Busy Lizzies

alan_linton

Hello, is there a shortage of Busy Lizzie plants this year as I am having great difficulty finding them in my garden centres.

Elusive

Last few years Bedding busy lizzies have had a blight related disease so a lot of garden centres wont grow them anymore.

Lyn

I think its probably a bit late in the season, most things are sold and planted up by now. There were plenty of plugs for sale in April.

Chrissy the gardener

as Mattbeer says Busy Lizzies have been suffering with a type of blight as yet to my knowledge there is no spray to overcome this .I work at a garden nursery and we grew some this year to see if they were now ok because people were asking for them, but no joy they have again got blight and have had to be destroyed.

I personally would not be wasting my money on buying busy lizzies until this is overcome.

Strangely New Guinea Busy Lizzie does not suffer from the blight but they are bigger plants and more expensive.

Hortum-cretae

As above. Suppliers have shied away from them still after the mildew problem. The New Guinea ones are around, as said, but this recent warm and wet weather causes them problems, too.  I've been pushing begonias, and nemesia this year. Fortunately now we're into the salvias, and I can stop worrying too much about the overhead watering, and just give stuff a good soaking. Off to start now, in fact. 

Tropical Sam

My local Tesco is selling Busy Lizzies cheaply (the old fashioned ones, not guinea hybrids). Sainsbury has also been selling them.