"Sacha" wrote
Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Knowing that Ray produces ,lets say, more unusual plants and interesting
plants, some cultural instructions would be helpful and even perhaps a
"difficulty" index so people don't waste money buying something they have no
hope of ever growing. On top of that a note of where they come from in the
wild and the type of terrain helps growers understand the plant.
Put me on the mailing list. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
T...
In article ,
says...
On 25/10/07 13:53, in article
,
"Mogga" wrote:

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:38:28 +0100, Sacha
wrote:



It's our own catalogue I'm thinking of, Judith. We want to keep it
simple
to start with but as the plants we're going to sell via mail order
will only
be the more rare and unusual ones, it would be interesting to have an
overall idea of what people look for in terms of information.

Name, where it will grow well, height, spread, any particular care
pattern (eg: pruning, feeding, watering etc)

Yes. All good ideas.

If you're going to add in history of plant, where it comes from, any
folk lore uses, tnen you'd be making it more interesting. Photos are
nice of course.

Hmmmm, it would be interesting but it might make it a bit long and
literally
heavy! We're hoping to have a 'page' on the web site with all or most
of
these on it but I think we've got to think of posting it out, too.


why? we gave up the printed catalogue 6 years ago! most people who don't
like computers know someone to do it for them.

I'd say I'm quite familiar with computers (I can even remember BBS and was
online before Amazon was[1]) and when I go to a plant website the first
thing I do is see if there is a print catalogue I can order and then I order
from that. I like being able to sit up at nights with a catalogue, or take
it in to work and show collegues (and therefore pimp my fave plants I wont
have space for, but still wish I could buy), I can take a paper catalogue
over to friends houses and get their opinions too. Now granted I could do
that with a laptop, but it is a whole lote easier with a print catalogue,
plus I find it easier and more pleasant to read things in print[2] than on
screen.

[1]For some reason the Amazon benchmark seems to define the start of the
proper internet as we know and...er, know it today. To predate it online is
a mark of age. I have no idea why and am not too keen on it. I preferred
it when I was a net newbie, I was young then.

[2]I have a feeling I should be saying hardcopy instead of print, but I am
resisting that urge.
--

Rhiannon_s
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.

On 25/10/07 22:28, in article , "Anne
Jackson" wrote:

The message from Sacha contains these
words:
"Dave Hill" wrote:

On 25 Oct, 18:06, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Sacha contains these
words:

Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info
do people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Height and spread, and whether or not it's hardy would do for me.

Wonderful, David. You and Charlie have probably saved us a lot of time
and money.
Thank you to everyone else. Please keep the ideas/wants/needs/suggestions
coming. It's genuinely helpful.

I would keep it simple, Sacha, particularly at the start. I don't know
how others shop for plants, but I tend to look through my books, or see
a particular plant on a gardening programme, and then go looking for
someone to supply it.

Thanks, Anne. The overall consensus does seem to be tending towards simple
but sufficiently informative a to soil and position and later care. This
kind of confirms what we learn from customers in the nursery itself.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 25/10/07 23:21, in article , "Bob
Hobden" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote
Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Knowing that Ray produces ,lets say, more unusual plants and interesting
plants, some cultural instructions would be helpful and even perhaps a
"difficulty" index so people don't waste money buying something they have no
hope of ever growing. On top of that a note of where they come from in the
wild and the type of terrain helps growers understand the plant.
Put me on the mailing list. :-)

Thanks, Bob - more good input that I'll pass along. I can see we've a long
way to go before we're ready for the off! Of course you'll be on the
mailing list - founder member! ;-) How's the Furcraea doing, or rather
how are its babies doing, if they survived?
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 25/10/07 20:33, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 25 Oct, 18:06, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Sacha contains
these
words:

Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do
people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Height and spread, and whether or not it's hardy would do for me.

--
AnneJ

I'd be inclined to publish a descriptive plant list with a much more
descriptive catalogue with pics etc on your web site, the lists you
can then print yourself as required rather than have a bill for
several hundred pounds from the printer.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries


Wonderful, David. You and Charlie have probably saved us a lot of time
and
money.
Thank you to everyone else. Please keep the ideas/wants/needs/suggestions
coming. It's genuinely helpful.

I hate to say this, but I probably wouldn't buy mail order based on that. I
mean a plant list is fair enough if you live close enough to the nursery to
have a look in person, but if I'm not able to visit then I want a catalogue
to browse at leisure before deciding. I know you say you'll have that on
website, but as I said upthread, I find reading from website rather tedious
and it cuts down on pimping plants to friends and discussing stuff with
friends too.

