Saturday, May 30, 2009

Bargain Bin

By Skeeter


I am a bargain hunter with pretty much anything I purchase. I do find myself spending a bit too much on certain things but most everything I have has been purchased at a bargain price. Who does not like a good Bargain right? Well here in my Georgia Garden I keep the bargains coming. Such a bargain was this Nelly Moser Clematis I found at the back of Lowes in the Bargain Bin or rack. If you are not aware of this little secret, the next time you are in Lowes, go to the back of the Garden Center and look for a rack of pitiful plants in sad shape. You can weed through them and find some great potential at bargain prices. Most all plants are half price if not more! I do believe Tina has shared this secret with us before. But as a bargain hunter, I must remind you of the bargains out there.
I have never had a Clematis before so did not know much about them. I have seen them in Tina's gardens and other gardens via your Blogs. I knew I had to have one some day. The day came last Fall. I found this pitiful looking Clematis for $2.00 and decided, hey, why not. So, I will order water instead of a drink the next time we eat out. There, I can justify the price of 2 dollars, right?
I planted the thing and watered it well during the drought times last fall. I did not snap a picture of it then as I really did not think it would survive, it was that sad to the eye. Then winter came and plenty of rain so no more care from me. And look what happened this Spring! Nelly has thanked me with blooms! My first Clematis blooms! Of course I planted this on the mailbox post. My mailbox planter has never looked good but 2 times in the 8 years we have been here so I needed something to perk things up a bit.
And Perk, we have done. Just look at that beautiful bloom!
And this one with the sun shining on it. It just glows like the daffys once did in this planter.
And now we will go into the depths of this beauty!

I hope Nelly thrives and continues to give me beautiful blooms. She sure was a find at the BARGAIN BIN, but now In the Garden...

Note: I will show you more bargains soon!

30 comments:

  1. Good job~~ you wouldn't believe the plants I have purchased from Lowes off the distressed rack for 75% off ! My two big containers of Dahlias looked almost dead when I bought them, deadheaded them, cut off the sickly leaves, fertilized it and it has been non stop blooms!! The book in your last post sounds interesting.

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  2. Your bargain Clematis is beautiful. A good part of my garden are plants that customers returned and I have nursed them back to health. I once worked at Home Quarters before they went out of business and got many bargains there. Once my manager told be to mark all of the Japanese Maples down to $5 because it was fall and they were losing leaves and we needed room for Christmas Trees - I bought 3.

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  3. Skeeter we have literally saved thousands of dollars by doing that. All of our Clematis were marked down. We get the burnt up stuff in July and August that's 90%off. We have yet to have anything that did not come back with a little TLC. The Eastside bed photos in our previous post was all done with plants that were almost dead when we got them.

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  4. That's a great find Skeeter! I just got one the other day and put on our mailbox. Sometimes you can find some really nice stuff, other times it's best left to compost!

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  5. Great bargain find Skeeter. I need to remember to look at the bargain bin the next time I go to Lowes. ;)

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  6. Good Morning All,
    Skeeter that is one great find. I've tried to grow Clematis but have not had any luck. I really like them & have several places for them to grow but they just don't make it.
    That close up is gorgeous.

    Have a nice day all.

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  7. Skeeter, that Nelly is mesmerizing. I hope your mail carrier doesn't get carried away by the sight of it and forget to deliver! I'm going to ask SAM to build me a planter for the base of our box. It's so ugly, one of those plain things that can't be knocked down by errant drivers or wild teenagers with baseball bats and a warped sense of humor. It could use a beauty makeover. I agree with you. Bargains are the best!

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  8. Good morning all! A friend and I are on our way to a plant sale. I hope to find some good bargains there too:)

    Skeeter, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lowes for this bargain area! I am surprised more plant collectors don't shop there or know of it. Most all of my plants have come from Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart and I find they get some neat things in-even better when they are marked down. Some of my classmates at school frown on this kind of plant shopping as not all can bring them back to health, but I've found no problems, just plant and water like you did and walah! Stunning clematis! It will give you many joys indeed. I am looking forward to seeing the rest. We take off tomorrow so still here another day, but once gone I will not be blogging. Time for fun, relaxing and a trip to my favorite nursery in NC I think. Might even fit in an amusement park for the Jimster. Should be fun to get away from my garden. You all have a fabulous day!

