Lots of the mail order nurseries have bumper bargains of bedding plants like petunias, busy lizzies, begonias etc now that it's coming close to the end of their shipping times for these & they need to shift surplus stock before it's too late.
Check the back pages of newspapers, or nursery websites, & there are lots of really great deals around.
even try the dreaded garden centres with full size plants not plugs.
Morrisons always have good plants at very reasonable prices.
Aldi also did some excellent basket plants recently too.
I've given up with plug plants as they seem to take too long to get going...so I tend to shop around for bigger plants.
A few people have told me about plants and other gardening bits 'n bobs but they've always gone by the time I get there :doh: