Cheap by nature - gardening offers thread!

[shovetheholly]

To remind myself as much as anything else!

Aldi have vegetable plug plants in tomorrow, £1.99 each. 10 varieties - pictures show broccoli, caulis, tomatoes, peppers. Also, rhodos for £5.99 if they are your kind of thing.

[aircooled]

Shove - the A.bulgaricum are fantastic too, come back strongly every year. The bees go crazy for them

[shovetheholly]

aircooled Yes - I got some of those in the offer last year and they have been absolutely majestic. I love them! Am a bit worried as I think someone said they lost theirs overwinter - are they not fully hardy? Do I need to buy some more just to be on the safe side??!

Went to Tatton Park at the weekend and they had some lovely saucer-shaped ones with fluffy heads. One called 'Red Mohican', and another which was still more spectacular, with a deep, dense dusky purple head (the name escapes me, must check through my photos to find it).

Jenny - thanks, I''ll enter that!

[aircooled]

Shove - they have Red Mohican in the catalogue - amazing! £12 per 10 so obviously a choice variety. A.atropurpureum is good too and my A.christophii are outrageous, getting bigger and better every year.

The A.bulgaricum seem perfectly hardy but you may as well order some more for impact...

Should we start an allium thread?

[shovetheholly]

Cor, yeah! I could drool over an allium thread all day!

That's a good price for the Mohican ones - they were 3 for £5 at the show. The other variety (I WILL check up the name) were £5 EACH!

I don't have any atropurpureum, so I may add those next year if you recommend them! I agree about the christophii. Mine are 3 years old and now just slightly smaller than footballs. I LOVE the slightly metallic lilac they have - it's shiny! Not a purple I see anywhere else in the garden. And the light texture means that they just billow out of the border. Wonderful things!

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

I've never grown allium, are they difficult? I love the large ones, they look faintly absurd

Back on topic there are 11 varieties of soft fruit plants/ canes in Aldi on Thursday 6th for 1.79 - raspberries, grapes, tayberries, gooseberries, blackberries, gojiberries, blackcurrants, blueberries
My blackberry from last year is going strong although it won't produce fruit until its second year as I understand.

Also 2L 2yr-old summer flowering clematis 90-120cm - 10 varieties, 4.99

[TheSpottedZebra]

Would the autumn rasps fro Aldi fruit the following year? I'm going after rasps in A Big Way in 2016, and that's a good price, right? They're in 9 cm pots.

[shovetheholly]

Most alliums are dead easy haveyouseenher! Like daffs - you whack 'em in as bulbs and they shoot up. There is something absurd about them - maybe that's why I like them.

Thanks for the heads up on the soft fruit! HOORAY! Zebra - yes the rasps should fruit the next year, and should get better still the year after! I'm definitely going to get a tayberry and a couple more goosegogs. It's worth checking varieties, as some are usually AGM (RHS Award of Garden Merit), and those ones do seem to have more berries than others.

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Thanks Shove Do you ever grow them from seed or stick with the bulbs? Do you have to protect them from pests as they come up or is it generally too cold still?
I don't recall slugs going after my tulips or daffs thinking about it

[shovetheholly]

Sticking in bulbs is much easier and more impactful than growing from seed! And slugs will nibble at them, but not really enough to do much damage. I don't protect mine or anything. Most ornamental varieties flower a bit later in the year than daffs, sort of from May onwards. At most, if I can be bothered, I might stick some short canes and tie them in so they stand up straight but most years I honestly can't be arsed.

They are cheap from J Parkers from nowish, or you can get the current issue of Gardeners' World and get 100 free for £5 postage!

[agoodbook]

ooh - thanks Haveyouseenher - I am wanting a tayberry :)

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

You're both welcome I keep checking Aldi but the gardening stuff seems to be tailing off

[TheSpottedZebra]

Free P+P at DR Brown's this weekend, with code AUGP1.

I've never actually bought from them, in fact I've not bought any plant over the internet. But maybe I will now...

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Just posted on another thread, worth popping into a Wilko if you're passing as they're clearing out seeds for 10p or less. A lot dated 2016/17/18.

Large pouches of wildflower and patio mix (Gro-sure/ Miracle Gro for £1-2).

Some of it's quite well hidden (across the store in today's case) so worth asking, the staff were happy to direct me.

