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Page 32 Can you spot a good plant?
Oh my goodness I can’t believe we are in June already, I know
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everyone feels this way but I really cannot believe where this year has gone. Luckily, we have had a steady run into to summer but obviously, the warmth is with us again and it’s time to enjoy your garden. It’s a little late in the year to be thinking about planting now but a bit of information beforehand is always good to have in your head.
We have supplied plants for many customers directly and via our website Flores Garden Centre Online. In the process of doing this we have sometimes run into some problems because unfortunately not everyone knows as much about plants as us.
Our plants come to us from the very large growers who grow on a massive scale and then supply to us and garden centres in general. We have always been
very pleased with the quality and sizing of our plants, and as we don’t have the overheads of a large garden centre we can then supply them at a very competitive price. But where the problem comes in is mostly to do with height. This may sound a little strange but when you look at my diagram you will understand.
We have often had the conversation where a customer will say, “I can buy taller ones at the garden centre”. This may be true, but as we know plants, we don’t only look at how tall they are, we look at the quality of the growth, shape, the quantity of stems on the plant and the size of the root ball. You may be able to get a plant that is a little taller for the same money, but I guarantee it won’t be of the same quality. To get it to the same standard as one of our plants would require a further one to two years of growth with correct pruning to make it the same plant.
A quick break down of what to look for. 1. A larger pot size, obviously if a plant has a larger pot, it is normally logical to say it has a larger root ball. The part of the plant that is responsible for collecting nutrients and moisture for the plant to grow, so if its roots are bigger and more established it will grow quicker.
Female Focus
2. Not long leggy stems, but shorter sturdier and a larger quantity of stems, similarly to roots. Leaves are responsible for photosynthesis which helps the plant convert its food, so the more leaves, the more growth.
3. Thirdly and mainly because of points 1 and 2, a full healthy plant. When a plant is leggy and you can see through it, the only way to make it full is to prune it, this will then increase the number of stems you have and the number of leaves making it bushy and, providing it is fed and watered, healthy.
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