new perrenial front garden

[chilli_grower]

Hi all,

I have not grown flowers before. But am considering planting a load of perrenials in my front garden.

Must be easy maintenance basically...

Is it generally best to buy plants from garden centres etc...

Or is this a good deal, for only £5, for today only!

Perennial Mix Lucky Dip - Cottage Garden Plants - Van Meuwen

I am not bothered about varieties at all....

Thank you

[Bigmallly]

Sounds a great deal for 5 squid CG. Don't forget the 4 squid P&P.

[Gillykat]

If they're plug plants they probably won't flower this year but will grow and get a good size and flower next summer so you'll still need to put something into the front garden if you want colour Hardy annuals like Californian Poppies, Poached Egg Plant, Nasturtium etc are all cheap & cheerful and flower all summer long

I've always found car boot fairs and markets are another good place for getting flowering perennials at a cheaper price than garden centres. And churches/fetes etc will often do plant stalls where you can get some nice stuff too.

I do still buy the odd perennial from a garden centre if it's a variety I like as I find you are guaranteed they'll do well as they're generally well cared for.

And there's al;ways good 'ol Wilko

[Jay22]

I'd be wary of the poppy, do they not seed everywhere? Next door had them in a pot at the front door last year, they are now growing everywhere. Driveway, path etc...and not just his!!

[veggiechicken]

Pop down the Deri Stores and see what they have. I rather spend a tenner there on some decent plants than on 72 teeny plugs that won't do much this year. Scatter some mixed annual or perennial seeds around them and stand back and wait for the compliments.
I have bucketloads of Montbretia going free but its a thug and it'll take over if you don't keep an eye on it. Pretty though

[Gillykat]

I'd be wary of the poppy, do they not seed everywhere? Next door had them in a pot at the front door last year, they are now growing everywhere. Driveway, path etc...and not just his!!

I wouldn't be surprised! Very pretty though

Before I met Neil in 1997 he scattered some Welsh Poppy seeds in his front garden and within three years the whole street had them Whitley Bay has probably disappeared under a sea of yellow by now....

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Pop down the Deri Stores and see what they have.
I have bucketloads of Montbretia

VC? What the heck is a Deri Store?

And I always remember my old Dear referring to Crocosmia as Montbretia, and didn't have a Chuffin clue what she was on about!

Us "Spring Chickens" Eh!

[Containergardener]

Wondered about deri store too ?

I call it montbretia, my parents gave me clumps of theirs which I now have to keep splitting

[Jay22]

Gilly, my mistake, it was WELSH poppies, not Californian which have spread everywhere!

[veggiechicken]

Don't worry - CG knows where the Deri Store is - its my local corner shop that sells fantastic plants at good prices!
As for Montbretia/Crocosmia - I think of the latter as the posh name for all the varieties and keep Montbretia for the orange thug
............and while I'm here, am I the only one who doesn't have Welsh poppies (but I do have seeds)

[chilli_grower]

THanks for all the replies.

I am not bothered about anything flowering this year at all....

I might purchase these plug plants, as they seem a good deal, AND I will pop to local deri store to pop some plants in for some colour this year!!!!

Best of both then (in theory)

[Elfeda]

same deal at T&M and coming with much lower price as they doing free P&P this week end.

Edit: actual deal is for spring annuals. Spring Plant Lucky Dip - Annual Plants - Thompson & Morgan

[SaraJH]

I have lavender in my front garden, I adore lavender. If you can get a good deal on plug plants then I'm sure that you could have a few flowers this year.

I'm also going to be planting 2 X buddleia buzz this year.

Both are very low maintenance and very wildlife friendly.

[Bal]

I had the Van Muewan plug plants and bough the T&m ones. They have been pretty good. Most have survived and bee planted out. They didn't do much the first year, but last year they were brilliant. Even had to divide some this year.

[Gillykat]

As for Montbretia/Crocosmia - I think of the latter as the posh name for all the varieties and keep Montbretia for the orange thug
............and while I'm here, am I the only one who doesn't have Welsh poppies (but I do have seeds)

Hahaha I always think of the orange ones as Montbretia (dad always had them in our garden when I was a bairn and I first got interested in gardening) and Crocosmia are the big red 'Lucifer' ones I've now got both on the plot

As to Welsh Poppies.....Neil loves them so I said he could have some as long as they didn't take over. So I got some seed and sowed it and got.....*drum roll*......one pathetic seedling out of THOUSANDS of seeds!!!! I am now nursing that precious seedling as though it was the last surviving Bee Orchid on the planet! Touch wood it's growing well....