upset Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 In the garden centres? I want to plant up a gift basket for a mother's day gift rather than pay the florist rip off prices - are there flowering plants available now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez2 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Are you asking about spring or summer bedding plants? I don't thinks it fair to call them "rip off". Would you expect a business to do something for nothing ie not make a profit on their work? To keep plants as inexpensive as possible perhaps you should have a go at growing some from seed? I haven't planted my summer bedding seeds yet as I planted early last year and they were ready for planting out before the risk of frost had passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upset Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 I don't know as I am not experienced in bedding plants. I mean plants that will look nice in a basket. No, I would not expect a business to do something for nothing. However, I do expect them to charge the same price for the same thing a few weeks apart and not inflate their prices just because of the day you want to buy them being "an occasion". For example, I bought a hand tied bouquet at the end of January for a person at work going off on maternity leave. £20. I went back to the same florist on February 14th and asked for the exact same thing, also for someone leaving work on what just happened to be valentines day. £35. Looking at the baskets available now that contain 2 plants and some ivy for £25, I think that is pretty steep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez2 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Seasonal pricing as you describe is to do with supply and demand. I buy potted orchids or other gifts for Mothersday to avoid this fluctuation in prices. It depends on how big the basket is and the quality of it. I agree that sometimes they are expensive but I don't go to 'run of the mill' garden centres for that reason. I've done my own garden for twenty seven years and seen a lot of changes in that time in garden centres. You get better value if you can find a plant nursery that grows their own plants from seed. A lot of them dont raise thier own plants any more. Work out how much the basket, plants and compost would cost you to see if you are getting value for money. You can't put summer bedding out until the end of May unless you can cover it to keep it frost free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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