Woodlawn Garden &Lifestyle (Maple Café)

Garvin Wylie founded Woodlawn on the Ballynahinch Road in 1974 as Northern Ireland's first garden centre, and the business remains family run, now directed by his son Robin Wylie. It reopened in 2006 as Woodlawn Garden & Lifestyle, adding the Maple Café, which seats around 120 people and overlooks the covered plant area with home-cooked lunches, soup, tray bakes and coffee. Alongside plants and bedding stock, the shop sells Weber barbecues, outdoor clothing and home gifts, making it as much a lifestyle store as a nursery. It sits on the edge of Carryduff, a short drive from Belfast. Open Monday to Saturday, 09:30 to 17:30, closed Sunday. Woodlawn has stayed under Wylie family ownership throughout its history, rather than joining any of the corporate garden centre groups that have since expanded into Northern Ireland.