You would like to think nobody would deliberately sell the wrong type of plant but it does happen.
Sometimes it is by accident or lack of knowledge, often it is central buyers sending in the wrong stock
For instance, rhododendrons and azaleas will only grow in a soil that is acidic but a well-known chain of stores would regularly allocate large quantities of them to stores in areas of chalk soils ignoring the fact that it was impossible to plant them in the soil.
If you saw them in the store, you could be tempted to buy and plant them in the ground, but they would eventually die.
If you had checked the label there would have been a warning or recommendation to plant in ericaceous compost or acid soil so my advice, is to beware and always check the label, however, tempting the flower.
Frosts
You might also think if you saw a large display of summer bedding in April, that it was the right time to start planting them outside but they are unlikely to survive the first frost.
When I first started out we only sold bedding after the chance of severe frosts had passed, usually from the beginning of May possibly even June in Scotland.
In the 80’s some bright spark in the DIY superstore business decided they would sell summer bedding for Easter and gradually others followed.
The protect from frost warning signs were the only hint that it might not be a good idea.
Recently after a few very cold Aprils, the trend has slightly reversed and summer bedding has been pushed back to May.
However, you can still find plants sold at the wrong time for some do’s and don’ts check out our this month page.
So when you come across a fantastic flower or special offer always check the label, or ask for advice.
