Show us your gardening purchases 2025

Well, at least people won’t mind being behind us in the queue, @pete. We could club together to make it a fiver’s worth.

 

They’ll be pleased to see ya, @Fat Controller.

 

Today I bought a watertight pot, to turn into a small pond. It was priced at only £29.99 at B&M (they actually charged me £5 less, because they couldn't find the barcode and used that of a similar item, even though I told them what the actual price was).

I put it in place and thought "hmm.. yes, this looks as cheap as it is was" After tweaking the positioning and putting some rocks around it, I am now OK with it. It should improve further by tweaking the rocks a bit and adding plants - both within the pot as well as around it (the rockery it replaced was bigger and now there is more empty space).

 

Nice find @CostasK , in particular with the surprise discount!

Can you dig a hole and sink it in a bit? That would blend the surroundings in. What are you planning to plant it with?

 

Thanks @Selleri

I wish I could.. Under that spot, there is the root of a leylandii tree that I murdered 4 years ago. I was hoping that I would be able to take it down a bit, but it is still rock solid. I hate those things so much.. I could try again with some dynamite I guess But it does bother me, so I might have to think of a plan.

As for the plants to put in it, I don't know yet actually. I wanted to see how I would feel about having a container with water within the border first, before doing lots of research on plants. They need to be small and happy with shade. And I will need to add some oxygenating ones as well.

 

If you hadn’t mentioned how cheap it was @CostasK, I thought it was one of those antique galvanised containers . A big improvement on the tree stump. I had a huge conifer cut down here over 11 years ago, the stump has lost the bark but nothing else .

 

Thank you very much @Plantminded Always so kind.

The container is of course pure plastic. I would love a stone-built pond fit for a mansion.. But then I would also need the mansion. My house doesn't quite meet that description...

I think with a few tweaks and some nice plants, it can work for now. And if the experiment is successful (I say experiment because I have never had a pond before, even something as small as this), I can potentially budget for a better one after the first year.

 

Never mind the mansion, @CostasK. Think of all the cleaning and maintenance. You’d never have time to get out in the garden. My ideal would be a teeny abode in the middle of a giant field!

 

You could try adding some more rocks, gravel, bits of wood , grasses, etc around the pond to blend it in a bit more perhaps. I've got same problem with my plastic pot and it's going to have to sit on the block paving or patio slabs. I'm looking forward to seeing how your pond develops

 

My ideal, too! Really dislike my " concrete " garden space. I want a proper garden with trees and shrubs and lots of grass.

 

Thank you @luciusmaximus

Yes, I definitely want to add more plants on the sides. Actually, there is already a blue hosta on the right which is just breaking dormancy. The area on the left will definitely need new plants. For within the container, I wonder if I can get something that can live in water but has a trailing habit and combine that with something more upright. I might be asking for too much though

I think before that, I will remove everything and try to chip away a bit more of that old root, as hard as it was last time. Maybe if I use my drill with a thick drill bit, make lots of holes and then go at it with my mattock again, I might manage an improvement.

 

I needed a low-growing shrub to fill a gap in front of my new rambling rose so I went looking for the Berberis varieties that were recommended by @Plantminded and @Perki on another thread. I found 'Orange Rocket' and probably would have bought it if this one - 'Neon' - hadn't been stood next to it.