Show us your gardening purchases 2025

Well, my being a subscriber to GW didn't last long! I had an email this morning to say that I can't have the offer of 14.99 as I have used it before, and will have to pay £24.50.
No thanks! I wouldn't mind, but it didn't say anywhere that it was only available to new subscribers (I don't think).

 

@katecat58 I pay £19.99 every 6 months for GW. Weird how the prices vary.

 

@Busy-Lizzie, I have subscribed to The English Garden instead for a change.

 

Not exactly for the garden but the first daffs of the year, courtesy of tesco

 

Yay! Well done. Knew it would not be too long before you spotted a bunch. Mine are opening beautifully. Often, this early in the season, you have to do a bit of midwifery with a pair of tweezers to prize the petals away from the trumpet.

 

Am I right in thinking you need to recut the stems to get them to open properly, they keep them dry in the shop to stop them opening and the cut tends to heal over.

 

I do cut off the bottom inch at a slant. Daffs like to be in only an inch of water, changed daily … and they hate to share a vase with other types of flower apparently, though I have no idea why.

 

Oops look what fell into my shopping basket Thursday!

 

So I'm told they kill other flowers if in the same vase.

 

Daffodils are poisonous, hence the fuss when M&S displayed the budded stems in the fruit and veg section, I think it was last year . According to a search, “the bulb, stem and petals contain a toxic chemical called lycorine. The daffodil bulb contains the highest amounts of lycorine. Lycorine is highly poisonous, and can be fatal if ingested in a large enough amount.”

 

I read somewhere, yrs ago, that we share 25% of our DNA with daffodils. Makes you think!

 

Today I drove past two garden centres but didn't stop That's bad isn't it !

 

In contrast to @Michael Hewett, I did stop at 2 garden centres today Having said that, with these temperatures, it's me who is the odd one out..

In general, I am looking to add more evergreens to my garden, but I find most evergreens boring. So I was chuffed to find something I like, in the second garden centre. I am a sucker for this loose growth and leaf style, but I usually find it on deciduous plants.

This is a cotoneaster berried treasure.

 

That should be a good doer, @CostasK.

I, too, had a meander round the GC today, pretty much the only customer outside as it was so flippin’ cold. I resisted a Heuchera Licorice and a bi-coloured cyclamen. I swerved the fern section as I knew temptation would lurk there. I closely examined the available dahlias, but none was quite what I had in mind. I searched for the plug bedding plants, but apparently those won’t appear for a couple more weeks. I was just on the verge of escaping without a purchase when a teeny ivy coughed politely as I walked past. Having attracted my attention, it pointed out it was an extremely perky specimen and would be absolutely no bother to look after, willing to fend for itself in a little corner making no demands. Plus, its price was reasonable so, even though it realised I hadn’t been considering getting an ivy, if I could see my way clear to releasing it from captivity via the till, it would be very grateful. Pretty please.

Thus, it came to pass that a white-variegated, 3” tall Hedera Helix plant travelled home with me. I don’t need it. I could just take a cutting from one I already have. But, if you frequent garden centres, you must expect this sort of thing to happen.

Photo tomorrow as it’s dark now.

 

That’s very kind of you @ViewAhead, saving an irresistible plant, well done .