|
Customer survey
Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery
on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:
Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Yep, for me, pot diameter tells me what I want to know. 2lt is, erm......oh I dunno! -- Pete C adventure before dementure https://www.facebook.com/pages/Secon...57749060989952 |
Customer survey
sacha wrote:
Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! If I'm not binned! Don't know what breed of magnolia you're referring to, but nearly 30 years ago, I bought one (on grafted stock) less around 2ft high for the princely sum of £2, planted it straight into the ground - and it's grown into a flaming giant now with a huge amount of flower on it - and the grand-kids even have even put a rope-swing on it and have a whale of a time all-year-round. As I would *NEVER* buy a plant over the internet (preferring to visit a 'good', well run garden centre instead), pot sizes versus capacity isn't a problem. Have a nice day |
Customer survey
"sacha" wrote
Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I don't tend to buy plants over the Internet preferring to visit a specialist, a plant sale, or good GC and select the plants myself. However the plants I've received by post have, except for T & M, been decent and on time but then they have tended to be bare root plants (Tall Bearded Iris) or bulbs etc (Glads). -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
Customer survey
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:
Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Despite using a range of pots I still have problems picturing Pot sizes when in Litres, it's bad enough in cm I still have to put them back to imperial, 6 inch or 8 inch etc. I can picture right away, as for "Thumbs, Long toms etc." I doubt many of us remember them. David @ a slightly less windy (For now) side of Swansea Bay . |
Customer survey
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. If there's no reference to pot size at all, why are you so sure it's 10cm ? Janet |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-06 23:08:17 +0000, David Hill said:
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Despite using a range of pots I still have problems picturing Pot sizes when in Litres, it's bad enough in cm I still have to put them back to imperial, 6 inch or 8 inch etc. I can picture right away, as for "Thumbs, Long toms etc." I doubt many of us remember them. David @ a slightly less windy (For now) side of Swansea Bay . Yes, we certainly refer to long toms in which we grow e.g. sweet peas but we don't sell those online. But the responses I'm getting seem to be referring more to quality of plants and those will vary from place to place, however you buy them. What I'm interested in is whether a customer, buying online, knows the difference in what they will get IF the pot size is given, 9cm, 1 litre, 2 litre etc. Do they even ask the pot size before buying, I wonder? So do customers still pay up, not knowing what they're going to get in terms of plant maturity? These may be more inexperienced gardeners and not as savvy as most urglers! It's something we've seen often in ads and on web sites and it's always surprised us that you can't see or envisage what you're going to get but nonetheless you're being asked (in the instance which has finally caused me to ask these questions) to pay £20 on trust for something which, in this case, is being marketed as rare and unusual and not by its real name, either. It's unusual to some degree but it's not rare. While some claim not to buy online, we've often seen remarks here about buying plugs and being pleased or disappointed but in those cases, people knows what plugs are, what to expect. They now they've got to pot them on and look after them a bit before planting them out. If they were told we're charging you £20 for something in a 9cm or 10cm pot or even a 1 litre pot, what I'm wondering is, do they have a mental picture of what they'll actually get and if they did, would they buy it, I wonder. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-06 23:49:43 +0000, Janet said:
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. If there's no reference to pot size at all, why are you so sure it's 10cm ? Janet 'fairly sure'. Experience of what others experience and talk to us about, both customers and other nurserymen. Some garden centres and nurseries give pot sizes, quite a lot don't. But Ray is going to ring tomorrow and ask. If it's a good size plant, I see no reason not to give that information as it's an additional selling point. I'm not going to name the shrub but it's not so rare that £20 is justified for anything small. The p&p is cheap so either the plants are small, and are sent in those blister packs, or the cost of p&p has been added to the plants so as to make it appear less to the customer. But my chief reason for raising the subject is to discover whether the average customer would know what the pot size is if it is given as e.g. 1 or 2 or 5 litres. I am thinking that it might be more helpful to our customers to give the diameter of the pot's lip, hence my curiosity as to what people expect to receive. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On Mon, 06 Jan 2014 20:56:36 +0000, Pete C wrote:
