Buying plants from Supermarkets and the “sheds”

 

I'm often asked about where to buy plants: is it necessary, Clients ask me, to go to a proper Garden Centre, or can we take advantage of the very cheap plants which they sell at the “sheds” such as B&Q and Homebase and, increasingly, our local supermarkets?

On the face of it, it seems like an excellent idea: they are close to home, you were going there anyway, the plants are cheap and look very cheerful, and big shops like that would not want to sell duff plants, would they? They know they need to keep their shoppers coming back.

However, I would say that "buyer beware" is the phase you need: you (“one”) can get excellent bargains, but on the other hand, supermarkets and “sheds” are famous for not watering the plants until they are on the verge of death.

This means that often, you buy a plant that looks fine, but has been repeatedly stressed, to the point where it fails to flourish once planted out.

Also, they usually import their stock, so it is not fully hardened off to our climate - often you will notice that the "garden" section is at least partially roofed, and often, the plants are stacked on wheeled trolleys. This means that you will have to take care to harden off any plants for a week or so, before planting them out.

So, how do you ensure that you get the true bargains?

 

 

 

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