Low cost gardening tips please?

[stirling]

Hello,

OK I've been gardening for 4 years now. Complete novice, making it up as I went along! Now some of my Hardy perennials are definitely dead and dried up and not looking like they're coming back. Need to replace several plant (containers) and actually, some of the vile plastic containers too. Went to the local garden centre, picked up a few plants, a bag of compost and some fertiliser it came to a staggering £80.

Where is the cheapest place to buy plants and clay pots?
I have packs of seeds but no idea what I'm doing with those, so feel safer with potting plants and herbs for now.

Thank you

Tell me about it I just spent £80 in the garden centre. Look out for local plant sales or buy them smaller from online or actual plant nurseries (some of them have open day sales). Even better if you are patient grow them from cuttings. The perennials take years to grow so £££.

I did quite well with begonia tubers - tuberous things a bit like bulbs that grow nice flowers and then you can dig them up, store in dry dark place in dry compost and use again next year. Look at the bigger packets near the seeds for these.

GoWalkabout thanks for this

Garden centres are £££! For pots, compost etc try Pounstretcher/B&M/Home Bargains or local Arkwright type shops. Also the Range and supermarkets. No idea if the plants are better quality but mine seem to grown ok.

Facebook marketplace in my area has a lot of people selling plants they've grown in their own gardens. I bought 3 Iris for £3 this week. Morrison's have a good selection of plants and the pound shop often have a lot of bare root plants in packets.

Otherwise, make friends with a gardener or find a gardening group local to you. Often we will be splitting plants and happy to pass on.

Car boot sales are a good source of pots. When they can start up again obviously.

I too was going to suggest home bargains. I got some large pots (although plastic) there that were cheaper than B&M- which I initially though was very good value too.

our local Morrisons has a pop-up garden tent in the carpark. They currently have a smaller terracotta pots 2 for £3 and a much larger (might be 40cm wide) 2 for £10. Best value I've found.

Lidl and aldi sell seeds. Some for as little as 29p each, but do check how many seeds are in the pack. I found some only have 6 seeds inside! The ones are asda, B&Q, garden centre etc might have 50 or more seeds, but do cost a bit more.

I've also found wilko and poundland have some bargains. Potato bags, plant labels and often half price plants. Yesterday I got strawberry plants at B&Q for £1 each! The exact same variety was £2.99 at aldi last week because it was in a larger pot!

You could also put an advert on olio or freecycle for free seeds or seedlings.

I have packs of seeds but no idea what I'm doing with those
Why not? They have the instructions on them. Get sowing!

I second Morrisons and Wilko for bargains. Sometimes Lidl. Seldom Aldi, they seem to have no idea how to look after plants (they are usually wind-blown, dried-out and dying).

Our local Aldi is quite good for plants, but maybe they have someone who likes gardening working in that department.

I am very much a novice too. Something I have learned though is that it is often a lot cheaper to buy a plant and grow it on for a few years than to buy the larger ones from the garden centres. For example, Morrisons sell small but nice acers, I bought some a couple of years ago and they were either £5 or £8. I have grown them on nicely and they have put on a few inches in height. Different varieties have grown at different rates. Plants of a similar size in B&Q this afternoon were £30 or more.

Supermarkets and Wilko have reliable cheaper plants. You have to keep going, as stock doesn’t always sit around for very long. But I’ve had lovely clematis, jasmine and viburnum from wilko, as well as bulbs. They’ve often had ceanothus, as well as non flowering shrubs.

Tesco and Waitrose near me are much better than Sainsbury’s. I buy loads three including previously cherry blossoms and scabious, salvias, lupins, agapanthus etc. But I also have a 10p acer from morrisons which is doing well.

My local Homebase is also on the cheaper end, much cheaper than garden centres.

Try something like Freecycle too and say that you're looking for anyone with cuttings. We moved into a house with a far fancier garden than we would have put in and I frequently have to take out things which could be split or repotted if someone could use them.

Or do you have a local charity plant sale? Our village has one each year so if you find something similar especially if you don't rush in at the beginning you could get a bargain.

Local Facebook garden groups for cheap plants and swops. Learn how to take cuttings and if you see something nice in a front garden knock on the door and ask what it is, and ask for a cutting or bit of it I'd appropriate.

