Sainsbury’s is selling autumn plants for just a PENNY – but shoppers are all saying the same thing
GARDENING enthusiasts have been left unimpressed by Sainsbury’s offering autumnal plants for a penny each.
An eagle-eyed shopper spotted the deal while browsing the shelves at their local supermarket.
She sparked a discussion about the plants in the Facebook group BARGAIN LOVERS Poundland, Home Bargains, B&M, Primark, The Range.
“Autumn plants 1p in Sainsbury’s,” she wrote.
A photo accompanying the post showed shelves of outdoor plants with reduced-price stickers.
Many people began to tag friends and liked the budget-friendly gardening supplies.
However, other commenters argued it was too good to be true.
“Half dead ..I would imagine at that price,” one person wrote.
“Yeah, this happens lots in all stores and plants all go to waste,” another commented.
“I was told in 2 different stores, that staff are not allowed to water the plants to keep them alive. So they have a lot of waste on plants.”
The post was also flooded with laughing emojis from people agreeing that “dead” plants aren’t worth even a penny.
Bargain hunter Kirsty previously defied the belief that discounted plants can’t be revived.
She rescued fuchsia from her local Sainsbury’s that had been reduced from £2 to 5p.
“I ran the tap over them when getting home then sat them in a bowl of water for an hour then watered them every few hours after that,” she said, posting on the Garden Makeover Ideas on a Budget Facebook page.
Kirsty said an improvement was visible by the next day and she continued to nurture the plant with frequent watering.
She decided to remove any already dead parts from the plant before putting it outside on day three.
October gardening jobs
The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the jobs you need to tackle in October.
“It’s a good time to trim deciduous hedges – like box, yew, hawthorn, hornbean and beech – plus hedge trimmers are a great upper body workout!
Make leafmould – gather up all the fallen leaves and fill either bin bags or plastic carrier bags. Seal the top, stick a few small holes in the bag – and then store for a year or more. Free compost!
It’s unlikely you’ll get any more red tomatoes so have one final harvest and chuck the plants on the compost. See if you can get the green ones to ripen by putting in a drawer (some say with a banana). Also keep the seeds from a couple – and plant again next year if they went well.
Finish getting in your spring bulbs. Ideally you’d have done daffs and alliums, but tulips are better in the ground when the soil temperature gets a bit colder.
It’s good to leave some plant litter in the ground – it adds to the nutrients as it rots down, and provides shelter and food for insects. But remove the manky brown bits collapsing all over the lawn/winter structure.
Mulch – it not only suppresses weeds, but keeps the soil warm, improves water retention and adds a little winter duvet to your outside space.
October’s a good month for carrots, peas, asparagus, broad beans, and rhubarb.”
“Today they are thriving. I’m in absolute awe at the transformation all in four days,” she said.
One commenter described her efforts as a “great job,” while another said it was “inspiring.”
“Will give this a go too, save myself a lot of money,” another added.
Jamie Shipley, who is an expert at Hedges Direct, has described autumn as the “perfect time” to assess gardens.
He recommends pruning plants in October as the weather is still warm enough for plants to suffer minimal damage.
Daffodils, crocus, hyacinths and tulips are among the bulbs that can be planted now for colour in spring.
Shipley suggests giving azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons a boost with watering if the autumn weather is dry.