist you in the garden with style! On the flipside, I also bought a $ 5 outside broom here from Italy, great broom, still have it!
The plants here are a little dearer than your cornerstore garden centre, but they have a pretty wide range as well.

I am not the best when it comes to gardening, in fact, quite the opposite. I have been known to kill a few plants in my time. Eager to learn more and find some inspiration, I headed over to the local nursery Gardenway Home & Garden.
My was I impressed! I loved the layout of this place. They had a huge giftware, home and lifestyle section and at the back a large nursery. The home and giftware section has a fabulous range of products which would be suitable for gardeners and non-​gardeners. Lots of vintage inspired décor as well as Parisienne inspired décor. It really suits a person who has taste for luxury style items. The products are not overpriced considering the styles and quality being great. It’s one of the best places to hunt down a present for my mum, grandmother, aunties and every other female in my family. They’ve also good a good range of gifts suitable for men, but not as much as the ladies gifts.
The nursery at the back quite big and has a wide variety of plants. For a person who is a beginner when it comes to gardening, this place offers a lot of plants on display and has helpful staff members floating around, the only thing is– you have to find them as they’re busy with all the other customers. There is also a café inside which provides a good place for resting in between browsing all the plants and giftware’s.
This place is very busy on weekends! No way to avoid it, except to come on weekdays, so just be prepared to rub shoulders with people. It’s worth a visit!