I like re-cycling, myself and my family are usually dressed from the op-shop, I use every opportunity to re-cycle building materials around the garden and  think nothing of going through the kerb side household clean-ups, therefore I am a big fan of rummaging through the half price plant areas in nurseries. Often these are tables full of odds and ends that just need to get their roots in the ground or have had a harsh prune and not come back very well. I hate to see these plants going to waste especially when many people don’t have a budget at all for their gardens.

So, for the last 2 years I have been allocating homes to some of these poor homeless plants, in my sons school garden! It is the perfect place, as it is somewhere I visit regularly and can water and prune when needed, it also helps ease a terrible need I have, for having to plant something everyday.

This year the little garden has really taken off, the Kangaroo Paw on the right were rescued from my Mum’s garden when she sold her house and the Grafted Standard Grevillea ‘Deua Flame’s which hardly had a leaf, have never been happier.

I am very lucky to have a little helper who loves watering and often reminds me to do so.
Below you can see the super happy Grevillea ‘Sandra Gordon’ and a dwarf form of Tristaniopsis laurina, not to mention the Westringia ‘Jervis Gem’, which are always good for tough sites. Many of these were trampled on when first planted and they had to fight to survive all those little feet.

So next time you are umming and ahhhing over a discounted plant that looks rather worse for wear, take it home and give it a chance, there is something immensely satisfying about seeing these sick plants thriving.