Allotments 4 All
Produce => Non Edible Plants => Topic started by: feet of clay on June 28, 2004, 22:34:54
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I used to buy a lot of plug perennial plants (etc) from Parkers. Generally, the quality was OK and a month or so of growth did the trick. This year, the plants were dire - so I complained and they replaced them - with equally bad plants. Anyone else had success (or failure) with mail order?
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My mum and I have had exactly the same experience with Parkers and have given up on them. The plants were either dead on arrival, died shortly after arrival, were tiny weeny little sicly things, or just never arrived!
As I have mentioned before, I have to be pretty desperate for a plant if I go out and buy it so the only gardeny thing I buy mail order now is seeds. Speaking of which, hey Phil Cooper!!! I see you have got your 15 minutes of fame. I saw ya name in the Kitchen Garden mag this month. You's a star now....can I have your autograph ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Thanks for the warning - I shall be seeking their explanation.
But all our bulbs from them have been first-rate. = Tim
PS We bought recently from a Telegraph offer & it was a disaster.
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I ordered some Anemone Japonica from Womans Weekly and have just checked to see if it says which Nursery they came from but it doesnt.They were really rubbish.Sickly, weedy things.If you haven't a car to get to the Nursery mail order used to be one solution.
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I have only ever bought plants once by mail order from Bakker's in Spalding.I ordered a gum tree,acer and loads of ground covering plants.There was no problem with the quality-all of them are still thriving after 4 years(especially the gum which is taller than my house!),but the size was a dissapointment.Granted,the cost was a lot cheaper than garden centre,but acer was a mere twig and the ground cover plants (cannot remember all their names) looked like weeds!
The acer has taken 4 years for it to get to a good size,but prior to me buying it,they hadnt trained it to grow into the classic weeping shape.
My sister borrowed my catalogue and ordered some plants for herself and they were all terrible-infact several died.They did replace them FOC though.
I now prefer to see what exaclly im buying.
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I buy a good deal of my plants off of eBay - only every had one duff set which were replaced immediately. Sometimes the prices reach ridiculous levels, so I just walk away. But you do get the occasional stonking bargain - like a sambucus 'Black Lace' for £1.50!
AC x
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Hi,
I get my chrysanthemums From Woolmans and they are always in A1 Condition ..But they do pack em very well in their own individual sealed Little plastic containers.
I have had 60 Sprays and 24 standards come this Year and all were in good condition ...
Sorry to hear about Your experiences buying mail order but phone them up and if the replacements are still poor get on to them again . jim
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Hello, all
I ordered some cannas from Parkers this year and only half grew. I scraped off some compost from the top of their pots to see if there were any signs of life, and to my surprise the tubers weren't rotten and there were tiny shoots coming. However they have been stuck in this state for 2 months! Has anyone any idea why this has happened? What can I do to make them sprout? I've tried moving them between the greenhouse and cold frame, and even put them outside for a while, but still no luck!
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Spurdie, my cannas this year were VERY slow!! Has taken them ages to get going and they were inside the greenhouse!
In the end I gave up on then and threw them out in the garden in disgust! (well, planted them into well manured holes actually!) they are now shooting away, but it still remains to be seen if they actually get any flowers this year! :-\ DP
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Hi there FOC!
Have you given up on the BBC site too?
As a seasoned canna grower, can you please tell me what to do with the tubers at the end of the year? (assuming they grow!!!) :-\
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Oh! Sorry for calling you FOC, Doris! I've put my specs on now!
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Thought you were swearing at me Spurdie!!! :o :o :o :o as in oh FOC!
I put mine into a big pot, before the hard frosts, and keep them in my greenhouse, which is unheated, but bubble wrapped to keep out the frost! Because I am in the South East, I was going to sacrifice a plant this year and cover it with a good mulch and some straw, to see if it survives in the big bad world!
USUALLY they start to sprout early spring for me, and I grow them on until fairly large, then harden them off to put outside. They are VERY heavy feeders and love a well rotted manure lined hole!! Hope this helps DP
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Thanks for your advice, DORIS
Surprisingly enough, dahlias survive the winter in situ up here in NE Scotland! We discovered this by accident, and thought it was maybe just a fluke, but our neighbours did the same (silly) experiment and theirs were OK too! We had a long, cold winter (as usual!) from October to March, with temps down to -15C. Just shows you can be too kind to plants! However, since this is my first season of cannas, I think I'll follow your advice and take them indoors!
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I've grown dahlias from seed this year but one tuber from last year has survived - I couldn't be bothered with digging it up. I was surprised cos I'm on cold wet clay in north Cheshire. My Cannas from Parkers were pathetic and one is in the compost, three planted out and one sulking. If the plants do anything then I might dig them up. (Saw magnificent Cannas in Christchurch Botanical Gardens in NZ. Wow!)
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I used to leave dahlias in the ground (Edinburgh so a bit further south and usually mild) and they were o.k. but they a couple of years ago they didn't survive so now I lift them and put them in the g'house to be on the safe side. Might try leaving one out this year to see what happens tho.
Re mail order plants, my OH has bought his fancy fuschias from Arcadia Nurseries for a while but this year about half have been duff - a couple having to be chucked and a few pretty poor.
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This year i got my perennial plug plants from Mr. Fothergills.They have been very good.I am trying Canna's for the first time,but will bring them into the greenhouse this Autumn.I dont think i would chance leaving Dahlias out over winter here in the Borders.
