Well I can't really say they were a bargain BUT they are plants I've been lusting after :o)

I took my yearly spring jaunt across the pond to my favorite nursery and came home with.....

Echinacea Mac&Cheese
E. Tomato Soup
E. Pink Poodle
E. Green Jewel
E. Green Envy
E. Hope
E. Vintage Wine
E. All That Jazz
Lithodora White Star
Leucanthemum Sunshine (yellow)
Erysimum 'Ems'
and a free Stargazer which were given out to all the moms.

I saw all kinds of treasures but couldn't fit any more in my little black box on wheels soooo looks like I'll be heading back in the near future.

Annette

In Ontario (Toronto) Metro Grocery garden center (formerly Dominion) has very interesting plants at a very low cost.

They have around 30 varieties of Hosta including some very unusual ones like Hosta Kikutii - at only 2.49. Last year I found lots of different grasses and grass like plants like Deschampsia Northern Lights and Sweet Flag Ogon for around $2. I've also found Rozanne Geranium (and Orion) in their $2 pots.

If anybody else has any suggestions on places for interesting plants in the Toronto area I would love to hear them.

I made my obligatory trip to Humber last weekend. Perhaps due to the recession the selection seemed less than ususal.

Funny how that is Denise, I as well had to go to Humber Gardens, even though I now live in Barrie, Ontario

I as well thought there was less but did manage to spend about sixty dollars without difficulty.

I found some interesting bulbs at one of our local nurseries, in Barrie. Tropical bulbs at 50% off

Always makes me happy

Diane, I have always found it very easy to spend money at Humber!

I was sad to see that they also closed down the butterfly section, which my kids loved and the hot dog guy left last year!

I have a small Toronto garden so I have to pretty selective about what I buy....good deals tempt me to buy plants I don't have room for.

Happy spring gardening to everybody.

I often get good deals at Zehr's/Loblaws when they close down their garden centres in late spring. Different stores close at slightly different times, so check back often toward the end of June. Items often go at 50-70% off.

Hmm,

I've been around looking for bargains and finding well that prices have gone up almost everywhere. There had been some exceptions though.

I've been interested only in perennials and because my garden is mostly filled out now, I'm even more selective with my purchases. As for annuals, I'd rather get ones that reseed and fill up empty spaces....

For example - Home Depot has $4.99 clematis. Nelly Mosers and Jackmanii. What a shocker! The size is small but these things grow fast. Many small potted perennials were prices below $2.

Walmart - the store in my area hasn't brought in much perennials. It did earlier but once it has been picked through I noticed they have only brought in more annuals. Still one can find coreopsis, gaillardias, delphiniums, aubriettas, sages, russian sages, japanese painted ferns, mulleins, etc.. for $2.07 each. Their larger plants are also a bargain - Rhodos for $19 - compare with $24 at Home Depot and $39 dollars elsewhere.

Loblaws: The smaller perennials are $2.99 which is much higher than the other stores -- however, it was the choices and the quality that grabbed my attention. The larger pots are $4.99 And $6.99 each. I managed to snag a purple variety of the ligularium... By the way, ligulariums seems to be cropping up everywhere this season. Since I was being very selective and wanting to go about things slow, I only got the ligularium and a meadow sweet. I could have picked up lots more but the lack of planting room prevented me.

And as always, I get my black earth from Loblaws. $5 per $10.00

As for Lowes - I noticed they were selling of the usual perennials $2.+ again... However they were also selling Japanese Maples for $39.+ not bad.. Perennial ornamental grasses, $8.99 - which is a good price. I had earlier purchased a fountain grass 'Pennisetum Hamlyn' from Sheridans at $14+ but it was a larger size. Still had I known, I would have opted for hte smaller sized pot. These things grow fast anyway.

Metro is offering perennials for $1.99 and what surprised me was that they were offering hens & chicks, hostas, at these prices. Not much selections but it was these few that caught my eye.

Vegetables and herbs were mostly priced the same...

Canadian Tire has some interesting tall trees. One caught my attention - a weeping cherry. Beautiful. Unfortunately, I don't have room for this tree which should be in full sun.

All the above are seasonal garden centres.

I did visit Sheridans and managed to get a bargain with some smaller perennials for $2.70(?) each if I purchase 10 items. As always Sheridans offers plenty of unique plants and it's just too hard to resist. I had fully planned to look for some Japanese Irises when I went there and came home with some very tall knautias and something else which I can't recall but it's a pretty flowering plant appropriate for the pond side.. Plus of course my ornamental grass.

So these are it for plant bargains and finds.

I rather like the idea of searching for used materials for the garden. So if any one has suggestions on thrift shops, flea markets (like Aberfoyle, ONT), architectural salvage companies, etc.. Please put in your discoveries.

There may be found objects like interesting containers that could be converted into a plant container, or wall ornaments, recycled pavers, a rustic bed, etc..

Ianna

Real Canadian Superstore (Mississauga on Argentia)has bags of Gladiola (8-10 bulbs) and Oriental Lily (1 bulb per bag)Bulbs for only $1

On the late end for planting but I took my chances.

Superstore also has annual cell packs for 79cents each. I was there 2 days ago and they still had plenty portulaca, aster, snaps, salvia

I bought one of the Japanese Maples from Lowes for $49 and so far (about a month later) it's doing well and making new growth.