If anyone uses HotUKDeals website folk are saying they've found mini greenhouses/ staging/ covers/ sundries for less than a pound Haven't seen anything that good in our one yet...

Think they're clearing out the gardening aisles to make room for Chrstms

[shovetheholly]

Nooooo, not the C-word!!

Must check out wilkos. Wonder if I can get down there today...

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

It's so tempting isn't it I hope I'm not sending people off on a wild-goose chase, although it's been reported to be happening in stores across the land

I've had a few bargains from the website as they seemed to reduce the prices by 75% after midnight recently. Unfortunately stock didn't hang around long enough for me to post on here When a checked a few days later everything was back in stock at full price so a mistake maybe?! I got a giant metal obelisk, clogs, wire and some feeds I needed
I'm keeping an eye out in case it happens again...

[shovetheholly]

Wow, that's a great haul! I'm not surprised things vanished quickly at 75% off (even in the middle of the night) - so don't feel bad about not posting! Clogs are genius - mine have even been in the washing machine a few times!!

I've been quite impressed by the wilko stuff I have bought. Their 'colours' range of paint isn't bad - I'm using it to tart up all the beds at my allotment and it's lasted reasonably well considering how battered it's been by rain, snow, sleet and wind. Let me know if the feeds are any good! (Though I have my mighty bokashi juice, I do need some tomato-style feeds).

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Yes it was Wilko brand tomato feed I bought! I love your bokashi enthusiasm across this board I confess I don't have one yet but may look into it next year. My compost heap's keeping me busy at the moment

I'm quite passionate about the Wilko range. I've yet to have a disappointment and I think the prices are brilliant for encouraging beginners
You're not in Herts are you?

[Bearleigh]

I'm a big Wilkos for gardening fan too. I love the green that they use for their string and things. It's so soft that it blends in well, so much better than the dark green or natural types on sale elsewhere. Someone knows a bit about gardening there!

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

I'm looking for a new career, maybe I should investigate their buying dept - gardening division

[shovetheholly]

Haveyouseenher - you'd be brilliant! Glad I'm not the only Wilko fan, bearleigh.

I'm not in Herts alas - in Sheffield, in the northern wastes/northern powerhouse/really the Midlands.

Lidl have a plant event on this 6th. There's not much on their website, but they do have a big pot of succulents for £2.99. I'm not so keen on the pot, but unless their photo is very deceptive, you seem to get a lot of plant for your buck - so good if you're thinking about using succulents to fill something like a hanging basket!

[TheSpottedZebra]

We have a Wilko opening up near us this week. Whilst that is exciting news, I am a bit (jealous of course, not boaky) that it probably won't have been filled up with gardening stock to sell off cheap. But I can stock up for next year instead, once that C word is out of the way. Although I suspect that any list of mine for that C word will large consist of items pertaining to the G word.

[bowsaw]

TSZebra - try ordering from Wilko online, they deliver to store, so you could get in on the offers from the other locations

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Love it Zebra I never know what to ask for for C-mas so I ought to start compiling a gardening list from about October too

I love Sheffield! Visit often as my family's from there. We're the token southerners

I was in Homebase today and the plant reductions were non-existent (sob). you can never have too many bargain plants, right?
They did have the big pouches of Gro-sure 'easy flowers' for 2.93 (bright mix or pastel mix) and the purple bottles of miracle-gro 'flower magic' for 3.93.
Looking on Amazon the former gets disastrous reviews (lots of weeds) whereas the latter sounds more promising

[JennySK]

Our local tesco has been selling discounted hanging basket kits and my father in law made us a gorgeous one - I'm building up the courage to give it a go myself, maybe next summer!

A little inspiration that I'm hoping to complete this weekend - our garden centre is selling small succulents for £1 each. I'm going to pot them up (heading to wilkos to check out theirs pots!) and keep them on our window sill (inside) in the kitchen. I have all the best intentions but seem to kill most things. Fingers crossed!

No problem Shove - they've just started a new one giving away hedgehog houses - it'd be a great activity for my little one!

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Reminder that the Aldi fruit bushes/ canes went on sale today 1.79

Also a 'Paint your own birdhouse' 2.22 delivered here:
cpc.farnell.com/unbranded/bb-bh290/paint-your-own-wooden-bird-house/dp/CP0612464

Might look good decorated with better paints and bits and bobs stuck on