Sunday, April 13, 2014
Mark and Gaz
We do love a bargain, especially if it's this ridiculously good...
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| Five trees for a fiver! Even Twinkles was impressed! |
Yep, that's £1 a tree (US$1.67).
We spotted this fantastic bargain last Saturday in Poplars Garden Centre when we visited to buy some compost. They wanted to clear out some old stock to make way for new ones and several trees that didn't look perfect last year simply had to go this year. And when they want plants gone, they don't mess around with price reductions!
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| Hardy, deciduous trees that are and look exotic! If you like the look of Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate' then you're likely to like this one |
At £1 a tree, how could we go home with just one? We never did manage to get some compost but instead we went home with five trees instead.
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| If you like the look of Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum then you're likely to find this attractive too (just ignore the pink flowers in the spring) |
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| A tree with relatively big leaves and purple too! |
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| Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' when in leaf |
It was a good selection of trees too that were reduced, most were relatively small growing trees with gorgeous habit and foliage. They were all still leafless, which made us suspect that they were likely to be actually dead hence the huge reduction but checking them up close they were full of buds ready to burst to life in the next few days or so. When we asked a member of staff why they were reduced she said they were simply not 'perfect looking' enough hence they had to go.
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| Small buds, big promises |
Oh well, they'll be perfect for us, especially at that price! They were tall specimens with the tallest of the five being over eight foot tall. They should provide some instant impact to wherever they will be planted.
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| Do you find the Indian Bean Tree, Catalpa bignioides attractive? Then you're likely to be attracted to this too. The fifth tree with no photo of the tag is Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis 'Sunburst' |
Only time will tell how healthy they all actually are and we'll get a good clue in the next few days. We hope they do well and flourish because if they do, then these five trees will be the best plant bargains we've ever had.
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| One of them, the Forest Pansy, and our second one in the garden (see My Favourite Pansy) immediately found a home |
Not bad at all eh? Cheaper than most bedding plants!
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Wow, that was an incredible bargain, especially considering the original price. I'm a sucker for closeouts. Keep us posted on how your new trees are developing.
ReplyDeleteSame here Gerhard! We always check out bargain corners and plant sales as much as we could :)
DeleteGood grief. You almost can't lose! :)
ReplyDeleteBig win of the weekend Jessica!
DeleteWhy didn't you get 10 :-) I think most of those Cercis coppice really well so you won't have any problem keeping them in check?
ReplyDeleteCar was full Don and they didn't have enough ornamental trees to make for ten (lots of Apple trees). At that price we could play with them a bit to keep them in check and yes with the coppicing :)
DeleteExcellent score! I'm thinking hard about a Magnolia for $9.99, mostly worried about how to get it home. Did you guys fit those all in your car?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds an excellent price Loree! Yes we did fortunately as some did bend to fit in in between the front seats. We lost a few twiggy growth but nothing major. Amazing who's much plants you can fit in a car.
DeleteGo for that Magnolia!
Wow!!!! £1!!!
ReplyDeleteThe best bargain I once found was an Agave stricta that was 1 euro (the original price was 18 euros or something like that). But it is the only time I´ve seen something like that. Trees at £1, that is awesome! I bet they´ll all become healthy and beautiful!
We hope so Lisa :) agave stricta for one euro sounds like a great deal too!
DeleteWow, well spotted guys! Must have been your lucky day, even trade prices at nurseries aren't that good - £62 down to £1, worth getting even if you move them before they get too big. We've done a lot of learning about trees, especially the buying thereof, and your latest batch look very healthy (and a great selection too!). The best way to tell is to lift the tree out of the pot to inspect before you buy (I'm sure you know this already!) As long as the roots look healthy, the soil is not covered in weeds, moss, bugs, etc and the plant isn't pot bound but the roots are filling the pot nicely, then you've got a healthy tree. (One trick some nurseries use it to repot a pot bound plant into a bigger pot, you can tell if the rootball is small; the roots of such plants are unlikely to establish well.) Keep us updated but I think you've found yourselves a bargain!!
ReplyDeletePS. have just read through comments above, apple trees! for £1? I need to go … ! :) xx
DeleteSome handy tips and reminders on what to look for Caro! It was such a great bargain and felt great too when we got them home. There was a family buying some of the apple trees whilst we were there and they were so excited choosing which one to go for :)
DeleteOh my, what a great bargain! You could go back with a truck, purchase the rest of the trees and hold a plant sale in front of your home. At ten pounds per tree, they'd still be a bargain and give you a tidy sum to spend on plants:) I'm very happy that you found such great bargains!
ReplyDeleteNow you've given us ideas Peter! :)
DeleteWow - what a fab find!Very timely too seeing you've got a lot of garden to replace :)
ReplyDeleteI thought I was doing well with 6 chilean guava for a tenner!
At those sizes they will give some instant impact too Michelle :) six Chilean guavas for a tenner sounds brilliant as well!
DeleteWhat a haul! That should certainly give your garden restoration a jolt! I can't say I've ever seen a deal anything like that here.
ReplyDeleteQuite big plants too Kris, should give some instant impact :)
DeleteYou go for compost and come home with five trees instead? So much like what happens to me! I am totally jealous of your bargain Cercis trees, as Forest Pansy and Hearts of Gold have both been on my wish list, but I haven't found them at a good price. I will be watching yours!
ReplyDeleteHappens to us often Debs, goes to buy to buy something functional but goes back home with something else and much more exciting :) Hope you get hold of Forest Pansy and Hearts of Gold for a reasonable price soon!
DeleteWay to go! And some lovely trees, too! I would love to find a bargain like that - bet it was actually hard to stop at just 5!
ReplyDeleteFab bargain Holley! At first we were only going to get one but at that price why only stop at one when you can have five (or more) :)
DeleteExcellent, I love bargains like these. I don't seem to come across them very often though, that's the trouble. I thought I was doing well with £16.99 clematis reduced to £1 until I saw the £62.99 reduced to £1, I'd have cleared them out of the lot and thought about whether I wanted them or not later.
ReplyDeleteAm trying very hard not to mind that you managed to get 'Forest Pansy' for a quid!! Wow, how could you resist - though a tree with a height of 30m would scare me rather... Serious bargain!!
ReplyDeleteIncredible bargain. I found 'Hearts of Gold' to be weak and slow but maybe that was my plant. 'Ruby Lace' is slow too but lovely! 'Forest Pansy' an all time favorite!
ReplyDelete