totally clueless-help desperately needed!

Katmc2k

Ok my brother has just bought a restaurant and is due to open on saturday which wil be a miracle as it's currently a total dive. Anyway the family are rallying round to help and I've been given the task of "dressing" the windows and buying plants etc for outside and inside.

I haven't got a clue! And when I have had plants in the past everything I have touched dies soon after....

So I need pretty green plants (my brother said he likes ones "with leaves" so that narrows it down(!)) which need minimal looking after to go in a modern restaurant and also outside on the patio in Scotland (chilly). I've got £200 and need to get as many as possible, preferably for less.

Can anyone help or suggest anything? I was thinking of going to BandQ or Ikea because I think they both sell plants, I've never been to a proper garden centre before, would I be better off there?

Thanks in advance if anyone can help!

chunkymunky_3

personally i would avoid Ikea for one simple reason, every time ive been to ikea and asked a question about their plants some spotty teenager has looked at me blankly and grunted.

B&Q are better and getting better all the time, most of the staff seem to know what they are talking about and the plants are cheaper.

But to be honest i would rather pay a little extra and go to a nursary/garden centre, they will have a far bigger selection, and most nursary staff have forgotten more than B&Q staff know.

Have you considered less foliage and more art, im not a big fan of loads of plants in restaurants

hope ive been of some help

Jnelhams

Right for outside, best stick to Bay Trees, you will normally see these trained to look like a lolly-pop (i.e. a big ballon a skinny trunk) or Cordylines.

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0246538

The real ones will be expensive, so you could get these ones at wilkinson, put in larger pots, and fill with compost, and plant some cheap real Ivy and winter pansies around the bottom. It should fool most people and will not be expensive if nicked.

For inside stick to Umbrella plants (Schefflera Arboricola) (Plastic ones all ways look naff inside) you can get varigated ones too. Look in the local paper or supermarket for these normally quite cheap, and will put up with abuse from customers.

Do not spend £200 on plants for a new place, use it on advertising!

nodwah

where are you as a matter of interest (noseyness)?
I agree about keep it simple with bay trees, or go more fashionable with cordylines (spikey palm like things). oh you already said that jn.

Try to find good containers as big as you can afford but also put a few bricks in the bottom to help stop them "walking" and to use less compost but probably best to bring them in at closing time if poss.

Katmc2k

Thanks for all your suggestions!

It is in Edinburgh, on London Road and it's the basement floor of a georgian town house hotel. The gate locks and it's down some stairs so hopefully it shouldn't get nicked more than a few times a year! Bricks in the bottom of the tub is a great idea though, thanks.

£200 is for plants and tubs and a few lights as well, hopefully spend a lot less than that. There are no Wilkinsons near us, but hopefully somewhere nearby will sell something similar I love those lollipop tree things. There is a huge B and Q with a big garden centre fairly nearby so I'll probably go there.

Thanks again, and if you're ever in Edinburgh and want some delicious food...!

JulianF_2

I love that idea of bricks in the pot - will deffo be using that outside my shop!

A_Clock

JulianF wrote: »

I love that idea of bricks in the pot - will deffo be using that outside my shop!

My brother did that with a huge pot and it still went missing! And it was one of the BIG pots Think he ended up drilling it into the floor in the end

nodwah

well if they're really determined they'll take it no matter how heavy, but we want to give them a slipped disc at least!

dND

Just a quick thought, what ever you buy for inside make sure it's watered and cared for cause nothing looks worse than dying plants dropping their leaves everywhere. And looking after them can also take time which might be a precious commodity.

Placing them can be difficult - making sure they aren't in a draught or by a radiator etc. I would go for things like real variegated ivy with a good silk or plastic (realistic) flowers to add colour where people can't actually touch the flowers, I've seen some incredibly realistic fake orchids in garden centres. For other difficult to kill greenery, spider plant, aspidistra, mother in law's tongue, depending on the style of the place.

What other people think?

flossyblog

For all year interest, you can't go wrong with a skimmia. "kew green" is my favourite but there are several varieties.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/858.shtml

Also good is Viburnum tinus "eve price"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/2066.shtml