Best place for cheap plants

[Annoyingsquirrels]

I am looking for some cheap colourful plants to brighten up a few pots. Our local garden centres are really expensive and I am wondering where people are currently finding bargins. Are any supermarkets better than others for plants? What about shops like The Range? Any other ideas?

I also need some herbs, do people have much luck in getting the potted ones in supermarkets to grow?

Home Bargains have great plants and flowers for very low prices
The Range has good prices too
Last year I picked some up from Aldi and Asda and they looked great in planters

B&M garden centres, Range - sometimes people advertise them on Facebook to make extra pennies. You can also look at growing them yourself next year - things like marigolds/nasturtiums/minimums are easy to grow at home and you can start them off on windowsills in January then when it warms up move them outside to a temp greenhouse then slowly harden them off - it’s way easier than you think - it’ll save you a fortune!

I also need some herbs, do people have much luck in getting the potted ones in supermarkets to grow?

Yes, I tried it with parsley last year, the plants are still going strong.

I find with buying plants from supermarkets you're best to buy them as soon as they come in as they tend not to be watered so die quickly, but you can get some good bargains if you get the timing right.

B&M have an excellent garden centre locally and I am impressed by quality, variety and price, including the fact they look after them in situ. Everything I've bought has done well and I've been able to propagate them too, so this year from one plant I bought last year I now have 10!

I’ve bought a few plants from Lidl. Quality seems ok. J Parker’s prices are very good but you will probably receive quite small, young plants which need some love and attention to thrive. Not an instant colour fix. And then of course if you have the patience, growing from seed is wonderful (when I goes well)

There’s a whole YouTube sub genre of “bargain store garden centre videos”, ie people filming themselves shopping. The videos are mostly pretty crap, and I turn the sound off, but it’s a good way to know what is currently in stock at Home Bargains, the Range, B&Q etc. and at what price.

Our Home Bargains has very good prices generally and the plants are well kept.

I have bought lots of plants from my local Morrisons over the years at bargain prices. It’s best to buy as soon as the plants arrive, as they don’t get nearly enough light or water in store.

If you are buying large quantities, Dutch Bulbs (aka J Parker’s wholesale) has good prices and the quality is consistent. The minimum order is £50. I just ordered lobelias for May - 60 garden ready plugs for £22, that’s less than half what they cost in my local garden centre.

Really worth trying to find local plant sales, mostly take place in April and May around here (south west) our local one has people lining up an hour before and I can easily end up with a car stuffed full for fifty pounds.. not all of them have an online presence so worth asking around.

Home bargains have six viola for £1.79, four aubretia for £4.99 . Full grown plants and good condition too

I am still gutted I only bought 1 Wisley Vanilla Nemensia for £2.99 from Home Bargains two years ago as it's still going better than either the ones grown from seed or at double the price from the garden centre.

Near me we've got a good Asda and a bad Asda, one Aldi that's great but another that doesn't sell plants at all, and a Morrisons that's OK if you get them when they come in. Wickes can also be surprisingly ok, they had some bargain Senetti daisies last year.

B and M and Lidl
Lidl seems only to sell common cultivars that actually stay alive - not any fancy ones that need pandering to and die

B&Q

Farmer Gracy has 30% off I think and their bare roots and bulbs are good priced.

But for cheap, I also like Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl. And I hate the Range, anything from there has died.

Also, look on Freegle/Freecycle to see if anyone is giving away any divisions. And make friends with other gardeners in general as people might have stuff to split or they no longer want.

It's the perfect time to grow loads of stuff from seed now too.

Car boots are usually good

Just got 24 viola for £5 at Asda. Strong plants in good condition. They also had some herbs there, again healthy. Our small, local nursery has good prices for bigger plants so they are worth checking out. I get so cross when plants are not looked after in shops; you would think it would be someone's designated job when summer bedding comes in.

I go to my local nurseries where the plants will have been grown up in local conditions. Then the plant is likely to last several years, rather than fast fashion summer bedding type plants with all its wasteful plastic and pesticides. I don’t know which area of the country you are in, but there’s lots of good ones drivable from where I live.

I also need some herbs, do people have much luck in getting the potted ones in supermarkets to grow?

Depends which herbs! But generally the key is to split them as soon as you get them. They are hugely overcrowded and won't have enough food/water in the pot they're in. Get some compost (you'll need it for the pots ideally anyway), divide them at least in half but often they can manage quarters or thirds.

if it's something that grows in this country like parsley or mint, leave it outside in the daytime each day for a couple of weeks and then it can live outside full time. Keep mint in pots unless you like digging it out of your borders forever.

If it's something tender like basil, keep it inside. This is also the perfect time to plant things like basil as well- if you like pesto then keep sowing a fresh pot every few weeks so that the new supply is coming through!

B&M for me. Go and have a look, take some photos of the plants and then research what will work for you.
As for supermarket herbs, I find mint and thyme grow well, avoid coriander.

Any cutting exchange group near you?

Thoroughly investigate your local garden centres as most will have a reduced section; keep a list of what plants you’re looking for & go regularly to see what’s been added. Think seasonally - plants which have just stopped flowering - eg spring bulbs, will often be reduced as they don’t look as good but if you know the plant you’ll know if it’ll come back next year. So shop for spring flowering plants later in the year etc.
Also as a PP says keep an eye out for local plant sales and ones at schools, churches, fairs etc. A local plant sale near me is only advertised very locally, nothing online, location is a farm in the middle of nowhere yet people come from miles around, queuing for ages to get in because all plants are under a couple of £s each.
Also look on FB for any local plant free or swap groups.

Sainsbury’s have you got their bedding plants in, I got two pots of lupins for £5, they had lots of healthy looking plants in could have gone mad!
I am new to gardening so just planting what I like the look of, lucky to live in an house that the previously owners where keen gardens so have some lovely established plants that come back every year

Aldi have got plants in for £1.99

Got some great bargains at Asda the other day

I miss Homebase as always found good plants that thrived and were well priced. They also had great pots. B&Q has a decent offer but less so on pots.

i bought two little herb trees from Lidl and they were both dead within days. Rosemary and thyme. They went all crispy and the thyme turned black! £12 they cost and I didn’t even get to use a sprig!

jparkers online is very good, they can be small so you may want to pot them on before you put them out. but particularly if you need a lot for a new bed/garden they are a great option.