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I've decided that I'm going to follow Geoff's advice this year. We had a great little nursery close by but unfortunately, it closed down last year as the owners were retiring. There's another nursery a little further away which I've visited in the past, but it wasn't as good as my local one. It's some time since I visited it, so we had a trip there today to see if it had improved. It does look as though they're trying to build the business up a bit, but they could really do with a wider range of plants. The prices were very competitive though, and it is only January still, so I'll certainly be making a return trip when the gardening season gets under way, and I hope to see a wider selection of plants available then.
Following Geoff's advice, I had a look for plants which were in flower and found some very healthy looking Cyclamen. I was very careful in ensuring that these were outdoor Cyclamen as there's also an indoor variety which wouldn't do very well being planted out in the garden. There was a good range of colours and I decided that I'd buy five plants, each in a different colour way. These cost me a total of £5.00, which I think is very reasonable.
I think this is a great way to ensure there is colour in the garden throughout the year, so I shall be plant shopping again in February.
I also succumbed to a couple of Cowslips. At £1.25 per plant, it would have been rude to leave them behind.
Excellent advice from Mr Hamilton Jo and you have come away with beautiful flowers and foliage. It would have been most remiss of you to have turned your back on those cowslips.
ReplyDeleteGeoff usually gave great advice, didn't he? One of the greats. I love cowslips, I couldn't pass them by.
DeleteThey are very good value! I'm pleased you didn't leave those cowslips behind - every garden should have some.
ReplyDeleteGreat value, I shall return to see what other bargains they have. I don't know why I haven't bought cowslips before, you're right, every garden should have some.
DeleteWow, I had never thought of that tip even though it is sooo simple. I shall be following that advice myself. Your new local nursery sund like they desearve your custom with good quality plants at great prices. I'd go back there!
ReplyDeleteEleanor
Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment. It is such simple advice, but I didn't think of it either. I shall definitely return to the nursery, I'm sure they'll have some more bargains in to the season.
DeleteWhat a great bit of advice Jo...I think I will be taking this on board to cheer myself up on those glum winter days. The cyclamen look great.
ReplyDeleteThe cyclamen are such lovely colours. Flowers which bloom in the depths of winter do cheer us up, I can't wait to find more.
DeleteBest of luck with the cyclamen. I think they are great for bedding out in late summer and autumn. Bit dodgy now but I will keep my fingers crossed for you.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think those that nurseryman call hardy, are usually the same as the others but just 'hardened off". I was in south-west scotland last march and a lady had cyclamen like yours that had stayed outside all winter and still looked great.
I hope they survive, they're such cheery plants. There's definitely cyclamen which are hardy and some which aren't, it's just making sure that you get the right ones.
DeleteI think there is something wonderful about cowslips. so simple but beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love native plants, there's definitely something to be said about the plants which have their origins here. There's some flowers on the plants I bought already, but I can't wait to see them in all their splendour.
DeleteThe late great Geoff Hamilton is still my go to man for advice. I do have books from other gardeners but find Geoffs approach very down to earth. I am lucky enough to be a shart drive away from the gardens he set up at Barnsdale and try to visit them at least twice a year.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and leaving a comment. I think Geoff is greatly missed and will always be so. I'd love to visit Barnsdale, I'm a little further away than you are, but must make an effort to get there.
DeleteA great way to get colour all year round, they look like very good plants for a fiver.
ReplyDeleteI thought they were a bargain. It's a simple way to ensure colour is in the garden throughout the seasons.
DeleteI have got an indoor cyclamen which is beautiful and has flowered prolifically for 3 years.I used to have some outside but they never flowered the same.
ReplyDeleteI have found believe it or not, Morrisons supermarket has some fab plants throughout the year, reasonably priced too.
I love the plants in Morrisons, they're such good value. The only problem is that I don't often shop there. The only plants I grow indoors are orchids, they're easy to keep going and don't need much care, perfect for me.
DeleteThese are just like the ones that I grew from seed and took the seed from this year.
ReplyDeleteThey won't survive outdoors if they are covered in snow. I planted some outdoors in tubs a couple of years ago - a fortnight after it snowed and killed them.
Must try the Great Preston nursery again. No sign of any activity on the Swillington site yet!
I thought the ones you planted outdoors were indoor cyclamens. Never mind, I hope these might get established a little before we have any more snow as outdoor cyclamens are supposed to be hardy to -20C according to an article I read. I don't think there'll be another nursery popping up on the Swillington site so we'll have to make the best of the Great Preston one.