    Lola, Look up clematis Armandii. I believe you would like this evergreen clematis and it should grow for you no problem.

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  9. I like to find bargains also. It helps defray the cost of the ones I killed. :)
    Congrats on your success.
    Donna

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  10. Great bargains!

    We were at Lowe's yesterday and I can't believe how many plants they have still to sell. The place is overflowing with aisles and aisles of stacked roller carts outside the fenced area, too. Surely, they will soon put everything on sale!

    Cameron

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  11. WOW! $2!!! Thanks for the great tip. I'll be checking the bargain area!

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  12. Good Morning everyone! It is sunny and going to be a beautiful day here in Georgia! We will be in the yard playing a bit so must hurry here...

    Darla, the Bargain Bin is the best at Lowes! I found things marked for 10-cents last week! Talk about fun...

    Les, oh my goodness, at 5 dollars a Japanese Maple, I would have a yard full of them!

    Jamie & Randy, Since you are aware of this secret, I know you have saved tons of money as your garden is full of beauties! Bargains are the Best!

    Dave, you are right about the compost bin. They had some stuff recently that made me chuckle with the thought of who would buy a dead plant! Dead is dead and is not coming back!

    Raquel, Do go to the back of the store or to the side end and see if your Lowes has a bargain Bin. I am yet to find a Lowes that did not have one. Great buys when budget shopping! You never know what will be on the rack as they put stuff on it every day...

    Janet, I know I like this one and hope it continues to thrive for me. I may add more if found at bargain prices as they are pricey at full price...

    Lola, I wonder if it is too hot in your area for them...?... I had wanted to try one for a long time but too pricey then found this one for 2 bucks. Hey, I could spare 2 dollars to give it a try. And it was in really sad shape. I will be interested to see if it continues to do well here...

    W2W, we live on a Rural Route so the carrier forgets to even come down our street some times! lol I know what you mean about kids and those darn baseball bats. Luckily we have never been hit but two of my brothers and my parents have. My parents had a brick one installed and so far, no more mailboxes to be bought by them. I fear when the new High School opens this fall up the street from us that we may be a target. Heck our neighbors mailbox cannot be seen for the weeds so we will be the target...

    Tina, Good Luck on your bargain hunt today! I love to go on a good hunt at a garden center. I feel like I am in a garden when surrounded by all the beauties! I get most of my plants at the same places as you. The Nursery's are too pricey for my blood. Be sure to save space for lots of plants while on vacation. A theme park sound like fun and I am sure the Jimster will have a blast! Drive safe and enjoy the family with no Blog worries while away as it will be here when you return!

    Donna, that is a good way to look at things. lol. Bargains are the Best!

    Cameron, Our Lowes is getting new stock almost every day now! I love to see all the new plants and we are lucky as they get in different things and not the same old traditional flowers. Some really interesting things I might add. I find myself reading tags by the hour in there. Our area is known as the Garden City and a lot of people take pride in their yards. Too bad my neighbors’ to the left dont...

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  13. Worm and Flowers, Hello to you and do check on this little secret. You will save tons of money if lucky...

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  14. It is a real beauty so great find.

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  15. Hi Skeeter, I had a clematis once and neglected it so I lost it. I must, Must get another, the pictures of yours is beautiful! I have seen clematis atop a chain link fence where you couldn't see the growing stem, looking like it is floating up there.
    Bargin bin here I come!

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  16. Great finds. I love bringing bargain bin stuff back to life. It's so satisfying! -Jackie

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  17. That was quite the bargain! I've had my Nelly Moser for years and it's finally blooming now. I also probably paid full price.
    It really is a pretty clematis. Great deal!

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  18. Hi Skeeter, I'm a bargain girl too;-) I buy things that look half-dead and nurture them back to life. It's saving $$ but also rewarding to save the life of a plant! Your Nellie is just gorgeous. My Nellie is too;-)

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  19. skeeter,

    your bargain clematis is doing better than my several full priced ones that i planted last spring. i am hoping for a few blooms this year...i put some of them in places that get no attention and others where they get watered regularly. i think you will like having it at your mailbox because it will make getting the mail so much more lovely.

