Bargain seeds at Gardeners World Live!

[blackkitty2]

I've just been lucky enough to go to Gardeners' World Live at the NEC and have just come back with a baggie full of seeds for next year on the plot. Thompson and Morgan , Johnsons and Suttons were all there selling seeds with 2013 dates at £1 a pack for standard size. Really great value I think. I got some very interesting stuff including some weird alpine strawbs - Czerwony & Crem - more elongated than the normal alpine strawbs with either white or red berries dependant on which plant. I also now have enough unusual lettuce varieties for several years including this year as well.

Although I got many seed bargains at GWL - for those of you who cannot make it there, now is the time to be looking out for seed sales at local garden centres probably starting in a couple of weeks. A thread on the forum mentioned Wilko's seed sale at 50% off but I find it is worth waiting for when they sell the seeds at 75% off. You have to keep your eyes open for the final reduction though and supplies are limited.

Happy seed hunting!

[blackkitty2]

[betula]

I have had plenty of bargain seeds from Gardner's world in the past ;D

Nice  quality seed too.

However when you think it costs £20 odd quid to get in maybe not so much a bargain.

[macmac]

Someone mentioned Wilkinsons are now half price,I haven't been to check 'though.

[blackkitty2]

Yeah the ticket prices suck, the £8 parking charge sucks and some shoppers are a bit ahem, abusive while they fight over plants. I did get the tickets cheaper though on an offer, but yeah that sucked too as you pay a booking fee on each ticket.

Ok, ok so the word 'bargain' might be overstating things, but well we don't get out much what with all the weeding on the plot after the rain. What the hell we got out of the house and away from the plot for a day. Oh hang on I had to pay the dog sitter as well! Oh bloomin' heck! Oh just stick to the Wilko's and local garden centres for cheepie seed bargains!

Actually one good thing was the BBC Good Food show where we got loads of freebies including some rather nice mojitos, some hot whisky stuff, sloe gin (hot in the belly - mmm), ice cream, yoghurt, cheese, apple crisps, tomatoes.......Must not mix and match.....blurghh.

Oh and we had chips and beans on the way home too!

[betula]

Well it is a nice day out and we all need one of those from time to time LOL  ;D

[pumkinlover]

Buy many plants BK2? ;)

[blackkitty2]

Just got back online as I was cream crackered after yesterday  - so my apologies for not replying sooner Pumpkinlover.

Didn't get many plants really, just the odd geranium, achillea, two nice hostas - Praying hands and Snow Mouse so there wasn't much cash left after that. Oh some nice foxgloves that were on offer - Polly and another one I can't quite remember. One looks a bit like D. parviflora except slightly bigger. Oh and a new Tiarella - Morning Star - which I couldn't resist.

After all the expense I don't think we'll go out again for another year! Malvern or the Harrogate Autumn show would be nice though as I find it a totally different experience going to both of those shows. I think GWL has pretty much gone to the dogs as it is much smaller than it used to be (BBC Good Food is much bigger now) and I am sure that there are less plant stalls than there used to be.

Also if anyone watched the programme last night looks can be deceptive. The piece on the Bring and Buy at GWL showed a heaving table full of healthy plants. By the time we got there it was a sorry sight with some sickly looking plants. Suffice it to say that the two healthy carnivorous plants and Echium blue steeple that we took for Children in Need never touched the table - they were snatched by grabbing hands. It's the 'snatch and grab' attitude that I hate about GWL and the reason we won't be going again - ever.

Such a cheery note there but I'll save my pennies for local NCCPG plant sales in future.

[Ellen K]

My lottie buddies went, they said it was heaving and you couldn't get close enough to anything to see it.    And £8 tp park  :o

Thanks for your review, feel a bit better about not going now.

[Digeroo]

I unfortunately could not manage to go this week.  But must say that if I had arrived and found I had to pay extra £8 for car park I would have been well miffed.

[hippydave]

im going tomorrow and its always busy on the sunday for the plant sell off but i hope to get some bargins.

[Deb P]

I have been most years and still enjoy it as a day out. I had a far worse 'shoving around' experience at the Chelsea flower show 10 years ago and hence have not returned since! I don't think you get the freebies at GWL as much as you used to and it does all feel more celebrity and consumer led, but I love going early on the first day before it gets into a bun fight and the plant marquee is cool and you can have a good look around, the friend I go with and I have got our routine down to a fine art now!

I bought some lovely Tiger Lily bulbs, two fab books (£5, should have been £20), a couple of linaria,  some fancy lemon tonic water from the food bit, and we got to watch James Martin do his cooking thing, so I wasn't too disappointed at all! ;D

[Duke Ellington]

Deb I thought it was Rick Stein you had the hots for :P

[Deb P]

Ha ha! Love his fish, but not my type I'm afraid....... ;)