What was your best garden buy this year?

Must confess I bought a little garden gnome, always wanted one, he is partly hidden under a large bush, don't want people to think I have no taste!

A black eyed Susan which covered the area to the side of the front door. Passers by always stopped to admire it. Jack Frost has just finished it off but it was so cheerful while it lasted.

My best garden buy this year was a load of river gravel for the bare bits .

My best garden 'buy' was lots of manure from a nearby farmer. I was allowed to help myself, and all it cost me was the price of the rubble bags I put it in to transport it, a bottle of port to say thank you, and a bad back!

Absolutely love Wilko, have got hold of so many bargains from there this year. Mostly decorative bits & bobs but still.

They ignored my attempt at a wild flower lawn and flew past it to get to the sage and the lavender jura2.

A beehive- and bees they have just loved our wild flower meadow and our typical 'Curate's garden'.

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An owl on a stand. He flaps his wings when the breeze blows. We've taken it down for the winter.
Plant wise my favourite buy this year was Alstroemerias. The yellow and red one is still flowering.

Mine was finding a gardener willing to come in now and again (and not charge huge amounts) to trim back overgrown shrubs etc, giving me more time and energy to keep the rest of my garden tidy and presentable.

Lornap the great thing about your nasturtiums are that they will go on self seeding for evermore, sometimes in the most unusual places, so you'll get to smile for years. Enjoy!

Craizydaizy I guess you have what is my best buy in your garden as I understand phormiums are natives of NZ.

My daughter's labour as my garden had a make-over this year to make it a little easier in years to come. This was paid for with endless reading to her of her Masters texts, etc. (she's dyslexic) although I have a feeling the ready cups of tea and lunch were probably rated at least as highly.

I wonder if anyone can suggest a fence plant (up rather than out). I have a Pyracantha but whatever fills the gap needs to be slow growing (not small just slow growing) as I have found this essential for my small tiny garden.

If you give them a good mulch they should be ok as long as you don't live in a frost pocket.x

Thank you everyone for the good ideas for my garden this year - here in NZ we are busy planting our gardens for the summer.

Lilyflower your herb sound like a curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) which smells really appetising but isn't edible. You could check with Mr. Google.

I really want one of those Chewy but they do get quite big and we have no more room! I may try and grow one in a pot next year.

I bought a salvia, Hot Lips, at the very beginning of summer and it's still in full flower now. It's been an absolute bargain. Hope it over winters OK.

Lilyflower, that sounds like a curry plant, very nice when they are a bargain. I bought an apple tree, Discovery, from Wilkinsons, reduced to £1.99, put into a pot and had four beautiful apples this year, must put it into the garden next year though.

When many plants go to sleep or are not their best this time of year the one shrub that will never let you down is the phormium a native of New Zealand
My favourite which I have in my garden is Maori Sunset and stands out like a beacon on dismal winter days. Phormiums need very little attention.

My absolute BEST garden buy this year is most definitely a season ticket to Green Island Gardens in Essex. I have enjoyed seeing some of the most magnificent Flora and Fauna during the different seasons. It is a complete joy to visit as the gardens are so lovely. Very, very, calming place.

A packet of climbing nasturtium seeds, still climbing and still flowering wherever they can. They make me smile everyday.

Latter not letter!

As I was new to gardening and didn't know what I was doing I bought virtually everything in the pound shop! Have had fabulous crops of gooseberries, red and green, blackberries, raspberries, rhubarb and blackcurrants. Also I picked up 3 hebes and some heathers at 50p each from the 'dead' section at B&Q, all thriving despite my ignorance!!

I always think of my grandmother when I see/hear about Cosmos. She was a young bride of 18 when she followed my GF to the goldfields f South Africa where he was an engineer. Apparently, each spring the veld round Jo'burg was covered in all colours of cosmos, preceded by lobelia!

My best buy was a packet of Cosmos Daiseys from Wilko still flowering and about 4ft tall makes me smile everytime I see them

For the first time, I got some ready made mixtures of hanging basket plants and put them in tubs from the now defunct Homebase. They were and still are brilliant. Shall do the same next year - I think the replacement Homebase does much the same thing though haven't been there yet.