Richard's Garden stuff

[jen10]

(sorry if this is in the wrong place), has anyone bought any plants form QVC, I've watched a few of Richards garden shows but the plants always look very expensive. I would be interested in hearing about more experienced gardners views?

[kitten_with_claws]

Hhmm, my opinion would be: make a sentence containing the following words - ''touch', bargepole', 'wouldn't', 'with'.....! LOL

Reviews are generally very poor for QVC plants & I think this is mainly down to the fact that:
a) Half the plants die before they reach you because of the ridiculously long delivery times
b) They come with little or no info on how to care for them & inexperienced gardeners are inadvertently killing them off by planting them out too soon or whatever.
c) The plants themselves are generally of fairly low quality; small weedy examples that have not been allowed to grow on as long as they have really needed to or that should have been binned as second quality in the first place?

Some people will be happy with their purchases of course but generally, I think they're very overpriced for what they are & probably best avoided!
There is very little nowadays that you cannot buy directly from reputable garden centres/growers & if you feel like 'saving' something, why not trundle off to your nearest B&Q & rescue one of the poor things from their offers section, these can sometimes repay you handsomely after a bit of TLC?

Just my opinion of course, I have never bought plants from QVC but I've bought a helluva lot of plants generally over the years...! LOL
(Plus RJ talks absolute BS about who/where/how you can grow the plants, which annoys me as a lot of people new to gardening are going to end up very disappointed with their purchases & perhaps be put off gardening altogether!)

[lee]

I bought a pink plant for the cancer week last year, the plant has grown but one flower rubbish!

[Rentochops]

I have had mixed results, their Bizzy Lizzies are fab, but I've had a few disasters with some of the plants. Ironically a lot come from Guernsey, and they are cheaper than on the Thompson & Morgan website, but you can still get better deals at garden centres. I don't agree the plants that arrive are of poor quality, but you do need some experience. I just buy really good deals now and then for plants that are easy to grow.

I am not so keen on the Hayloft plants, but the thing is if they die within 30 days you still get your money back (even if you forgot to water them, though you wouldn't tell them that).

I do have a 100 mixed double freesias which cost about £12 from QVC and they are doing really well!

Agree about Richard - he talks rubbish and the TSV - well how useful a fountain that's works for 80% of the year!

[Dips]

Jen, I think it largely depends on which supplier you are talking about. A lot of bedding plants for QVC are supplied by Thompson & Morgan, if you are thinking of buying more than 1 set of plants, then you are generally better going direct to T&M, as you will only pay 1 postage with them. I have had mixed experience with T&M direct, getting very late notification that plants orders in January were out of stock when time to dispatch in May (they must have known that sooner), but when 1/2 of another set of plants arrrived dead 10 days after the first half, they were replaced immediately with no fuss. I've also bought really lovely tomato plants from them, in lots of different varieties. So, if I was thinking about bedding plants, I'd go to the supplier direct rather than QVC.

However, I do think that they sometimes get very good deals on more specialist plants from specialist growers. I ordered a set of 3 hydrangeas (named grower considered to be one of the best in the country) from QVC and the 3 plants cost no more than 1 plant would have done from a garden centre or other online retailer (I shopped around before I ordered). Again, they came direct from the grower, in great condition, but in this case QVC's price was much, much better than I could find elsewhere.

HTH

[sue b]

I have purchased plants from QVC and had mixed results i.e the camelias I bought ages ago are still going strong....but the rose bushes I bought only one of the three grew BUT I rung QVC and they refunded me ALL the money including p&p also the acers I bought one died and got a complete refund again.....so it's a bit hit and miss really but if they don't grow you get your money back!!!

[craftycat]

As a non driver I tend to have to rely on internet ordering. By and large you get what you pay for. Often makes more sense to spend a bit more in the first place. I've never ordered from QVC or C&C.

If anyone is planning to buy plants on line I suggest:
http://www.vanmeuwen.com/
or
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/

Really reliable and very good quality.

[Rentochops]

QVC do out do T&M's own website on price, it varies really, I think T&M do specials for QVC.

[Teacherspet]

Never bought from QVC as my garden is small and most of the things I like are either far too expensive or there are too many for my needs.
I have had some great bargains from Aldi, Homebase and B&Q - got a berberis last year for £1.50 as it was past it's best, all I did was keep it watered and having survived the snow it looks magnificent now and it should have cost £7.98 originally. I also bought lots of small plants (any 4 for £5) and 80% of them have survived and are doing well, if I'd waited and bought them once they were in bigger pots they would have cost between £4 and £7 each.

I suppose if you are willing to have a go at growing on small plants (and have the patience to wait) you can save a fair bit.

[Marilynmcl]

I have bought plants from QVC ...the last ones were the tree peonies of which there were three last year. They are thriving ...but I also bought Goji berries....dead as a doornail....just your luck I suppose. But the best thing is to grow from seed....I get a thrill every time a wee bit of green pops up from the tray of seedlings...best feeling ever!

