try wilkinsons for seeds and plants.i just bought some wilko seeds for 3 for 2,at a total cost of £1.20.around nov go down and get half price or cheaper on spring bulbs as they are making way for Christmas.but always try your local nursery as these will be home grown and more aclimatised to our weather but most importantly you be helping to support local businesses.a nursery near me sells perennials for about £2 for a two litre pot.
also try local plant sales,there are two near me.they consist of cuttings,self sown and divisions for 50p upwards
Normally get some good buys from Aldi, dsapointed today, as the plug plants were all nearly dead. Not worth getting any of the vegs but I did get some discounted lobelia and marigolds. After a good water the lobelia are looking better.
Key to buying any supermarket plants is to get them on the day they come in before they dry out. Aldi , Lidl do plants as offers not as regular stock. So normally you can get good plants for a couple of days and dying slowly after that. Maybe they don't want plants dripping water on the checkout belts, I really do not know. Maybe if enough people write to them, you can post on their web sites, they might decide to water them.
I'm kind of torn between wanting to buy them because they are cheap to buy and knowing that they take away the bread and butter of the garden centres who do look after their plants have a wide range in stock when you want to buy them.
There is a relatively short season for buying plants particularly annuals. This year seems like its turning into another disaster for garden centres by August many places will be looking at the balance sheet and seeing if there is enough left to tide them through another long cold winter.
If we lose our garden centres are we going to be forced to buy plants at the wrong time, just to have something available to put out at the right time. The growing season is not the same nationally, If you ever worked picking daffs. You would start initially in Cornwall and finish in Scotland
Ok this gives cut flowers for a couple of months but when it comes to growing plants the Supermarkets will buy for the whole chain at the same time. Which puts plants on the shelves at less than optimal times for a good number of people, never mind the fact the stocking is planned in advance.
The nurserys recommend plants to stock for garden centres under the category looking good so your local GC should be bringing in stock at the right time.
Are we being foolish buying plants at the wrong time in order to save a little? After all in real terms it might be the cost of a couple of pints or a takeaway meal. If your spending serious money, a garden centre will normally be prepared to give a little discount, as a matter of good will. Hard to decide isn't it.
More Aldi bargains - Blackcurrant in a big pot, £2.99. Lots of other soft fruit bushes, redcurrant, pink gooseberry, gooseberry, whitecurrant, blackberry. RHS books £2.99 each (I got vegetables and fruit in pots and vegetables in a small garden), big 35 cm plant pots 2.99 each, BIG (think 5kg) box growmore, 4.99, compost accelerator, 4.99.
They also had bedding plants that were feeling sorry for themselves, the boxes of 'veg' seedlings were all dead lettuces, and they had ornamental trees in (along the lines of flowering cherry), not really room in my garden for trees unless they're productive. Hanging baskets of various design, cone shaped etc, more flower and veg seeds (got my leek and some kelvedon peas).
If you want something specific that's alive, it's best going in on a Sunday or Thursday, that's when they get deliveries.
I only went in for some brioche - ended up spending nearly £50. Could only afford it as OH paid for some of LO's school dinners last month. Now he's complaining about the 'mobile allotment' in the kitchen. Ooooops!
I've bought roses, bedding, seeds and shrubs from Aldi and their plants are fine. last week I bought enough plants for 2 hanging baskets they cost me £5 60p, and have doubled in size in the laast week, the roses's 2 climber's and 2 shrubs bought and planted last year, are budding up nicely.It's just common sense if they look poorly don't buy
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try wilkinsons for seeds and plants.i just bought some wilko seeds for 3 for 2,at a total cost of £1.20.around nov go down and get half price or cheaper on spring bulbs as they are making way for Christmas.but always try your local nursery as these will be home grown and more aclimatised to our weather but most importantly you be helping to support local businesses.a nursery near me sells perennials for about £2 for a two litre pot.
also try local plant sales,there are two near me.they consist of cuttings,self sown and divisions for 50p upwards
i did,nt expect anyone to dash out and plant them yet.. like i said pot them on and wait .when temps pick up so will prices.. cheers wrinkly1
Normally get some good buys from Aldi, dsapointed today, as the plug plants were all nearly dead. Not worth getting any of the vegs but I did get some discounted lobelia and marigolds. After a good water the lobelia are looking better.
Key to buying any supermarket plants is to get them on the day they come in before they dry out. Aldi , Lidl do plants as offers not as regular stock. So normally you can get good plants for a couple of days and dying slowly after that. Maybe they don't want plants dripping water on the checkout belts, I really do not know. Maybe if enough people write to them, you can post on their web sites, they might decide to water them.
I'm kind of torn between wanting to buy them because they are cheap to buy and knowing that they take away the bread and butter of the garden centres who do look after their plants have a wide range in stock when you want to buy them.
There is a relatively short season for buying plants particularly annuals. This year seems like its turning into another disaster for garden centres by August many places will be looking at the balance sheet and seeing if there is enough left to tide them through another long cold winter.
If we lose our garden centres are we going to be forced to buy plants at the wrong time, just to have something available to put out at the right time. The growing season is not the same nationally, If you ever worked picking daffs. You would start initially in Cornwall and finish in Scotland
Ok this gives cut flowers for a couple of months but when it comes to growing plants the Supermarkets will buy for the whole chain at the same time. Which puts plants on the shelves at less than optimal times for a good number of people, never mind the fact the stocking is planned in advance.
The nurserys recommend plants to stock for garden centres under the category looking good so your local GC should be bringing in stock at the right time.
Are we being foolish buying plants at the wrong time in order to save a little? After all in real terms it might be the cost of a couple of pints or a takeaway meal. If your spending serious money, a garden centre will normally be prepared to give a little discount, as a matter of good will. Hard to decide isn't it.
More Aldi bargains - Blackcurrant in a big pot, £2.99. Lots of other soft fruit bushes, redcurrant, pink gooseberry, gooseberry, whitecurrant, blackberry. RHS books £2.99 each (I got vegetables and fruit in pots and vegetables in a small garden), big 35 cm plant pots 2.99 each, BIG (think 5kg) box growmore, 4.99, compost accelerator, 4.99.
They also had bedding plants that were feeling sorry for themselves, the boxes of 'veg' seedlings were all dead lettuces, and they had ornamental trees in (along the lines of flowering cherry), not really room in my garden for trees unless they're productive. Hanging baskets of various design, cone shaped etc, more flower and veg seeds (got my leek and some kelvedon peas).
If you want something specific that's alive, it's best going in on a Sunday or Thursday, that's when they get deliveries.
I only went in for some brioche - ended up spending nearly £50
. Could only afford it as OH paid for some of LO's school dinners last month. Now he's complaining about the 'mobile allotment' in the kitchen. Ooooops!
Thanks will pop over there tomorrow
I've bought roses, bedding, seeds and shrubs from Aldi and their plants are fine. last week I bought enough plants for 2 hanging baskets they cost me £5 60p, and have doubled in size in the laast week, the roses's 2 climber's and 2 shrubs bought and planted last year, are budding up nicely.It's just common sense if they look poorly don't buy