PLANTAHOLIC

It’s been 3 days since my salary hit the bank and I descended on West Sussex garden centres like a fiery meteor crashing headlong into the planet but now a feeling of guilt hangs about my head.  Here I am with a trolley full of plants in the middle of a cost of living crisis when some families can’t even afford a trolley full of food.  Should I really have gone so mad buying plants?

 

I'm addicted to plant shopping

To curb future plant buying addiction, I’ve decided to apply the same methodology to gardening as the bookies have applied to their highly addictive online websites so my advice to gardeners on a shoestring budget who are also prone to the same compulsions is this: 

• Think of gardening as entertainment, not a necessity
• Only buy plants with money you don’t need for essentials such as food,    heating or bills
• Look for clearance or bulk buying plant deals to make your cash go further
• Set a spending limit in advance and stick to it
• Set a time limit for being in the Garden Centre – ask your friend/partner to time you as they tut or wait outside in the car
• Don't drink or use drugs when buying plants as you may buy the wrong ones
• Take a break in the Garden Centre café with a nice cup of tea or a tasty bit of homemade cake (carrot cake is my favourite)
• Always spend time in the garden when you're depressed or upset as its very therapeutic and looking at brightly coloured flowers is always uplifting

Following the above advice, I have cleared out the local Hilliers Garden Centre of all their 50% off azaleas/rhododendrons plus nabbed a load of other plant bargains at B&Q and Homebase who generally have an ‘almost dead’ plants shelf tucked away somewhere in their garden departments.

 

Planting my purchases

I’ve bust my self-imposed monthly plant budget but my back border is almost full and looking very colourful.

 

Lots of bargain azaleas

By the end of the month though, I too will be scraping by and regretting this less-than-youthful extravagance.  We may not be able to eat but at least we’ll have a nice view from the lounge window.

Is there anything for dinner?