The garden plant buying season is back - help!

I've already been tempted by 2 patio fruit trees (I haven't a patio, live in rented social housing with a medium size garden and love fruit). I bought 18 Michaelmas daisy bare roots which arrived as 30 large spider-shaped roots (all thriving), 36 violas (ditto) and 60 mixed perennnial plugs. I love taking cuttings and  before long my 6' x 6' poly growhouse and miniature grow frame will be full to bursting, and that's before sowings from numerous bargain seeds packs. Come early Summer, I will again be overwhelmed by plantlets, which I hate destroying when I've grown them.

I used to 'give away' but my current neighbours are not types who would use or accept them - especially as they avoid me. Every year is the same. I try not to get tempted, but like an addict I fall under the twin pressures of bargain plants and lovely pictures of flowers at Highgrove, Wisley and Great Houses in full bloom. Help! Is there an answer? Should I move to a flat? Is there a self help group for garden plant addicts? It gets very stressful in the end, almost a full time occupation.

Parents
  • I don't do retail therapy, apart from plants.

    I struggle not to buy anything unusual.

    I currently have 74 plug plants (marigolds, gazania, begonia, petunia, calibrachoa) on the window ledges. They'll not be permanently put outside till the second week of May. I always get a frost around the 5th to catch me out. But may go in April on good days.

    Then I have all the orchids indoors and various other tubs and pots.

    I think I have what I need now. The only way to really control it is not to go to a garden centre.

    Although I will still find seeds from somewhere to grow (as I save some). I have some canna seeds from a couple of years ago I may do. And a couple of sunflowers.

    It's an addiction.

  • It's an addiction.

    Yes. I think that too. Still, at least it's harmless.

Reply Children
  • I'm still getting used to the things I can't grow here, I cant grow sunflowers, echinacea, peas beans, sweet peas or anything with leaves that get effected by strong salt winds, luckily soft fruit grows well here and Mum has some on her breakfast everyday, it was only last week that we ran out if fruit from the garden that I'd frozen through last summer and autumn. I hope we have a good growing season this year, I think we're going to need it as food prices are likely to rise thanks to the chaos in the Middle East