Thanks so much for the brilliant suggestions everyone. Making notes here

I managed to grow loads of snapdragons (can’t remember proper name) from ancient seeds my mum gave me last year. Just followed instructions to best of my limited ability (think I actually used a plastic tray from veg to sow them in) and lots came up. My best buy was one of those green plastic covered growhouses for starting off seeds. Not the lovely wooden one I wanted, but less than £40 and will do for now.
Sweet peas from seed too, and I’ve bought some perennials to try this year. At 99p a packet I feel it is not the end of the world if nothing comes of it.

I grew lots of veg from seed, transplanting seedling into old raised beds passed on from my brother that I spruced up with some paint. I used top soil to fill the bottom half of each and compost on the top to save money. I’m adding soil improver this year and making nettle feed from the plentiful supply that comes through from the neighbouring field. Resorted to plastic pots and even old washing up bowls when I ran out of space.

Used sticks from pruning (or brought home when walking dog) to supplement bamboo cane supports.

Joined local Facebook gardening and freebie groups to share seeds, cuttings, plants, pots, etc.

If you are looking for the odd plant here and there then the above are good suggestions. If you have a reasonable amount you need then contact your local garden designers. We source plants from trade so are getting 2Ls for a quarter of the price you are buying them in the garden centres. They are also much better healthier because they are not being forced into flower to entice sales.

You really need to be ordering a minimum of 5 of each plant and a total quantity of over 100 for perennials though.

I'd concentrate on growing herbaceous perennials from seed. If you can team up with someone else and swap your seedlings that would help too.

If you know someone with a lovely garden, pick your favourites and ask to take cuttings? The RHS Propagation book is great for instructions specific to the plant regarding dates and method of propagation.

If you have peonies, don't buy supports for them, when they are growing and nearly full height, but not in full leaf, loop wire round the whole clump of stalks - it will be invisible, looks nicer and is cheap. Works with a lot of other plants too

Never hoe, only hand weed when you are sure it's a weed or you will be destroying tiny self sown plants that you can transplant all over the rest of your garden

Especially near your dead perennials

If you're after ceramic pots the good ones are always pricey. You might get lucky at one of the discount shops, on FB marketplace, etc but generally it's an expensive way to do it.
Do you have bare earth to plant into? Much more cost effective than decorative pots.
What about building a planter and painting it? Not too difficult for someone reasonably handy.
As for plants I only rarely buy them. Seeds and bulbs, yes, they are great value. Learn to propagate the plants you already have. From one plant you can make hundreds more.
Check if you have a local Facebook plant swap group . I get most of my plants for free that way, trading with the small plants I've propagated.

Some perennials are not showing new growth yet so don't be too hasty in giving up hope.
Divide perennials to make new plants.
Look out to see if there's a local horticultural society who sometimes have cheap plant sales. Make friends with allotmenteers.
Buy living herbs from the supermarket and plant ( chives etc) as its often cheaper than buying the plant.
Go for standard easy going things that will self seed - foxgloves/ feverfew/ calendula.
Sometimes florists sell off unsold planted arrangements very cheap, which can go in the garden and flower the next year - particularly bulbs.
Swap a trowel of something with a neighbour.

Another tip is asking friends and neighbours if you can take cuttings from shrubs etc in their gardens. Why not, they'll probably be flattered.

Some things that are easy to grow from seed: lupins, tomatoes, pelargoniums, lavender, basil, poppies, carrots, salad, potatoes (sticking actual potatoes in the ground)

Not all perennials have started growing again as it's been too cold; are you sure yours are indeed dead? Perhaps give them a couple more weeks?

Do you have friends with established gardens? Ask them if they can give you plants when they split theirs or take plants out because they have grown too big. Village fetes and village shops often sell plants cheaply.

I wouldn't recommend plants from supermarkets like Lidl or Tesco or even BnQ because they are often of poor quality and don't grow well.

Be creative, my favourite planter is an old Belfast sink I got from Facebook for £15, also have made huge wooden planters from free old decking boards and have created planters from free bricks / curb stones and concrete blocks. I don't like plastic because it degrades and looks tired fast

I haunt the rescue me shelf at garden centres and will happily pick up plants that are past their flowering season this year but will come up next year for pennies

Spring bulbs that come up every year for minimal work

Alpines and sedums work well in planters instead of annuals that need replaced often garden centres will have 4 for £10 on small pots of herbs, alpines etc

Supermarket herbs can be grown in the garden, just give things like rosemary time to establish before harvesting

Learn how to take cuttings (with permission) and propagate for free, my compost bins give me free compost