Tried & Tested: Plant shopping

Buying from a garden centre

Prices
Caryopteris: £3.50, 2-litre pot
Gaillardia: £5.99, 2-litre pot
Geum: £4.99, 1.5-litre pot
Lavatera: £4.50, 2-litre pot
Rose: £6.50, 3-litre pot
Total: £25.48

Local garden centres update their stock frequently, letting you hand pick the healthiest plants. They carry large quantities of each variety, making mass planting possible, but prices are higher than those at nurseries and markets due to their overheads. This was the case here, with the perennials costing £1-£2 more than the nurseryand market-bought plants.

At purchase
The herbaceous plants were well planted in large pots. They had good roots and top growth, although the shrubs looked tired. The rose had strong roots, but top growth was minimal. There were no signs of pests or disease.

Early days
The gaillardia romped away and flowered well, but the geum was slow and the caryopteris came under attack from capsid bug. There is no treatment for this and we applied a general insecticide without success.

The story four months on
Despite our rose's strong roots, it produced only three substantial stems. The gaillardia bloomed well, but was out-performed by its market-bought equivalent. Both shrubs filled out well.

We say
The rose's growth was poor, as was that of the damaged caryopteris, which is unfortunately particularly prone to capsid attack. Our other plants, especially the perennials, performed well - perhaps due to their roomy pots. These plants offered good value for money. Total score 7/10

Buying from a DIY store

Prices
Caryopteris: £6.99, 2-litre pot
Gaillardia: £5.39, 2-litre pot
Geum: £5.39, 2-litre pot
Lavatera: £6.69, 4-litre pot
Rose: £5.99, 3-litre pot
Total: £30.45

Buy your plants the day they arrive at the DIY store and you'll get good value and high quality. But after a few weeks on display, stock degenerates due to poor maintenance. Choice is limited and growing advice non-existent. Prices were generally high, and the lavatera and caryopteris were particularly expensive.

At purchase
All plants were free of pests and disease, but the rose had weak roots. The lavatera came in a bigger pot than its rivals and had good stem structure. The two perennials also came in large containers, with well-formed buds on both plants. The letdown was the old, woody caryopteris.

Early days
By July, all but the caryopteris, which came under capsid attack, had established well. The rose was on to its second flush of flowers, while the perennials were pumping out blooms.

The story four months on
The lavatera grew and flowered better than its rivals, and needed staking to stop it smothering the other plants. The gaillardia also bulked out, flowering well into October. The caryopteris produced very little new growth.

we say
Despite a limited range and a lack of planting advice, the DIY store plants performed well. Some plants seemed surprisingly expensive, but they did come in larger pots than their rivals. Overall, the plants were large and healthy with abundant blooms.

Total score 8/10