Regarding Parker's i gave up on them a long time ago.
Anne
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I used to get alot of my plants mail order with a few successes but mainly failures :( The only real success was a standard hibiscus which has been going strong for a few years and getting better and better each year.
A friend sent off for some cleome plug plants this year, whereas I collected seeds from last year's plants. Her plants have not done very well, hardly grown at all, but mine are lovely strong healthy plants with blooms ready to burst. OK they may not come true from seed but there is always that element of surprise waiting to see what colours you get.
Re the cannas I have mine in a large pot which I bring into the greenhouse over winter. Pleased to say, they have multiplied and I have some lovely beautiful tall plants with bronze leaves and hopefully gorgeous orange blooms soon. I would add that I keep them well watered, apparently they cannot get enough water.
Pat
PS There is quite a good site which has some useful info on cannas and other plants at http://www.canna-indica.nl/
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I have been reading all the postings with interest as I have today ordered my first ever mail order plants. From Thompson & Morgan. I will try to let you know what I think when they arrive.
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I have been thinking about this thread, and receiving plants thru the mail, and realised that I get the most fantastic plants, seedlings and seeds mail order from a great company, my company of friends! I have received alsorts over the last 18 months or so...Indian Bean Tree, Passion flowers, Hoyas, Orchids, cactus, palms, bulbs and seeds of many wonderful things, and they have all been packed with care and attention and survived their journey to bloom another day. This sort of care comes from a true plant lover and a mate! Expensive, worth their weight in gold! ;D
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Early on, I said that we had had this order from J. Parker and, like other folk, had found it wanting. It was a Daily Telegraph 'offer'.
I spoke about it & they said 'it'll be OK on the day'. Well - all but one of 34 plants have died. Careless? Weather? Try something else!! They will be hearing from us again.
This is how one batch arrived.
I have to say that almost all our veg orders have been excellent - from Simpson's, Marshalls & Dobies. The occasional hiccup has been put right without question. I'm just a little troubled by Victoriana's standards, nice folk as they are. = Tim
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:o what were they supposed to be Tim?! Makes me very cross when companies try to get out of their responsibilities, even when you are quoting 'should be fit for the purpose they are sold for' and of 'merchantable quality', which they're obviously not!
I've had plants through offers in the paper, most have survived, some better than others. They've mostly come via thompson and morgan.
The only real disappointment was some clematis that didn't live, of course all the ones I really wanted were the ones that died!
Cheers all.
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Oh My! Tim you have got me really worried about my order now. No one has reported on T&M yet, but I will let you know when I have received my orders. Your poor plants!
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Tim, your plants were positively the Jonny Wilkinsons of the world compared to the rotting, pathetic specimens I got. Worse still, after I complained, the 'replacements' were just that - another identical lot. Now I am suitably angry, if I can find the delivery note, I might have another go at them, on the other hand, the weather is fine and there are a lot of gardening jobs to attend to......
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Never had any problems with T&M thankfully. Plants always arrive in good condition and are well packed. The only thing that ever died on me was a Magnolia, which was a free gift 'cause I spent £25 or something like that, probably because of our Scottish weather.
Eileen.
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Relieved to hear about T&M Eileen, but I would imagine complaining about plants is a difficult one. Still a little bit anxious about my order.
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I ordered some plug plants from T&Ms for the first time this year. The cosmos and cerinthe have been terrific, double buzy lizzies less so and the cleomes rather disappointing - only 2 out of 8 left!. That could well have been my own fault though - they were bought as garden ready but were so small, I should probably have grown them on a bit in pots first! I'm sure your stuff will be fine Plocket.
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Thank you for that reassurance Iain - I'll keep you posted!
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I've had lots of mail order plants, and I guess I have been lucky that only a small proportion have not thrived. AND that's using 'offers'! Lots from Thompson and Morgan, including lots of 'offer' perennials, all great. Got 3 new Clems this morning, so hoping for the best (last 3 'free' clems out and thriving). I do tend to pot them on immediately. Have never bought anything pricey through mail order though (but then I can't really afford anything pricey!). Does anyone else find they have a 'favourite' potting compost? Mine is Durstons, as it doesn't dry out easily. ;)
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Hum. Don't know what compost I use. As long as it doesn't contain lots of peat I'm happy.
What company delivered your clems CL? Just so I know who to look out for!!!
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Hi Plocket, first ones were T&M, today's a company called Lyncroft in Warwickshire.. ;)
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Oops sorry - I meant were they delivered by Parcel Force, Interlink etc.?
Plocket x
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Whoops! By post (hand delivered by our v.nice postman!) and cheapest way...sent a jiffy bag and 1.15 stamps!! :D
PS Tim, what a sorry sight! What were they supposed to be? Offer? Sacrifice more like....... :'(
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A good selection of perennials.
But - having copied my post to them, I today received a full refund. = Tim
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That's better news Tim, but doesn't make up for the disappointment etc.
I've just heard that mine won't be coming until September time. I hope they don't charge me now!!!
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I just ordered some from Mill Farm Nursery via Ebay - they do 50 perennials for £15 plus £10 p&P. They arrived safely yesterday looking nice and healthy and with instuctions on how to look after them. They obviously want us to get the best from their plants so I am hoping they all grow well!