If you were to give me a choice between mail order company with plant price
lise accompanied by net link, and a plant catalogue with pics, a little
description I'd go with the latter everytime.

Sorry.
--

Rhiannon_s
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.

On 25/10/07 23:49, in article ,
"Rhiannon_s" wrote:




"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 25/10/07 20:33, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 25 Oct, 18:06, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Sacha contains
these
words:

Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do
people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Height and spread, and whether or not it's hardy would do for me.

--
AnneJ

I'd be inclined to publish a descriptive plant list with a much more
descriptive catalogue with pics etc on your web site, the lists you
can then print yourself as required rather than have a bill for
several hundred pounds from the printer.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries


Wonderful, David. You and Charlie have probably saved us a lot of time
and
money.
Thank you to everyone else. Please keep the ideas/wants/needs/suggestions
coming. It's genuinely helpful.

I hate to say this, but I probably wouldn't buy mail order based on that. I
mean a plant list is fair enough if you live close enough to the nursery to
have a look in person, but if I'm not able to visit then I want a catalogue
to browse at leisure before deciding. I know you say you'll have that on
website, but as I said upthread, I find reading from website rather tedious
and it cuts down on pimping plants to friends and discussing stuff with
friends too.

If you were to give me a choice between mail order company with plant price
lise accompanied by net link, and a plant catalogue with pics, a little
description I'd go with the latter everytime.

Sorry.


Don't be. All this is just what we need - it's very valuable. Catalogues
*are* expensive to produce, so if we do go with one, we need to know what
people really want to see.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In article ,
says...
On 25/10/07 17:37, in article
, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:

In article ,
says...
On 25/10/07 13:53, in article ,
"Mogga" wrote:

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:38:28 +0100, Sacha
wrote:



It's our own catalogue I'm thinking of, Judith. We want to keep it simple
to start with but as the plants we're going to sell via mail order will
only
be the more rare and unusual ones, it would be interesting to have an
overall idea of what people look for in terms of information.

Name, where it will grow well, height, spread, any particular care
pattern (eg: pruning, feeding, watering etc)

Yes. All good ideas.

If you're going to add in history of plant, where it comes from, any
folk lore uses, tnen you'd be making it more interesting. Photos are
nice of course.

Hmmmm, it would be interesting but it might make it a bit long and literally
heavy! We're hoping to have a 'page' on the web site with all or most of
these on it but I think we've got to think of posting it out, too.


why? we gave up the printed catalogue 6 years ago! most people who don't
like computers know someone to do it for them.

Oh good! We do sometimes get asked for plant lists though. Do you send
those out? We don't as up until now we haven't done mail order.


I will sometimes, but its the same list as on the web site, about 8 sides
of A4 and no pictures, but even that has dwindled to about 5 a year, most
people will go online now.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 25/10/07 20:33, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 25 Oct, 18:06, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Sacha contains these
words:

Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Height and spread, and whether or not it's hardy would do for me.

--
AnneJ

You may search my time-worn face,
You'll find a merry eye that twinkles.
I am NOT an old lady
Just a little girl with wrinkles!
- Edythe E. Bregnard

I'd be inclined to publish a descriptive plant list with a much more
descriptive catalogue with pics etc on your web site, the lists you
can then print yourself as required rather than have a bill for
several hundred pounds from the printer.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Another good idea. That sounds a workable compromise. Thanks, David. Do
you (all) think that because these are going to be the more unusual plants
we have, people wanting to buy them will already know them, be enthusiasts?
Or would you say we will pick up newcomers to the more exotic plant world?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 25/10/07 23:49, in article ,
"Rhiannon_s" wrote:




"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 25/10/07 20:33, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 25 Oct, 18:06, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Sacha contains
these
words:

Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do
people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Height and spread, and whether or not it's hardy would do for me.

--
AnneJ

I'd be inclined to publish a descriptive plant list with a much more
descriptive catalogue with pics etc on your web site, the lists you
can then print yourself as required rather than have a bill for
several hundred pounds from the printer.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries


Wonderful, David. You and Charlie have probably saved us a lot of time
and
money.
Thank you to everyone else. Please keep the ideas/wants/needs/suggestions
coming. It's genuinely helpful.

I hate to say this, but I probably wouldn't buy mail order based on that. I
mean a plant list is fair enough if you live close enough to the nursery to
have a look in person, but if I'm not able to visit then I want a catalogue
to browse at leisure before deciding. I know you say you'll have that on
website, but as I said upthread, I find reading from website rather tedious
and it cuts down on pimping plants to friends and discussing stuff with
friends too.

