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The History of Fron Goch Garden Centre

Over the years we have often been asked, What is a garden centre doing in the middle of nowhere? Let me tell you a story………

Born & bred in Caernarfon, Robin attended Caernarfon Grammar School & went on to study Horticulture at London University. After his studies had ended, he started working in the seed trade as a flower breeder where he met & fell in love with Valerie who had studied Horticulture at Writtle College. They married in 1971, moved to Torquay, had both Justin & Melanie & stayed there until 1980.

Both Robin & Valerie had a passion for growing things, Valerie, tree’s & shrubs & Robin anything he could grow & sell! They embarked on a project to buy land & with both young children in tow they came home to Wales & in 1981 Fron Goch with three acres of land was purchased.

Over the next couple of years & after buying other bits of land in the area Robin & Valerie worked hard growing fruit & vegetables to supply shops locally in Caernarfon & Bangor. During this time Robin also worked at Glynllifon, so much of the harvesting & selling responsibility was Valerie’s.

The concept of selling the products on site came a few years later when Robin & Justin (aged 8) weeding strawberries in the front field discussed taking a box of lettuces down to the bottom of the drive to see if they could sell them there! They sold them all & the farm shop was born.

The original shop of Fron Goch was a small shed opposite the main house. As a family they grew new potatoes, cauliflowers, runner beans, flowers & all types of soft fruit. The runner beans grew where the cafe is now situated & chrysanthemums where the shop is. The nursery developed on the other side of the railway line & still remains today.

With the arrival of Supermarkets in the 1990’s the family had to diversify to survive. As both Robin & Valerie we’re now both working full time on the nursery, they had introduced shrubs & tree’s, Valerie’s speciality to the range they offered & the business quickly developed. They also found they were moving more & more down the hill as they expanded into producing their own bedding plants.

By 1996 with Justin returning from work experience in America full of enthusiasm the family took the decision to close the farm shop & expand. They converted the original tomato glasshouse into the shop, expanded the product lines creating the beginning of the garden centre you see today.

Over the next ten years the business grew quickly. Car parking facilities, toilets & customer access were constantly a problem. A major expansion was required. Additional land was bought next door & planning was obtained for a new entrance, car park, toilets & plant area. Along with customer loyalty & the introduction of our popular club card scheme Fron Goch was taking shape.

The final development to date has been the creation & development of the cafe. Built in 2006 & opened in March 2007 it has proved to be a popular community hub for both new customers to relax & local family & friends to regularly meet & share news.

Fron Goch is still a family run business. Alongside the growth of the business so too has the family. Melanie’s marriage to Paul in 2009 & the birth of their little boy Rhys in 2011 has bought two new members to the Fron Goch family.

For the William’s family the journey so far has evolved from many years of experimenting, hard work & a love of growing. This success is in large part due to the loyal & conscientious staff & of course, the most important part – loyal customers.

What next? Guess we will just have to wait & see……….. 

Grow Your Own
At Fron Goch Garden Centre you’ll find a wide range of plants – everything from herbaceous perennials to alpines.

Most of our high quality bedding, patio and container plants are grown at the Fron Goch nursery. As well as ornamentals we sell vegetable plants and herbs.

Grow from seeds or plant into pots and baskets – Fron Goch sells all the items you need to look after your own, healthy plants. If you’re a novice, don’t worry – ask any of our knowledgeable staff for advice or learn for yourself at one of our workshops.

Plants
Plants have always been our priority here, and with many unusual and hard-to-find varieties stocked, we are famous for our range and quality. The choice includes Himalayan rhododendrons, tree ferns, exotic conifers, and an ever-widening range of herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees; and plants are mostly organised into groups relating to the growing conditions they enjoy. Due to our location we stock an extensive range of coastal trees and shrubs, which are ideal for resisting the salty prevailing winds.

Bedding, patio and container plants make a huge display here from February to December, offering you real outdoor colour all year round, whilst a range from baby plants and plugs to super sized specimens are perfect for instant effect in the garden. Many of these plants are grown in our own nursery, on site.

Our range of fruit trees and bushes, vegetable plants and herbs, is extensive and ever increasing, as more and more of us enjoy and value the opportunity of growing and eating our own food.

