12 strawberry plants from Mr Fothergills for 2.95

BigDonut

Is it too lat ein the year to get these now?
I forgot to order them earlier this month.
Thinking of putting them in B&Q 99p buckets

katholicos

i think my second order may have come this morning, but i have been out all day and only got back a little while ago and the Royal Mail card says 'your perishable delivery' has been taken back to the depot for collection from Monday. Hope that if they are my strawbs, they will still be okay. Why they didn't leave them with a neighbour or in the side porch i don't know!

A._Badger

BigDonut wrote: »

Is it too lat ein the year to get these now?
I forgot to order them earlier this month.
Thinking of putting them in B&Q 99p buckets

It's certainly not too late to get them in, but especially if you are talking about bare-rooted plants (as opposed to pot grown ones) it's really expecting too much to get fruit off them this year. Pick off the flower buds as they form, keep them fed and watered and wait patiently for a bumper crop next year.

Snapdragon

Well they must have sussed I was beginning to wonder where they were, they arrived while I was out yesterday, left on doorstep. They do look to be pretty pathetic specimens (no offence OP). Gave them a good soak and planted up now, will have to see how they progress. While I was out yesterday I spotted homebase had the same Cambridge variety and had them 6 for £1.49 and I was tempted but thought my order was bound to turn up soon. I'm almost wishing now I'd grabbed the extra ones cos they were much more advanced and substantial plants than the tiny stubs that arrived. Maybe with plants you are better off seeing what you are getting?

southerly

I am surprised they were that cheap in Homebase! Was that a reduced price? I am annoyed now! I also ordered some from Fothergills, and was too late to get the free postage, (bought strong netting and raspberries as well). They are small, but some have lots of root. I also ordered a pack of achillea seeds, was kicking myself as realised straight afterwards that they were probably cheaper on ebay, including postage, (and they were), but I do like the pretty packet with a photo that you don't get from ebay sellers, and they give 2 free packets with every packet bought. I thought I would get seeds for something I already had, or some horrible garish flowers, but got Lobelia, which I do sow every year, and 10 week stock, which I have already got but it is a nice flower. What free seeds did anyone else get?

janiebaby29

Snapdragon wrote: »

Well they must have sussed I was beginning to wonder where they were, they arrived while I was out yesterday, left on doorstep. They do look to be pretty pathetic specimens (no offence OP). Gave them a good soak and planted up now, will have to see how they progress. While I was out yesterday I spotted homebase had the same Cambridge variety and had them 6 for £1.49 and I was tempted but thought my order was bound to turn up soon. I'm almost wishing now I'd grabbed the extra ones cos they were much more advanced and substantial plants than the tiny stubs that arrived. Maybe with plants you are better off seeing what you are getting?

none taken it is a gamble though , mine are in the ground now and have gone a lovely shade of green

A._Badger

Snapdragon wrote: »

Well they must have sussed I was beginning to wonder where they were, they arrived while I was out yesterday, left on doorstep. They do look to be pretty pathetic specimens (no offence OP). Gave them a good soak and planted up now, will have to see how they progress. While I was out yesterday I spotted homebase had the same Cambridge variety and had them 6 for £1.49 and I was tempted but thought my order was bound to turn up soon. I'm almost wishing now I'd grabbed the extra ones cos they were much more advanced and substantial plants than the tiny stubs that arrived. Maybe with plants you are better off seeing what you are getting?

Snapdragon makes a useful point. Unless you are buying from a real specialist, purchasing plants through the post is a terrible gamble. With an experienced eye, you can walk round even the best garden centre and see how wide the variation is between the various plants on sale, but at least you can pick and choose. With postal buys you get what you are given - good and bad alike.

Along with my Fothergill strawberries, I also ordered some pinks and a blueberry. The blueberry was posted second class and arrived, dessicated, on a Monday after a hot weekend on a post office shelf. In fairness, Fothergill replaced it without a quibble, but the replacement wasn't much more of a specimen when it arrived.

The pinks, meanwhile, were little more than barely struck cuttings - cheap, but useless unless you know what you are doing and/or have a greenhouse (which, fortunately, I have).

Unless you are buying from a specialist nursery, postal plants are OK if you don't mind taking a punt (which I knew I was doing) but if it matters to you, then you really need to see before you buy.

savemoney

Mine wasn't to bad as soon as they came I put them in a strawberry planter along with some compost

They will perk up

I keep them watered as I believe these type of planters dry out quickly

Snapdragon

southerly wrote: »

I am surprised they were that cheap in Homebase! Was that a reduced price?

Yes, homebase had the fully fledged plants at 6 for £4.99 and some that obviously didn't make the grade at 6 for £1.49 but even those were rather more established than the ones from fothergills, which even at £2.95 a dozen I don't think anyone would buy if they saw them in advance, but I'm not too concerned, lesson learned and they will possibly establish ok for next year.

elantan

have to admit mine were kinda sad looking ... but i will see how they grow ...