Budget-friendly easy flowers for patio tubs and where to buy

[Hopthegoodgod]

Not a gardener, but lucky to have large beautiful garden with lots of established flowers and shrubs ( previous owner had a nursery). I would like to fill the patio tubs with easy to grow bright, colourful flowers. However I am on a very tight budget. I am looking for recommendations for cheap/ quick to grow flowers. Where is best place to buy? Local garden centres are lovely but way too pricey . Have tried growing from seed with limited success as Ithink I left it too late and not grown much in the month I sowed them. Advice appreciated.

Most supermarkets have trays of cheap bedding plants. Tesco have loads.

Supermarkets tend to do little trays of the bog-standard easy to grow bedding plants; things like pelargoniums (which may well be incorrectly labelled geraniums), marigolds, petunias, busy lizzies etc. BUT you need to make sure they are in good nick and have been watered properly because they tend to stick them by the door and neglect them so there are often loads of trays of wilting, dying plants.
But anything that looks healthy in a little tray of seedlings is worth a punt. There'll be a label saying what it is, when it flowers, and a picture. I think places like B&M do likewise. Basically lots of places at this time of year branch out into the ordinary bedding plants for people who just want a bit of extra colour in a couple of pots.
Seeds definitely need a bit of skill and attention and often something like a greenhouse or at least a cold frame.

B&M does cheap trays too. B&Q's discounted shelves can be good. There is a Shop watch thread elsewhere.

Do consider getting perennials so you don't have to do this every year. What did you sow, was it straight in the planter or in trays, and how cold has it been overnight? You might not feel like a gardener but you could become one :)

i agree to perennials - buy small and feed well and they will repay you for years, Morrisons had some good 3 for 2 deals.

Home Bargains has very healthy annuals, a reasonable amount of choice and fair prices. I picked up aubrieta last month, then more recently calibrachoas, lobelias, fuchsias, snapdragons and scented leaf geraniums. They also have impatiens, begonias, petunias, dahlias, salvias, rockery plants, roses, hydrangeas etc.