Yep, for me, pot diameter tells me what I want to know. 2lt is, erm......oh I dunno! Inclined to agree pot top diameter is easier to picture with ones minds eye. I was going to add that is that "2 l pot" short and wide or tall and thin but that argument could be used against just pot diameter as well. Quote everything? "15 cm (6") 2 l pot" B-) -- Cheers Dave. |
Customer survey
"sacha" wrote
David Hill said: sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Despite using a range of pots I still have problems picturing Pot sizes when in Litres, it's bad enough in cm I still have to put them back to imperial, 6 inch or 8 inch etc. I can picture right away, as for "Thumbs, Long toms etc." I doubt many of us remember them. David @ a slightly less windy (For now) side of Swansea Bay . Yes, we certainly refer to long toms in which we grow e.g. sweet peas but we don't sell those online. But the responses I'm getting seem to be referring more to quality of plants and those will vary from place to place, however you buy them. What I'm interested in is whether a customer, buying online, knows the difference in what they will get IF the pot size is given, 9cm, 1 litre, 2 litre etc. Do they even ask the pot size before buying, I wonder? So do customers still pay up, not knowing what they're going to get in terms of plant maturity? These may be more inexperienced gardeners and not as savvy as most urglers! It's something we've seen often in ads and on web sites and it's always surprised us that you can't see or envisage what you're going to get but nonetheless you're being asked (in the instance which has finally caused me to ask these questions) to pay £20 on trust for something which, in this case, is being marketed as rare and unusual and not by its real name, either. It's unusual to some degree but it's not rare. While some claim not to buy online, we've often seen remarks here about buying plugs and being pleased or disappointed but in those cases, people knows what plugs are, what to expect. They now they've got to pot them on and look after them a bit before planting them out. If they were told we're charging you £20 for something in a 9cm or 10cm pot or even a 1 litre pot, what I'm wondering is, do they have a mental picture of what they'll actually get and if they did, would they buy it, I wonder. To answer your question specifically, I don't "see" the pot size when litres are mentioned but I can if the diameter is given in inches or cm. That said if they advertised a larger type plant in ,say, a 1 litre pot as fully mature I might just not believe them. -- Regards. Bob Hobden. Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK |
Quote:
Lucky those people who say "always visit a good nursery". People living in the less populous parts of the country don't have that option. I suspect my nearest nursery is an hour's drive away, and I'm certainly not out in the back of beyond. So accurate description of plants is important. |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 08:45:13 +0000, Bob Hobden said:
"sacha" wrote David Hill said: sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Despite using a range of pots I still have problems picturing Pot sizes when in Litres, it's bad enough in cm I still have to put them back to imperial, 6 inch or 8 inch etc. I can picture right away, as for "Thumbs, Long toms etc." I doubt many of us remember them. David @ a slightly less windy (For now) side of Swansea Bay . Yes, we certainly refer to long toms in which we grow e.g. sweet peas but we don't sell those online. But the responses I'm getting seem to be referring more to quality of plants and those will vary from place to place, however you buy them. What I'm interested in is whether a customer, buying online, knows the difference in what they will get IF the pot size is given, 9cm, 1 litre, 2 litre etc. Do they even ask the pot size before buying, I wonder? So do customers still pay up, not knowing what they're going to get in terms of plant maturity? These may be more inexperienced gardeners and not as savvy as most urglers! It's something we've seen often in ads and on web sites and it's always surprised us that you can't see or envisage what you're going to get but nonetheless you're being asked (in the instance which has finally caused me to ask these questions) to pay £20 on trust for something which, in this case, is being marketed as rare and unusual and not by its real name, either. It's unusual to some degree but it's not rare. While some claim not to buy online, we've often seen remarks here about buying plugs and being pleased or disappointed but in those cases, people knows what plugs are, what to expect. They now they've got to pot them on and look after them a bit before planting them out. If they were told we're charging you £20 for something in a 9cm or 10cm pot or even a 1 litre pot, what I'm wondering is, do they have a mental picture of what they'll actually get and if they did, would they buy it, I wonder. To answer your question specifically, I don't "see" the pot size when litres are mentioned but I can if the diameter is given in inches or cm. That said if they advertised a larger type plant in ,say, a 1 litre pot as fully mature I might just not believe them. So giving cms or inches is clear whereas litres isn't. I'm inclined to agree with you, even though I've learned the difference! Few plants are truly 'mature' in a 1 or 2 litre pot but what they should have is a well-developed root system that will make for a sturdy plant ready to go into its permanent position. But if people are buying a £20 plant without knowing the pot size, or being able to visualise it, if it's given, they're laying themselves open to the possibility of disappointment, or a longish period of 'nursing' a young plant, perhaps. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-06 20:56:36 +0000, Pete C said:
