How much do you think gardening costs you?

[CruCru]

A while ago, we bought a house with a large, mature garden. Quite a lot of the plants are past their best (massive, mostly twigs with a veneer of green). We've just redone one flower bed and DH is rather taken aback at how expensive plants are.

I planted 3 yew, 3 guelder roses, 3 broom, 1 black current tree, 1 cotoneaster, 1 teuchrium, 1 escallonia iveyi, 8 lavender plants (mostly plugs), 1 cotton lavender and 3 calamintha nepeta.

My understanding is that plants are just, well, expensive. Am I wrong? I remember my mum leaving garden centres having spent a fortune.

If you had bought those plants wholesale or at a nursery then they should have cost no more than £85.

Garden centres are not worth the expense, and they usually only sell plants which are getting pot bound and are about to pass their prime.

I agree that buying plants and bulbs wholesale dramatically reduces the cost. Only discovered this myself!

Well, I'm in the Isle of Wight so am quite limited on what I can get on the island so bought most of it online.

Problem is, quite a few places charge extra for IoW delivery (Crocus.co.uk charge an extra £10 on top of the normal charge).

Ah I see, yes that will be a problem for you.
Always make sure to plant trees and shrubs small as they will 'get away' better.
I often buy things from sellers on ebay, if I know what I'm looking for. Some real bargains to be had there, particularly with perennials.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a plant wholesaler that would let me buy a couple each of a few things? I've got a freshly dug bed to fill too. Also, when's the best time to fill it?

I can't really answer that! We are concentrating on growing food at the moment so while there are expenses at first, we see savings in food bills and we work hard to make our own compost and leaf mould etc.

I also take cuttings so I have new lavender plants and penstemon and other things this year for only the cost of a bit of seed compost. It sounds like you have put the structural plants in now but you could grow from seed or cuttings next year, and try to find out if there is a seed

But yes, mature, established plants are expensive. There's a lot of labour, maintenance and transport to factor in to pricing after all! swap nearby maybe.

I have a huge garden, and have really had to learn how to propagate plants in order to stop myself from going bankrupt.

This autumn I have planted over 500 plants, all from seeds or cuttings. Total cost was probably around 100, in soil, pots, seeds etc.

I feel a lot less guilty now when I buy plants, as I know I can get a dozen from each. Still spend a fair bit of money on the garden every year, though.

lidl, aldi, poundland, ebay. cuttings, smaller rather than larger plants, nurturing plants so that they dont die, waiting for special offers, using discount codes, planning what I want with a wish list rather than impulse buying all work for me.
I have never been very successful with anything but sweet pea seeds, so I no longer buy seeds other than sweet peas.

Sorry that doesn't answer the question.
This is because I spend quite a lot on gardening if I include plants, trips to gardens, garden books, gardeners world magazine and compost (even though I have my own compost etc. I got the tesco /rhs membership offer.

It is a good investment I have discovered as it gives so much pleasure, not just to me, but to those around me, and helps provide a place to relax and the gardening itself is very de-stressing as long as I don't worry too much about reaching perfection which in any case I can never reach with my north-facing, in-a -dip, tree-shaded patch. Visiting gardens is lovely and well worth the effort.

I have also found that in leaner times I can spend less money and propagate/plant/divide/dig a bit more and when I have more money and less energy or its the season for buying plants/bulbs ( ie spring/autumn) I can spend more so its quite a flexible budget.

I hardly ever buy stuff at the local overpriced garden centre unless its on the shelf of doom.

I live in Ryde I spend a fair bit on plants, the most extravagant this year was a green house but I have few other vices which I recently pointed out to my dds. Would they rather a mummy that spent all her money on smoking and died an early death or bored them with gardening talk ?

I've managed to grow a huge amount from seed, but appreciate this takes time and effort.

I buy Gardeners world magazine which often has offers like 100 free Alliums and 48 free lavender plugs.

I am a recent Aldi convert, the money I save on food can be justified on plants - they have some lovely things- this year alone I bought fig, Hibiscus, a ballerina rose, wisteria, Hostas, Agapanthus, and tulip bulbs. It is a fraction of the cost of garden centres. My garden like yours was mature with shrubs past their best. It will take time to get it how I want but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Oh and if you are any where near Quarr Abbey, there was a plant stand outside someone's house with an honesty box selling large potted lillies and a large potted fig tree for £3.00

Have you tried Hayloft for plants- they won't charge more than £4.95 for postage even to the IOW.

Ah cool, thanks I'll check them out. I think because I'm a novice, I've gone through the most obvious routes.

I also look out for plant sales and plant stalls at local events, and trade like mad with family and friends. I usually ask for vouchers to spend on plants for my birthday from a generous relative so often blue £50 on bulbs in the autumn - I'd never feel able to spend £50 in one go on bulbs otherwise, so this is a lovely luxury (that also cheers up my Spring).