Sacha wrote:
On 2010-10-12 13:57:38 +0100, stuart noble
said:
On 12/10/2010 12:43, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-10-12 12:34:25 +0100, yuri said:
for SWMBO "we" are going down the container route and am looking for a
reliable supplier for miniature daffs and tulip bulbs and spring
flowering plug plants - primulets(?) pansies etc. Thanks.
Parkers are good for bulbs. We don't sell bulbs in our nursery but we
use Parkers for the ones we want for the garden.
http://www.jparkers.co.uk/
If you're going to go the plug route (and one of our customers has just
sworn he'll never do so again!) you'll have to have somewhere to shelter
them and bring them on yourself until they're ready to be planted out
into their final home.
I've been very pleased with mail order plug plants, which have always
landed on the doormat, first class post, in perfect condition.
Those I saw in the local garden centre looked very sorry for
themselves, so one can only assume they don't have much of a shelf life.
It depends on how they're looked after and who supplies them, to be
honest. We've heard so many sad let-down stories about them and
sometimes it's because they're sold so early and need to be kptp in a
heated greenhouse, similar to one they've come from. If that's the
case, only the customer can figure out if there's any financial saving
made.
Our customer sent for his from a firm he hadn't used before and was
terribly disappointed. That said, if people get good plants and have the
facilities to look after them properly etc. they'll probably be fine.
As with so many things, word of mouth is probably the best
recommendation for most people.
I have used Gardening Direct for a number of years, twice a year for
planting at school and have only been partially let down once. Plants
(miniature plugs) arrive in good condition although sometimes s trifle
leggy. They do other sizes of plugs, some of which probably arrive late
enough in the spring to plant out. Website gives details of costs
(generally £10 or so for 120 small plugs) and delivery dates.
Malcolm