By Urbanite
Leicestershire,
United Kingdom 
Soon be Christmas!
I'm not joking! Noticed Christmas cards in the shops on Saturday and today a large area of one of our local chain garden centres is sheeted off as they set up the Christmas display (crates of decorations on pallets waiting to be taken behind the sheets)
So thoroughly depressed that we barely had summer and the shops are looking towards the end of the year, I didn't buy the propagator that I went for. And having saved the £50 I got to wondering as I drove home whether an electric propagator is a good buy?
I didn't take the rose cuttings that I was going to take a couple of months ago (turned out there was no rush as the house move is not going to plan - got to get builders in so looking more like Christmas if I'm lucky) .... Coming back to the propagator, a friend suggested that roses 'take' much better if they have bottom heat, hence the trip to the GC to buy an electric propagator.
Will be taking the cuttings this weekend and thought to carry out some trials - heated v unheated and also to try rooting in water.
11 Sep, 2013
Answers
Crimbo comes early at Garden Centres because they get the students, who have been working there during their summer holidays, to put the display up before they go back to College. I know this because I asked one year, why they appear so early
11 Sep, 2013
The C word is banned! banned! :0)
12 Sep, 2013
Pamg - it's only the successor to Saturnalia. Is that banned too? ;-)
12 Sep, 2013
I agree with Pamg, far too early to give 'C' a thought, too much to do in the garden first!
12 Sep, 2013
Until after bonfire night at least. :0)))
12 Sep, 2013
Last week my local Wetherspoons put their tree up, and it's not even Saturnalia yet. ;o)
12 Sep, 2013
Tesco are selling puddings.....Rediculous
12 Sep, 2013
No doubt, some people are panic buying already
12 Sep, 2013
no panic buying of electric propagators!
12 Sep, 2013
Back to the question - yes, electric props are a good investment.
12 Sep, 2013
I wonder how much use I'll get out of it for the truly-tiny-yard though. A couple of shrubs, a couple of ferns, some bulbs and it will be overcrowded. I bought a bag of alium bulbs - special offer... Got home and thought what the ---- am I going to do with 50 aliums! They were a bargain though!
12 Sep, 2013
You could put a few in a bag with some soil and keep them in the fridge for a while, then take them out and put them in pots inside. This will fool them into thinking that spring has arrived... Alliums for Christmas. That's what my mother used to do with daffodil bulbs, but having said that, it might be too late to have them flower for Christmas as I seem to remember that my mother started this in early summer.
12 Sep, 2013
OK Urbanite, perhaps you don't need one after all!
12 Sep, 2013
Christmas tree in the foyer of Wetherspoons! Touting for Christmas dinners but made my heart sink. I used to love Christmas but now I dread it.
12 Sep, 2013
I went to the local GC yesterday for some New Horizon compost but they had sold out. "We won't be getting any more in until next gardening season, it is Christmas now you know!!!!!"
13 Sep, 2013
Good grief!!!
13 Sep, 2013
Oh no it's not
13 Sep, 2013
Oh yes it... no, let's not go there!
Been at the last cricket match of the (local league) season today. The home team shares grounds with a football club and they jointly have a fireworks party in November - the bonfire stack has already reached about 12ft high.
14 Sep, 2013
It is still September isn't it?
Or did I sleep through the last couple of months.......
15 Sep, 2013
One charity I used to buy cards from, sent out their C*mas catalogue in August :(-
15 Sep, 2013
Yes Pamg, it is still September. Cricket is still being played (just about) and there's still a chance of an Indian Summer. We haven't had one of those in good ol' GB for a long time - would be nice.
16 Sep, 2013
Previous question
« my daughter's class would like to grow some bamboo in the school...it's right...
Apparently there are 15 Saturdays to Christmas! lol
11 Sep, 2013