Buying your garden plants

Planting your garden is, as with many things in life, about enjoying the journey rather than striving for the end goal without looking around you. Here are a few tips and considerations to help you enjoy the process: from shopping for plants to watching them grow and learning more along the way.

Don’t Buy Too Many Species at Once

It is better to start with a limited variety and a few more of each species, rather than buying many different plants that all require getting to know. Trying to complete an entire garden in one year often leads to disappointment, as too many purchases may struggle or fail simply because too much was attempted at once.

Buy from Local Growers

Large commercial garden centres (and even DIY stores with a plant section) often prioritise visual perfection. Plants are grown quickly, fed intensively and selected for uniform appearance. They look impressive when purchased, but may struggle to adapt once planted into real soil. Online suppliers present another challenge: plants are chosen based on photographs, and it is often unclear where or how they were grown. Soil conditions and climate may differ significantly.

Local and small-scale nurseries usually operate differently. Plants are grown more slowly, hardened to outdoor conditions and better suited to regional soil types. There is often greater plant knowledge available, and a wider selection of species beyond the mainstream.

Buying locally is not only about supporting independent growers, it increases the chances of long-term success.

Rodondendron from a specialized nursery: better quality and more affordable

Choose Native and Well-Adapted Species

Plant purchasing is also a practical decision. Native and well-adapted species are generally better suited to local soil, rainfall and temperature patterns. They establish more easily, require less intervention and are often more resilient during periods of drought or excess rain. Because they have evolved within the local ecosystem, native plants are recognised by insects and birds as reliable food and shelter sources. This reduces the need for corrective measures such as pest control or intensive feeding.

Choosing plants that naturally fit their environment results in stronger growth, fewer imbalances and lower maintenance over time.

Small Plants grow faster than you think

Planting a garden can become expensive, especially when quick results feel necessary. Yet larger plants do not always save time. Small plants often establish more quickly because their root systems are not pot-bound or stressed. Large container-grown shrubs and trees frequently experience transplant shock, while smaller plants adapt faster and develop stronger root systems in open soil. Within two or three growing seasons, a modest plant can match or sometimes outperform a larger specimen, at a fraction of the cost.

So, patience often produces better structure than instant impact.

Small plants will grow with some patience and care

Bare-Root Plants

First off: what are bare-root plants?

Bare-root plants are supplied without soil around their roots, sold during the dormant season and often as one-year seedlings. They are, without a doubt, among the most undervalued options in garden planting. Bare-root plants are:

·       considerably less expensive

·       easier to transport

·       adaptable in how they are trained (for example, into a shrub or a tree)

·       available in larger quantities

Because they are planted during dormancy, they establish roots before leaf growth begins in spring. This often leads to strong first-season development. Bare-root hedging, fruit trees and native shrubs are particularly effective. They allow larger areas to be planted at a fraction of the cost.

Ask suppliers about bare-root options early in the season to see what is available. If minimum order quantities apply, sharing with friends or neighbours is a simple and practical solution. Gardens benefit from collective planting as much as landscapes do.

Bare-root Hazel and Common dogwood

A Different Measure of Success

Gardens rarely reward haste. Buying locally, choosing well-adapted species, starting with smaller plants and considering bare-root options all point in the same direction: patience over speed, structure over spectacle. A garden built gradually allows plants to root more deeply and gives the gardener time to understand the garden’s own mysterious ways. What begins as a series of small, practical choices often grows into something far more resilient than any instant result could offer.

In short: a garden grows at its own pace. Simply grow along with it and enjoy the shopping!

Take me to the next journal post!