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Yep, for me, pot diameter tells me what I want to know. 2lt is, erm......oh I dunno! I agree. Until I married Ray and learned to tell one from the other, the litre method meant nothing to me at all! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 00:22:43 +0000, Dave Liquorice said:
On Mon, 06 Jan 2014 20:56:36 +0000, Pete C wrote: Yep, for me, pot diameter tells me what I want to know. 2lt is, erm......oh I dunno! Inclined to agree pot top diameter is easier to picture with ones minds eye. I was going to add that is that "2 l pot" short and wide or tall and thin but that argument could be used against just pot diameter as well. Quote everything? "15 cm (6") 2 l pot" B-) We tend to use feet and inches on our web site but I should probably spend hours going through it and putting both inches and cms into it! I can get absolutely no mental picture of what 1.75m is! But the bits I've read here and elsewhere convince me that it would be a good idea to line up pots of various sizes, photograph them and show their sizes with each one, both in litres & cms and probably, inches! Laborious to do but easier for people to follow, I think. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 00:13:54 +0000, sacha said:
On 2014-01-06 23:49:43 +0000, Janet said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. If there's no reference to pot size at all, why are you so sure it's 10cm ? Janet 'fairly sure'. Experience of what others experience and talk to us about, both customers and other nurserymen. Some garden centres and nurseries give pot sizes, quite a lot don't. But Ray is going to ring tomorrow and ask. If it's a good size plant, I see no reason not to give that information as it's an additional selling point. I'm not going to name the shrub but it's not so rare that £20 is justified for anything small. The p&p is cheap so either the plants are small, and are sent in those blister packs, or the cost of p&p has been added to the plants so as to make it appear less to the customer. But my chief reason for raising the subject is to discover whether the average customer would know what the pot size is if it is given as e.g. 1 or 2 or 5 litres. I am thinking that it might be more helpful to our customers to give the diameter of the pot's lip, hence my curiosity as to what people expect to receive. Ray rang this morning. These shrubs are £20 in 7cm pots but you can have 3 for £49.50! The plants are about 8 inches tall. No wonder pot size isn't mentioned in this ad. This is even smaller than I'd imagined. We were thinking at least 9cm pots. I wonder how many people buy them, unwary and unseen, only to be astonished at what they've spent their £20 on. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Customer survey
"sacha" wrote in message ... On 2014-01-06 23:49:43 +0000, Janet said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. If there's no reference to pot size at all, why are you so sure it's 10cm ? Janet 'fairly sure'. Experience of what others experience and talk to us about, both customers and other nurserymen. Some garden centres and nurseries give pot sizes, quite a lot don't. But Ray is going to ring tomorrow and ask. If it's a good size plant, I see no reason not to give that information as it's an additional selling point. I'm not going to name the shrub but it's not so rare that £20 is justified for anything small. The p&p is cheap so either the plants are small, and are sent in those blister packs, or the cost of p&p has been added to the plants so as to make it appear less to the customer. But my chief reason for raising the subject is to discover whether the average customer would know what the pot size is if it is given as e.g. 1 or 2 or 5 litres. I am thinking that it might be more helpful to our customers to give the diameter of the pot's lip, hence my curiosity as to what people expect to receive. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon Like most folk over a certain age, pot sizes in litres have little relevance as the the volume is a product of more than one dimension which can vary. I can cope dairly well with metric measurements, but Imperial do tend to be more readily appreciated Bill |
Customer survey
