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Monday 9 May 2011

3rd Mail Order Review Floral & Hardy

Well .. what can I say .. when I saw the package sitting by the door when we arrived home at noon .. I thought "that can't seriously be one of my plant orders ?" .. it looked like a box for books or DVDs ..
The pictures are taken in too bright a light but I didn't want to risk making the cats spin out with new and unusual smells ? So I opened it in the back garden with the sun beating down on me and the package ...
OK .. points for well packed but wait till you see the "plants"
I had ordered from this company last year and I do not remember plants being so ... not great ?
This is Georgia Peach .. which .. alright .. is recognizable as a heuchera ... and I did get heuchera last year that looked almost like this ..
This is "Chocoholic" cimicifuga .. which when teased apart bit by bit I recognized finally.
This is "Frosted Pink" hellebore which is fine with me .. I even got a flower on it !
BUT .......................... this is "Red Racer" which I immediately dubbed as "Dead Racer" .. I cut away all the dead leaves and one tiny bit of green was left .. my heart sunk ... I was so looking forward to these hellebore.
See what I mean ?
Then the absurd ... "Little Aurora" hosta .. two of them .. both looking like ghosts of Christmas PAST .. long past ..
Both dry .. both under the term bare root plant but worse because you are teased into thinking there has to be more to them than THIS ?????? VERY disappointing to say the least.
Yes .. I also got a freebie hosta "Midwest Miracle" .. it at least looked like a hosta ..
I know if I contact the company that I will be told to be patient .. that some of the plants look sad but they will be happy after a few weeks in the garden .. but to tell you the truth .. for the money I spent (which is embarrassing, so I won't disclose that part .. husband would FAINT!)
I don't think I will order from this company again .. I can't take the disappointment.
Rating out of 10 ? .. 6 .. because I don't want to burn my bridges completely .. I saw what was offered at the garden centers today and it was more than SAD for variety .. I guess I have truly planted my quota of great plants ?

9 comments:

Darla said...

Oh Joy, I am sad to agree with you on this order.....sigh

Lona said...

Oops, now those look like they had a rough journey to your house Joy! Maybe they will be so glad to be in good hands that they will perk right up and grow like crazy.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Darla girl it is so hard to find those special plants now .. once you have most of your garden filled to the brim .. so mail order is the avenue to go, but this really wasn't up to par .. BIG sigh !

Lona girl I so hope you are right and the scary plants will look less scary and more unscary as time goes by ?
Second BIG sigh !

Barry said...

Joy:
How totally disappointing, and from a company whose owner seems to be a true plantsperson. Perhaps they do not do the shipping!

They [your plants] are not even remotely in sellable condition which begs me to ask what the nursery stock is like. I was impressed with their selection [catalogue] this Spring, but witnessing your less than passable [not a six in my book unless there is a minus in front of it!] order, I think I shall steer clear! I am so sorry my friend. I know what you spent..... its not fair!

As for selection at the nurseries, on one hand I am disappointed for you, even more so that you do not live closer, but on the other hand, you give me the confidence to continue ordering in the rare and unusual, as there are always fellow plant geeks like us looking for somehting new! Damn it, why do you live so far away!

Chin up, its got to get better as the season progresses!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Joy, you are having a bummer with some of this mail order. I have to send an email to one of my favorite places to tell them none of their plants came back this spring. They are pretty good about replacing. You know the only reason we order is that we can't find these special plants anywhere else.

Eileen

RURAL said...

Sad, and for the second time again. Are they starting out badly, and getting worse,[the plants that is, not the companies], or are they dying mid mail?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

meemsnyc said...

That is not acceptable at all. I would call and complain. Especially since those plants look pitiful.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Sorry about your order. This has happened to me so many times it makes me not want to order again but I do. I think if they are alive they will bounce back in a short time. So don't give up on them(-:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Dear Barry, you are such a sweetie : ) thank you ! I think I needed a shoulder of another plant geek, to cry on .. I so wish I did live closer so I could be in plant heaven down there ! .. Betty (from F&H)is such a nice person .. but I just have that gut reaction that she will tell me to hold on they will come alive for me, so I don't want to go through that stress of complaining right now. If they don't recover I am sure I will get credit for them and I will try for something else.
YES ! you are SO doing the right thing by ordering rare beauties .. your fellow plant geeks down there are loving you to bits !! : )

Eileen girl how true is that ! I really had that hit home about nothing being here now and resorting to mail order, when I walked a few places yesterday .. huge let down .. but I have faith in my order from Canning .. I have always gotten great plants from there .. gardens Plus is a new one to me so I have no idea but crossing my fingers a LOT ? LOL

Jen this is an Ontario company and they are coming here quickly from the nursery so that shouldn't be the problem .. who ever is picking the plants to ship ? should not be doing that job ! LOL

meems girl I know you are right .. I was just so wrapped up in trying to plant them to save them .. you know that gardener's instinct thing just took over ? But if they don't make it I am certainly letting that company know if they die!

Cindee girl I am giving them the best try possible .. and I'll be watching them like a hawk ? haha
It is disappointing though .. but you have to weed out the companies that just aren't up to snuff right ? ;-)