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Bargain Basement

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Sakkarin » Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:52 am

Good heavens, that's £1.78 a pound! Is that for real!?!?!

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Wic » Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:38 pm

Yes! You suddenly made me doubt it, so I went and looked at the bill to check it. It was a special offer on a red price ticket.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:44 pm

Got a bunch of daffs for £1 at Morrison's
They have opened and are filling the room with scent, just simple yellow trumpet daffs
There seemed to be more than the usual 10, so I counted them - 18, just the right size for my vase

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Renee » Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:50 pm

I always buy the daffs when I see them. I love the scent.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby jeral » Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:51 pm

I'm surprised people say they actually like the smell of daffs. I've only bought a bunch once and chucked 'em as can't stand the scent. Seemingly pets aren't keen on it either. It must be a gene thing similar to liking or not coriander leaf. But hey, if you like it, I'm happy for you as daffs certainly have a cheering visual effect :)

Out of interest, I love freesia scent and vanilla. I know vanilla scent is another Marmite, but what do all you daff lovers think of freesia scent please? (I'm just wondering if some appeal to all or none or some are innocuous either way.)

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Renee » Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:06 am

I don't seem to be able to smell freesias, so I can't answer your question jeral. I love the smell of bluebells and hyacinths, but my friend can't stand the smell of hyacinths. I love the scent of violas which I often have in a tub by the front door.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:40 am

I like freesias in moderation, but they can be overwhelming
My Mum couldn’t bear them

Neither of us could bear mimosa - I think I’m quite allergic to the pollen but she had an aunt with contacts who used to send it annually for a while. Even if you aren’t allergic it sheds enough pollen to make a mess of a polished surface

I’ve given up on indoor hyacinths more or less, they can be too strong.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby jeral » Thu Jan 24, 2019 7:43 pm

Like/dislike of flower scent doesn't seem to be clear cut at all then. Fascinating.

Renée, the scent of so-called smelly flowers can vary hugely depending on the colour of the flower, freesias and hyacinths both fall into this category. I used to think it was freshness or size or "forcing" until I read up a while back. Maybe it's for bees, that if the colour doesn't attract them, they need to perfume themselves.

Stokey Sue, interesting about scents being too strong. Is it relevant to the size of the room or more a "one whiff of them" so to speak?

Re polished surfaces, avoid big white lilies then... Maybe pollen droppings are why sideboard "doilies" were prevalent as opposed to just being decorative? (I really dislike the smell of white lilies - better left in the garden IMO.)

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:31 pm

jeral wrote:Like/dislike of flower scent doesn't seem to be clear cut at all then. Fascinating.

Renée, the scent of so-called smelly flowers can vary hugely depending on the colour of the flower, freesias and hyacinths both fall into this category. I used to think it was freshness or size or "forcing" until I read up a while back. Maybe it's for bees, that if the colour doesn't attract them, they need to perfume themselves.

Stokey Sue, interesting about scents being too strong. Is it relevant to the size of the room or more a "one whiff of them" so to speak?

Re polished surfaces, avoid big white lilies then... Maybe pollen droppings are why sideboard "doilies" were prevalent as opposed to just being decorative? (I really dislike the smell of white lilies - better left in the garden IMO.)

I think the size of the room has a bearing but it's mainly one whiff and keel over for me

Yes, completely agree on colour, hyacinth Delft Blue is the weapons grade version of flower scent IMO, I like white hyacinths in a big room, but our receptionist complained that the basket of growing flowers on her desk made her feel queasy, I removed the hyacinth spikes and then it was fine.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Joanbunting » Mon Jan 28, 2019 3:45 pm

Mimosa is everywhere at the moment Sue. It doesn't grow here inland of course but when M bought me flowers on Saturday i was sent half a trees worth as a gift by the florist - I usually get a long stemmed rose! Mimosa is not good as a cut flower. They hate heat and they have an overpowering scent. In addition My father always thought of then as a funeral flower because he was a freemason and that was a(nother) symbolic thing. I put mine into the veranda in the cool and they don't overpower.

