Plant Offers

loucroft

Well, I'm becoming more averse to buying plants at garden centres - they're making a fortune - so I've decided to look into online purchases, comparing prices to garden centres it looks like I'm getting a better deal.

Here are two I found today and my shopping lists :

MirrorGarden.co.uk -
5 x cyclamen £1.75
100 x muscari £1.75
5 x buddleia £8.95
30 x jonquilla £0.00
postage £3.95 = £16.40

(I chose to purchase extra things but the offer that tempted me was the muscari and the jonquilla with every order, which would have only been £5.70)


PlantOffers.com -
6 x perennials plus 5 packs flower seed £4.50
6 x french lavender £4.50
postage £2.95 = £11.95


I thought I'd share these, I haven't put my card details in yet but i think they're pretty good deals compared to my local homebase or Wyevale centres

ixwood

I buy a lot of plants online. Mail order plants are a lot cheaper. BUT they're also a lot smaller generally.

They'll generally be plug plants that are very small/young that aren't garden ready, will need potting up for a bit, and if they're perennials, probably won't do much in their 1st year.

If you've got patience, it's great. I usually pot them up for their 1st year and plant out as reasonable sized plants the next.

ixwood

Mirrorgarden is actually a front for J Parkers, who seem to specialise in cheap young plants. I buy a lot from there cheap and take my chances, but they haven't got the best reputation on here.

Just looking at the 2nd link, be aware that the Lavenders will be tiny and take a couple of years to produce a nice display. And the French ones aren't especially hardy, so you may well lose young plants over winter unless protected.

And some of the bedding plants they've got listed, are definitely not hardy and will be killed unless moved indoors.

sairy2005

I have bought these offers in the past and have not been very satified with them at all. They are very small plugs usually and take a lot of nuturing. The last lot I bought from a Womans Weekly offer arrived very dry and two of the six died almost straight away.
Not what I call value for money. Shan't buy any more. Would rather see what I am buying.

Davesnave

loucroft wrote: »

Well, I'm becoming more averse to buying plants at garden centres - they're making a fortune - so I've decided to look into online purchases, comparing prices to garden centres it looks like I'm getting a better deal.

I thought I'd share these, I haven't put my card details in yet but i think they're pretty good deals compared to my local homebase or Wyevale centres

It's about time people like you turned to supporting their local small nurseries. Prices in those are always cheaper than the garden centes/sheds, and there's less risk than buying cheapo on-line.

What? You haven't any local small nurseries?

Hmmmm....wonder why!

kings981

I work for a wholesale plant nursery and we will happily sell to the general public. You cannot expect the same service as a garden centre as such as we mainly deal with landscape gardeners and garden centres and therefore plants aren't fully labelled with instructions etc, but the prices are a lot more reasonable. In fact flicking through a Sarah Raven catalogue last night she sells the same plant at £22.50 which we sell on for £6.80 (+VAT).

There are loads of independent wholesale nurseries in the country and if you ask to buy from them the worst they can say is no.

loucroft

"People like you"

Very nice, thanks

Davesnave wrote: »

It's about time people like you turned to supporting their local small nurseries. Prices in those are always cheaper than the garden centes/sheds, and there's less risk than buying cheapo on-line.

What? You haven't any local small nurseries?

Hmmmm....wonder why!

loucroft

kings981 wrote: »

I work for a wholesale plant nursery and we will happily sell to the general public. You cannot expect the same service as a garden centre as such as we mainly deal with landscape gardeners and garden centres and therefore plants aren't fully labelled with instructions etc, but the prices are a lot more reasonable. In fact flicking through a Sarah Raven catalogue last night she sells the same plant at £22.50 which we sell on for £6.80 (+VAT).

There are loads of independent wholesale nurseries in the country and if you ask to buy from them the worst they can say is no.

Hiya

Thanks, actually I'm very new at gardening and do know of a few nurseries nearby, one is wholesale but sells mostly trees and shrubs, not flowers, another is such a distance it seems pretty silly to travel all that way (local versus miles)

Where are you out of interest, i'm pretty sure you're not in Medway / Maidstone areas but its good to know there are local companies out there so thanks for your reply

Lou

happymo

The big garden centres are expensive as you are paying all their overheads. The mail order plants are usual very small and poor quality. Local nurseries are a good idea, but also if you keep an eye on your local paper there are plant sales, or plants being sold at village/school fetes that they almost give away. National Trust properties also have a plant sale area.

Good luck with your gardening - it is a great hobby!

Davesnave

loucroft wrote: »

"People like you"

Very nice, thanks

If you were on here regularly, you'd know there are always people asking about on-line deals, as if there's some mystic land, far away, where plants are cheap and the quality is high.....

I think it's called The Netherlands/Denmark. I'm not too sure about some of the quality, mind. It's a bit like the bacon; don't ask how it's produced or how old it is.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, as happymo says, there are many small nurseries selling at way below garden centre prices at markets, plant fairs, fetes etc. They often sell at their own premises too, but they know how hard it is, persuading Joe Public to visit.

The point is, there are thousands of them. Even in the rural area where I am, there are three general nurseries and two specialists within a few miles, plus a garden centre, which does at least give locals some much-needed employment.

It would be disingenuous of me to argue that buying on-line is wrong, but I'd suggest it's a bit daft, if the item being purchased is available locally, at a good price, and usually, of better quality.

peter_the_piper

Davesnave wrote: »

Meanwhile, back in the UK, as happymo says, there are many small nurseries selling at way below garden centre prices at markets, plant fairs, fetes etc. They often sell at their own premises too, but they know how hard it is, persuading Joe Public to visit.

The point is, there are thousands of them. Even in the rural area where I am, there are three general nurseries and two specialists within a few miles, plus a garden centre, which does at least give locals some much-needed employment.

.

Also you will often find the small local nurseries will sell many different varieties compared to Garden Centres, which tend to buy from the same plant factories as each other and so are often very similar.

Mail order can be good but I've had more people complaining of the size/quality/cost than have complimented them.