Gardening expert's one trick to buy plants 'for next to nothing' in September

Summer’s at an end but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start planting – especially when you can pick up plants for extra-cheap prices thanks to this expert’s trick.

September is actually a great time to start cultivating all sorts of plants. While the weatherhas gotten slightly cooler, the soil is still nice and temperate, making it ideal to work with. Plus, the dull, rainier skies help give new growth a good douse of much-needed water and minerals.

Even better, an expert has revealed another major reason why September is a great time to get planting – it’s far easier on your pocket. A gardening expert known as Ish recently shared “a clever gardening hack to fill your beds and borders for a lot less and ready for next year.”

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On his TikTok channel, Gardening With Ish, he explained that many shops and DIY stores reduce the prices of healthy plants in September to offload stock – meaning you can usually pick one up for a bargain. In his video caption, he wrote: “Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the pricing system at supermarkets and DIY stores.

“In September they start dramatically reducing perfectly healthy plants to get rid of stock and you’ll get a mature plant a lot less than you would have a couple weeks ago.”

He revealed that he had picked up an hydrangea plant for just £3 that had originally been priced at £16. Even though the plant had some dead foliage, Ish reassured his audience that “this is a perfectly fine plant that is a perennial and will come back year after year.”

He explained that all you need to do to maintain it is “to give it a tidy up”. First, he told viewers that they should snip away any dead foliage and “start having it right above” the healthy foliage.

He added that you should be able to plant the flower straight away, while the soil is still warm. While it will go dormant over winter, he reassured gardeners that it should come back next spring “absolutely thriving”.

Commenters were quick to thank Ish for sharing his expertise and some even shared their own experiences. One user wrote: “I've filled my new build garden nearly entirely with the reject section of B&Q. Saved a fortune.”

Another added: “As a newbie to plants, I've saved so much money and had so much satisfaction from seeing these 'dead' plants come to life!”