Feeling Overwhelmed (and despondent)

Don't forget, if the plant you buy is a perennial, you may be able to divide it. So, before you plant, it split it, at least 2 plants for 1.

 

Hi Mum, take a step and don't worry, gardening is fun and there are many of us that buy plants on impulse simply because it was a good price or we really liked it and then realise when you get home that there's no where for it to go; I've done it before and still do

On the whole though my garden is also done on a budget, I spend as little as possible on it, not because I want to but because we have a family to keep and bills to pay. The garden is important to me though so here's a few things I do to get plants for as little as possible (some will have been mentioned );

• Keep an eye out on freecycle, it's great for plants.
• Keep an eye on stores like Wilko's for their legendary sales on all manner of gardening items; seeds can be bought very cheap when they sell them off.
• If you see a plant you like in someone's garden ask for a cutting, they can only say no, I've got a few plants from cuttings taken from plants in this way.
• Carboot sales are great for plants and can be very cheap.
• Look on Ebay, young plants can be bought cheaply and then grown on for a year before planting out. I've bought a few young 'unusual' shrubs for just 2-3 pound of Ebay this year.
• Lift and divide your own perennials once they're established.
• Collect seeds from your favourite plants.

Back to what you're already bought, anything you don't manage to plant out this autumn and have to stay in pots, just move them to a sheltered spot against a wall or a cold greenhouse when/if the weather gets really bad.

Most of all enjoy your garden, it won't come right straight away, but that's half the fun. Have fun

 

Well, I didn't hit the car boot sales this morning ... I did this instead.

Took the hebes I bought the other day, the one's labelled "reason for sale - dying", which I have had soaking ever since (top pic) and potted them on with some fresh compost, a pinch or two of bonemeal per post, a fresh watering, pot topped off with an inch of bark chipping. Took off most of the browning leaves and in some cases this meant pinching off the top of some shoots. The smaller hebes do seem to have made a teeny improvement for their soak; but one (the largest one) is still looking incredibly wilty and sad. But, I'm not giving up on that one yet. They have now been moved to the holding cell so I can keep an eye on them (second pic)




Spurred on, I remembered the pinks I had pulled out in error a couple of weeks ago which had been sat in a bucket (3rd pic) and decided that I would risk potting those on too and have tucked those away in my secret garden near to a pot with healthy ones in so I can see if any changes are "normal" or if I've killed them.



Now, I shall wait and ... hope