Whether it’s for yourself or as a present, a couple of pots filled with flowers can brighten up any day and even the smallest of spaces. I always check out what gardening products Poundland have in stock when passing as I’ve picked up some nice bulbs and solar lights in the past. What is on offer changes all the time, so it makes sense to pop in there fairly regularly. Yesterday they had perfectly nice large grey plastic pots for £1 and assorted bulbs on offer (2 bags for £1.50). So I bought 2 bags of bulbs – 3 lupins and 50 mixed of Anenomes, Ixias, and Triteleia and 2 pots for a bargain total price of £3.50. They also do compost which is good quality, and you could get away with one bag for 2 pots if you bulk the pot out with leaves, mulch, broken pot, small bottles (which will also help with drainage). So that comes to £4.50 in total. All of these prices are way below those found at the usual gardening and DIY shops – and cheaper than a decent bunch of basic flowers!
It was a warm day and one to be outside in the garden as opposed to inside doing chores. To be honest I was also a little hungover from a night at an open air opera with friends in Trafalgar Square, and too many cans of G&T later … lets just say I needed the fresh air. I can clean, paint and do the silverware (ha ha!) on the next rainy day as I’m sure we are due one soon.
So I set to work on the pots. The lupin bags say there are 3 inside each but actually there were 4 so 2 in each pot – a bonus! I separated the bulbs in the other bag into 2 piles with equal amounts of the different varieties in each. I hammered the holes out on the pots (one tap with a nail and hammer for each of the 8 holes). I filled the bottom half of the pots with some leftover sawdust I had. Filled with some leaves and then some soft drink plastic bottles and cans, followed by some paper (Top Tip to save on the cost of compost in a large pot and it also helps with drainage). I then used the new compost for the top half.
I planted 2 lupins into the centre of each pot and 19 assorted bulbs around them with 12 leftover. They don’t look terribly exciting at the moment but watch this space and I’ll keep you posted on the harvest of colour that I’m expecting in a month or so.
I intend to visit Poundland again for more pots tomorrow as I plan to adorn a friends little drab balcony space over the weekend. At such a cheap price we have to spread the word and share the love. Fingers crossed they are still there! Have a great weekend and let us know if you have taken up this flourish flower challenge and how you get on?
