Good and not so good on-line .....

I thought I would start a thread as a reference to good online plant suppliers and those to avoid.
For hellebores Ashwoods are hard to beat. For perennials Paddocks Plants are excellent value.....a fiver or less. Woottens and Hillview are always worth checking. Nervous at first but there are some excellent suppliers on ebay...Perfect Plants for example.
Maybe others can add their recommendations...

 

Good idea! I'd recommend Pepperpot Herb Nursery at Godalming and the AgroForestry Research Trust in Devon for all sorts of edibles.

 

I take it that on-line means the same as mail-order.... If so, then I've never had any problems with J Parker ( Dutch bulbs ) or Allwoods.

 

Lucky enough to have a large nursery a mile away but lots of small nurseries locally so always my first point of call. If you have nurseries nearby dont forget to visit.

 

Have used both Van Meuwen and Thomson and Morgan for plug plants and fruit trees and found them good, though some plants did not survive, they quickly replaced them without any problems.

Think its always worthwhile taking a photo of the plants as they arrive and then later if any fail to grow.

Ordered 3 lots of plants from Hayloft last spring /summer and only one lot was as you would hope /expect.
2 lots were quiet large plants but to fit in the large plug plant containers they send them in, they had literally screwed off all the main growing shoots .
One lot survived but took many weeks just to recover, the other lot though growing were just weak and all but one died off withing a couple of weeks.
Did not contact them for replacements, just did not want to deal with them at all, disgusting, and all from a company whos adverts particularly profess they really do care about their plants and service .

 

That's a co-incidence! I've just placed an order Not cheap, but some very unusual plants...

 

I don't use Crocus often but I do think it good, if expensive. The plants are nice specimens and the one time I bought a shrub and it died (ceratostigma - I planted it in autumn and it never woke up in spring) they replaced it very promptly.

I've also used ebay a lot for plants and don't think I've every had a dud, though sometimes things have been slow to turn up. A supplier I've used more than once for roses and found very reliable is Tranquillity Cottage Nursery, on Orkney.

When I had some landscaping done last autumn I went online for the materials, too - it widened my choice considerably as well as being cheaper. I must say it was a very interesting exercise - I had no idea there were so many different local British gravels, for instance! Off that I can recommend Dandy's Topsoils near Chester, who supplied my Cheshire Pink gravel, and Mill Pool Slabs in Worcestershire whose circular paving feature (an astrological sun dial in cast concrete) I'd seen on ebay but was cheaper bought direct from them. I was really pleased with both those, though of course everything turns up on pallets so you do need muscle on standby!

I do like to visit nurseries too - it is important to support them as Verdun says and our local one (part of the Capital Gardens group) is actually pretty good. And there are some things I just wouldn't buy online. When I needed to replace my shed a few years ago I looked online but the reviews were discouraging to say the least ('shed installed last week, bits now blowing past the window as I write'). Instead I went to a local fencing and shed specialist and picked out a nice sturdy specimen with their advice.

 

Hooksgreen herbs are very good too......
"Herbs" include ornamental perennials like salvias, achilleas, echinaceas and the rest. Good quality, good service, reasonable prices and prompt delivery.

 

I've bought hedging and bare rooted trees from Buckingham Nurseries and Beechwood Trees. Both have supplied good quality plants quickly.

 

I used to get down there once or twice a year from Northants..absolute bliss!

 

Forest Farms up in Oregon is wonderful . Also Herronswood in Washington State. Bluestone not good. But have a wonderful Nursery near that carries all sort of stuff, so have not ordered in years.