Seeds & Bulbs
We stock the full Suttons seed range, all of which can be seen from mid January onwards. (The range is reduced in autumn, to those seeds suitable for autumn, winter sowing.) Also from mid January we stock our usual wide selection of seed potatoes, along with onion sets, shallots and Garlic bulbs.

Whether your a Fritillaria fan or a devotee of Dahlias it worth having a look at our spring and autumn ranges of bulbs. We aim for a wide variety of species and colour, so there should be something to suit most gardeners pallet.

Propagation
There such satisfaction in growing your own plants from seeds or cuttings! We have all you need for the job!

From Propagators (heated and unheated) to Pots (large and small). Then there’s all those other bits and bobs that make the job easier: plug tray inserts, labels, vermiculite and perlite, gravel trays, even replacement propagator lids. No room left on the windowsill or in the greenhouse? Well we normally sell some handy mini greenhouses, which are also great for hardening off tender plants. 

Fron Goch Garden Centre as one of the largest leading garden centres in North Wales should be at the forefront of green issues in both the way in which it operates, in the products it supplies to its customers and the ethos in which the business is run.

We have identified seven areas where we as a business can make a contribution to the environment and our surrounding area; this is our small contribution to making the world a better place.

Recycling
Recycling is a way of life at Fron Goch; we recycle all our food waste, glass, tins, cardboard and paper, polythene and plastic bottles. We encourage our customers to do the same. With a compost bin you can increase your recycling potential.

Saving Water
We endeavour to limit the amount of water we consume as a business and offer a range of products for you to save water and limit your usage.

Composting
By recycling your fruit & vegetable peelings, grass cuttings and the rest of your garden waste you can produce well-rotten garden compost, which can be used as a soil improver to enhance plant growth – great on a vegetable patch.

Water Butts
Water Butts are an essential for your garden.
Almost 10,000 average litres of rainwater falls on our house roofs each year so by collecting it in a water butt, you have a ready source of water that can help keep your garden looking lush and green.

A water butt can be connected to a down pipe so that it collects rainwater from your gutters. If you are using a down pipe, you will also need an overflow pipe or a rain diverter to redirect water into the butt. Once it’s full, water flows down the drainpipe.
A gutter filter will also keep out unwanted debris.

Health & Wellbeing
We offer many different products that benefit your health, encourage wildlife and generally make the environment we live in a better place.

FSC Policy
Fron Goch Garden Centre has a policy of sourcing wood based products from suppliers who ensure the timber used is accredited to FSC standards (Forest Stewardship Council) which ensures for every tree that is cut down one is planted.
Where available the FSC logo will be displayed along with their certification number.

Peat Policy
Fron Goch Garden Centre shares public concern in reducing peat use to minimise the effects of global peat extraction on peat bog habitats. Many viable peat alternatives exist which are either completely peat-free or of reduced peat content.
Our suppliers have improved labelling and information on their packaging, enabling our customers to make informed decisions about peat alternatives when purchasing growing medium.

Our Commitment
To provide tried and tested viable peat alternatives

Sell growing medium products supplied by reputable and responsible companies

Ensure information is available so that customers can make informed decisions when purchasing growing medium products.

Stock a range of high quality growing medium that is fit for every gardening purpose and meets government guidelines.

Further information may be obtained from the Forest Stewardship Council via their web site www.fsc-uk.org.

Building Long Term Relationships
We support our customers, staff and community wherever possible.
Local Charities, Raffle Prizes, Plants and Seeds for School projects.

Championing Local & British Produce
We use local and British suppliers wherever possible. We believe in responsible sourcing and treating our suppliers fairly.

A More Efficient Business
We constantly try to improve the efficiency of our machinery and equipment e.g. we have recently replaced all our indoor lighting with the latest super efficient lamps and the hand dryers in the toilets are the most efficient on the market.

All our cardboard & plastic that is unwanted by our customers to carry there items home is compacted, baled and recycled.

The recent installation of a biomass wood pellet, renewable heat,energy efficient heating system. Approved by Ofgem through the Microgeneration Certification Schemet (MCS)

Within the restaurant we have introduced a ‘Grounds for Grounds’ policy. We offer our customers free bags of our used coffee grounds for there garden. Its great for the garden, keeps our carbon foot print low & reduces landfill waste.