Don't go to garden centres.

grizzly1911

I was at a well known garden independent centre yesterday - £35 for a a Robin Red evergreen.

I brought one last year for £3.99 at a small farm shop that has now grown (probably 3x original size) to the same size...

I have heard of added value, supply and demand etc. but it has just sat in ground and I have done nothing to it

a1cat

I was completely shocked by the prices in my local garden centre. £30 for a fruit tree. £15 for a rose. £20 for a wisteria plant.

Give me Mr L any day :T:rotfl::T:rotfl::T

officeguru

I have to say that I never go to garden centres.... One of my friends keeps buying from a well known independent garden centre and she pays double, if not triple, what I pay for plants... I have a gold medal winning garden, and thousands of plants and have been a keen amateur gardener for over 40 years and I could never understand why people pay so much for plants. I have, in the past, paid a lot of money for a rare plant, but have never understood why people pay £xx for pansies etc etc... But she thinks the more she pays the better the plant...

Cheers

SailorSam

officeguru wrote: »

... But she thinks the more she pays the better the plant...

Cheers

I think that's true of lots of things not just plants.
The keeping-up-with-the-Jones type person enjoys paying over the top for everything just to prove how much better than you they are.

cootambear

some people believe that you get what you pay for, (hence the power of brands), but that isnt always the case

my lidl blueberry bushes, two for a fiver, and pear trees, 2 for 6 quid, are flourishing

grizzly1911

cootambear wrote: »

some people believe that you get what you pay for, (hence the power of brands), but that isnt always the case

my lidl blueberry bushes, two for a fiver, and pear trees, 2 for 6 quid, are flourishing

I brought another small one from Al about a month ago £1.99 going strong, really looks healthy.

Can't get in their for their Thursday offers on bedding plants. Good stuff if you can pick it up in the first couple of days. For us that don't have the space to do our own.

I brought some branded gold jewellery recently as a gift, happy to pay the premium as it was something special. The CEO in the press openly admits it is priced 40% over the odds. Business is going from strength to strength.

misskool

i buy a mix.

The good stuff I buy from garden centres. I bought a lovely fig £14.99 variety ice crystal. You can't see the variety names in all the plants you buy from the cheap shops etc. Perennials, trees, shrubs, things that need a good start.

I do however, have no qualms on buying annual bedding plants from the cheap shops as they are only meant to last a year.

valk_scot

I try to grow most of my own plants from seed or propagate them from cuttings as much as possible because that's the cheapest way. Other than that I'm happy to buy common stuff from Lidl/Aldi or the market stall, plant sales or the Reduced section. I'll only go to the garden centre or buy from a specialist if I want something unusual, or if I think a more mature plant is necessary. I'm shameless about scrounging cuttings and seed pods actually, but I've always got a few extras of things to offer for swaps.

Have to say though I've got a proper plant nursery near me...not a garden centre but a working nursery where they grow their own bedding and veg plants and the wizened old owner (flat cap and all) is always ready to pass the time of day and show you anything interesting he might have. Their prices are good, the quality excellent and I prefer to give him any money I might be spending rather than go to the glossy Dobbies three miles away.

savemoney

we have a large independent garden centre about 8 miles from where I live which is cheap, its at Reighton near Filey. Only problem we have is its busy as hell at weekends and is so big and poorly laid out it takes you ages to get what you want sometimes. Plants can be cheap as 60-80p for Aubretia. Most modest plants are a few quid each, larger plants obviously more but certainly cheaper than like of B&Q, Burniston garden centre or Deans garden centre we have in area

I find Morrisons can be okay for some plants but not huge range. B&Q can be okay for annuals like Marigolds, Petunia, although use to get 3 trays for £10 its now I think £12. Aldi another cheap shop but very limited range

wallbash

You might be missing the point of the larger garden centres. Time to reflect on the large displays,look for the latest products and then have a sit down with a overpriced drink . Garden centres are looking for the 'lets visit for a couple of hours' visitor.
Easy to get a cheap bargain at a local SMALL establishment , stocking a limited range.

annie123

Garden centres were invented for people like my mother in law.

She has 3 large expensive ones near her and likes nothing more than me to drive 40 miles to her pick her up and take her to one.

2Weeks ago we did this. She spent £3.50 on 10 sweet pea seedlings and then headed straight for the tea shop -£18 insisted on lunch there, then decided she needed a 20ltr bag of compost for said seedlings, about as expensive as you can buy it and 30mins wandering around the carp/dust traps that they sell and came away with something to collect dust.

She paid £35 for a minarette cherry tree for my birthday last year and £30 delivery charge to hers, so that I could collect it at my leisure :eek: I have 7 cherries on it, the birds have had the rest.

The place was full of retired people with a big disposable income.
I stick to seeds/cuttings and the dead plant mark downs locally to me;)