Review - Aldi Gardening 'Specialbuys'

Last year I was contacted by the supermarket chain Aldi and asked if I would like to review a selection of their seasonal gardening supplies. Now Aldi isn't in Northern Ireland so I turned them down with best wishes, but this year they had the capability to send me a selection over the sea so as the phrase goes....'never look a gift horse in the mouth'. 

Very happily, I had delivered to my door this bundle....

Now the potting bench was what I had wished for as we most definitely needed one but the extras, well, that was a delightful touch by my contact Jessica. When I saw the makers name Gardenline I realised that we have in fact used their products before and on Sunday I saw some of these items in our local supermarket.
Review -
* Potting Bench - £29.99
This was very well packaged and surprisingly the wood, screws etc are rather great quality. Andrew put this together like a kid with a new toy to assemble. It was easy enough to do, though the instructions, as with any flat pack, required a good dose of common sense to understand ;) Sadly we were missing one of the long bottom wood supports so our shelf can't be put in (oops) but in general it is great, sturdy product. And it fits perfectly in the potting shed, plus without the shelf we can put large bags of compost under it.
Photograph supplied by Aldi - the weather here is so dismal that I thought it nicer to use this
* Garden Pruning Shears - £2.69Oh these are sharp! and affordable. Made of steel, these shears have a non-stick coating, rust-resistant lower blade and plastic ergonomic handle. The price is amazing and really, I doubt they are the best in the world but for that I would be happy to use them. They make for a handy second pair at the allotment alongside our expensive Felco ones.* Plastic Flower Pots - £0.99Again, at this affordable price per pack, why wouldn't you grab yourself some always-handy plastic pots? So useful for potting on or for using in the house for your new house plant - yes I now have one and it's not going to die this time!! :)
* Wheelie Bin Numbers, £0.49
Just put these cuties on our bins. I know in a couple of years they will get sun and bin lorry damaged and need replaced (we've had them before) but really, for less than 50p you get three of each number in a packet and these daisy print ones are cheery!
Okay I'm a bit wonky at putting them on but still :)
***********It just goes to show you that in many cases the supermarkets have the upper hand on basic gardening supplies and in some cases, like the bench, you can get good quality that will last, for much cheaper than those big nurseries' prices. As Adli says, their 'core philosophy is to offer high quality, brand-like products at everyday low prices that shoppers can trust.' I think they are doing a good job.

Love and HugsCarrie