The bottom line is - you get what you pay for.

You might consider a garden centre plant price too dear but you need to consider the age and maturity of it - a more established plant means a better root system which means a better chance of survival and establishing in 'your' garden.
More mature plants have had more attention given to them which is time and money - both cost !

If you buy a more established plant you could divide it before planting or, divide it a year after .... 2 plants for the price of 1. (not shrubs), there are ways of increasing stock from that 1 plant !

Forget price, Doddy, and look for good plants. Places like Homebase and B&Q are multipurpose stores with plants being just a small percentage of their stock. Sometimes these stores have a good plant sales manager but my experience is that they more often don't. If the plants look good and healthy thenm they are generally OK to buy. I sometimes buy from these stores but more often use a nursery or garden centre.

as a garden centre plant area manager i can vouch for quality plants, i often take a look at these 'sheds' that stack it high and sell it cheap, but if you can get there when a fresh crop has arrived you may be ok, but no-one there usually gives a bother about them after that, they are sold as loss leaders, they dont make money on that product.

My personal experience of Homebase garden centre is they're expensive - B & Q much cheaper, so if I've got to pay more money, I'd rather go to a proper garden centre.

thankyou so much for your replys, i will take on board what you all have said, and i will be visiting garden centres,looking for healthy plants, sorry to be thick i new to gardening, whats the differance between garden centres and nursery?
thanks again :)

I usually buy my bedding plants from the garden centre but this year bought quite a few in Homebase, because they looked so healthy. They are looking really good now, BUT, the lobelia that was supposed to be trailing are actually bush plants so the pots are looking a bit strange. I'm hoping they'll reach a certain point and then fall over. LOL.
So the answer to your question is yes but beware.

thanks elless will take care :)

A nursery is somewhere where they raise plants; some sell them to the public, they're often much cheaper, and they're generally quite different from garden centres - a bit spartan, no scented candles and furniture, etc., just plants. Garden centres are more like supermarkets these days, which is why, if you go in early winter, you'll find hardly any plants but loads of Christmas tat...

Agree about the xmas tat bit.
I suppose i'm quite lucky in that i have several 'chain' garden centres and also a few nurseries, these are usually independently owned.
They're all worth going to because what one has the others don't, i visit them all.
(not all at once!)

I know that some Goyers work in garden centers and some in nurseries. I am not intending to be rude to them when I say that many garden centers employ staff with little plant knowledge. On the other hand nurseries are staffed by fewer people but they do know their plants. And there are exceptions to the rules in both cases. Other than that, I agree with Bamboo.

I've had some dire advice given to me in one of the garden centres, on more than one occasion and i will never ask again in there, however, their value for money is very good indeed so always return !

I often by my plants and shrubs from car boot sales and never had a failure with any. Cheap and cheerful!

There you are, each to their own :-)
The only trouble with buying like this is that the shrubs might not be as well established, so too perennials and it's a risk .... you could end up spending more again to replace them if/when they fail.

thankyou so much for all you comments , very helpful,take care everyone :o)