DeleteThey were sold for outdoors Jo and I asked specially if they would be OK outside.
DeleteThey are not the true hardy ones like coum and hederifolia. I think it was the snow that did for mine.
Swillington is definitely not opening as a nursery - the owners told me that they were flattening everything.
So these are just like the ones you bought originally which didn't last outside? I'll be having words with the nursery if the same happens to mine. What good is it advertising something for outdoors if it isn't hardy?
DeleteYes but I think it was the snow piling on top rather than the cold and it was that horrid winter 20010 when the snow hung around
DeleteWell, I'll give them a go. I think lots of us lost one thing or another in the winter of 2010, it wasn't really the best year to be trying out new plants. I'll have to have a scout around articles about cyclamen and see if I can find out which variety I've got, I don't know anything about them, and they were only labelled as outdoor cyclamen.
DeleteJo you must go to Barnsdale,you walk round and can visualise Geoff doing Gardeners World from there.We are also quite a distance from there but in the past have stayed at Barnsdale Lodge.Anniversary treat and always have had to bring something back to grow in our garden,what better way to remember him.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds wonderful. I don't think I'd manage to resist a little something to bring home either, it's a must to remember Geoff by.
DeleteWe've been to Barnsdale and really enjoyed it - I have some photos on my website
DeleteIt's on my wishlist of places to visit.
DeleteCyclamen are gorgeous plants and very cheerful this time of year. I like the idea of buying a plant in flower each month.
ReplyDeleteI've never really grown cyclamen before, just the odd one or two in basket displays, but never in the ground before. They're such lovely bright plants though, great for a splash of colour at this time of year.
DeleteI adore cyclamen and have managed many times to keep them going until the following year. Needs a bit of TLC and attention to do that but they really can be stunning plants :)
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to getting them established in the garden, they'll really brighten the place up. I'm intent on getting more winter colour out there.
DeleteThose Cyclamen look like real bargains at £1 a go. My local Garden Centre is now part of a national chain, and I think they would rather put any unsold Cyclamens on their compost heap then sell them at £1!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find them so cheap, and they look so healthy too. It's such a shame when local places get taken over by national companies, we're not going to have any choice in where to spend our money soon.
DeleteThat's such a good idea, and relatively cheap as well. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great way to get all round colour in the garden. The plants don't have to be expensive.
DeleteThat is a good idea, I want to go to Barnsdale sometime this year, its been on my wish list for a while. Those do look good healthy plants. I love cowslips too, so delicate looking but tough.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll make it to Barnsdale this year, but it's on my wishlist of places to visit.I think Cowslips are such pretty plants.
DeleteHello my lovely, idiot Hobbit lost the link to your blog and has only just managed to find it again.
ReplyDeleteI think it might have been me who made that suggestion many, many months ago. Thank you so much for reminding me because I need to take my own advice, it's looking terribly bare at Bag End right now.
It was indeed you who told me about this in one of your comments a long time ago. I usually put a link in my post to people's blogs if I mention them, but as your blog is private, I obviously didn't. It would be great fun if a few of us did this each month, wouldn't it? It would be interesting to see which plants each of us chose.
DeleteThanks Jo, yes my blog is private so a link would fail (but I do tend to let people in if they ask!) However, I started another on 1st January that is not restricted - wonder if I will keep it up?
Deletehttp://365-photos-bagend.blogspot.co.uk/
It would be a great idea if a few people bought plants each month, I'll be cutting it fine to make some purchases before the end of January but "I'm in" :}
That's quite a challenge, taking a photo and posting every day of the year, I don't think I'd manage to keep it up. I shall keep an eye on your blog to see what purchases you make, I wonder if we get any duplications.
DeleteI bought some cyclamen a few years ago which turned out not to be hardy which was annoying when they were being sold as winter container plants. We're heading towards spring now, even if it doesn't necessarily feel like it so hopefully yours will be fine. We all need a shot of colour at the moment. It's a great idea to pop along to a nursery and garden centre every month.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on getting some cowslips too. I love them.
It's annoying when plants are labelled incorrectly, I do hope mine don't wither and die as soon as I plant them out. I love cowslips too, such tough little things.
DeleteThat is exactly what I do Jo - on Geoff's advice of course. It's alright as long as the plants survive - my record with perennials isn't great. I've tried cyclamen which have disappeared, cowslips are ok though as they self-seed.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that I'm not alone in doing this, I'd be really interested to hear what other plants you buy along the way.
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