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| Yorkshire Flower Pot |
Yesterday morning Paul and I drove over to our local garden centre, we specifically needed a large frost-proof plant pot, two hostas and some grass seed for a bare patch on the lawn. The garden centre was very quiet, there were only a couple of other customers wandering about. The pot section seemed quite depleted but we managed to find a very big terracotta pot that would accommodate one of our cordylines that has outgrown its current pot. Then we headed to the hosta section. It’s probably the wrong time of year to buy them but there were only a couple of scrappy looking plants on the shelf. We took them anyway, hopefully next year they will thrive. Grass seed? No, sorry we have no grass seed. A garden centre that doesn’t sell grass seed!
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| Polar Express at the garden centre |
Overall it was a disappointing visit. The selection of plants and fundamental garden products seemed diminished. But there was a lot of activity indoors where they were building a Santa Polar Express ride and putting up Christmas trees covered with fake snow. Good grief, it’s only the beginning of September!
On the way home we called into a small, family-run nursery tucked away on an industrial estate. We bought two healthy looking hostas at half the price of the garden centre. Not a Christmas bauble in sight.
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| hostas planted to replace the nemesia that had gone to seed |
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| cordyline in his new pot |
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| the black manga grass is coming on nicely after a slow start |
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| pink roses and gladioli add a splash of colour |
You can't go wrong with a Yorkshire Flower Pot. It isn't widely known but Bill and Ben both lived in genuine Yorkshire Flower Pots. When the Santa Polar Express is complete will you and Paul be going back for a magical Christmas ride?
ReplyDeleteI could be tempted. If I'm a good girl perhaps Santa will have a gift for me.
DeleteWe have one exceptional garden centre near us and the rest are very second rate. When I said this to the owners of the really good place he said that they grow all their own plants from cuttings taken at the correct time of year from their healthiest stock whereas most smaller placces buy their plants in.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to me that a lot of the garden centres nowadays buy their stock in.
DeleteGarden centres as such are not nurseries of old, they are retailers.
DeleteYour garden looks lovely and features a nice variety of plantings. Today I planted 3 old gold junipers on a gentle slope leading to my two pear trees. My garden centers are low on supplies too and everything is on sale. Hostas are a favorite, unfortunately all of mine were eaten by deer. Montana was my most prized hosta.
ReplyDeleteOur hostas usually do well providing we can keep the slugs away. They are a favourite of mine.
DeleteYour garden pots look good.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel x
DeleteI should drop by my local garden centre and see if they have any bargains. I'd like another rhubarb and some spring bulbs but I'm not quite ready for any Christmas stuff!
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit early for Christmas stuff isn't it!
DeleteThe hostas look good in that planter.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of "black grass", but never heard it called "Manga". Always known it as ophiopogon.....which is actually a member of the lily family apparently!
I meant to say Mondo grass, it's supposedly easier to remember than ophiopogon! It's a new plant that I bought last year to soften the expanse of hard terrace.
DeleteThe Hostas look lush in their smart pot, and the cordyline looks a very healthy plant.
ReplyDeleteI love the Mondo grass, and must check if they sell it at one of the local garden centres. My garden is covered with large areas of very boring (but mainly maintenance free) gravel, from the time when we had three very active dogs, who'd hurl themselves round for hours on end! I'm looking for ways to soften the landscape and grasses are something I hadn't considered.
Christmas decorations already - a friend tells me that she always buys her Christmas cards in August!
In addition to the Mondo grass I have a clump of Elijah Blue grass and another one that I've forgotten the name of. I like the random effect of them.
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