If you were to give me a choice between mail order company with plant price
lise accompanied by net link, and a plant catalogue with pics, a little
description I'd go with the latter everytime.

Sorry.
--

Rhiannon_s
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.


No, this is what I'm asking about, so don't be sorry! It is genuinely
useful. I'm inclined to agree with you about having a catalogue-in-the-hand
but we do have to look at costs, too, so that's why I'm canvassing these
useful opinions.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In article ,
says...
On 25/10/07 20:33, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 25 Oct, 18:06, Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Sacha contains these
words:

Apart from Latin name and colour (if no photo) what sort of info do people
think most important in a plant catalogue. I know it needs to be
informative but not too wordy, IMO!

Height and spread, and whether or not it's hardy would do for me.

--
AnneJ

You may search my time-worn face,
You'll find a merry eye that twinkles.
I am NOT an old lady
Just a little girl with wrinkles!
- Edythe E. Bregnard

I'd be inclined to publish a descriptive plant list with a much more
descriptive catalogue with pics etc on your web site, the lists you
can then print yourself as required rather than have a bill for
several hundred pounds from the printer.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Another good idea. That sounds a workable compromise. Thanks, David. Do
you (all) think that because these are going to be the more unusual plants
we have, people wanting to buy them will already know them, be enthusiasts?
Or would you say we will pick up newcomers to the more exotic plant world?


You will find that "Unusual" plants are often sought by people who have
no idea what they are like or how to grow them, I turn away 90% of
inquiries for Lapageria because the inquirers did not realise they were
going to be exacting to grow and do not have the soil/conditions to suit
them. But you will get that even if you give copious details :~)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 26/10/07 10:57, in article
, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:

In article ,
says...

snip

Do
you (all) think that because these are going to be the more unusual plants
we have, people wanting to buy them will already know them, be enthusiasts?
Or would you say we will pick up newcomers to the more exotic plant world?


You will find that "Unusual" plants are often sought by people who have
no idea what they are like or how to grow them, I turn away 90% of
inquiries for Lapageria because the inquirers did not realise they were
going to be exacting to grow and do not have the soil/conditions to suit
them. But you will get that even if you give copious details :~)

I can imagine. Even now we get customers in the nursery who so badly want
something they've fallen in love with that they actually try to get us to
convince them it will be okay in their garden! Despite all warnings, some
decide to give it a 'go' and are philosophical about "if we lose it, too
bad". But we do warn them and carefully, too.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

I love Bob Brown's catalogues from Cotswold garden flowers. They are
really honest and funny. Sort of
"don't bother with this plant it never does well" or "good honest
perennial, common as muck but does well anywhere"

So often I fall for pictures of flowers that actually only appear in 1s
or 2s and then the whole shrub looks boring. Sometimes the description
sounds absolutely enticing but I tend to forget that it's what they
leave out that's important NOT what they put in, (they are trying to
sell the stuff after all)
What I do hate most is a plant described as 'rare' when it's nothing of
the sort or an infamous runner that is recommended to beginners like
vinca.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 26/10/07 12:48, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:


I love Bob Brown's catalogues from Cotswold garden flowers. They are
really honest and funny. Sort of
"don't bother with this plant it never does well" or "good honest
perennial, common as muck but does well anywhere"

Derry Watkins's is a bit like that (Special Plants) It's a good idea, IMO.

So often I fall for pictures of flowers that actually only appear in 1s
or 2s and then the whole shrub looks boring. Sometimes the description
sounds absolutely enticing but I tend to forget that it's what they
leave out that's important NOT what they put in, (they are trying to
sell the stuff after all)

All the pics we will eventually use have been taken here, either in the
greenhouses or in our garden. We're quite keen to do that, so that people
see what they do in 'real life' situations.

What I do hate most is a plant described as 'rare' when it's nothing of
the sort or an infamous runner that is recommended to beginners like
vinca.


We won't be selling Vinca mail order -- too many suppliers! Though we do
have one or two unusual ones, now I come to think of it but rare, no.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In article , Sacha
writes


Oh good! We do sometimes get asked for plant lists though. Do you send
those out? We don't as up until now we haven't done mail order.



Isn't it possible to get a plant list from the RHS plant finder site
Sacha?

The most irritating omission I've found is when plants are not priced.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

I will sometimes, but its the same list as on the web site, about 8 sides
of A4 and no pictures, but even that has dwindled to about 5 a year, most
people will go online now.


I print your list out Charlie and display it at our Gardening Club if
there's relevant plants on it (to that evening's talk)
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk