Show us your gardening purchases 2025

I agree with you @Nigel, I prefer books and magazines, never been tempted to buy a Kindle.

 

I got a Kindle years ago when I was trekking as the paperwhite was easy to read in an unlit tent, it held a lot of books, it was light and the charge easily lasted me two to three weeks.
These day's it's good for taking to appointments where I have to wait.

 

I haven't got a Kindle but a Kobo which at the time could magnify the text which the Kindle couldn't do. It was handy when I was working to read whilst eating my lunch, I could prop it up and my hands were free. I still use it daily and you can download free books from the library service.

 

Bm store have bulbs on sale. Couldn't resist.

 

Ooh, think I'll take a walk down this afternoon and see if mine has got any.

 

Bought a simple rain gauge yesterday. Of course as soon as I got it the rain stopped.

 

Typical ! but don't worry, rain is never far away

 

I had to buy a new one recently as the old one had become brittle and starting to crack.
Yours looks better than the one I got, I cant even see the numbers with my glasses on.

 

I’ve never considered getting a rain gauge. Is there any advantage over the normal practice of looking at the sky and a weather app?

 

No, I don't think there's any real practical purpose. I just felt I'd like to know exactly how much rain had fallen! We had 1.5mm today.

@pete I'm very pleased with it. It was less than a fiver, and turned out to be made in Germany not China!

 

I've collected my annual rainfall for over 10 yrs now, I just like to keep a record, you have to keep the climate change geeks under scrutiny.
I wish I had started longer ago.

 

Thanks to @Alisa , I bought half price bulbs too. I got a couple of fritillaries (aurora and red baron), some white and tricolour species crocus, double tulips and hyacinth. The frits had some roots but still felt solid, and the others were dormant. Potted up and covered with clay plant saucers to avoid mice getting in.

 

I checked my local B&M but they didn't have any. Probably just as well, I ended up planting hundreds of bulbs just before Christmas last year!

 

Is there one of these threads for 2026 ? I can't find one so I've put these here.
I bought them on 30th December anyway ...

On the way to the rescue centre where I got Dewi, I had to pass a nice garden centre, and because I was early I called in there and bought three cacti which I haven't got, and two other plants and here's a photo of them :-

 

What are the two Michael? The one on the right looks like the varigated Pelargonium. A very good day for you then. How is Dewi today?