Wot, no wallflowers?

elsien

I usually get  bare rooted wallflowers round about now, a bunch of 10 for a quid, several bunches to dot round the garden and put in pots in the backyard for cheap spring colour and scent. 
My local independent nursery says their usual growers haven’t grown them this year and they’re looking for alternative suppliers. Although I can buy potted up wallflowers they’re 3 to a pot and work out much more expensive.
Just curious really what other people are finding as to how much COVID has impacted on growers and what they’ve decided to focus on to keep going? 

twopenny

Yes, the local garden centre, even the non local ones, are buying everything as it's available rather than what people would like. Though they will try to order it.

I keep my wallflowers going each year. I've also got some from a friend that digs everything up as blooming goes and she doesn't dead head. So some lovely bushey ones that should still be in my garden next year. Do you have anyone like that around or through FB?

She keeps me in plants while telling me she;s exhausted gardening lol. You can lead a horse to water etc.

Otherwise there are plant stalls outside peoples houses here and there.

greyteam1959

Plenty of wallflowers around us in trays of 6 for £2.00.
Lovely quality plants they are.
Not seen bare rooted ones for years now.

elle_may

Haven't bought wall flowers in years they just  pop up in my garden, cut them right down when flowers go and replant the little seedlings. 

twopenny

elsien said:

Just curious really what other people are finding as to how much COVID has impacted on growers and what they’ve decided to focus on to keep going?

To be fair the question was about what we've been finding lacking in our areas

I'll take what I can get so I've discovered some new things like a black leaved Wigelia which looks well spring and summer, the latest is a rose of recent breeding because I can't get hold of the pre 1930's ones. And so my questions on here about it.

And I'm thinking there will be more requests for help from me as I grabbed 2 dwarf fruit bushes from the supermarket of unheardof varieties and now I'm struggling with them.

But I've always liked gardening to be a bit of an adventure. Not quite knowing what I'm planting.

Davesnave

I don't grow the annual wallflowers, but Erisimum 'Bowles Mauve' has been the star of our newest garden area since spring and it's still blooming and providing food for hundreds of insects. This particular one I almost binned, because the late winter winds wrenched the stem and made me think it would just topple over, but I gave it a chance and it recovered. Very easy from cuttings.