Best online retailer

Hello,

Who is your go to retailer? I do support my local garden centre but they are somewhat restricted for variation so I'm inclined to buy online for some plants.

Who are you your recommended go to suppliers? I'm based NW England if that helps.

 

I buy online for everything. I'm too tight to pay through the nose so I go for the cheapest through comparison.
Having said that, the types of plants I tend to grow are fairly specialised, so there isn't a lot of choices to pick from!

 

This year I ordered from J Parker. I had some poor lilium martagon bulbs from them a few years ago, but they handled it well and sent me replacements. The plants I got this time were great. However, a friend told me about their wholesale arm - you don't have to be a business to use it. I blame him for me now having ordered far too many plants at excellent prices. If you need to fill an area, and can use10 of something, you can get some perennials eg astilbe at £6.50 +vat for 10!
You can also buy shrubs and trees singly - that is where I succumbed...

 

The reason I avoid buying online is because I like to see what I'm getting, cant really recommend anyone as what I have bought online as never been from the same place twice.

 

Apart from bulbs I don’t buy anything online these days. I did buy a couple of plants from Crocus which were quite specialised and needed to have been grown correctly. The quality was excellent but the price was somewhat eye watering, however, for what I wanted it was worth it to me. The plants I bought maybe around 8 years ago are extremely healthy so no regrets about that purchase.

 

It depends what I'm after, vegetable seeds I use Kings, Flower seed Chiltern Seeds or Special Plants (also had good plug plants from here), sundries often but not wholly Amazon. Bulbs, perennials and shrubs have a couple of go to nurseries, but often search online, compare delivery costs, read reviews etc before ordering. However I often find there is only one or two suppliers listing what I want. It comes down to how much I want something and how quickly I want something, result I have several stock notifications from last spring outstanding.
Recently two of my favourite suppliers have either closed or are winding down.
Where possible I prefer to go to plant sales or visit the nursery, however then I end up with a boot full.

 

Yes @NigelJ it's depressing how specialist nurseries are disappearing. I used to order from Cally Gardens, Tympany in NI, another on Isle of Man - all gone. If you want standard plants, then Thompson and Morgan, Hayloft, Parkers, Sarah Raven etc all do them (at quite a price from some), but more niche stuff is getting hard to find

 

I buy to many plants online from all over the place mostly perennials. Some I always have a look into are - Macplants - tortworth plants - farmyard nurseries - dorest perennials - claire austin - proctors nursery - barnes nursery - signature hydrangea for shrubs - just bought some rose from David austin . They is more smaller specialist for certain plants depends on what you want.

Not sure where abouts you are in the NW but Larch cottage in cumbria maybe of interest - Gordon riggs in todmordon and rochdale - Holden clough in sawley / trough Bowland , I popped into Beetham nursuries last year near Levens Hall expensive though but probably not as expensive as Barton grange and Bents.

Most bulbs are from parkers wholesale which are ok but cheap - prefer Anglia bulbs and Farmer gracy .

Not to picky with seeds but premier seeds direct and Nicky nursery I usually use as well as ebay .

 

I buy most specialist shrubs and herbaceous perennials via the RHS who are supplied from nurseries around Britain. Every plant I've had has been healthy and well packaged. Here in the Highlands we are charged more for postage but the RHS tend to be cheaper.

There is also a large local garden centre on the outskirts of Inverness that sell good quality plants. I take myself off there now and again to see what they have.

@CarolineL I'm interested to know which nursery you used on the Isle of Man please as I lived there for 24 years.

 

I think RHS use crocus as their supplier for plants, crocus are the largest plant supplier in the country they may have better rates for postage

 

@Sheal I'm afraid I can't remember the name - he specialised in more tender things like named callistemon, leptospermum, Melaleuca. The sort of things I love to buy even though I kill most of them!
Of course plantbase.co.uk still exists for those who want Australian plants

 

I think I know who you mean but I can't remember the name at the moment either. I've just asked my offspring on 'Messenger', one of them will know.