Pages

Sunday 29 May 2011

The solution for the mail order with Floral and Hardy

If you have read my earlier post concerning my three very sick little plants from Floral and Hardy you will be interested in the solution that came about very easily and quickly.
Red Racer hellebore and 2 Little Aurora hosta came to me as tiny scary looking plants .. very undersized and just about dead looking (hosta) .. but being a gardener that knows from experience .. plants can turn around fairly quickly .. I went ahead and planted those puppies!
BUT ... they totally disappeared on me .. almost as if they were "beam me up Scotti" in a UFO!
So .. having been the smart cookie I am at times (far and few between .. sadly) I did take pictures of them when they arrived and how they disappeared ..
I contacted Betty, one of the owners at Floral and Hardy .. a very sweet, and easy person to chat to through e-mail : )
Sadly all the Red Racer hellebore and Aurora hosta were gone .. but Betty went that extra mile/kilometer .. and took photos on her phone/Blackberry to show me some substitutes.
The decision was made on Little Miss Magic hosta and Black Diamond hellebore (I really miss not having that dramatic red but what can you do ?)
Before I could blink the package arrived !
Very well packed if "shaken, not stirred ?" and a little dirt went to and fro .. but the plant kids are fine and probably had fun jumping around !
Healthy large plants that do Floral and Hardy PROUD !
So now I have to get them in the garden to feel at home and smile for me : )
Thank you Betty!!! .. and it is so true about "the squeaky wheel" gets heard .. so take heart gardeners when you have "scary" mail order plants .. don't be afraid to contact the company and try to resolve the misadventure with problem plants !

9 comments:

Linda said...

Glad you got it all resolved, and very quickly too.

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Good for you, Joy! You pay good money for your plants, so there's nothing wrong about making a little noise when the order doesn't turn out right. And Betty sounds like a nice lady - and a smart businesswoman. If you make your customers happy, they'll keep coming back. And they'll tell their friends about you...

Your new plants look great, much better than the ones you received last time.

GRACE PETERSON said...

This is great news, Joy girl. I'm glad Betty came through for you. These newbies look great. It's always nice to have a company go the extra mile for you. Love the name Floral and Hardy, too cute.

Netty said...

I hadn't heard of this company OR the Little Miss Magic Hosta, but after following your link, I think this is one Hosta I NEED to have! :)

Barry said...

Joy:
Happy to see that you found a satisfactory solution to this dilemma. I expected that you would be in contact with Betty. Smaller independents seem to have a touchy feely approach to dealing with custiner issues, unlike the big biox monoliths. Hopeful that your new additions will soon be creating mounds of joy for you!

Vetsy said...

Thanks for sharing this Joy... I now know that It benefits one to become a squeaky wheel... Good for you!

And good for Floral and Hardy, That's how you get, and keep a customer for life!

Vetsy said...

P.S... I hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question, but were there any vents or wholes in those boxes?

They didn't appear to have or need any, but the reason I asked is because I have house plants that I'd like to take with me when I move out of town next year and may... if I dare, try those packing techniques.

Stef said...

lovely plants they are! Happy gardening...

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Yes Linda ... Betty is a gem for resolving this problem .. I hope other Canadian gardeners take note when they are looking at mail order plant companies : )

Hello there Martha girl ! How true is that about spreading the word for a good company especially with coming to a quick solution to a problem : )
I certainly would order from them again .. if I have room ? LOL

Grace girl isn't that name too cute is true ! Yes this company is a good one (you almost need to have a problem to see how it is handled to know if a company is as good as it should be type of exercise ?) I so need some garden time today !!LOL

Hello Netty and thank you for stopping by ! .. Yup this hosta is a new one to me .. I like the fact it is a med-small size and with narrow leaves which helps with a crowded garden ? haha
I'll be taking pictures all season to see how it looks once it is in home soil : )

Hello Sweetie : ) .. I wanted to go through the steps of giving the scary plants a chance but once they truly disappeared I knew Betty would find a way to get me over this hump ? haha .. I am interested in this new narrow leaf hosta .. a different touch to my garden !
YES .. I think we both know how true that is about smaller companies being more customer friendly .. it is a huge bonus to dealing with them : )

Vetsy girl no question about plants or gardening is stupid ! believe me I have asked them all to myself and other gardeners when I first started up ! haha .. because most mail order companies are so close to me .. or some might send dormant plants .. no holes are done with the boxes .. but I would imagine if they go further or are larger it might be the thing to do .. and since you are thinking ahead with your move and your plants .. yes indeed it would be the thing to do .. shredded paper is very good for bounce protection !

Thank you Steff .. now all I need is to actually get in my garden and get to work ! haha