Indie Spotlight: Bud Garden Centre

Every good brand needs a mascot, and Bud Garden Centre knows this more than most. With resident cat Bubzi calling the shots, the centre has managed to create a connection with customers on and offline. Proud owner Brenda opened the centre in Burnage, Manchester in 2011, and since then, the community store has gone from strength to strength.

Local community at heart

Brenda describes the small centre as ‘bijou’ and is proud to stock plants and gifts from local suppliers. Not only does Brenda contribute to the local community; she is also a proud sustainability champion.

She believes in stocking home-grown plants primarily for their traceability. Specifically, these plants have travelled fewer miles, resulting in healthier plant life and better adaptation to local climates. She’s also passionate about preserving UK horticultural skills.

Where better to learn these skills than at a local garden centre? Brenda regularly runs events such as the Ladybarn Gardening Club, as well as Christmas fundraising events and talks from local gardening experts. She also founded Incredible Edible in 2014 with Abbie Kempson, encouraging locals to grow their own and eat healthy produce.

Charity is also a central pillar of the Bud Garden Centre cause. Working with Burnage and Levenshulme Open Gardens, Bud raises money for causes such as Burnage Good Neighbours, Freedom from Torture, and Burnage Food Bank.

Then and now

It’s been a long journey for Bud Garden Centre, and Brenda is proud of how much it has managed to contribute to the South Manchester community. Brenda’s love of gardening began at the turn of the century when she bought her first house. By 2005, she had completed a City and Guilds Organic Gardening course before signing up for an allotment.

She soon began to volunteer at a local eco centre, before getting a part-time job at a garden centre in 2009. Little did Brenda know she would soon meet her future business partner, with whom she moved to All Seasons Garden Centre in 2010.

The centre was not fit for purpose. The pair spent months pulling down dangerous decrepit fences, asbestos-ridden sheds, old plant pots and toxic garden chemicals. Once the clean-up had finished, they erected a polytunnel and began sourcing home-grown plants, which would become the Bud Garden Centre we know today.

The future of Bud Garden Centre

With a vast local following and a stunning social media presence, Bud Garden Centre is on the up and up. Owner Brenda is always keen to take ideas from her local community, many of which have been a hit such as her ‘wall of curiosities’. The cat theme continues to attract new visitors, as does Brenda’s community-first approach.

As a proud local, independent store, Bud continues to source sustainable goods and give back to the community. If you’d like to find out more or contribute ideas, visit Bud Garden Centre.