Cardwell GardenCentre

Cardwell Garden Centre sits at Lunderston Bay on Cloch Road in Gourock, started in 1962 by Eric Gallagher with a few sheds and polytunnels on a narrow strip of land by the shore. The business remains a family concern more than sixty years on, now run day to day by Eric's daughter and two sons following his death in 2013. It grows a large proportion of the plants it sells on site, giving stock suited to the west of Scotland climate, and has expanded over the decades into more than twenty departments covering roughly 36,000 square metres, including a patio café, gift shop and clothing concessions. The garden centre opens seven days a week from 9am to 5.30pm, with the café serving until 5pm. It has become one of the larger retail destinations in Inverclyde by footprint, while remaining independently owned rather than part of a garden centre group. Cardwell also sponsors local sports clubs including Greenock Morton FC.