Get Ready For Horti-Couture As The Selfridges Garden Centre Opens

‘Going wild’ has taken on a whole new meaning in recent months. As a result of the communal slowdown instigated by lockdowns, even party animals have surrendered to the more sedate pursuits – like gardening.

Proof that the style cognoscenti are serious about flexing their green fingers – whether that means tinkering with a window box, rewilding an entire garden or spending every weekend in an allotment – this week Selfridges opens its Garden Centre, the latest initiative in the department store’s 2021 creative theme, Good Nature.

'A garden centre is evocative but familiar, and has provided rich inspiration for our teams, literally and creatively,' explains Selfridges creative director, Hannah Emslie. 'We know our customers are more interested in gardening and greening than they have ever been – and so we are playing with the idea by bringing the essentials of a typical garden centre to our stores. We will be retailing plants, compost and garden gnomes alongside special and unexpected Selfridges products with a sense fun and imagination, as we continue to explore pleasure in nature this year.'

There’s all the usual paraphernalia you’d anticipate finding in a regular garden centre, including seeds, tools and plants. But this is Selfridges, and so, naturally you can also expect the unexpected. Here you’ll find a cool curation of haute-icultural lifestyle, beauty and fashion, including exclusive collections from Prada and trippy Shakedown Garden merch from The Grateful Dead. And don’t miss Selfridges’ own Garden Centre merch collection of caps, totes and T-shirts (sample slogans: ‘Herb your enthusiasm’, ‘Avant-gardener’). There’s even Selfridges branded compost – which is probably SS21’s unlikeliest must-have accessory.

But if don’t actually know what to do with compost, fear not. This isn’t a case of all-the-gear-and-no-idea. The Potting Shed is a destination for events and advice, with a resident gardener (plus a virtual 'dial-a-gardener' service) and a program of workshops and experiences promoting practical skills and celebrating the restorative joy of getting back to nature.

And for those who've reached peak plant capacity? May we suggest that you take home your very own Gary the Gnome – the Garden Centre’s ‘diminutive but swaggy’ mascot (he’s wearing Bottega Veneta and Versace in the accompanying campaign). In summary: we dig it.