Sarah Raven catalogue has landed...

[VenusClapTrap]

Pure plant porn. What’s on your wish list? I’m fancying:
Dahlia Penhill ‘Dark Monarch’
Dahlia ‘Sarah Raven’
Bessera elegans
Eremurus x isabellinus ‘Cleopatra’
Pelargonium x ardens
Salvia microphylla ‘Wine and roses’
Rosa ‘For Your Eyes Only’

@VenusClapTrap I've just made myself a cup of tea to do the same. So far I've book marked Dahlia Ripples but there's so much to like.

I am so tempted by the dahlias, even though I have tried many times and they all die on me . I am going to get some ergo pruners and snips.

Last year I bought my dahlias form Sarah Raven and they were fabulous. I bought Waltzing Matilda, Happy Single Kiss and schipppers bronze.

Dahlias like lots of root room and regular feeding. The only failure I have has is when implanted in a tub that was too small. Lesson learned.

Scowls and mutters in the corner because I have checked the doormat and mine hasn’t arrived.

Her catalogue is seductive and pretty irresistible. However, I find the photographs a little over-saturated with colour, so I always do an image search to look at other pics of the same flower before deciding. Also, having chosen something I always compare her price for seeds with Chilterns, and her bulbs/tubers with Peter Nyssen. SR dahlias 3.95 to 4.50 but PeterN 2.00 or 2.50 and they are just as good quality. Petunia Tidal Wave Red seeds are 6.50 for 10 at SR, but 3.95 for 10 at Chiltern.

Did you all get a £10 voucher due to bad service?

I've been saving mine as a treat to read later. I receive the Sarah Raven emails and I think I am going to choose her recommendations for the veg plot and will grow from seed. Our Dahlias (cut price, end of season from the local garden centre) do brilliantly and we never lift them so I may add another couple of types. They are so wonderfully brash.

If anyone wants my coupon £10 it expires 11/1 I can pm it.

It’s must be me, but anything I’ve bought from SR has not done particularly well, but not badly enough to complain.
Last year I bought Dahlias from Wilko, they were spectacular and flowered up to December.

I've usually found Sarah Raven OK. Very tempted by the salvia wine and roses. Bought dahlias from her 3 years ago and they are still going fabulously well - in large containers. I'm going to transplant them this year when the weather warms up.

The best perennials I've bought recently have been from the RHS website - they were fantastic and so well packaged. Not cheap but really good.

@TheQueef

Did you all get a £10 voucher due to bad service?

I did too! Although, I’m still waiting for October delivery of dahlias. Can’t see to get through by phoning; they don’t pick up.

I want some nice giant and species allium, I've had her species allium every year to fill the centre of a triangle bed and they are superb but last years were shocking.
I'm trying a local this year, I kill more than I nurture so want good quality bulbs.

I moght try dark monarch too. I've got Penhill Watermelon and it was lovely. But HUGE. Says 1.6m but mine was well over that it was way over my head. Huge flowers. Labyrinth was hugely productive, masses of flowers from July to October. Jowey Winnie lovely too.

I'm wanting some Salvia Amistad, more Agastache and am then raiding DA for some climbing roses for the back fence and one of those wiring systems that attaches to concrete fence posts.

My allium bulbs were all from Homebase I think! Just pile sensation. Every single one flowered, some were multiple headed too.

Allium Sphaerecephalon (?) are nice, planted mine through bed of stipa tenuissima grass and Mexican fleabane

@TheQueef

I want some nice giant and species allium, I've had her species allium every year to fill the centre of a triangle bed and they are superb but last years were shocking. I'm trying a local this year, I kill more than I nurture so want good quality bulbs.

Have a look at allium Shubertii - they are just stunning ! Also there are Giant Globemaster - very impressive

You can just see Sarah Ravens from the other year I'd like to fill that bed, they like the soil.
Can't wait this year