Did you know Loblaws is accepting used pots to recycle? I think it's 25 pots to get a $5 coupon? I'm not sure if its limited to 'their' pots or just any pots in general. I also go out around now to pick up used 4" pots that annuals come in from my neighbours' recycling. I use them to start my seeds after I meticulously clean them, and they seem to appreciate the fact that someone is making use of them. I give them extra seedlings when they ask, so its a win-win.

The garden center set up by the local supermarket across the street was selling 4" square pots of lavender for $3.99...went up to the Stoufville fleamarket, and got 3 for $5. Score! I'm hoping to catch the end of season sales for perennials. I got some daylilies last year for $4 after they were marked half price. if there's one place you can count on NOT reducing their prices. it'll be walmart. But I don't shop there...but still to rather throw out plants than to reduce them to benefit local gardeners...

Check your local plant sales, though it might be too late.

Lavenders are the kinds of plant I would buy as small plants and so I've seen them sold in corner variety stores for as low as $1.99 in some cases $2.07.

Too many places are not reducing their prices. But I'm noticying that there are still lots of bargains to go around. For one Lowes is selling Japanese maples for $39 for a good sized pot. Walmart prices for hte maples are pretty much the same elswhere. I have bought many of my filler perennials from Walmart at $2.07 each but then they were focusing on more annuals than perennials.

I've been dumpster diving at Loblaws... Ha.. I needed large black pots for my vegetables. Sadly didn't find any but like origami master, I got a few smaller pots to start my seeds in.

Ianna

The Fortinos in Brampton @ Hwy 10 & Bovaird, has all their bushes/shrubs %50 off. The sign yesterday still showed %20 but the clerk confirmed %50. The rhodos were huge & healthy. Got:
5 rhodos
2 peonies
2 clematis
2 spirea
1 hydrangea
1 bleeding heart

The garden centre at the Food Basics in Miss @ Dixie & Rathburn had a huge clearance sign, will have to pop in on my lunch on Monday.

My goodness, there MUST be bargains at this time of year.

Anyone?

Well, there had been a few but unfortunately for various reasons I wasn't able to window shop as much. Canadian tire is certainly getting rid of old perennials at good prices. Don't let the poor state of plants fool you. Plant now and next season be delighted by the outcome.

I picked up a 'White Profusion' butterfly bush at loblaws for just under $8 tax included

Some of the local (Guelph/Kitchener) nurseries have had great deals on annuals the last couple of weeks. Great if you want to fill a planter or some bare spots in your perennial garden.

Origami Master wrote that Walmart has no sales. I should say one needs to take a look there in June. They have a lot of plants at reduced prices. This is Walmart in Scarborough, between Pharmacy and Warden Ave. They had quite a selection of standards. One that cought my eye was willow "Hakuro Nishiki" standard for $20.00 on sale. I bought a rhodo "Hot Lips" for $5.00 in excellent condition. There were a lot of other plants for 2, 3 and 4 dollars, depending on size. Frankly, I thought their plants looked better than at Rona. I don't shop at Walmart otherwise.

Ianna

I purchased lots and lots of real bargains at the Canadian Tire in Barrie about two weeks ago it must be

Now they have closed up the garden centre.

Plants had been marked down and then down again and the last time I went they where .25 cents. The small pots of perennials.
Four inch pots where I think .75
I bought some good stuff. Mind you as you mentioned some of the plants didn't look good
But I am making a new perennial bed in the front of my house, along the sidewalk The bed measures eight feet by sixty. So I need lots of plants

I have lots of Iris from my sons garden
Day lilies from my own in the back yard
and have been taking lots of cuttings of that dark, almost black sedum that you see here and there. Which are taking just fine.

But the inexpensive Canadian Tire perennials will really help fill up the bed. I forget now all that I bought . That blue Russian Sage, isn't it called. Perenial poppies.
A yellow flowering perennial that I don't remember but very hardy.
I don't just recall all the stuff I bought some that I wasn't familar with but I thought might be ideal.

I put the worst of them into window boxes that I had not used this year, with new top notch soil and in a partially shady spot Gave them lots of water and most of them look good.
Am going to put them into the new flower bed, I think early September.

The other day I was at the Botanix garden centre in Barrie and got two gorgeous hostas for 75 percent off. Lakeside beach captain, which I just love and Hosta Earth angel
Two terrific looking hostas There where only two marked down that much or I would have bought more.

Love those bargains. Kind of exciting isn't it.

Now 60-75% off is my kind of sale!! There should be good bargains on perennials at this time of the year, plants that are overstocked, lost name tags, look a bit "ratty", etc. I got some great deals on daylilies about this time last year from some local plant nurseries. Some had been mislabelled by the wholesaler and some were just "end of summer" bargains.

I just got a 'Goldflame' honeysuckle for half price at a local nursery. It looks really healthy. They had some perennials too, but nothing I had to have. I think I'll wait to plant the honeysuckle until after the hurricane...

Brock Rd. Nursery in Guelph have some (or most) of their summer-blooming perennials at 50% off. They also have some of the small pots at 70% dsicount. Based on what they did last year, more of the large pots will probably be at 50-70% off later in September (or October?)
I got some regal lilies in pots and a couple of perennial geraniums at 50% off. Healthy looking plants at a very good price.