Show us your gardening purchases 2025

I know I said I wasn't going to buy many plants as going to be selling up soon as house finished. However...... I had slow puncture on car and took her to a tyre place this morning. He extracted a split pin from the tyre and patched the hole, so I didn't need a new tyre ( as I expected). Cost me £7 !! So, as I'd saved money I thought I'd treat myself to lunch at garden centre, but it was packed again. The Hebe cost less than the price of lunch and I could take it with me when I move

 

I love the way we manage to justify these impulse buys! You came home quids in, plus a plant and calories, @luciusmaximus! Success!

 

I bought a second cold frame from Lidl. The other one has lasted pretty well (I replaced the lid polycarbonate last month but fair enough). I needed more room for seed trays to harden off! The only warning I'd give if you buy one is to make sure you use the metal stakes to hold them down - they're lightweight.

 

It was only £7.50 and the best of the bunch. Leaves looked a bit curly and wilted. It's had a drink and I'll plant it into the pot tomorrow. The pot was reduced by £2 and I chose not to spend £6.49 on a jar of coffee, so that's the tree paid for ! .

 

A bit off topic, but no where obvious to put this from a different site.
"Incidentally, is it common knowledge that Suttons, Van Meuwen, The Organic Garden Catalogue, Dobies and Thompson & Morgan are now owned by the same people?"

 

That's interesting @NigelJ . I knew about dobies and the organic garden, but didn't about the others

 

Turns out ultimate owner is BVG who are based in India.

 

I’d guessed at the link between S, VW, D and T&M as they all use exactly the same photos and sometimes have a variety of a plant pictured that doesn’t seem to exist anywhere else, making assessment of the level of “enhancement” tricky. Never looked at the OGC, so didn’t know it was also connected.

 

I used to love looking through the T&M catalogue as a youngster, lots of photos and interesting plants. Then when I got a garden I bought some seeds from them and after a couple of seasons it registeres that the photos were all close up and the large flower shown was only 1 - 2 cm across. So since then apart from the occasional packet of seed on offer somewhere I've not bought from them since.

 

Quite agree, T&M used to provide a wonderful selection of annual and perennial seeds, even shrubs and trees. Then economics bit and the cost to register such a wide selection made it u nsustainable. I haven't had a Chiltern Seeds catalogue since Brexit but looking online, I get the impression that they've gone the same way. Thank goodness for smaller, independent companies!

 

T&M used to have a section at the back of the catalogue of seed listed with no pictures, I'm not sure how fresh the seed was as a lot never germinated for me, but it grabbed my attention and started me on growing more unusual plants, many not available anywhere else.

I think I then moved on to Chilterns and had more success with their seed.

I've order a couple of packets of seed from Chilterns recently, I think they are still independent, but for how long I dont know.

I get the impression most of these companies just source their seed from the same places anyway.

 

Yes! I used to love the back of T &M - bible thin paper with mysterious seed names(very pre Google!).

 

The most recent one for seed of unusual plants was Plantworld in Devon? I felt the owner went off at a bit of a tangent on filling the catalogue with his personal favourite species, though, and finds from his plant-hunting expeditions. Is it still on the go?

 

Oh yes, I bought seed from Plant world this year! A very eclectic list, and I had to curb myself. It's his fault I have loads of dierama in my garden. I bought a packet of his "mixed varieties" previously and they germinated like cress!

 

I have used Plant World seeds, but had mixed results. They do say they collect seed from their nursery/garden.
Recently I've used Special Plants for some seeds and also Jungle Seeds both have some different things. Special Plants also offer mail order plug plants of some of the seeds they sell, worth a look.