Latest news with #camellia
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Man's shock at $650 Bunnings plant price tag
The price of a popular Bunnings item is raising eyebrows — but some argued it is a fair price. A TikTok creator whose content focuses on plants spotted an espalier camellia at Bunnings Warehouse. The retail price on the plant was $649. 'I was going to get this for my bloody space but then I saw the freaking price bros — $650,' the man behind the account said. He asked if anyone could explain the reason behind the price tag. Some social media users did provide an answer — which is the time and effort it takes to grow the plants to the height it was and the method used to do so — while others baulked at the price. 'It takes years and labour to train them to grow like this,' one person said. Another added: 'But they do have a one-year warranty.' 'Nope, too expensive,' another added. However, it's not unusual for these items to have a high price. One 40 centimetre version has a price tag of $395, while one that was 10cm bigger jumped to $695. Bunnings confirmed to that espalier camellias of such a size take a significant amount of time and care, and that growers deserved to be compensated for this work. Over the course of six to eight years, the plants need to be trained to grow up the trellis using hundreds of small clips. It's also pruned up to four times a year, re-potted a minimum of three times and fertilised regularly. For context, the 'espalier' part of the name refers to the practice of training plants to run up a wall or trellis by pruning and tying branches. It was popularised in France for pear and apple trees, and is a delicate and time consuming act. For these particular plants, it requires a lot of handling and equipment and that the flora is a considerable weight and size, according to Bunnings. There are also smaller options, such as the 70 millimetre Assorted Camellia, which retails for $4.93, 200mm Japanese Camellias, which cost $31.98, and 250mm Camellia Avalanche for $66.98.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$649 Bunnings plant stuns Aussie gardening enthusiast: 'Never seen that before'
Bunnings is well known for its tagline promising low prices compared to its competitorat, but one shopper was stunned by the price of a single plant at his local store. Micka, a plant enthusiast from the NSW Central Coast, popped into the hardware giant's Tuggerah store to add a few more plants to his collection when one in particular caught his eye — an espalier camellia. The business owner thought the large plant, grown onto a trellis, would make the perfect backdrop for videos he makes to share online. That is until he saw the $649 price tag. "That's the most expensive plant I've ever seen," he told Yahoo News. For the past five years, Micka, who runs a popular online community about Bunnings plants, has dedicated his "whole life" to his love of gardening. He's even started a business selling rare varieties of house plants and care products among his community of nearly 180,000 followers. "I go to Bunnings pretty regularly," he said. "I was looking for a background [for my videos] and thought [the espalier camellia's] looked sick. But it was $600 and I thought 'I can't afford that'." Before spotting this plant, the most expensive plants he'd seen at the hardware store were Thai constellation monsteras, a highly sought-after variegated form of the Monstera deliciosa house plant. Sharing the price discovery online, many were quick to explain to Micka that it takes a long time to grow and train the plants, hence the price tag. Espalier refers to the artistic way the plants are pruned and trained to grow up a trellis or flat wall. Camellias are popular espaliers due to their masses of flowers and evergreen foliage. "I've never seen anything like that before in Bunnings," he said, admitting that he is still thinking about the plant. Espalier camellias take up to eight years to be trained and grow on the trellis using hundreds of small clips. They are pruned up to four times yearly, as well as fertilised regularly and re-potted at least three times before they are listed for sale. They're also considerably heavy, which adds to transport costs. Smaller camellias can be bought at the store for as cheap as $4.93 for the 70mm size. Micka admitted that his plant obsession costs him around $1,000 a month at Bunnings. "It's not just on plants, but plant stuff," he explained. "Every time you go into Bunnings, you walk out with stuff you don't go there for. It's an outing for me. I get the sausage sizzle and go for a wander." The single dad has over 200 house plants, and admits "it's my whole life". Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
