C'rose12 - you see it every year with the bedding plant thing don't you? How many people load up trolleys of 'stuff' and how much dies when they plant it in baskets and shove it all outside in April! Maybe I'm cynical, but I wonder if they go back and the staff just flog them more instead of making sure the customer understands they need to keep plants undercover for a couple of months.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
it's not Surrey vs Aberdeen. Many gardens have mini microclimates and something which will survive in the " front" garden, might struggle in the " back" garden.
Anybody had an experience with plants from budget supermarkets like Liddle or Aldi?! I hear lots of praise from people - not only they got bargains but also the fruit trees fruiting nicely, the bedding plants look their best, and bulbs last for ages....
Hosta - you're so right. I live 200 yards away from a garden I had for fifteen years. I have to do things differently in this one because it's very exposed. I'm gradually organising little areas, but there's not much I can do about the direction the wind comes thrashing in, unless I do a Trump and build a fifteen foot wall
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think I'm lucky in that my garden still has a lot of soil and space available as I only dug out the two beds last year after removing paving slabs. I have a few semi established plants in and some honeysuckle and jasmine I hope will spread. Apart from that I'm going to fill the gaps with seed grown flowers and veg to save some money and keep the space available for when I can propogate. It's great beig able to impulse buy but super expensive as I can't just slip one plant into an established boarder but have to think of buying double, triple or more to work within the space and fill some gaps! This week I fell in love with one little fern for ??2.25 seen on my lunch break but ended up having spent ??18 on 8 little ferns to put down a narrow shaded boarder I have which was otherwise empty.
It all adds up! And doubly so if you factor in my loss of plants through learner gardener ignorance.
Next weekend is seed sowing time and I feel I am going to hate myself for impulse buying so many veg seeds! Have to remember that most will keep until next year though so I can hold back from using all.
Microagent: re Lidl and Aldi. Last year I bought seaholly from Aldi and they turned out to be excellent, lovely really blue stems and so pleased to see that two of the three plants are growing back again this year. It is not an easy plant to grow and they were cheap, 3 for 99p. This year I bought a lilac from Lidl, nice strong looking plant with four stems. I am looking forward to seeing it flower; it was mid priced, I think £7.99.
I agree with the above comments about selling bedding plants too early and not telling people they need protection.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
It would appear we all impulse buy because, let's face it, we love and life for plants if your are a gardener. If I do buy unplanned, then I will pot up the plant and wait untill something changes in the garden. It becomes an insurance ready to be used if something else fails
re hardiness, I live in Kent not Scotland and I'm not an idiot, I've read up on plants for ten yrs + and am still learning of course, but as Fairy says, I fall for the idea that something I know well has a new variety that says hardy on the label!
How am I suposed to know what they really mean is *not really hardy unless you have a walled garden and under lawn heating*
I object to this because B&Q doesn't take plants back, so I now shop only at a trusted GC with labels that say *may need protection in winter*
** the only reason I bought a smart phone was to check suspicious labels on Rhs
a clematis in morrisons today.. £1.77... think it's a group 2 can't remember name! I'm sure it'll find a spot somewhere, it would have been rude to leave it in the shop at that price...
Posts
C'rose12 - you see it every year with the bedding plant thing don't you? How many people load up trolleys of 'stuff' and how much dies when they plant it in baskets and shove it all outside in April! Maybe I'm cynical, but I wonder if they go back and the staff just flog them more instead of making sure the customer understands they need to keep plants undercover for a couple of months.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
it's not Surrey vs Aberdeen. Many gardens have mini microclimates and something which will survive in the " front" garden, might struggle in the " back" garden.
Sun/ shade, windy / sheltered etc etc.
Anybody had an experience with plants from budget supermarkets like Liddle or Aldi?! I hear lots of praise from people - not only they got bargains but also the fruit trees fruiting nicely, the bedding plants look their best, and bulbs last for ages....
Is it worth it?
Hosta - you're so right. I live 200 yards away from a garden I had for fifteen years. I have to do things differently in this one because it's very exposed. I'm gradually organising little areas, but there's not much I can do about the direction the wind comes thrashing in, unless I do a Trump and build a fifteen foot wall
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It all adds up! And doubly so if you factor in my loss of plants through learner gardener ignorance.
Next weekend is seed sowing time and I feel I am going to hate myself for impulse buying so many veg seeds! Have to remember that most will keep until next year though so I can hold back from using all.
Microagent: re Lidl and Aldi. Last year I bought seaholly from Aldi and they turned out to be excellent, lovely really blue stems and so pleased to see that two of the three plants are growing back again this year. It is not an easy plant to grow and they were cheap, 3 for 99p. This year I bought a lilac from Lidl, nice strong looking plant with four stems. I am looking forward to seeing it flower; it was mid priced, I think £7.99.
I agree with the above comments about selling bedding plants too early and not telling people they need protection.
re hardiness, I live in Kent not Scotland and I'm not an idiot, I've read up on plants for ten yrs + and am still learning of course, but as Fairy says, I fall for the idea that something I know well has a new variety that says hardy on the label!
How am I suposed to know what they really mean is *not really hardy unless you have a walled garden and under lawn heating*
I object to this because B&Q doesn't take plants back, so I now shop only at a trusted GC with labels that say *may need protection in winter*
** the only reason I bought a smart phone was to check suspicious labels on Rhs
a clematis in morrisons today.. £1.77... think it's a group 2 can't remember name! I'm sure it'll find a spot somewhere, it would have been rude to leave it in the shop at that price...