PlantMeNow offers plants online - no need to visit a garden centre! You can make your choices of annuals and perennials from their website. They also offer a wide range of seeds, tools and garden care products – in fact most things you would find at a garden centre. PlantMeNow have been in the business of growing plants for 25 years so have a wealth of experience behind them. They call themselves an ‘online garden centre’ with one aim “to provide a comprehensive range of garden supplies at unbeatable prices!”
My first selection of plants to review were from the Annual range. I chose Geranium Pelgard Vancouver Centennial, Lobelia Waterfall White Sparkle and Diascia Little Drifter. I’m hoping to have some very bright hanging baskets this summer!
The plants arrived within 24 hours of me being advised of their dispatch. They were packed as you can see above with a cardboard sleeve and sent by courier as opposed to in the post. All the plants were in good condition and looked very healthy with good root systems. PlantMeNow use ‘glued plugs’ which means they bind together the compost and therefore protect the roots resulting in the plant and its roots arriving in good condition. You can see how healthy they look in the photograph above.
Following the advice, I stood the plugs in water for a while before potting up. I potted mine up into the next obvious size pot as I think it is important not to over-pot plants, I was pleased to see that the advice sheet warned that the young plants will need protecting from frost and cold weather and therefore shouldn’t be planted out until all danger of frost had passed – not advice you always find in DIY stores, supermarkets and some garden centres.
I think if you like growing pots of annuals and hanging baskets then buying plants at this size and growing them on can result in a significant financial savings. Plus you have the pleasure of having growing the plants partially yourself.
I will be reviewing some more plants for PlantMeNow next month and will provide an update on the starter annuals then.