The fall of the £ against the € over the last week is of concern.

A year ago the £ was stable at around €1.40 but at the time of writing it had fallen to €1.14.

This will affect all plant buyers, as Nurseries/Garden Centres will have no choice but to increase prices to reflect this new situation. 

I think that imports from Holland will suffer the most, as they produce 2-3 litre stock, in competition with what is already produced in the UK.

As for larger plants from Southern Europe, they are light years ahead on both quality and price, even accounting for the new situation. 

So the next time that you visit your Nursery or Garden Centre to buy plants, don't think that they have increased their prices to make more money, they are only responding to the change in the exchange rates.

Delivered yesterday to one of our customers

15 Prunus laurocerasus  200/250cm

15 Prunus laurocerasus  300/350cm

40 Laurus nobilis  250/300cm

120 Buxus sempervirens 40/50cm

paid for by the customers "Hedge Fund". 

When Tina, the better half of Plants To Go left her career in publishing to embark on her gardening career some 13 years ago, she did a Garden Design course at Merrist Wood.  Tina's biggest criticism of her course was the lack of training, information about plants.  When she qualified, Tina went to work in a retail Plant Centre part-time, with the objective of learning what she had not been taught on her course. 

At the Plant Centre Tina learnt many new plants, but more importantly how Plant and Garden Centres order their plants.  In the main they work off Availability Lists from Wholesale Nurseries, and order on that basis.

With Tina's design work she worked the same way, working out her planting plans on what is actually available, rather than just specifying plants because she liked them, or wanted to use them.  This preparation saved hours, if not days, trekking around Nurseries trying to find particular plants.  It may sound strange, but there are many that do this!  Your design service is a business, with a purpose to make money. 

If you use a few Wholesale Nurseries just ask them to send you their up to date Availability Lists with every planting plan that you do, if you use old lists in the Spring you could be disappointed as stock sells very quickly.

Make regular visits to your plant suppliers and see what is looking good.  Don't just order from lists, view the plants and make YOUR choices.  That way you will not waste hours, (money) and neither you or your clients will be disappointed about specified plants that you cannot find.

Secondly, don't be too precious about particular cultivars that you have read about.  Growers/Nurseries produce the ranges that they do as they are proven garden plants.  Most are not going to take risks producing unknown or potentially problem plants.  Listen to their advice, they grow plants for a living.

Finally, a moan. Why is it that some designs for whole gardens just use Herbaceous, is it the clients specification?  Where is the backbone and structure for the garden???  They will look great in the Summer, but a like a pile of sticks in the Winter!!!  There are many Trees, Shrubs or Conifers that would add so much more, and create something of interest for every week of the year.

A little imagination is all that is needed.

Hope this is of help.