cheap plants at garden centres

[claybasket]

hi just got cheap pansys and pollyanthis at two garden centres as they are not selling them have a look 

[claybasket]

[ancellsfarmer]

There are some really wind scorched plants in my local superstore (B*ggered & Qu*ckly) being flogged off. Whether TLC will revive them its difficult to know. Remember many of these are conveyor belt grown ,almost at gun point!, in Poland etc and dosed up with growth regulator to give them"shelf-life extension".  Recognise the mid-green 'mealy' look to the leaves and compare with any you have grown yourself. A knowledgeable eye can probably pick out the better ones and may be worth a shot.
Have you all seen the 'living salads' in Lidl.? try a tray (79p), bring them home, seperate out the strongest plants, pot up into 3" pots or plant out under fleece/cloches. They grow into really fit cut and come again lettuce in all the popular & frilly leaf colours. I got 73 strong plants from my tray and about 20 more for salad that night. Got to be a "deal"

[Borlotti]

I went to B & Q today, to look at their reduced plants, but they only had pansies and polythanthis (spelling), so didn't buy.  They had brought trays and trays of bedding plants inside of the shop because of the cold, but the shop was too hot, loads of plants that hadn't sold.  Saw on the Internet that Homebase are selling plants for half price, so as it was sunny, before the heavy rain, walked up to Homebase, when I got there realised that it wasn't Homebase anymore but a pet suppliers shop, so went home (in the rain).  Sure there will be some good bargains around, as because of the weather bedding plants are not selling.  Got my knitting magazine and started knitting.  Will wait for the hot weather we are promised soon.  The veg. plants did not look too good and were very expensive and I am not a fan of B & Q.  I do love a good bargain, and some of the nearly dead plants that they mark down, do OK with a bit of attention.  My Dad said everyone rushed out at Easter to buy bedding plants and it was too early, he always had a lovely garden and got his later in the year.

[tricia]

Have you all seen the 'living salads' in Lidl.? try a tray (79p), bring them home, seperate out the strongest plants, pot up into 3" pots or plant out under fleece/cloches. They grow into really fit cut and come again lettuce in all the popular & frilly leaf colours. I got 73 strong plants from my tray and about 20 more for salad that night. Got to be a "deal"

I did this for three years - but last year gave up after two lots of planted out salad disappeared over night, b..... slugs  . I don't have room in my tiny GH and going by the number of slugs I have already disposed of this past couple of weeks in my garden - guess it won't be worth doing this year either. Shame, as I had two years of lovely salads from April through June.

Tricia

[caroline7758]

Apparently the garden centres are blaming Monty Don for their low sales because he said on GW that plants shouldn't be put out yet!