There comes a time when you realize that people are coming over and you have done nothing of what you had planned for you garden. You would like to have plants. You do not have time to spend planting and arranging. So you rely on this idea from the UK's Homes and Gardens:
The Lazy Gardeners Solution
Simply go to OSH or your local garden supply and purchase flats of plants. Choose plants that you would ultimately like to plant, so that it's not a waste, and choose a couple of different colors so that you can lay out some plant color blocks on your deck or balcony. It will add a graphic bunch to an otherwise barren (or simply overlooked area) and it takes almost no work. As a bonus, you could give away some of the plants to guests when they leave, or just incorporate them into your containers and your garden in the following couple of weeks. If you've got a neighbor, you could always split the cost by going halfsies.
(Image: British Homes and Gardens)
Comments (8)
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Cute idea. You can do something with them later, or even donate them, or use them as dinner party favours.
view avianmission's profile
It would likely be a lot cheaper to buy one or two flats and plant them than buying 11 flats! Pretty picture, though. That could be an interesting design for a garden with those plants actually planted in that pattern.
view LilyC's profile
It would be fun to photograph and hang afterwards.
view sfteri's profile
I'd say plant them within days, not weeks, weeks in flats will stunt root systems. And make sure to give them LOTS of water,flats are very shallow and they dry out very quickly.
view mskk's profile
Yes, this is another idea that's great on the day it's been purchased and photographed, but for quite a few plants, it's not very practical for anything beyond that. Lettuces would probably work best, but even they will need to be repotted within days. Other plants, such as tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers (bell and cayenne) grow extremely fast when young and should be repotted as soon as you get them home, AND they make a lot of produce! For instance just two cayenne pepper plants can supply a pepper-loving family of four and their neighbors with no problem. What on earth are you going to do with more than that? You're already giving extra peppers to your neighbors and friends with just two plants!
If you want plants but don't want to spend time planting and arranging (which is what I personally enjoy the most about having plants, but to each his or her own), how about getting fake plants? Otherwise it's terribly wasteful to buy so many that won't be properly cared for.
view fraise's profile
(addendum -- my comment focuses on the edible sort of plants since that's mainly what's sold in flats here in France. For flowers, succulents and such, they'd still need to be repotted as soon as possble, though it's true it would be easier to give them away -- but you'd better have a lot of friends who enjoy taking care of plants and who have room for them.)
view fraise's profile
Dinner party favors?
Wasn't a full belly enough?
Nothing says party like making the floor unwalkable with tripping hazards.
view johnnybc's profile
I wouldn't use so many in one space....but it's a great idea if used sparingly or with matching colors/types of flowers.
view baileyb's profile