As summer comes to an end, for some people it’s time to think about what new flowers, fruit and vegetables they can grow in their garden.
Supermarkets, garden centres and online shops sell indoor and outdoor plants for varying prices. An experienced gardener has given a tip for gardening fans by sharing what kind of plants to buy in September to save money.
Gardening with Ish is a content creator who gives advice, demonstrations and reviews across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok – where he boasts 111,000 followers. In a recent video on the platform he said: “Today in the garden I’m gonna show you why buying discount plants in September is the smartest thing a gardener can do.
“Something you may not know is that the DIY stores and supermarkets have a set calendar of what they’re supposed to sell and they automatically reduce down prices when it gets to a certain time of the year.” He gave an example by explaining that for supermarkets September is usually the end of gardening season so they “dramatically reduce” the prices of plants.”
In the clip he held up a hydrangea that he claimed was reduced from £16 to £3 and an achillea plant that was supposed to be £10 but was slashed to £2. He added: “But, what’s wrong with them? The answer? Well, nothing at all.
“In fact, this is actually perfectly healthy but because there’s a few dead flowers on the top they don’t know that actually this is a perfectly fine plant that is a perennial that will come back year after year and all you need to do is just give it a good tidy up.” The gardening expert advises cutting away dead foliage, ensuring that you will be able to sow the plant now “while the ground is still warm”.
He continued: “A little bit of a tidy up and you’d never know that the supermarket thought that was on its last legs and because it is September, you can plant these directly in the ground now.” Gardening with Ish noted that these plants will go dormant during the winter months but will come back in spring when they will be “absolutely thriving.”
When shopping for reduced plants in the supermarket, the seasoned gardener suggests opting for perennials and hardy plants as they will do well over winter. For plants that aren’t hardy, Gardening with Ish recommends storing them in a greenhouse until next year and he said not to bother with bedding as they’re “not going to make it.”
He displayed a healthy looking hydrangea in a pot that he revealed he took care of a few months ago and concluded: “So it just goes to show if you spend a bit of time taking care of your plants you can spend a lot less and have a much more fuller garden next year.”
In the caption of his TikTok post, he reiterated: “Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the pricing system at supermarkets and DIY stores! In September they start dramatically reducing perfectly healthy plants to get rid of stock and you’ll get a mature plant a lot less than you would have a couple weeks ago.
“A clever gardening hack to fill your beds and borders for a lot less and ready for next year.” The TikTok video has garnered 51,600 views, more than 2,000 likes and dozens of comments.
A gardening fan said: “I’ve filled my new build garden nearly entirely with the reject section of B&Q. Saved a fortune.” Another added: “Oh I love a reduction section in Dobbies.”
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