"sacha" wrote in message ... On 2014-01-06 23:08:17 +0000, David Hill said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Despite using a range of pots I still have problems picturing Pot sizes when in Litres, it's bad enough in cm I still have to put them back to imperial, 6 inch or 8 inch etc. I can picture right away, as for "Thumbs, Long toms etc." I doubt many of us remember them. David @ a slightly less windy (For now) side of Swansea Bay . Yes, we certainly refer to long toms in which we grow e.g. sweet peas but we don't sell those online. But the responses I'm getting seem to be referring more to quality of plants and those will vary from place to place, however you buy them. What I'm interested in is whether a customer, buying online, knows the difference in what they will get IF the pot size is given, 9cm, 1 litre, 2 litre etc. Do they even ask the pot size before buying, I wonder? So do customers still pay up, not knowing what they're going to get in terms of plant maturity? These may be more inexperienced gardeners and not as savvy as most urglers! It's something we've seen often in ads and on web sites and it's always surprised us that you can't see or envisage what you're going to get but nonetheless you're being asked (in the instance which has finally caused me to ask these questions) to pay £20 on trust for something which, in this case, is being marketed as rare and unusual and not by its real name, either. It's unusual to some degree but it's not rare. While some claim not to buy online, we've often seen remarks here about buying plugs and being pleased or disappointed but in those cases, people knows what plugs are, what to expect. They now they've got to pot them on and look after them a bit before planting them out. If they were told we're charging you £20 for something in a 9cm or 10cm pot or even a 1 litre pot, what I'm wondering is, do they have a mental picture of what they'll actually get and if they did, would they buy it, I wonder. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon Have you thought of selling plants in -"say" 0.75 pint pots ?...:-) Bill |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 12:44:05 +0000, Bill Grey said:
"sacha" wrote in message ... On 2014-01-06 23:49:43 +0000, Janet said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. If there's no reference to pot size at all, why are you so sure it's 10cm ? Janet 'fairly sure'. Experience of what others experience and talk to us about, both customers and other nurserymen. Some garden centres and nurseries give pot sizes, quite a lot don't. But Ray is going to ring tomorrow and ask. If it's a good size plant, I see no reason not to give that information as it's an additional selling point. I'm not going to name the shrub but it's not so rare that £20 is justified for anything small. The p&p is cheap so either the plants are small, and are sent in those blister packs, or the cost of p&p has been added to the plants so as to make it appear less to the customer. But my chief reason for raising the subject is to discover whether the average customer would know what the pot size is if it is given as e.g. 1 or 2 or 5 litres. I am thinking that it might be more helpful to our customers to give the diameter of the pot's lip, hence my curiosity as to what people expect to receive. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon Like most folk over a certain age, pot sizes in litres have little relevance as the the volume is a product of more than one dimension which can vary. I can cope dairly well with metric measurements, but Imperial do tend to be more readily appreciated Bill Thanks, Bill. All this has convinced me that showing the diameter in inches and cms is more helpful to more gardeners. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 12:46:45 +0000, Bill Grey said:
"sacha" wrote in message …snip While some claim not to buy online, we've often seen remarks here about buying plugs and being pleased or disappointed but in those cases, people knows what plugs are, what to expect. They now they've got to pot them on and look after them a bit before planting them out. If they were told we're charging you £20 for something in a 9cm or 10cm pot or even a 1 litre pot, what I'm wondering is, do they have a mental picture of what they'll actually get and if they did, would they buy it, I wonder. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon Have you thought of selling plants in -"say" 0.75 pint pots ?...:-) Bill Lol! The Americans often refer to pots in 'gallon' sizes!! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 1/7/2014 10:11 AM, sacha wrote:
Lol! The Americans often refer to pots in 'gallon' sizes!! True. But recently I've seen quite a few "three quart" pots (and of course the US quart is smaller than the Imperial one). They're just a bit shorter, and just a bit smaller across the top. Sneaky. |
Customer survey
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote:
Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said:
On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Quote:
For every day purposes, 1m=1yard, 30cm=1ft, and 1cm = a small half inch works well enough. But apart from the yard:metre equivalence, it is a matter of conversion rather than instant visualisation. 1m is close enough to 39inches, so 60m = 60yards +10%, ie 66 yards. The one advantage of the metric system is the ability to switch between volume and weight - 1l = 10cmx 10cmx10cm = 1kg, provided that the 1l is of something more or less the density of water. Makes calculating, for example, how much gravel to buy, much easier than in imperial. And converting pot sizes from diameters to volumes! |
Customer survey
On 07/01/2014 16:24, sacha wrote:
On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. Understood, Sacha:~). I guess measuring the top is simplest. It's quite something that you're prepared to photograph plants to give a disembodied customer a selection!! Not many nurseries do that! The plants I've bought from yours have always been good quality. So far, I've not had to order on line. Much nicer to pop along and see you and Ray .. and the plants of course! -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