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  20. I love the color --so pretty!!! Went for a walk with lil bundle, Girl Model and Sidekick this morning --saw a BIG snake in front of our garage door --ack. It then proceeded to move into the unweeded front flowerbed:) Hubby said it was a gardensnake so at least he still thinks the flowerbed looks like a garden and not a weed patch:0) Just got back from piano with Boy1 so I must feed everyone --have a great day! It sure is nice outside today!

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  21. Hi Skeeter, this really gives a whole new perspective to buying plants in a sad state. I'll keep this in mind. Who knows...?! I just kept looking at your clematis. It's a sight to behold!!

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  22. Hi, Skeeter, glad to know that I have a new bargain hunting buddy. I stop by Lowes once a week. they usually add new clearance plants on every Wednesday, you can find it on the back of the nursery. This week I found 4 day lilies for 50 cents each, and all fruit and flower trees are 50% off. I "almost" want to buy a peach tree, then I control the emotion, and keep telling myself that I can't have too many trees in my backyard. My husband is amazed that I can spend so much time at home improvement store ;D

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  23. Skeeter, Tina I too look for the bargains. I've gotten several Geraniums lately for 2 bucks. They flower like crazy. Young'un mowed today so we've been in the yard most of the day.

    Hi Jean hope your garden is coming along fine.

    Hi Dawn.

    Anonymous, snake, oh boy, do be careful garden snake or not. Rattlers & moccasins here. Now I have a litter of kittens under my shed. She dug under to get there. She was born there. Wish I could figure out how to stop all the kittens being born under there.
    Any ideas anyone?

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  24. I have always wanted a clematis. But for some reason they always seem so overpriced and look sort of pitiful. I'll be looking for that bargain bin.
    Brenda

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  25. Hello Everyone! It has been a long day in the yard, on top of the roof, in town running errands, creating a 4th of July theme and eating dinner out. Then creating a new object for a new whimsy planter in the works. Whew, what a day. Tomorrow we will be on the lake! Perfect weather and cant wait to get on the boat for relaxation!

    I am happy to hear that most of you have Clematis as they are beautiful bloomers!

    Anonymous, I saw our first snake here at the house yesterday while driving my red rider to the mail box. I had the camera with me and snapped a pic of it. A black Rat, Chicken or King Snake. It wandered off into the woods after my second trip to say hi to it. It was about 2 half feet long. I bet Sidekick wanted to give it a pat on the head. tee hee...

    Lola, You poor dear! More kittens under the shed. Gee, I would have to see the spot where she dug to make a suggestion of how to keep them out. Mama cats can be persistent about where they want to have their kittens. By the way, the Saint told me to tell you that you can send him Gnomes anytime! I told you he did not care. :-)

    Vuejardin, I am one of those home improvement store lovers also! I came up with the idea of how to keep the frogs out of our toilet pipes on the roof today! All I had to do was walk around and look at things and an idea came to mind. The Saint was impressed.

    I hope that everyone is having some of this glorious weather we are having in GA....

    Good Night...

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  26. I'm a Lowes bargain bin shopper too Skeeter. You won't believe what I bought for $8.00 this spring ~ two huge Clivias (that are usually SO expensive at the greenhouses). I was out of my mind thrilled. Sometimes knowing about the bargain bin has hurt me too ~ I will wait for a plant to get put there and then it sells out (and never gets there) and I miss out! I was kicking myself for buying a black elephant ear then the next day they were all on clearance! ugh. What a beauty Nelly Moser is ~ that was a terrific buy!

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  27. Skeeter, Thanks to you & The Saint.
    I will have to take a pic of that area & send to you.

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  28. Kathleen, I did the same thing with buying a plant recently then found it on sale for half price the next day! I wanted to return the plant but did not as the gas alone would have cost more then the savings...lol...

    Will be looking for that pic Lola and maybe we can help you with a suggestion...

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  29. I didn't realize how far behind I had gotten on your postings! I'm outside on the covered part of our deck catching up. It looks like it rained over an inch last night, but I don't know if Larry emptied the gauge from the last several days of rain.

    You sure did get a great bargain there! I have some from last year getting ready to bloom. Of course, my splurges are doing fine, too.

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