Where do you buy your house plants?

[PorridgeIsYummy]

Hi, I'm looking at buying a few house plants. Is it a good idea buying them online or is it best sticking to garden centres? Any recommendations?

I would always want to see the plants and choose the healthiest-looking one. I love house plants and have amassed quite a collection - my favourite sources are the likes of Dobbies, Tesco, B&Q (surprisingly good range and well-priced) and I have also picked up some lovely big healthy plants at Lidl at very good prices. M&S can also be good though perhaps a bit on the dear side. Some of my best buys have been marked-down foliage plants in all of the above-mentioned shops or local garden centres (marked down because they are near their "best by" date). Not only do I get a bargain but I feel like I am rescuing the plant as well!

Aldi's has recently had some gorgeous ferns and spider plants in and mine has sprouted in the last two weeks. Also M&S is good and B&Q.

I've always found the indoor plants from Homebase to be the best. I have 2 beautiful peace lilies from there that flower continuously, unlike the one I bought from Wyvale garden centre at nearly double the price that has never once produced a flower.

DD has 2 cacti - one from Ikea , one from Urban Outfitters (very £)

I have an ivy in the bathroom from B&Q (it didn't like the kitchen on the freezer but thrives in the steam of the bathroom)

It's not just the plants though, you need to upgrade their pots every so often, I had to buy the ivy a frame to climb up too

Mine are a mixture of garden centres, B&Q and supermarkets. My favourite houseplant came from Tesco!

Ikea, lidl, Car boot.

Do you houseplant folks regularly re-pot them, and if so, what compost do you use? Mine are all outgrowing their pots and I'm worried about killing them when I move them!

I use ordinary compost and it does well, grows huge. But I also feed my plants using baby bio once a month.

I just yesterday had to split a violet in two as it outgrew the post and showed it was clearly two separate plants. So fingers crossed it goes well but find violets always do well. I have also just replanted two ferns so fingers crossed I do not kill them, I always end up killing ferns so going to do some research on them.

Ikea- and they are all fake

I had a really bad track record of keeping Ikea houseplants alive until I started immediately repotting them with fresh compost. Now I have several that are thriving.

Thanks! Lots of useful information here. I have a B&Q very close to me and will try that. I will also investigate car boot sales, I hadn't thought about them!

I use ordinary compost but always check first (google) whether the plant suits it, after I almost killed off my favourite plant which actually needed an acid soil.

No advice on ferns as I am struggling with mine. I have several boston ferns that are looking a bit meh. I've been experimenting and have spread them out in different locations round the house to see if there's a particular spot where one does better. I wouldn't persevere if it wasn't for the fact that the fronds are so pretty - fussy buggers!

Morrison's!! Nicely surprised at the quality!
Bought a couple for the bathroom for a pound each and they flourishing!! 3 @£3 each for other rooms all blooming!!

Homebase - always a good selection, reasonably priced, and they get different ones every few weeks. In my local branch they put them by the entrance so it's hard to resist them. I've had one or two from B&Q too.

Anywhere to be honest. Lots mentioned about.

I just check they are healthy. That is in a planting pot with drainage holes at the bottom. They probably will be, but if you get them from a boot sale or market they might be repotted into a pot. (Better to put the plant in the planting pot (with the drainage holes) in to pot (the attractive pot that is).

When you're buying take a look at the bottom. Seeing roots coming out the drainage holes means it needs a bigger planting pot. Either look for a plant that isn't potbound or buy that one a re-pot it.

Interesting thread as I’ve been thinking of buying some houseplants but have absolutely no idea about plants and any that I have had have not survived!

What type of plants would be recommended for a downstairs toilet (smallish plant) and for a hallway (larger plant)?

I love my plants from IKEA and they are growing really well, I've got 3 different ones so far and now want some of their huge ones.

Ikea are good, I also have a Ficus from Wilko that cost me a fiver and is doing very well.

My IKEA plants are doing really well too. I am an "over waterer" though and am always having to hold back - but they are doing OK despite that.

Ikea is a good shout. But most supermarkets too. I find even Waitrose is cheaper than our local garden centre, though couldn’t say whether there’s any difference in quality.

Great thread. I am trying to keep some spider plants alive — not exactly aiming high, but for some reason I’m just terrible with house plants and they all always die.

Have any of you ended up with those little gnats that fly up out of the soil when you’ve repotted? Any advice on how to get rid of them/ save the plants?

ikea, wilko, Sainsburys, local market

peace lilies are good
Sains has ficus in a nice pot for £7 at the moment

I agree peace lilies are good. They don't need too much light and droop if thirsty.

Finding the right position is sometimes tricky so it's worth moving them if they're not thriving.

I'm lazy about repotting and should do it more often. I did repot a large spider plant but the new pot was too big and it took ages to perk up again.