My best buy of the year

My best buy has to be the Lobelia Richardii, I obtained two plants and from that I have so far made 24 cuttings, it doesnt grow from seed so I have layered it.

The back two tubs show the original plants and how they trail, just pin them down round the edge and in no time they root.

These are very expensive from the garden centre (although I can see why, taking in all the work to pot them up) but having grown 2000 seeds of the ordinary lobelia in Feb, then pricking out in bunches, this seems the far better option. 

You only need one cutting, not a bunch to make a good plant, it has much stronger stems and flowers' for longer as it doesnt produce seed.

Next to that, (apart from geraniums and fucshias) are the osteospernum, I have made dozens of cuttings from one plant.

Has anyone else had a super buy this year?

My best buy was six cyclamen that were being sold off for a pound,they looked very poorly but once outside they recovered and now are still blooming.

Lyn, Are these different to ordinary lobelia? I hear they are tender perennials, will they survive winter in a greenhouse?

My best buy of the year was a grafted aubergine plant, pricey but it produced masses of huge gleaming aubergines.

I would say my banana plant - £2 50 in a sale  Also my free bearded iris and my 3 free clematis which came from a newspaper. I only paid p&p and they've all grown into strong healthy plants.

Isnt lovely when you get a bargain?

Artjak, these are different from the ordinary lobelia, they do not grow from seed, only cuttings, they are stiffer branching, you only need one to a basket they spread and grow from the base, with the other trailing lobelia you have to put about 6/8  seedling in a pot to look anything, and they are very tiny, these just one.

Because they are a tender perennial, I have now moved them into my conservatory, just in case the weather goes really cold, I live on the edge of Dartmoor and my greenhouse isnt heated.

Mine would be some pot bound droopy ricinus that I picked up from a road side stall. Put in the ground they recovered in no time and looked great right up til last week.

Lyn, thank you for the info.

My best buy would have to be 12 strawberry plants for about £12.  I planted them up at the start of the year.  The wet weather meant that some of the fruits were not good for eating this year but they fruited up until mid October.  I have also managed to pot up 34 runners to start a second strawberry bed.  Roll on sunshine and amazing strawberries next year.

The other best buy is a packet of peas.  In addition to growing them on the allotment and having loads of fresh peas, I also planted them very closely in cheap plastic windowboxes, kept by the back door and used the pea shoots in salads all summer - a bag of pea shoots cost over £1 a bag in our local supermarket. 

I have now potted up some more of the richardii, and have 40 plants! not bad from 2 originals.