Gransnet forums

Chat

Can't get flower seeds from Suttons.

(34 Posts)
nadateturbe Mon 18-Jan-21 12:45:35

In the scheme of things not important, but I'm not a gardener so spent some time looking at the website to choose easily grown flower seeds that I can plant soon. Went through the whole process to payment and my basket was emptied and I got a message. .no delivery to NI. I rang Suttons and was told it was because of Brexit. Wonderful!

vampirequeen Mon 18-Jan-21 12:50:20

That's awful. If they can't send seeds then it makes you wonder what else NI is going to lose access too.

vampirequeen Mon 18-Jan-21 12:51:24

Sorry to any pedants. Not too but to...I think grin

nadateturbe Mon 18-Jan-21 13:14:37

Well yes. That's what I thought too. John Lewis aren't delivering. I got some on Amazon but even they have some auppliers not delivering. Quite depressing.

nadateturbe Mon 18-Jan-21 13:19:42

I've just discovered our local Dobbies delivers. Problem solved ?

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 07:48:56

I've just tried to buy something else on Amazon from two different sellers. The annoying thing is I go through the whole process before it says cant deliver to that location. Both advertised as "Available in the UK" and should include NI.
I foresee shortages of certain items soon.

NannyJan53 Tue 19-Jan-21 07:54:26

Hmm another 'bonus' of Brexit....NOT

NotAGran55 Tue 19-Jan-21 08:00:47

Don’t you have any suppliers in NI ? Or do you particularly like Suttons ?

shysal Tue 19-Jan-21 09:43:07

My SIL ordered some from the Sarah Raven catalogue, but she is in England. By the way, I love this catalogue, the photos are beautiful!

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 10:22:05

Notagran I know very little about growing flowers. My gardening consists of buying nice plants and shrubs and planting them. As I have lots of spare time now I thought I would try growing from seeds. I looked online for advice on what to plant Feb/Mar. Suttons came up, I recognised the name. I have since found out I can get them from a local store. I think I was shocked that there is a difficulty in getting things delivered in NI from other parts of the UK. It's very unfair that NI is treated this way.

Farmor15 Tue 19-Jan-21 12:28:13

nadateturbe I see you have solved your seed problem for now, but for future buying you might try www.seedaholic.com/
They are based in Republic of Ireland so would definitely deliver to NI. Unfortunately they are so inundated with orders they're not taking any at the moment. However, that should change soon hopefully.

We've used them for both flower and vegetable seeds and they come with very detailed instructions for growing - very useful for inexperienced growers.

Lidl usually have a good range of cheap seeds in the spring, so look out for those too.

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 12:51:10

Thank you Farmor15 for that helpful information.

Chewbacca Tue 19-Jan-21 14:41:30

I agree re Lidl seeds Farmor15, they're very reasonably priced and I've never had a failure with them yet. Last Spring I bought a 6'x6'x4' greenhouse from them for about £30 and grew cucumbers, tomatoes and salad crops, all from Lidl seeds. Highly recommend them.

NotAGran55 Tue 19-Jan-21 15:18:46

Nadateturbe thanks for your reply. I was just interested in you looking at Suttons seeds in particular. The company was established in my local county town and was a very significant employer in the town before it moved away . My husband had his only job there when he 16 , in the sales office before starting in business on his own .
I know nothing about plants and grew my very first tomatoes and potatoes in the first lockdown.

Enjoy your seeds smile

glammanana Tue 19-Jan-21 16:27:20

Nadateturbe I dont know if you have a Poundland or similar shop in NI but for the last couple of years I have bought a box of seeds from them,they are spring wild flowers and you just sprinkle them to an area which may be difficult to plant, the boxes I got hid an unsightly fence at the bottom of my garden they where spectacular and all for 99p.

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 19:07:46

That's interesting NotaGran. I didn't realise they were such a big company but I knew they were reputable. Tomatoes would be a nice challenge. Well done!
Thanks too Glammanana. We have thought of having a section of wild flowers. As its so easy we definitely will now!

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 19:08:23

Sorry I meant to embolden your names.

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 19:13:15

And Chewbacca. A greenhouse sounds good. I'm getting quite enthusiastic!

Chewbacca Tue 19-Jan-21 20:10:01

nadateturbe the greenhouse for £30 or so was brilliant! Dead easy to put up on my own, single handed, and provided salad crops all summer long. I'm thinking melons for this summer! grin

nadateturbe Tue 19-Jan-21 23:29:26

Why not give it a try Chewbacca! Just had a look and apparently they are best grown in a greenhouse. Amazing how something can grow so big from a seed in a few months.

Chewbacca Tue 19-Jan-21 23:53:18

Gallons of water needed for cucumbers and melons! I've never grown cucumber before and was astonished how HUGE they grow! From one tiny little seed I ended up with a plant like a triffid; all along the sides, up over the door and suspended from the roof by cable ties and string! We were picking 3 or 4 cucumbers a day by August and were giving them away to any one who would take them. If you decide to give it a go, I recommend Passandra mini cucumbers F1 seeds.

David0205 Wed 20-Jan-21 08:09:19

There should be no Brexit effect for seeds and plants coming into the UK beyond transport delays, there is a 6 month pause before import regulations are changed. Possibly it’s the VAT changes that are preventing normal invoicing and reclaim of tax
It may be Covid is affecting production and shipping of seeds many of which are grown overseas often Southern Hemisphere.

nadateturbe Wed 20-Jan-21 10:21:14

David0205 there is a difference between ordering for delivery within the UK due to Brexit. Some suppliers (including Suttons, John Lewis and Dunelm) are reluctant to deliver to Northern Ireland at the moment. That was actually what I was complaining about.
However I did enjoy how it changed to a pleasant gardening thread. Can't wait to get my greenhouse!

David0205 Wed 20-Jan-21 11:09:43

Mail order is the problem, those in NI need to order from a NI or possibly ROI supplier, NI is still in the EU VAT area. So any goods exported from UK is liable to EU VAT, traders can reclaim it not consumers. Just one of the benefits of Brexit.

Ironically it should be easy to import from EU companies.

nadateturbe Wed 20-Jan-21 14:45:22

David my point is we are part of the UK and should be treated as such.