I don't do bedding so it's not something I bother about that much.

However, even the likes of Tesco and Asda are selling plants and bulbs these days, and that to me is even worse. They have no one who has the least bit of know-how on caring for these things, and the bulbs are kept inside in the light and heat, while the plants bake outside in glass enclosure with a cursory watering occasionally. They're cheap, and people buy them. Maybe they are trying to do to nurseries and garden centres what they have already done to the high street butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmongers.

It's strange how they all claim low prices and then Tesco puts the prices up across the board about 10 days before the holiday makers arrive, after that one I decided to shop elsewhere, as we locals are obviously being dumped on from a great height!

A dozen to eighteen is about enough for any average sized garden.

It's the lack of diversity I deplore. Very little that's either old-fashioned or different from the cast iron offerings.

However, the remainder bins can be most useful for increasing collections of things such as bromelliads, Cyclamen, NG Impatiens and on at very reasonable prices... :-)))

Having spent my working life in a trade, which was virtually finished off by supermarkets,l agree,but l think, that the problem with this country is, that everybody dabbles in everything, and specialises in nothing.Every Tom, Dick and Harry, sell bedding plants, and Christmas trees,and it's right the staff don't look after them and the conditions are wrong, the waste, must be enormous.The plants in those plastic packets, often turn out to be a totally different variety than the pack says, after you've grown them.l much prefer to buy from a proper nursery,where they look healthy, and l think that the trays of six different bedding plants, are a good idea, as you sometimes try a plant new to you that way.

Not much to be done about this! It's just like the supermarkets, isn't it? Put all the power in one or two sets of hands, and they'll abuse it.

All you can do is buy the horrible polystyrene thingies when they're almost dead and reduced to 10p, and then hopefully nurse some of them back to life :-)

I have bought zero zilch zippo bedding plants this year. The fewer and fewer filler plants that I need come from seed and from overwintered plants. I generally end up with about twice as many as I need and these are given away. It doesn't help the small local nursuries, but at least I get something other than the exact same boring varieties that are in all the big outlets. A 10p plant that I don't like is still 10p too much :) I increasingly buy mail order as more and more nursuries just offer the exact same plants as eachother, shrubs and perennials included, the same plants that I didn't want to buy for the last ten years.

When I first took on a garden I bought dry rooted plants in my local supermarket (safeway/morrison) as well as more expensive potted plants from my (non-chain) local garden centre. I think virtually all the supermarket plants either failed to come up at all or they were unhealthy specimens which didn't last long. Even alchemilla mollis which I always hear is easy, only managed to come up with one plant out of 3 that had very slow growth, disappeared in winter and didn't come back next year. I don't bother with the supermarket plants now since they seem like a false economy - and I agree with the point that the selection is so limited. I would rather grow from seed now and order those online, and still make the occasional impulse buy from the local garden centre. Have to admit that I do get tempted by 29p seed in lidl if I ever go in there, though.

What irritates me are the "mixed plants" boxes. I don't want 12 mixed lobelias, I want 12 blue lobelias! I will decide on my colour scheme not you! (I *hate* pink!) Ditto for the mixed herbs! I do still find myself tempted though (I have no will power) and part with good money for something that I could have easily raised from seed (I look out of the window at a polystyrene box of 12 blue petunias...). I am a baaaaaad gardener :(

On the whole I've always thought of bedding plants as a complete waste of time. All that effort for a few weeks colour, then you chuck them away. Perennials much better value! I think it's to do with the "instant garden" beloved of makeover programmes. 30 quid and voilà , instant colour with little effort.

Alcina

I agree totally with that last point, Alcina. My way of overcoming bedding plant problems is not to grow any!

Lori: I once purchased a single Alchilla mollis plant. Now it appears in my front garden, back garden, in pots, you name it, it arrives. Not prolifically, but just enough to make its presence obvious. I'm on a heavy clay by the way.

Yes I guess the DIY outlets are going the same way as Supermarkets did with small shops.
Maybe nurseries etc should charge DIY centre prices but then charge for advice!! now that would be different.
Alcina I am surprised by your comments on bedding plants.
What other plants offer a colourful garden from June to October (which is hardly a few weeks as you suggest)? Perennials certainly dont and neither do shrubs as in general they all have set flowering periods. With care you can make a good show with perennials but at the very least bedding plants are required to bulk beds up from a colour point of view which can be done so quite cheaply.

I do agree with what you are all saying about supermarket plants, though decent plugs are a very useful alternative to growing from seed, given the current price of packet seeds coupled with the often poor germination, which I can't believe is always down to me.

What I find annoying is that even garden centres stock up with plug plants in Feb and March which is far too early. It's ok growing them on but then they are ready to go out of the greenhouse way before frosts have finished and you end up tripping over trays of overdone plants and dare not put them out.

Buying later is not an option because there is no choice left and in any case the garden centres (like the fashion shops they have become) are on to the next thing.

I often wonder how often the people who buy these plants so early end up dissapointed.

I'm bored with the range of bedding on offer. I'm sick of seeing impatiens and pansies everywhere I look when I'm in B&Q. I only buy pots and things from there now, as they are much more affordable. For plants I always go to a proper nursery these days.

I don't care for the multi coloured packs that are always on offer either - I have a carefully planned scheme in my garden and am just not into lots of multi coloured explosions.

I've given up on bedding and have planted up lots of perennials. I have a small garden so have been able to fill the space satisfactorily.

Generally I agree, but can't imagine a summer without gorgeous sexy dark blue petunias. Fortunately they're ridiculously easy to raise from seed.

Or you head for B&Q and help yourself to cuttings, then leave without buying anything :-)