They're at it again

Legacy_user

They're at it again, small containers of seedlings, reared lovingly by someone somewhere, packaged to give protection, descriptions given as to how best to grow, and then these tender plants are placed in the hands of Wilkinsons.

It ought to be an offence that this should happen.

Citrus trees with admittedly small fruit, stand shrivelled as their brown crisp leaves crunch under your feet.

Standard conifers, standard olive trees all neglected and ready to be dumped.

Tulips, daffodils and hyacinth remain on sale despite having discarded their flower heads weeks ago.

Palm trees along with cordyline haven't a hope in hell of surviving.

Large rhododendrons equally await a certain death by neglect.

Farway

I agree, not sure what it is with Wilko but neglect of plants seems to be universal & not just one or two branches

One plus is I sometimes am able to get a neglected [and thus reduced] plant from there

Davesnave

The plants in Wilko and most of the DIY chains are a kind of loss leader; they're not very important in the overall scheme of things. I suspect that as long as they give some semblance 'gardening' to the outdoor living, power tool and landscaping areas of the stores, all's right with the world.

Of course it isn't. Treating plants this way is hugely wasteful of the Earth's resources, especially when they have been force-grown with added heat in the winter months. The result is often lush but flabby plants which take a turn for the worse as soon as they meet real-life conditions, but Joe Public probably thinks that's 'normal.'

An ex-nurseryman, I try not to buy anything from these places and, as they usually have nothing special, that's not exactly a hardship. However, I did buy a stonking hellebore in Homebase a few years ago and also found an unusual member of Malvaceae there. We have several branches within 20 miles, and one of them is managed really well, proving that it need not be so wasteful & depressing.

About 10 years ago, one of my plant 'discoveries' was being bulked-up by a large company which supplied a couple of the DIY chains. I didn't know what to think at the time; on the one hand I could see mass-marketing and £££ signs, but on the other I could also envisage 'my' plant hoisted about three feet up on one of those eye-level benches, lolling sideways and slowly dying, with a 1cm gap between the compost and the pot! As things turned-out, the company went bankrupt and my plant never 'enjoyed' this mass exposure, but I'm not entirely sorry.....though I am still well in deficit on the plant patent!

cjb02

I must admit I do not have a moral problem at all with wilkos/aldi/Lidl or any of the mass market very large companies selling plants.

I agree about wilkos, you go in and some of the plants are on the last legs, how ever I bought a couple of named variety plum trees from them a couple of weeks ago for £5 each and a couple of apple trees from Lidl a couple of weeks before that for £4 each. I have bought fruit bushes from Aldi this year. They are all growing great guns.
Got a pot of golden thyme from Wilkos this week. It was dying off and up for a quid instead of £5, I have got it home and watered it and it has took off. Real bargain.

Although I can see why some people do object. At the end of the day places like these put locally owned nurseries out of business. Although I live in West Yorkshire and round here, the ones I know about are "garden centers" and bear little resemblance to nurseries. I find garden centers are over priced, appear to stock no local grown products and appear to import everything from abroad just like wilkos i suppose.

Davesnave

At the end of the day places like these put locally owned nurseries out of business. Although I live in West Yorkshire and round here, the ones I know about are "garden centers" and bear little resemblance to nurseries. I find garden centers are over priced, appear to stock no local grown products and appear to import everything from abroad just like wilkos i suppose.

You are right. Proper nurseries are squeezed between Wilko, Aldi, Lidl, B&Q etc at the cheap end, and the big garden centre chains at the other. However, the 'sheds,' and the garden centres gain most of their turnover from non-plant items. In the case of garden centres, they are often a place for people to have lunch, or they're good for a half day out when the weather looks dodgy.

There is still a pretty good network of wholesale nurseries in Britain, but in certain sectors, the competition from Holland is intense.

Everywhere, even in West Yorkshire, there are small nurseries, many of them specialists, and probably a few independent garden centres too. They still get by, thanks to the loyalty of customers who appreciate what they do. It is difficult to persuade people to visit small nurseries, which are usually in the countryside but, from an environmental viewpoint, that may be no bad thing. It is better in 'product miles' terms for people to buy their plants and produce from a central point, such as a plant fair or Farmers' Market, than to traipse round in their cars to individual producers.

cjb02

That could make a very good thread indeed.

Where are all the local quality nurseries in your area NOT garden centres. Like I said, I live in West Yorkshire and don't really know any. The last one I used to go to was in South Yorkshire. Run by a chap out of his back yard. Great plants, great prices but sadly due to ill health he had to give up.

cjb02

I've done it, I have posted the thread.... Where are my local nurseries? :j

Davesnave

Try this for nurseries nationwide:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSPlantFinder/nurseryfinder.asp