A Day out at Meier’s Garden Center

Well November has arrived, bringing with it short days, which are characteristically damp and dreary. But last week my mother-in-law, Gaby and I, decided to go on a little road trip to somewhere that was sure to brighten our day: Meier’s Garden Center.

Located in Dürnten, canton Zurich, near Rapperswil (Sankt Gallen), it is a popular destination, for gardener’s and non-gardener’s alike.

This time we were lucky to get to visit their Advent and Christmas market, which I seem to miss every year. Taking up a large section of their store, was everything from, trains and Christmas villages to lights, and Christmas decorations, not to mention a little section just for Advent Calendar’s and gifts to stuff the advent calendars with.

But what particularly caught my eye, was this amazing Nativity scene that met visitors at the door. I was familar with these handmade stuffed figures, but I’d never actually seen them displayed in such a beautiful way. They weren’t for sale in the shop but the display advertised courses, with their maker,  Hanny Roduner, so you could make them yourself.

I think my favorite part were the sheep, which looked so much like the blacknosed sheep which are bred in the southern Swiss canton of Wallis (Vallais).

But back to shopping, despite the fact that it is a bit early for me, to start thinking of Christmas, I did allow myself a few goodies. Some which I forgot to photograph.

But  it wasn’t long before we needed our bateries recharged, so a stop at Meier’s in-house cafeteria was a must. Although they offer a hot buffet, we settled for something quicker from the salad bar. And who can resist a treat from their on site bakery, along with a cup of delicious Earl Grey?  But we were on a mission, so no pics there.

Back to shopping.

This time I couldn’t keep myself away from their fantastic little bookshop, within the shop.

Although I am not a beekeeper, this book caught my eye.

Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hiveby Kim Lehman

This book is filled with recipes and projects, from honey flavored dog buiscuits to beeswax candles and other crafts. This was just a fantastic book, so beautifully put together.

But aside from all the gardening related books, was a large selection of beautiful children’s books for a range of ages.

Of course most were Christmas themed, at this time of year. I couldn’t resist these two for Joshua.

But there was so many other lovely ones to choose from.

They even had some cool craft ones.

If I had had more time I would have checked out the one above, on the left, about socks from around the world  and Europe’s Knitting traditions.

Aside from the bookshop, we visited the florist, and craft area for creating your own floral arrangenments, not to mention the clothing section and home section. Again the beautiful outer wear clothing department was a huge temptation to us both.

I’m very happy to say that they now carry my favorite Swiss candles: Schulthess candles.  And what gorgeous colors and scents!

I also found some beautiful fabric ribbon, that looks like a measuring tape for sewing.

And Casuarina berries, being sold for almost 5 CHF per bag. Who would have known? My parents have these pesky little things all over our drive way in Bermuda, which was certainly a pain, when we would walk barefoot out there.

We both ended up going back to the indoor / balcony plant section, which even at this time of year offered alot of inspiration.

I came across this beautiful artichoke plant in bloom.

But I opted for something a bit smaller: Cyclamen, which come in a number of beautiful shades and combinations of white, pink and fuscia.

After such an amazing day, I hope it won’t be too long before I return again, even if it is just for a piece of cake and a browse around.

Aside from a few quick breaths of fresh air we didn’t get to the outdoor areas and show gardens. So we’ll have to leave those for a Spring post.

If you would like to visit Meier’s all the directions for public transport or road, can be found here.

The general opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.30 – 18.30 and Saturday 8 – 16.00. Though I encourage you to check their website here, as there are certain holidays which change these times.

If you would like to see more of what the garden center has to offer, you can also take a look at my previous post, which focused more on the outdoor garden areas, here . There is also a little one-minute video here and the information on their website, which unfortunately is only in German.

Thanks so much for reading. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.