please help me find the best places to buy the plants I'd like

Nenen

Davesnave wrote: »

Plants for shade? Mail order? Easy...

http://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/?gclid=CKTB__rNurYCFRHMtAod5D4A3g

No relation, just a normal nursery person I have met & would trust.

Wow! that website is amazing - thank you so much and to Lostinrates for seconding it too. It is very reassuring to get recommendations like this.

sobie

Davesnave wrote: »

Plants for shade? Mail order? Easy...

http://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/?gclid=CKTB__rNurYCFRHMtAod5D4A3g

No relation, just a normal nursery person I have met & would trust.

The site posted information is excellent but their prices are a bit high! £5.50 +£8 P&P for a 1ltr (13cm) common hardy geranium you'll pick a simular sized plant up for less than £3 at a garden centre (or even less at a nursery) I've not seen the quality so I guess price is a relative thing.

sobie

Nenen wrote: »

Thanks for all the information and great suggestions from everyone.



So far my wish list (depending on price and availability) includes:
Pyracantha (Orange Charmer) - AVAILABLE NOW
Astrantia Major (claret) - AVAILABLE MAY ONWARDS
Hellebore (pink and plum) - AVAILABLE NOV- FEB
Hydrangea macrophylla - AVAILABLE NOW - AUGUST
Skimmia Japonica Reevesiana - AVAILABLE OCT - FEB, if you want the berries you'll need a polinating partner, and these need to be in acidic soil.
Cyclamen hederifolium - AVAILABLE OCT - FEB
Fatsia - AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND
Pheasant Grass - AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND
Lilyturf - BULBS IN AUTUMN
Bleeding Heart - DICENTRA AVAILABLE NOW
Astilbe - AVAILABLE FROM MID APRIL
Shuttlecock Fern - AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND
Trillium - BUY RHIZOMES IN AUTUMN
Angelica - WHICH TYPE?
Brunnera Macrophylla - AVAILABLE NOW
Carex Evergold - AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND
Heucherella Gold Strike & Heucherella Cappuccino - Not heard of these varieties but we stock other Heuchera/ Hecherella/ tirella all year round.
Bamboo of various colour stems - not sure which yet and it's very expensive!

I am currently researching climbing plants that do well in shade and will also get some Violas to fill in any gaps.

If anyone has any other suggestions I'd be very interested. I'm particularly keen on creating a colourful display for as much of the year as possible.

Two beds are dry shade and one is damp shade.

The vast majority of the plants on your list are quite common. You should be able to pick up 9cm pots of all the perennials for £2 or less in any good garden centre/ nursery. The shrubs look out for in 1ltr pots lots of places will do these 3 for £10.

I've highlighted the time of year by the plant name in which we stock the same plants.

You've obs done your research. Some other suggestions:

Perennials
Geranium macrorrhizum.
Jacobs Ladder (Polemonium)
Bergenia
Foxgloves (Digitalis)
Geum Rivale types (good for moist shade)
Epimedium
Ajuga
Hosta
Pulmonaria
Lamium
Aconitum
Alchemilla Mollis
Euphorbia Robbiae
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens (Black Lily grass)
Aquilegia (Some types)
Japanese Anemone
Wood Anemone

Shrubs:

Aucuba (spotted laurel)
Abelia grandiflora (semi-shade)
Berberis
Cornus
Mahonia
Nandinia Domestica (good cheaper alternative to bamboo)
Philadelphus (Mock Orange - unrivaled scent!)
Some Viburnums
Most Acidic plants such as Rhododendrons, Azelea, Camelia, and Daphne.
Euonymus

The wealth of plants that are suitable for shade is endless. Have fun in creating fabulous displays!

Davesnave

sobie wrote: »

The site posted information is excellent but their prices are a bit high! £5.50 +£8 P&P for a 1ltr (13cm) common hardy geranium you'll pick a simular sized plant up for less than £3 at a garden centre (or even less at a nursery) I've not seen the quality so I guess price is a relative thing.

Agreed, though there are small quantity discounts and the postage is pretty much universal for mail order. I have paid £6 -£12 for things I've bought recently.

At that point the OP hadn't posted a plant list. I would not go down the route of buying the commoner things on their list by mail order. Things like trilliums are harder to locate.

One place for cheap plants not mentioned so far is the local WI market.

Nenen

Davesnave wrote: »

One place for cheap plants not mentioned so far is the local WI market.

Great idea - I haven't been to a WI market for years - had forgotten all about them. Many thanks :beer:

Nenen

sobie wrote: »

The vast majority of the plants on your list are quite common. You should be able to pick up 9cm pots of all the perennials for £2 or less in any good garden centre/ nursery. The shrubs look out for in 1ltr pots lots of places will do these 3 for £10.

I've highlighted the time of year by the plant name in which we stock the same plants.

You've obs done your research. Some other suggestions:

Perennials
Geranium macrorrhizum.
Jacobs Ladder (Polemonium)
Bergenia
Foxgloves (Digitalis)
Geum Rivale types (good for moist shade)
Epimedium
Ajuga
Hosta
Pulmonaria
Lamium
Aconitum
Alchemilla Mollis
Euphorbia Robbiae
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens (Black Lily grass)
Aquilegia (Some types)
Japanese Anemone
Wood Anemone

Shrubs:

Aucuba (spotted laurel)
Abelia grandiflora (semi-shade)
Berberis
Cornus
Mahonia
Nandinia Domestica (good cheaper alternative to bamboo)
Philadelphus (Mock Orange - unrivaled scent!)
Some Viburnums
Most Acidic plants such as Rhododendrons, Azelea, Camelia, and Daphne.
Euonymus

The wealth of plants that are suitable for shade is endless. Have fun in creating fabulous displays!

Wow! Thank you SO much for taking the time to post all the info re time to plant and all the extra suggestions. That's really kind of you.

I assume from your post you run a nursery - where are you based?

lostinrates

What I would do to find someone who wanted my orange pyracanthas. We have a few and I HATE them, but haven't got rid f outing them yet.....

They do have nice berries but.....urge, not a plant for me. Definitely ask around.

I should advertise mine on free cycle I guess.

Nenen

lostinrates wrote: »

What I would do to find someone who wanted my orange pyracanthas. We have a few and I HATE them, but haven't got rid f outing them yet.....

They do have nice berries but.....urge, not a plant for me. Definitely ask around.

I should advertise mine on free cycle I guess.

Why don't you like them Lostinrates?
I know it's part of life's rich tapestry that we all have different likes/dislikes but I find it rather ironic that I hate the Hostas planted in our garden (they fill a whole bed) yet Hostas are recommended for shade.

sobie

Davesnave wrote: »

Agreed, though there are small quantity discounts and the postage is pretty much universal for mail order. I have paid £6 -£12 for things I've bought recently.

At that point the OP hadn't posted a plant list. I would not go down the route of buying the commoner things on their list by mail order. Things like trilliums are harder to locate.

One place for cheap plants not mentioned so far is the local WI market.

Its probably best to pay more for the postage of plants, afterall you want them well packaged and you don't want them sat in the post for days

Thats very true, I'm pretty sure that I don't have a single UK grower of Trilliums we can only get the Rhizomes.

REEN

Gardens open under the National Gardens Scheme (http://www.ngs.org.uk/) often have plant stalls. I've had some unusual plants from those, reasonable prices too.