[Rentochops]

I have bought plants from QVC ...the last ones were the tree peonies of which there were three last year. They are thriving ...but I also bought Goji berries....dead as a doornail....just your luck I suppose. But the best thing is to grow from seed....I get a thrill every time a wee bit of green pops up from the tray of seedlings...best feeling ever!

I have just found this out Marilyn - growing lots of stuff from seed this year, I've mainly bought the plugs for the patio tubs, as they look like tubs of soil otherwise! I can't believe the joy of it!

[jen10]

Thanks everyone for their input, it sounds a bit like their craft dept, some good bargains to be had if you know what you are looking for!

[Joanne]

We can get some really good bedding plants from B&Q 3 packs for £12 with 24 plants in each pack. Morrisons also have some nice bedding plants and other plants. My plants did really well last year and will be using b&q and mprrsions again this year. I also buy plants from ebay if I see one I like on QVC I will then head to ebay to have a look for it.

Tompson and Morgan do some really good deals on plants but you need to look a few times a week and they seem to have codes for free p&p often

[daydreamer]

I bought the Giant Fuchsia Marbled collection (TSV)...not too impressed so far, they are way behind my plain fuchsias and I grow fuchias every year. Will be phoning qvc if they do not grow to the expectations promised :wonder: I have had Blueberry plants from them before, plants arrived with the stems sticking out from the delivery box !! Qvc sent out a new order straight away, no problem with replacing damaged goods.

daydreamer

[RozMinis]

I've bought directly from T & M for many years, especially since we don't have a car, or at least we didn't until five and a bit weeks ago. Damn, if I had known I could have saved a fortune by going to the garden centre at Markham Grange near Doncaster, B & Q, and the garden centre at Wentworth. On the other hand I have spent a fortune since getting the car on things that couldn't be carried on the bus, a £96 bird bath for instance. There is nothing funnier than watching birdies, especially starlings, doing their level best to drown themselves and the garden with it! :) As they now have two baths up and running in the garden they are having a great time.

Last year I bought a load of plants from Morrison's, including some young pyracantha's, have to keep the blackbirds happy don't you know. They were only about a foot high when I bought them, and cost less than £2 each, can't remember exactly how much. Also bought two pyracantha's from the garden centre, nearly £8 each, the cheapo ones from Morrison's had caught up with them by the middle of June, and by the end of the year were in much better shape, though that could have been something to do with the wind factor in the front garden, the back gardens, one either side of the shed, being rather more sheltered from the wind.

Roz ;)

[iggy]

(sorry if this is in the wrong place), has anyone bought any plants form QVC, I've watched a few of Richards garden shows but the plants always look very expensive. I would be interested in hearing about more experienced gardners views?

we bought 2 lots of bare rooted strawberry plants last year.they didnt look very good BUT as my kids used to say mum can plany pegs & grow stuff so of course had to give them a try at least.....they struggled badly....we also got SIL some as it was nearly his b/day & when i text him to ask how they were i got " in bin RIP ".so run for the hills too

[RozMinis]

Just one quick comment here from 'himself' : he asks if peeps who have had problems with plants, especially plugs, have remembered to remove the membrane from around the compost. It makes a huge difference as some plants just don't seem to be able to break through.

No doubt my two grapefruits could break through anything, but not so sure about my baby oaks since I trimmed their tap roots. Did that on the grapefruits, but do they take a blind bit of notice? Not on your life they don't, just carry on winding themselves round and round the base. They've been trimmed twice so far this year, the last time because they were given smart new pottery pots from the garden centre at Wentworth. They were supposed to be spending time outside once the frosts had passed. No frosts, but wind enough to whisk them over the bungalow roof, pots and all. :(

Roz ;)

[Little Jan]

I have purchased plants from QVC that have been great and others not so great but I can say the same for T&M and Jersey plants, I now get mine from gardening direct NO NOT THE IDEAL WORLD GARDEN BARGAINS, and I have been very happy with what I have got. Last year I got those hanging baskets with the sides that clip out that ideal world are flogging but i got 2 complete with plants for £14.99 and they were fantastic and this year have ordered those apricot begonias 48 for £9.99 those giant bizzy lizzie can't think of the name 42 £9.99 and 42 petunias for £9.99 with free delivery that are doing well,well were till hubby over watered them,. each year we have a competition to who has the best baskets,but he left it a bit late ordering his plants and he has gone for the begonias from qvc so we will see who's wins LOL

[jen10]

thanks, Im off for a look at that site. what I really need is a garden designer to give me ideas of what to do with my new garden, unfortunately I dont have the cash for that . So it looks like my garden will remain a large rectangle of lumpy dirt until I can get my head round it. I have had very little luck finding free garden design ideas for a new build plot of land, any one know of any good sites I'd very much appreciate it

[Marilynmcl]

Get yourself the 'Amateur Gardening' magazine which is full of tips and also can have garden plans now and again.....it also gives you free seeds and info on growing them regularly...can recommend it for anyone just starting out. But if you don't fancy that one then there are others out there in the supermarkets and newspaper shops. Also you can get info books from the library.