A General Guide to Picking Out the Best Plants at the Garden Center, or Receiving Mail Order Plants
Most gardeners love growing their own plants from seed, or swapping plants and cuttings with gardening friends. But there are occasions when you might want to buy a new plant for your garden. Maybe you don't have the space to grow all your own plants from seed, you only want a couple of plants, or you want something that isn't easily grown from seed. Perhaps you want a particular variety that is only available as a plant, or you want a head start on a plant that's very slow to mature.
If you buy a plant from the garden center, how do you make sure that you're getting a good one? And if you order your plants online or from a mail order catalog, how do you take care of them when they arrive?
- Make a list. If you're heading out to the garden center, make a list of the plants that you want. If you don't know exactly what you want then make a list of the spaces that you have available - and what type of plants you need (sun-loving, shade-tolerant, etc.). Once you get to the store it's easy to be seduced into buying too many plants, or ones that aren't suitable for your garden. And that means lots of hard work trying to take care of them when you get them home.
- Pick the ones that look happy. A happy, healthy plant has a good head of foliage and no signs of pests and diseases. Don't automatically go for the ones that are flowering and fruiting - they may have been forced. If you pick one that isn't in flower, it will flower for you once it settles in at home, rather than for the crowds at the store! ...
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Author: Emma Cooper