What is the best value/ bargain plant you have bought.

After the very harsh winters 2-3 years ago, we lost our bay tree and, surprise, surprise when I went to replace it there was nothing less than £50 for a small specimen.

I wasn't going to pay that and wandered off to the herb section and there in one little overcrowded pot were about a dozen little bay trees all about 4" high for £3.

I took them home, soaked the tangled root ball overnight, managed to separate them all and repotted them up individually. They grew into lovely shrubs and I gave them all away, bar one I kept for myself, which is now 4' and thriving,

I bought a very sad, droopy-looking orchid that had been dramatically marked down in price. I bought it because it looked so sorry for itself and Mr absent is rather good with orchids. He thought I was mad, but tended it with loving care and lots of orchid food. My three-year-old grandson now talks about the sad plant that has become a happy plant. We hope it is going to flower this year – it certainly looks very healthy. I think I paid about £2.00-3.00 – in its present condition, it would be selling for £35-45.

We once bought what looked like an 18" stick from Woolies for 15p. Planted it - purely by chance - in what turned out to be the best location and it grew into a magnificent 8ft forsythia. DH is very fond of dead looking sticks and has had quite a lot of success with them....the dogwood thing almost took over the garden.

After the other thread, I went and had a look at eBay plants. Have now got a multi-coloured buddlehia sitting on the doorstep while I try to find a spot for it. Three colours in one though. Bargain or what?!

I remember Woolies "dead sticks". Often very good!

Most garden centres have a 'sad' plant section. It's the first place I head for!

It would appear that it's not only the DIY stores and supermarkets that don't know how to look after plants!

BTW our local Sainsbugs( food store) was selling beautiful 3ft high Acers for £10 this weekend. Compareable to £30 ones in the garden centre. Maybe they're on offer across the country.
x

I think Aldi has taken over from Woolies. Our Aldi is next to B&Q so I wanted over and look at the outside display. I bought a dry crainsbill geranium root in a plastic bag for 99p.

It's now 3 plants growing in their nursery pots.
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Wandered*

Just recently my local Lidl had some indoor house plants on offer.
I bought a Gloxinia for £1.99, but it didn't look particularly lively or thrilling but had several buds. Now they have opened it is definitely the best house plant I have ever had, with the most gorgeous reddish-pink flowers with frilly edges, absolutely beautiful. And so many buds forming that there isn't enough room for them to open, so I have cut off some of the bigger leaves.
Definitely a bargain.

When we moved to our current home I had a large overgrown garden to sort out and very little money.

I happened to look into my local Woolworths when they were having an end of season sale of all the plants that were left. I bought 23 roses and shrubs for £24. I nurtured them and planted them with care and 18 years later, all but one or two I removed later when the border got overcrowded, are still doing well.

I wanted a yellow hellebore, and they can cost around £30. I bought one on eBay for £3. There have been loads of good bargains, but that one thrilled me most because I had been looking for a good lemon yellow for years.

A neighbour and I have filled a bit of rubbly ground in our car park with freebies and plants from garden centre 'sick bays'. The most successful have been some purple perennial wallflowers for 10p each. They flower all year round! I have posted a photo on my profile. It is difficult to see, but the aquilegia and other perennials from free seed, naturally occurring ox-eye daisies, border geraniums from division, (not to mention dandelions) etc. are a picture!

Shysal I love your guerrilla gardening photo. There needs to be more of it to make the world prettier and encourage wild life. Beautiful garden, as well. x

Love the garden photos too but I see you other interest is cakes, lots of them !!

Yes caz, in a very amateur way, just for close family. Doing a Memphis the Musical themed one today for DGS1's 16th tomorrow. It will have his initials through the centre of the cake.

I was just about to say - forget the guerrilla gardening, look at those CAKES!

You're a clever lady shysal. Your cakes look amazing.

My prize specimen in my garden is a very beautiful, delicate purple acer. We have had it for almost 20 years and it is much admired. Even more so because we picked it up for £1 in our local nursery as they said it was not fit for sale! I am very worried today though as I am not sure it will survive the gale that is blowing!!

Shysal put a pic of the cake up please so I can drool over it. Will it have an Elvis on it? (will drool even more!)

Back to the bargain plants. I bought 4 extremely tatty pansy plants last August for a small hanging basket outside my back door. They have been in flower continuously ever since, 10 months, all for the princely sum of £1.00.

Like you, caz, I thought the musical would be about Elvis, but not so. It is set in Memphis at the time of segregation of blacks/whites. DGS went to the West End on Friday for his treat. I cheated for the cake design by copying a photo from the theatre site and having a personalized icing topper made. It is A4, so cake is huge!

Sorry, J52, for going off piste on your thread.

Don't worry cake and plants go well, with a nice cup of tea! x

Here you are Caz, pictures of cheat's cake on my profile. I can recommend personalised cake toppers from Ebay, only £3.73 with free P&P.
I will disappear now, J52, and stop spoiling this thread!

Thank you for sharing your cake shysal, virtually anyway, it was brilliant. I am not a cake maker myself but have a couple of friends who are, so I will pass on the cake topper info.