Buying plants online!

The brochures from plant nurseries are all very tempting ,but if they are offering a vast choice of plants then they are "plant supermarkets ".

I've ordered plants from these nurseries and have always been acutely disappointed .

I'm complained and the substitutes are as awful .

So now having chosen a particular plant for myself or as a gift I use specialist plant nursery :

If your choice is not available then they will contact you with a substitute .

These specialist nurseries are often hybridisers (like me) and take enormous pride in their plants .

So over the last few years I've bought beautiful quality plants from -
David Austin ,Peter Beales ,Primrose Hall and Chaileys to name a few .

I also recommend Claire Austin and Sarah Raven .

It is worth contacting them outlining your preferences and then they will only sell you high quality plants .

Daisymae

I have had a few disappointments buying online plants but this year have bought excellent sweet peas and now geums from Precious Plants. They arrived in perfect condition and exactly as advertised. I'm definitely going to check out the Myrtle as described by the OP.

The squirrel has decimated my lovely red geum which was in a pot where he must have buried his nuts. It was struggling a bit, now he's uprooted it twice and it's given in.

I shall investigate that firm, thank you, Daisymae

Try www.farmergracy.co.uk - they're not the cheapest but service and quality is top notch.

Used to like Crocus but had a few failures.
Farmer Gracy are excellent. Look out for offers.

Don't recommend Suttons postal service. We ordered an assortment of perennials. Took ages to arrive supposed to be plugs but they were seedlings on a cardboard strip some hadn't survived in the post. Not impressed would never order from them again.

Mamissimo

Try www.farmergracy.co.uk - they're not the cheapest but service and quality is top notch.

I ordered some Amarine bulbs from that company only this afternoon, before reading your post Mamissimo. I am now hopeful that they will be good quality.

www.farmergracy.co.uk/products/amarine-belladiva-anastasia-bulbs-uk

I have been disappointed with mail order plants so now avoid buying anything I haven’t personally selected.

We also had some poor Sutton's plugs, kissngate.

We found Sutton’s very poor as well. We pre-ordered some tomato plants one December a couple of years ago. Come April Sutton’s were selling them off at half price. Then when they arrived in May they were very poor straggly specimens. We were very disappointed especially as we’d pre-ordered and paid full price. The Sutton’s catalogue now goes straight into the recycling bin.

Thompson & Morgan do not pack well, and they use Hermes (now Evri) to deliver them. They are usually pretty bashed when they arrive.
Plants 2 Gardens from QVC are good, as are Hayloft plants.

For the past few years I have ordered my hanging baskets from T&M and they have always been first class last years lasted until late October ,I have had plugs from them but was not impressed with them.

We've had plugs - medium sized ones and also their garden-ready ones - from J Parker's, and they have almost always arrived in perfect condition, with just the occasional droopy one. That's in spite of being delivered by Hermes. We've found that their bulbs are reliable too.

There are some interesting suggestions on this thread.

For the first time I am disappointed with my delivery from J Parker's. I wish they didn't use Evri (Hermes). I knew my 40 garden ready plants were on the way, but they were left by my front door yesterday evening. There was no ring on the doorbell so I didn't know they had arrived until I read the Email this morning. Despite the box being clearly labelled 'Plants - this way up' the box was left the wrong way up. Each 20-cell tray was covered with a 'hair net' but the plugs had fallen out inside it and were broken up in a jumbled mess. I just about salvaged enough intact plants to sparsely fill my 5-tier trough stand. I do not blame Parker's but I have let them know in case they are thinking of changing their couriers.

I bought garden and indoor plants from Gardeners Dream via Amazon. Arrived in perfect condition far better than our nearest garden centre.

I wasn't going to say anything on this thread until the end of the month, but as that is tomorrow here goes. I ordered and paid for 30 x 2 litre lavender plants in January to put in a couple of long beds in my front garden. Despite my phoning and e mailing all to no avail, the plants which were promised in May have not arrived. It can't be that the lavender isn't ready because there are lavender plants in all the garden centres and supermarkets. The whole design is now scuppered. My worry is that they have double sold them, and come the end of the time will just send the rough old stuff left. Grrr. I won't say the name of the company yet, but the clue is in the name of the plant.

I have always brought plants on line and seeds. Mainly from Thompson and Morgan, but veg plants from DT Brown and my roses from David Austen . Even brought some heather's and hollies from eBay never had any problems.

I don't drive . Do buy from garden centres if my daughter takes me but most I get on line.

Not gardening weather at the moment having a hail storm with very heavy rain . Glad I am staying in today . ?

I had some Erigeron Stallone delivered from T&M a couple of days ago in perfect condition, very pleased.

I have had disappointingly small plants from Parkers and always say I won’t use them again. Sarah Raven are overpriced and seeds show poor germination. I bought dahlias last year, some of which were very small tubers. I am trying to use some of our local nurseries, which have interesting plants.

MiniMoon

Thompson & Morgan do not pack well, and they use Hermes (now Evri) to deliver them. They are usually pretty bashed when they arrive.
Plants 2 Gardens from QVC are good, as are Hayloft plants.

We received someone else's plants from T&M last year.
After fruitless enquiries around the neighbours we rang and they said that there had been a hitch with their computer system and to dispose of the plants as we wished.

Nannytopsy

I have had disappointingly small plants from Parkers and always say I won’t use them again. Sarah Raven are overpriced and seeds show poor germination. I bought dahlias last year, some of which were very small tubers. I am trying to use some of our local nurseries, which have interesting plants.

JParker’s plant descriptions clearly state what size they are Nannytopsy, if you order plug plants they are tiny, but obviously cheaper. I always order garden ready size, which are more established, bigger plants which have never failed for me. I think the devil is in the detail of your order, true for all companies unless you order very late and end up with a more developed plant, but more likely to be pot bound.

I've always had good results buying on line and found many plants not available locally. Unfortunately because of Brexit none of the companies will deliver to Moreland,although they don't tell you this until you go to checkout!
The plants in the garden centre now all have their little plant passport.?Price added of course.

N Ireland not Moreland auto correct!

Looked at farmergracy but sorry to see they don't do shrubs. Can anyone recommend a site for those, lovely grans?