what: plant nursery
where: the back road up from Ponteland towards The Milkhope Centre
Why: cheap as chips and much more cheerful. PLUS it's man-friendly
Every year at around this time I visit P.Lomas' nursery because I crave colour in my shady, green garden ...and dread the hefty price tag of the big garden centres. This time Himself was with me and, because it is not a huge affair with thousands of plants to see, he coped with it rather well.
So, the attraction for me? A one man show with, yes, a limited range of annuals but with luscious colours that you can easily choose from. It's really just like a sweet shop for plantaholics.
This year, 4 geraniums ( sorry, ordinary pelargoniums) for £1, 4 fat-budded exotic begonias for £2, 8 of those French marigolds in jewel colours for £1. How does he do it? Honestly, I don't know but I guess plenty of water and plenty of plant food. My own seedlings are nowhere near as fat and hardy looking.
They're now planted up and I feel deeply satiated - see how the colour-craving gets me? I know I was looking for violas to bob prettily in my terracotta pots, looking like fairy princesses and instead I have great big fat gypsy wedding flowers ( you should just see the wide skirts on the fuchsia - £2!!!) but I feel grrrrrrrreat!
Next year I'll do the dainty violas ( or if I can find some this summer) but I'll have to find some more pots because they're ALL filled and, as Himself said, for pennies!
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