Top Tips For Buying Any Shrubs Or Plants

Writen by Paul Power

1. Know what you're buying!

When it comes to gardening, impulse purchasing can be fatal, both for your wallet and whatever it is you're about to buy.

For a plant to grow successfully it must be planted in the right growing conditions. For example, shade-loving plants aren't going to be flourish if planted in an area where they're going to get full sunshine.

Similarly sun-lovers aren't going to like being placed underneath your evergreen hedge.

So before deciding what to buy, make sure you know what it is that you're about to purchase first in terms of the plants needs and then in terms of your own.

Get this right and chances are you're shrubs and plants will flourish and you'll avoid wasting money on plants that aren't going to do anything.

Whatever you do don't rely solely on the information printed on the sales labels. Do your own research before going to the garden centre or nursery.

2. Pick the place before you choose the plant

Common mistake is to choose the plant or shrub and then return home and try and figure a way of incorporating it into your garden.

Far better to survey your garden before going to buy anything; deciding where needs enhancing and then working out what sort of micro-climate exists in whatever space it is you want to fill.

Then choose a plant or shrub that would be happy growing there and then off you go to buy it.

3. Be careful of poor garden centre husbandry

Always buy your shrubs and plants from quality garden centres where it's evident that the staff are knowledgeable and actually care for their stock as opposed to simply over-watering them.

Avoid like the plague the multi-retailers who simply tack a garden centre onto their warehouse sales centre because it complements there other lines.

Shrubs and plants aren't simply products on a shelf.

To grow and prosper they need the right care and attention. Independent nurseries generally employ trained staff to look after their stock and many grow their own lines.

When it comes to gardening there's no such thing as cheap and cheerful.

Half-price, usually means half dead!

Paul Power is the author of Staring Your Own Gardening Business. You can visit his online tips blog at http://paulpowergardener.blogspot.com

Paul Power is the author of Starting Your own Gardening Business and runs his own gardening business, in West Sussex, United Kingdom. Visit him online at http://paulpowergardener.blogspot.com