I love freesias to bits . They were my mother's favourite flower and they are probably mine too, although I adore lilly of the valley. The one thing I really don't like in a room is stargazy lillies, oriental ones are fine but there is something about the stragazies which really repels me. M hates sweetpeas

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Renee » Mon Jan 28, 2019 4:11 pm

I just love the scent of sweet peas Joan and used to grow them every year before I moved here, so that I could enjoy it. However, I never had much success in growing them and was only able to pick a few flowers each day. Maybe it was the soil.

Thanks for that information jeral.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:03 am

Sweet peas remind me of my last day at Swiss Bank in the City.
I was given a box of chocs, thank you kindly. And about 10 sprays of gloriously floral sweat pea bunches.
That I cuddled on the last journey home on the District Line. Achoooooo!

I imagine they are quite delicate to grow, Renee.

Would you believe it, we've run out of our stash of Lavazza coffee pods.
And there are no bargain basement offers to be had anywhere! We'll have to pay full bloomin' price!

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Renee » Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:44 am

What a lovely leaving present Gill. Some people have great success growing sweet peas. My grandma's birthday was at the end of May and her present always included a bunch of sweet peas. A father and daughter at the south end of Blackpool where we used to live grew them on a commercial scale, but they are long gone now.

Sorry to hear about your coffee. A friend came for the day recently and I got her roasting some green beans for the experience! They take a week or so to mature and I've just ground some up this morning.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Pampy » Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:31 pm

Gillthepainter wrote:Would you believe it, we've run out of our stash of Lavazza coffee pods.
And there are no bargain basement offers to be had anywhere! We'll have to pay full bloomin' price!

There are promotions available on the Lavazza website.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Lusciouslush » Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:09 pm

jeral wrote:Out of interest, I love freesia scent and vanilla. I know vanilla scent is another Marmite, but what do all you daff lovers think of freesia scent please?


I absolutely love daffs/narcissus & their scent - have a big jugfull on the kitchen window right now which will be constantly replaced until the season is over, really cheerful this time of year. I also love the smell of freesia too - vanilla is nice when cooking, but any diffuser/air freshner scent with it I find sickening.

After the last two pots of hyacinth I've vowed not to have them in the house again - not because of their perfume, but because they end up so straggly with heads too large for their stems & needing a lot of staking up - always looks unnatural.


I have a really beautifull daphne in full flower in the front garden right now - passers-by stop & wonder where the glorious scent is coming from - it really is intoxicating when there is a breeze - one small branch in a vase is all you need to perfume the whole downstais.


An uncle used to grow sweepeas like weeds up a massive trellis seperating the garden from the veg patch - he always sowed the seeds in autumn & swore that was the best way to grow them.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Renee » Wed Jan 30, 2019 5:44 pm

Yes, I believe that autumn is the best time to sow sweet pea seeds. I used to have a daphne in the garden of my previous home. The scent is lovely at this time of the year, when there's nothing much else in bloom.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Pampy » Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:54 pm

Lusciouslush wrote:
An uncle used to grow sweepeas like weeds up a massive trellis seperating the garden from the veg patch - he always sowed the seeds in autumn & swore that was the best way to grow them.

I've always understood that it was best to sow sweet peas in autumn and if you can't, then put the seeds in the freezer for a couple of days before sowing in early spring.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Renee » Wed Jan 30, 2019 11:50 pm

Thank you for the tip about putting the seeds in the freezer for a couple of days Pampy.

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Lusciouslush » Thu Jan 31, 2019 1:13 pm

That is a good tip Pampy……. :thumbsup

I used to keep some seeds in the fridge in the past but they always ended up going mouldy or thrown out because I'd forgotten what they were :roll:

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Re: BARGAIN BASEMENT

Postby Badger's Mate » Thu Jan 31, 2019 1:30 pm

You could just put them outside the back door at the moment...

I forgot to sow my sweet cicely in the autumn, I think a chilling might be required. It's not a bad idea to keep some seeds in the freezer, essentially it's what seed banks do. Some seeds don't remain viable for very long, freezing helps to keep them going. it also controls pests. I save various drying beans for cooking and a proportion for resowing. Freezing prevents any potential protein increases :shock:

The trick however, is finding any space in the freezer :D

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