Customer survey
On 07/01/2014 12:46, Bill Grey wrote:
"sacha" wrote in message ... On 2014-01-06 23:08:17 +0000, David Hill said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. Despite using a range of pots I still have problems picturing Pot sizes when in Litres, it's bad enough in cm I still have to put them back to imperial, 6 inch or 8 inch etc. I can picture right away, as for "Thumbs, Long toms etc." I doubt many of us remember them. David @ a slightly less windy (For now) side of Swansea Bay . Yes, we certainly refer to long toms in which we grow e.g. sweet peas but we don't sell those online. But the responses I'm getting seem to be referring more to quality of plants and those will vary from place to place, however you buy them. What I'm interested in is whether a customer, buying online, knows the difference in what they will get IF the pot size is given, 9cm, 1 litre, 2 litre etc. Do they even ask the pot size before buying, I wonder? So do customers still pay up, not knowing what they're going to get in terms of plant maturity? These may be more inexperienced gardeners and not as savvy as most urglers! It's something we've seen often in ads and on web sites and it's always surprised us that you can't see or envisage what you're going to get but nonetheless you're being asked (in the instance which has finally caused me to ask these questions) to pay £20 on trust for something which, in this case, is being marketed as rare and unusual and not by its real name, either. It's unusual to some degree but it's not rare. While some claim not to buy online, we've often seen remarks here about buying plugs and being pleased or disappointed but in those cases, people knows what plugs are, what to expect. They now they've got to pot them on and look after them a bit before planting them out. If they were told we're charging you £20 for something in a 9cm or 10cm pot or even a 1 litre pot, what I'm wondering is, do they have a mental picture of what they'll actually get and if they did, would they buy it, I wonder. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon Have you thought of selling plants in -"say" 0.75 pint pots ?...:-) Bill Well the Americans do talk about 1 gallon pots etc.. Why not plants in pint pots then if it dies you could drown your sorrows. |
Customer survey
On 07/01/2014 15:27, S Viemeister wrote:
On 1/7/2014 10:11 AM, sacha wrote: Lol! The Americans often refer to pots in 'gallon' sizes!! True. But recently I've seen quite a few "three quart" pots (and of course the US quart is smaller than the Imperial one). They're just a bit shorter, and just a bit smaller across the top. Sneaky. I thought that Americans were larger and a lot bigger around than us. |
Customer survey
On 07/01/2014 17:04, Spider wrote:
On 07/01/2014 16:24, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. Understood, Sacha:~). I guess measuring the top is simplest. It's quite something that you're prepared to photograph plants to give a disembodied customer a selection!! Not many nurseries do that! The plants I've bought from yours have always been good quality. So far, I've not had to order on line. Much nicer to pop along and see you and Ray .. and the plants of course! You are buying a 8 inch pot 5 inches deep 4/5th filled with compost Incidentally it contains a plant. |
Customer survey
On Tue, 07 Jan 2014 11:46:32 +0000, Sacha wrote:
[] Ray rang this morning. These shrubs are £20 in 7cm pots but you can have 3 for £49.50! The plants are about 8 inches tall. No wonder pot size isn't mentioned in this ad. This is even smaller than I'd imagined. We were thinking at least 9cm pots. I wonder how many people buy them, unwary and unseen, only to be astonished at what they've spent their £20 on. Well that's simply outrageous! Personally I prefer size, i.e. 1l, 3l etc. 7 cm tells all you need to know also... very small. I'm afraid it's standard practice for rarer plants to need a couple of years of nursing before planting out. They arrive in such limited quantity and are immediately snapped up, at whatever size, by collectors. For rarities there's no choice but to order by mail, there simply isn't any local availability. (Of course here in France there are fewer good nurseries now, because they're taxed on stock as well as on sales, so simply propagating becomes very expensive. A real shame.) Also, small plants are cheaper to ship (assuming this cost is passed to the buyer), and should be cheaper to buy. I get 2 yr Japanese maple cultivars (grafted) for 8-10 € each, then I can grow them on. -E -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
Customer survey
On 07/01/2014 18:39, Emery Davis wrote:
On Tue, 07 Jan 2014 11:46:32 +0000, Sacha wrote: [] Ray rang this morning. These shrubs are £20 in 7cm pots but you can have 3 for £49.50! The plants are about 8 inches tall. No wonder pot size isn't mentioned in this ad. This is even smaller than I'd imagined. We were thinking at least 9cm pots. I wonder how many people buy them, unwary and unseen, only to be astonished at what they've spent their £20 on. Well that's simply outrageous! Personally I prefer size, i.e. 1l, 3l etc. 7 cm tells all you need to know also... very small. I'm afraid it's standard practice for rarer plants to need a couple of years of nursing before planting out. They arrive in such limited quantity and are immediately snapped up, at whatever size, by collectors. For rarities there's no choice but to order by mail, there simply isn't any local availability. (Of course here in France there are fewer good nurseries now, because they're taxed on stock as well as on sales, so simply propagating becomes very expensive. A real shame.) Also, small plants are cheaper to ship (assuming this cost is passed to the buyer), and should be cheaper to buy. I get 2 yr Japanese maple cultivars (grafted) for 8-10 € each, then I can grow them on. -E I think more info should be given about the age of the plant, since I imagine this is what mainly determines its value. Box plants are as common as muck and difficult to kill, but still command a high price. There is a magnificent Camellia round the corner from us that must be 20 years old and seems quite happy growing in a chimney pot. |
Customer survey
On 1/7/2014 1:33 PM, David Hill wrote:
On 07/01/2014 15:27, S Viemeister wrote: On 1/7/2014 10:11 AM, sacha wrote: Lol! The Americans often refer to pots in 'gallon' sizes!! True. But recently I've seen quite a few "three quart" pots (and of course the US quart is smaller than the Imperial one). They're just a bit shorter, and just a bit smaller across the top. Sneaky. I thought that Americans were larger and a lot bigger around than us. That's largely in the South... |
Customer survey
On Tue, 07 Jan 2014 15:11:51 +0000, sacha wrote:
Lol! The Americans often refer to pots in 'gallon' sizes!! Not imperial gallons, though! Maybe I should think of pots in terms of number of drams... (taking a sip) -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 18:39:11 +0000, Emery Davis said:
On Tue, 07 Jan 2014 11:46:32 +0000, Sacha wrote: [] Ray rang this morning. These shrubs are £20 in 7cm pots but you can have 3 for £49.50! The plants are about 8 inches tall. No wonder pot size isn't mentioned in this ad. This is even smaller than I'd imagined. We were thinking at least 9cm pots. I wonder how many people buy them, unwary and unseen, only to be astonished at what they've spent their £20 on. Well that's simply outrageous! Personally I prefer size, i.e. 1l, 3l etc. 7 cm tells all you need to know also... very small. I'm afraid it's standard practice for rarer plants to need a couple of years of nursing before planting out. They arrive in such limited quantity and are immediately snapped up, at whatever size, by collectors. For rarities there's no choice but to order by mail, there simply isn't any local availability. (Of course here in France there are fewer good nurseries now, because they're taxed on stock as well as on sales, so simply propagating becomes very expensive. A real shame.) Also, small plants are cheaper to ship (assuming this cost is passed to the buyer), and should be cheaper to buy. I get 2 yr Japanese maple cultivars (grafted) for 8-10 € each, then I can grow them on. -E This particular plant is a little bit unusual but not a rarity in the true sense. We sell it in 2 litre pots for £12.50! I'm not naming it for obvious reasons but these are not seedlings taken from a Puya clinging to a mountainside with a dead sheep at its roots! Both size and price in the ad are simply outrageous in our view and make us shudder! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 17:04:51 +0000, Spider said:
On 07/01/2014 16:24, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. Understood, Sacha:~). I guess measuring the top is simplest. It's quite something that you're prepared to photograph plants to give a disembodied customer a selection!! Not many nurseries do that! The plants I've bought from yours have always been good quality. So far, I've not had to order on line. Much nicer to pop along and see you and Ray .. and the plants of course! Well, we like that, too! We have customers, who come in at least twice a year, who live in Norfolk but who used to live down here. So on their way to and from visiting other friends, they visit us, buy plants and even take some occasionally to other gardens in Norfolk. They often bring us bits and bobs from their travels and hand them to Ray to propagate. Over the years, customers often become friends and it's one of the perks. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-07 18:38:20 +0000, David Hill said:
snip You are buying a 8 inch pot 5 inches deep 4/5th filled with compost Incidentally it contains a plant. lol!! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On Tue, 7 Jan 2014 10:23:25 +0000, Sacha
wrote: On 2014-01-07 00:22:43 +0000, Dave Liquorice said: On Mon, 06 Jan 2014 20:56:36 +0000, Pete C wrote: Yep, for me, pot diameter tells me what I want to know. 2lt is, erm......oh I dunno! Inclined to agree pot top diameter is easier to picture with ones minds eye. I was going to add that is that "2 l pot" short and wide or tall and thin but that argument could be used against just pot diameter as well. Quote everything? "15 cm (6") 2 l pot" B-) We tend to use feet and inches on our web site but I should probably spend hours going through it and putting both inches and cms into it! I can get absolutely no mental picture of what 1.75m is! But the bits I've read here and elsewhere convince me that it would be a good idea to line up pots of various sizes, photograph them and show their sizes with each one, both in litres & cms and probably, inches! Laborious to do but easier for people to follow, I think. Or you could just have a look at Crocus' website - they have dealt with this very well. Look at an individual plant page and the pot size guide. |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-08 15:24:03 +0000, Chris Hogg said:
On Wed, 8 Jan 2014 13:49:41 +0000, sacha wrote: I intend to photograph the range of empty pots and give the imperial and metric diameters, as you suggest. Is there any point in actually photographing the pots? It's impossible to judge the size of a pot just by a photograph of the pot alone, unless there's something familiar to everyone and of standard size that's also in the picture and by which to judge the size of the pot. I've photographed 1, 2 and 3 litre pots and given their measurements and volume. I think seeing the 3 together gives a good idea of size, especially with their measurements across. I'm not concerned with the pot height because every plant or type of plant will be different. Although we grow plants in very much larger pots, too, obviously, we rarely send out more than a 2 or 3. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Customer survey
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
... On Wed, 8 Jan 2014 13:49:41 +0000, sacha wrote: I intend to photograph the range of empty pots and give the imperial and metric diameters, as you suggest. Is there any point in actually photographing the pots? It's impossible to judge the size of a pot just by a photograph of the pot alone, unless there's something familiar to everyone and of standard size that's also in the picture and by which to judge the size of the pot. -- Chris Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea. Mild, but very exposed to salt gales ============================================== Chris in Percy Whiting's book "The Five Great Rules of Selling" http://www.worldcat.org/title/five-g...=di&ht=edition the first Rule is ATTENTION and whilst Sacha has really gone to town on this pot size thing in her advertising here and on Gardenbanter, a striking photo would be superb and show what it is all about, by comparison. But comparison to 'what'? Now if it was me I would bring an element of 'Common knowledge' into the advertising. Let me explain. A few years back I wanted publicity for the RN Shipmates System, a system for those who had served in the Royal Navy to find those they had served with many and not so many years ago. I wanted a 'catchy' title to my press releases. ""I collect Sailors"" was the title. It worked. I had publicity in hundreds of local newspapers and was interviewed on nearly all BBC Local Radio Stations. Comparison. To what? A tin of Heinz Tomato Soup ............................... I jest not. However ................................. :-( Mike --------------------------------------------------------------- www.friendsofshanklintheatre.co.uk www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com www.rneba.org.uk www.nsrafa.org |
Customer survey
On 08/01/2014 00:57, sacha wrote:
On 2014-01-07 17:04:51 +0000, Spider said: On 07/01/2014 16:24, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. Understood, Sacha:~). I guess measuring the top is simplest. It's quite something that you're prepared to photograph plants to give a disembodied customer a selection!! Not many nurseries do that! The plants I've bought from yours have always been good quality. So far, I've not had to order on line. Much nicer to pop along and see you and Ray .. and the plants of course! Well, we like that, too! We have customers, who come in at least twice a year, who live in Norfolk but who used to live down here. So on their way to and from visiting other friends, they visit us, buy plants and even take some occasionally to other gardens in Norfolk. They often bring us bits and bobs from their travels and hand them to Ray to propagate. Over the years, customers often become friends and it's one of the perks. Sounds good to me, too! :~) When we've roughly sorted our itinerary, I'll be in touch by private email. Is that myzen? -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
Customer survey
On 2014-01-08 18:43:39 +0000, Spider said:
On 08/01/2014 00:57, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 17:04:51 +0000, Spider said: On 07/01/2014 16:24, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. Understood, Sacha:~). I guess measuring the top is simplest. It's quite something that you're prepared to photograph plants to give a disembodied customer a selection!! Not many nurseries do that! The plants I've bought from yours have always been good quality. So far, I've not had to order on line. Much nicer to pop along and see you and Ray .. and the plants of course! Well, we like that, too! We have customers, who come in at least twice a year, who live in Norfolk but who used to live down here. So on their way to and from visiting other friends, they visit us, buy plants and even take some occasionally to other gardens in Norfolk. They often bring us bits and bobs from their travels and hand them to Ray to propagate. Over the years, customers often become friends and it's one of the perks. Sounds good to me, too! :~) When we've roughly sorted our itinerary, I'll be in touch by private email. Is that myzen? No, it's changed. If you email , it will either come to me or be forwarded to me. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon |
