Rubbish plant selection at B & Q and Homebase

[swanthingafteranother]

Just spent a long time trawling round my local garden centres. The selection of anything except Roses, bedding and for some reason Jamie Oliver is so depressing. Why can't they stock a more varied stock? And the plants are looking very sad after a combination of sun and wind.
I hate the way it is so seasonal too, so you can never plan a border, only stick in the things that are flowering NOW.

Will start ordering from independents I think by post. Just seems such a wasted opportunity on part of the Big ones. They've even stopped selling herbs individually, you can now only buy them planted up in packaged J O modules...

Best places for cheap, plentiful plants imo are stalls outside people's houses (we are in rural lincs, a lot of that goes on round here!), church fetes and boot sales.
We used to have a great local garden centre but now it seems to be preoccupied with shabby chic tat, nodding meerkats and OAP lunch specials, plants have become overpriced and very limited.

I find Homebase good for small perennials around Easter. After that they are pretty crap.

I buy lots online or grow from seed, so much more variety.

Second the local source idea - we live in a very chalky dry area so by shopping at the local WI market, you know you are getting plants that will grow in your soil.

Do you have a local market? I got 8 pretty established perennials which look a lot healthier than anything I have ever seen at B&Q or Homebase for £12.50 - 6 biggish ones at 3 for £5 and 2 smaller ones which were 4 for £5 (split with my mom).

He was also selling bedding plants at 10 for £5 - again bigger and healthier than B&Q - I'm going back for some of those next week.

Is there a Wyevale near you - worth a trip if so as their plant selection is great.

No, you are right, I should head off to Syon Park which is Wyevale...I just can't understand why the likes of B & Q and Homebase, don't want to sell plants to me, when I go in there all prepared to part with my money There are an awful lot of people using them...it is a bit like going to a supermarket which only sells one kind of food, ready meals and bread butter and milk...oh yes and some picnic food as it is summer... Such a waste of a marketing opportunity if you ask me!

The homebase near me is not too bad actually - I like their grow your own stuff and it's reasonably priced. But yes wyevale much better. Have fun! Nothing like a bit of plant shopping.

Plants at Homebase and B&Q seem to be a bit hit and miss, sometimes really good bargains, other times not. They are never going to stock a huge variety so for specialist stuff, different species, you are always better off at garden centre type place. Also agree with getting good things outside people's gates. (though less likely to find this in large city).

IME, good time to visit Homebase is Monday when they tend to do good reductions on stuff not sold at weekend and now slightly past best. Partucularly good this time of year for bedding plant bargains

Ooh and have you been to Wisley's plant shop (if you are near Syon Park, not too far and lovely day out)?

feel less aggrieved now, as found some lovely acoruses, rainbow phormium and calamagrostises [sp] - suddenly seems to be a new influx of stock..for bank holiday no doubt! B & Q is very very near so I'm always going there for compost, hardware etc.

Also just discovered the RHS plant shop as well as Crocus for online stuff. But nothing beats being able to look at plants and try them out in your garden which is where local stuff excels..

I agree about garden centres gradually concentrating more on their cafes and their shabby chic tat. We live in a small market town, nearest B&Q and Homebase are 25 min drive away, but we have 5 garden centres each within about 10 mins drive but all in different directions. None of them have a great selection of plants any more and if you had to go round all of them it would take all day. It is very frustrating when you know exactly what you are after and none of them have got it. I work (in another town) on our market day so I miss that too, although there is a good garden centre near there, I rarely have time to go.

Is the one at Wisley very good? That's only about 40 mins drive away and I've never been.

think advantage of Wisley is that you get to see all the plants growing in the gardens themselves before buying them..I haven't been there for twelve years( since I went on my course and we went with the group) But it was pretty comprehensive...
The RHS online shop looks really good though, I am amazed how much stuff there is on it, and only a few days delivery in most cases, if you are looking for something specific and are good at online ordering!!!