Your favourite garden centres in Worthing, Littlehampton and beyond - is yours included?

The scale of the response shows just how much garden centres mean to everybody, with dozens of residents from Worthing, Littlehampton, Shoreham and the surrounding areas enthusing about their local centres.

On Wednesday (May 13) they reopened their doors as the UK took its first tentative steps out of lockdown.

Many comments on the Worthing Herald's Facebook page singled out Findon Garden Centre in Roger's Lane as a favourite.

Dave Butler praised Findon's 'excellent home delivery service' which allowed plant lovers to get their fix even during the lockdown.

Like many businesses, delivery services became vital for garden centres to keep trading and for local residents to continue to enjoy their natural delights.

Read our reporter's first hand account of what garden centres mean to him, here: How I discovered the joy of house plants during the coronavirus lockdown

Elaine Sola said the Findon had been 'amazing' during lockdown. "We love them - great plants!" she said.

Squire's Garden Centre in Pulborough was also praised for its delivery service.

The sense of community fostered by garden centres was also clear from our readers' responses, as many said they missed being able to while away the hours in their restaurants and coffee shops.

Adam Hurley was so keen to keep them all himself he was reluctant to single a specific centre out for praise. He commented: "To be fair all our local ones are great, and to recommend any particular one might affect social distancing when I do go. Unfortunately I go partly for their restaurants/coffee shops though, which probably won't open for a while yet."

Ferring Nursery and Lansdowne Nursery in Littlehampton Road were also highlighted several times. Heather Fiona Walker praised their quality and prices and took heart in the fact they were famliy run - a recurring theme in praise for garden centres.

The A259 between Worthing and Littlehampton is something of a treasure trove of garden centres, with the Ferring and Landsdowne Nurseries sitting next to Haskins, Quercus and Highdown Nursery, with Lowertrees Nurseries further west.

Commenting on the Gazette's Facebook page, Patricia Ann Clifford was glowing in her praise for Lowertrees. She said: "Lowertrees Nurseries, fantastic plants very good prices. I had a great time this morning, felt like Christmas EASTER and my birthday in one go. Well done lowertrees x."

Special mentions also came for Mayberry's in Portslade and Old Barn Nurseries in Worthing Road, Horsham.