Customer survey
On 08/01/2014 18:48, sacha wrote:
On 2014-01-08 18:43:39 +0000, Spider said: On 08/01/2014 00:57, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 17:04:51 +0000, Spider said: On 07/01/2014 16:24, sacha wrote: On 2014-01-07 15:57:02 +0000, Spider said: On 06/01/2014 19:08, sacha wrote: Not really - but something I've briefly touched on with another Nursery on Twitter and it seems to me that the experiences of urglers is valuable both to each other and to the nurseryman in this. Few nurseries selling online tell you what size pot your plant is going to arrive in but we wonder if the average buyer knows the difference between a 2 litre pot and a 10cm pot? I'm asking this because, frankly, we have been shocked to see certain plants sold for £20 which, we're fairly sure, will arrive in a 10cm pot, which means a small plant with a small root system. We searched the ad and the website of the nursery involved and see no reference to pot sizes at all. In the past we ourselves have bought a supposedly 2 year old grape vine from a reputable nursery but which had to be 'nursed' in a tunnel for 2 years before planting out into a greenhouse. The same happened to a very expensive but desirable Magnolia from another (different) well known nursery. We didn't dare put it in the garden for two years! How many people ask what size pot the plant will have grown into and how many even consider the matter, I wonder. Do most just expect a small plant and pay up happily? I know that, before I met Ray, as an 'ordinary' customer, pot sizes in litres meant nothing to me. I've decided to measure the tops of ours and put those online because I think it will make more sense to the average buyer. I've been following this thread with interest. I have got so that I mentally recognise pots measured in litres and inches (top circumference). I can also manage metric pot sizes, but tend to convert to imperial first. Each has its ambiguity. I know roughly what a litre of compost looks like, but that doesn't tell me how much of that volume is filled with root. GCs often pot up small plants into 1ltr pots so they can charge more. Nurseries do this less, but some are still guilty. On-line and postal nurseries tend to keep the pots smaller (or send plants bare-root) to ease postage. A top circumference measurement is fine (whether imperial or metric), but doesn't tell you the *depth* of the pot. 'Pans' are much shallower than standard pots, which in turn are shallower than 'long tom' pots. Perhaps, along with pot size, the labelling should say "garden ready" or "established" (at least in catalogues). The depth of the pot is harder to define, which is probably why volume in litres was adopted. One way to get over this would be to label as follows: Plant H2'x W1' Pot 6"top x 4"depth. Even this makes the customer ask whether the given plant measurement is size at sale or size at maturity. I think you may have opened a can of worms, Sacha! Squirm squirm :~). Wow! Thanks, Spider but I think I'll stick with measuring the top of the pot! We don't really use pans much at all and long toms are mainly for sweet peas or a few shrubby climbers. You really can't give a plant height and width at point of sale because they vary. Some will have grown a few inches more or spread a few inches more, in the same size pot and with equally good root systems. Sometimes, customers do ask us how big a plant will be when they receive it so we trot out and pick a good size and shape and tell them. The tallest might not be the 'fattest', so it's up to us to choose what we think best as they're not there. On a couple of occasions, we've been asked to send photos of two or three of the same plant, so the customer can pick the one they like! I do wonder how large the plants are that some send out because we quite often get delighted surprise as feedback from customers who have never been to the Nursery. And of course, some nurseries or gcs do specialise in small 'starter' plants because it keeps the p&p costs right down and possibly the labour costs, too, as they're not potting on into 1s and 2s every few weeks. Understood, Sacha:~). I guess measuring the top is simplest. It's quite something that you're prepared to photograph plants to give a disembodied customer a selection!! Not many nurseries do that! The plants I've bought from yours have always been good quality. So far, I've not had to order on line. Much nicer to pop along and see you and Ray .. and the plants of course! Well, we like that, too! We have customers, who come in at least twice a year, who live in Norfolk but who used to live down here. So on their way to and from visiting other friends, they visit us, buy plants and even take some occasionally to other gardens in Norfolk. They often bring us bits and bobs from their travels and hand them to Ray to propagate. Over the years, customers often become friends and it's one of the perks. Sounds good to me, too! :~) When we've roughly sorted our itinerary, I'll be in touch by private email. Is that myzen? No, it's changed. If you email , it will either come to me or be forwarded to me. Thanks, Sacha. I think RG tried to email you at myzen and failed, so I'll tell him. -- Spider. On high ground in SE London gardening on heavy clay |
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