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9cm or 2l perennials?

edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
in Plants
Which size do you prefer and why?

I've been reading this forum for a year or two now and learnt a lot here. Now I finally have my own garden and I can't wait to start planting. My previous experience was almost only container growing, mostly veg but also annuals. I am new to perennials, although I've read a lot, I lack the practical experience.
At the moment we are doing some redesigning of the garden, changes in hard landscaping and creating new planting areas. The previous owner was a passionate gardener and the garden is well established, so I am mostly replacing things I don't like, filling gaps and creating some new planting spaces but I am not doing the garden from scratch.

I want to buy some plants soon and I am not sure if I should prefer small 9cm plants or bigger 2litre plants. I want them to be big and nicely flowering this summer and I don't care that much about money.
Let's say echinaceas or salvias, I could buy these now from the Secret Gardening Club for £2 or £3, 9cm, pot them on and basically have 2l plants around April, I guess.
Or I could buy 2l plants from Longacres for £4 or £5 (I certainly don't plan to buy these in a garden centre for £10) in April, would this be similar to the first option?
Or I could buy 2l plant now and pot them on (I won't be able to plant them sooner than in the second half of March). If I buy 2l plants now, will they be significantly bigger and nicer in summer than the 9cm plants?

I guess there are some more quickly growing ones that will end up big either way, so are better value in 9cm pots and some that are slower to establish and better in 2 litres. Do you have any specific tips for plants that you would buy in these sizes?

And similar questions for roses. Is it better to save some money (possibly even get some end of season discount) and buy bare root roses in March or is it better to buy potted roses? Are bare root roses cheaper and worse than potted roses or is the quality similar and price is the only difference?
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  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    I buy all of these, from 9cm, 1L, 2L 3L and up to 10L even.. larger ones I'll divide usually.. I also buy bare root perennials but I prefer them potted...  what I no longer buy are plug plants, I haven't got time for those little things.. also I like to plant straight in the ground, and with 9cm I'm more inclined to buy at least 3 of a kind with perennials.. so I plant them right away as a group... it's also much easier for me than the larger pots... and I do not have the space or patience to re pot and grow on for weeks... so they get planted as soon as received for the most part..
    They are usually all hardy stuff..

    I buy both bare root and potted roses... at this time of year it's always best to buy bare root, right up till the end of March... they need less attention and can fend for themselves better over the season, than potted roses... but if you do pick up a potted rose at this time, you can always bare root it yourself and treat it as such...
    East Anglia, England
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    It's very much a matter of personal choice,  personally l would buy the smaller pots now, and pot them on myself (l have done that with heleniums from the Secret Garden). As you say, by the time you get round to planting them at the end of April or beginning of May they will be a good size. With the bigger ones, such as hardy geraniums, you can divide them into smaller plants. The other thing to bear in mind is that they will grow faster than you may expect, especially if you have done good preparation , so you may not need as many as you think. If you want instant results, the bigger the better ! It's your money and your garden  :)
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Very often with perennials you can get a plant in a 2L pot and split it into 3 or 4 more plants soon as you get it home

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    Thank you for your experience and advice.
    Most probably I will mix both approaches anyway :) I am just unsure how much growth to expect in their first year.
  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    Depends on the plant, spring is a good time for buying 9cm and potting them on . If you got a lot of plants to buy I stick to 9cm and the larger plants for faster impact. I personally tend to go for 2L+ now I am to impatient for some plants to bulk up. If you were buying Salvia nemorosa Caradonna for example I would buy 2L - Salvia Amistad 9cm fast growing quick out grow their pot. Echinaea I buy 2L because the slugs make a quick snack of a small plant .
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I buy 9cm pots mailorder (just received my first batch for this year), pot them on into 2l pots then plant out in April/May. Things like salvias, agastache, heleniums etc, all grow and flower really well.

    My first Echinaceas I bought at a GC in 2l pots, already in flower, and once planted out established really well and flowered their socks off all summer. Last year I bought some more in 9cm pots and potted them on as above and they developed very slowly and only flowered a bit once planted out. It takes a while for echinaceas to establish a good root system and flower well (in fact, its recommended that you cut off the flowers of young plants in their first season so they put all their energies into forming good roots and a bushy plant). For that reason, If you want to buy echinaceas I would definitely buy established, bigger plants. 
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    Thank you <3
    At the moment, I have these plants on my must have list: Some blue/purple salvia (probably May night), Echinacea (basic purpurea), red/purple Achillea (summerwine), Monardas (mix of colours), Verbena bonariensis and Geranium rozanne.
    And then some low growing plants (creeping phlox, lithodora) and grasses and a long list of things which I would love but don't have space for.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I would either buy large size pots of echinacea and monarda or grow the small size on for a year, repotting as needed before planting out.  Small ones of those two don't do very well for me, probably because the young shoots are a slug delicacy, similar to delphiniums.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    edited February 2019
    edhelka

    Whatever size or species of plants you decide on , just remember to keep them moist constantly throughout the first year (or maybe longer) , until they're well established . Even drought tolerant plants need a bit of help to get their 'roots-out' !
    On numerous occasions I've come across people who give new plantings an initial soak , then somehow forget to water thereafter , or optimistically rely on rainfall .
    Good luck anyway with your plants and gardening ventures ! ;)

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    With regard to roses, I’m a fairly new rose grower. My first I bought as potted plants as the concept of bare root seemed a bit scary... but now I only buy bare root as they are cheaper but definitly not inferior - they have established in my garden as well if not better. I think I am correct in saying that potted roses are just roses dug up by the grower early in the season as bare root specimens and potted on to sell later for more money...perhaps @Marlorena can confirm or deny that!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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