A Good Deal

I found this in the mailbox the other day. This is from a shop that sells stuff for the garden and pets, so that's a double whammy as far as I'm concerned. I started leafing through it, to see what they got on offer as they sometimes have very good deals on plants and other stuff for the garden. And they got some nice stuff for pets too which is of the utmost interest to the Bliss team.
Ohhhhh look, a pretty kitty relaxing in a radiator 'hanging basket'. The Bliss team got several of those and they love them, especially in winter, no surprise there. If you have a kittycat or two, these 'hanging baskets' come highly recommended by the entire Bliss team!
Lookee here, another pretty kitty with a very nice climbing tree. The Bliss team got two indoor climbing trees already so we don't need another one. But if you have an indoor kitty then this is a very good thing to buy. Your cat will love it and will use it as a scratching post too which is good news for your furniture. Now, let's see, what else have they got on offer?
Well, I've heard of the expression 'to throw a dog a bone' but this is ridiculous, although perhaps not when you are of the canine persuasion. But is there anything on sale in the garden department, that's what I want to know.
Yes there is, they have a lovely selection of Hellebores and they are only 2.99 euro, which is quite cheap. Normally I would expect to pay between 5 to 20 euro for a Hellebore so paying only 3 euro (which is about 4.5 USD or CAD) sounds like a good deal to me. So off I went to buy myself some Hellebores which was easy to do as that shop is only a 5 minute drive away. And here's the loot:
There were a lot of varieties to choose from. The Hellebore niger I didn't buy as that one always dies on me. I tried it 4 times and each and every time it went to meet its maker. But they had many other kinds such as the Orientalis which are very good IMO. They are very sturdy and hardy plants and their flowers are gorgeous and come in many colours so I bought two of those; the Hellebore Orientalis Ballard Hybrid and Orientalis Spotted Hybrid. I also bought a Hellebore foetidus. I saw that one in flower recently and thought those greenish/yellowy flowers very pretty. It also has very nicely shaped leaves which is great.
I think that they are very nice and healthy plants and not a bad size either. Kadootje thinks so too, so that settles it! ;-)
For some time now I've been longing for a Hamamelis but what stopped me from buying one (or two) was the vast amount I had to fork out to get my hot little hands on one. Gardening is not a cheap hobby as we all know, so whenever possible I try to save myself a bit of money and look for deals. Last Saturday I went shopping in the village where I live and in one of the flowershops I found a much coveted Hamamelis intermedia Jelena for only 5 euro, and it wasn't such a ittybitty plant either.
Here's another pic, this time with Surprise and she is a very big cat so that gives you some idea of the size of the Hamamelis.
It has practically finished flowering, as it flowers from December til January for 3 to 4 weeks. But that's okay with me, for 5 euro I'm not complaining as I expected to pay about 35 - 40 euro for a plant this size. And it still has a very nice treat in store for me, because in Autumn its leaves will turn a very spectacular colour. For enjoying its flowers there is always next year. That's one of the things I love about gardening; when you missed out on something or something failed spectacularly, there is always next year when you get another chance.
Hamamelis intermedia Jelena is known for its great scent too, so that's another bonus. I love it when a plant has many of those.

While in the flowershop my eyes fell on a cute little bouquet of white Ranunculus and as they were only 1.50 euro (about 2.25 USD or CAD) I bought a bunch of those as well. It was not the biggest of bouquets, just twelve little flowers, but that's allright. It doesn't have to be big to create a pleasing effect. This is what I did. I made a nice little display with some glass vases and a cristal decanter and candle holder. Displayed like this even the smallest bouquet is an eye catcher.

That's enough about my good deals, how about yours? What are the prices of plants and stuff in your neck of the woods? What do you consider a good deal? Are there even any good deals to be had? One enquiring mind wants to know! :-)

I'd like to thank all of you who send congratulations and best wishes on the first aniversary of my blog; thank you all very much!!! I appreciate it, the Bliss team appreciates it. Of course the Bliss team got their extra hugs and cuddles and a very nice bit of cooked fish too. What would a party be without some nice treats for the Bliss team? A very dismal affair, I'm sure. ;-)

Copyright 2008 Y.E.W. Heuzen