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Did you know the smaller the plant you install in your garden the more likely it is to survive? Garden centres invest time and energy into making their plants look healthy, strong and attractive to make them irresistible to the consumers.
The garden centres want you to buy the larger plants as the profit tends to be greater. Large plants however grow accustomed to their near perfect growing conditions. Advanced plants are likely to go into shock once they arrive at a new home if they do not receive the same level of care and attention they received at the garden centre.
Many experienced gardeners will choose to buy small plants, regardless of the cost, as they know that small plants create the best possible garden in the long run.
As a general rule it is better to install small young plants at higher densities than fewer large plants. Smaller plants tend to catch up to the larger plants within 2 years of installation. Nevertheless sometimes the less expensive smaller plant outgrows and outperforms any neighbouring plants that were installed as advanced stock. Of course this all varies depending on plant species and growing conditions.
If you would like to save even more money consider growing plants from seed. There is loads of fun to be had and it is a fabulous learning experience for young children. Furthermore there is opportunity to witness the amazing diversity of plants. Many plant nurseries tend to stock a limited range of plants to keep their costs down. If you are seeking a more unusual plant or a great tasting tomato that perhaps is not easy to find in garden centre then try a good quality seed merchant.
Seed Parade is an online seed shop that has a wide variety of plants that are not commonly available. Often these plants are referred to as heirloom plants, (cultivars that are no longer widely grown due to the requirements of large scale agriculture). Many of the heirloom plants can offer a more natural, cottage garden look and the veggies can provide more taste than those in the supermarkets.
If you would like to experiment with some seed grown stock for your garden Seed Parade offers a large range of vegetable, flower and herb seeds for less than a pound per packet. Seed Parade also offers a range of sowing and growing instructions, so it’s easy to start growing any type of plant from seed.
This article was written by Garden Beet Ltd and commissioned by Seed Parade.
