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sarraceniahunter

Online nursery re-evaluation

sarraceniahunter
18 years ago

In light of some of my recent experiances with online nurseries, I am going to have to take a long, hard look at who I spend my money with from now on. I recently placed three orders with three different nurseries. One order was for almost $175! I made three seperate orders with this place and only one has arrived, and it was for a friend else where. I still haven't seen my plants, nor can I get the people to answer my emails inquiring about the orders, and I've been really, really civil with them! The other order I made was with a totally different nursery and the plants arrived in horrible shape! Now, these people can't even be found on the web anymore! The only place so far that has shown me reliable service and very healthy plants on arrival is Sarracenia Northwest! They'll probably get the lion's share of my business from now on. I don't know why nobody at Cook's will talk to me, I've spent a wad of cash with them. And the other place, Lee's Botanical Gardens, I just don't know about them. Their website has disappeared off the face of the Earth!

Comments (64)

  • back2eight
    18 years ago

    Joe, you ordered a VooDoo lily? where the heck are you going to plant that thing where the smell won't get to you?

  • joeb004
    18 years ago

    I guess the planting part is easy, it just sends up it's one leaf in the growing season. I believe it isn't until mid-winter that the flower will come out of the tuber. I think I read that you can just have the tuber on your shelf or something and it will pretty much flower by itself. I've got more reading to do, but I'll figure it out. I've got various "stinky" plants that I grow with my CPs...makes for a really fiendish setup...hehehehe

  • sarraceniahunter
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Speaking of plants that stink, I've got a friend whose wife saw my bog-garden and wanted me to help her build one. Her husband was against the idea because he said that the plants smelled of rotting meat. He said that that was the way they attracted flies! I don't where he got his information, but that was another myth I had to debunk! He said that the reason he knew this was because he encountered them in the swamps of Louisiana where he grew up. Funny, I don't recall any pitcher plants growing in the swamps of the Bayou State! Anyway, his wife got her garden. Beautiful Sarracenia hybrids in it!

  • akheadbanger
    18 years ago

    Hmmm Some flowers stink, speaking of flowers...
    {{gwi:549919}}

    (Yes thats my dogs hair on their!)

    Whoo i got this from Cooks last year, it just depends some times, you cant expect every time you order it to come in PERFECT and the best they got to offer. Some times you order at the wrong time and get some of the last smaller plants.

    As for youre Louisana Sarr's Their are Some, S. rubra (very very boarder of missisipi) and S. alata wich is more further from the boarders, i jut dont think theirs very many in central, if any at all. But Their are Sarr's in louisiana! (check the Carnivorous plants of the united states and Canada)

    Cheers

  • sarraceniahunter
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Yes, I have the book. That's why I can say with some certainty that there are no Sarracenia in the part of Louisiana that my friend is from. Maybe that's how it should have been phrased.

  • akheadbanger
    18 years ago

    Just thought I would verify! No prob's! But they are in most southern states. If not being destroyed. I dont know if the updated the maps in 02' when they reprinted it, but the orginals were printed in 76' so they could easly Not be in those areas any more.

    Cheers

  • junior_trap
    18 years ago

    Well as for the online stores.....i prefer cooks...i bought 2 times and got fantastic plants....for a fantastic price. i also bought nepenthes seeds from hortusb.com ...very fast service!!!

  • winged_mammal
    18 years ago

    Your friend was probably thinking of skunk cabbage which does grow in swamps and has a slightly carnivorous look to it when in flower. The flower smells like rotting meat which is how they get flys to pollinate them.
    Anyone ordered through Meadowview Biological Research Center? I haven't heard their name mentioned yet. They've sent me some really nice stuff.

  • lleopardggecko
    18 years ago

    Hmmmm, never heard of the Meadowview Biological Research Center. I'll have to check them out. What did you buy from them?

  • akheadbanger
    18 years ago

    Not BAd selection. I like the Aldrovenda their and for the price? Awsome. Cephs are a bit more expensive...

    Cheers

  • shadyvine
    18 years ago

    I've ordered from Cook's, Lee's Botanical Garden, Petflytrap and picked up plants at California Carnivores.
    Haven't had a problem with any of these nurseries. The owner of Lee's grow their plants outdoors in Florida from what I understand. Maybe this is why they appear like wild plants. I have also met the owner of Mesa Exotics and their plants are excellent. Some of the best flytraps I have seen.
    Some of these nurseries grow and sell cp part-time and may take longer to respond to email or ship, then nurseries that sell these plants full-time.

  • ahughes798
    17 years ago

    I've not ordered from them yet, but Sunbelle Exotics stuff looks really nice, and someone from another forum went there and said their plants were looking good (they were still semi-dormant at the time).

  • gw:carnivorous_plants
    17 years ago

    I,ve ordered CPs from Best Carnivorous Plants (Czech Republic), Bug Biting Plants (USA), California Carnivores (USA), Cooks Carnivorous Plants (USA),Equilibrio Carnivorous Plants (USA), The CP Jungle (USA), Exotica Plants/Andrea and Geoff Mansell (Australia), Malesiana Tropicals (Borneo), Meadowview Biological Research Station (USA), MeanPlants (USA), Carnivorous Plants Nursery (USA), The Nepenthes Nursery/Andreas Wistuba (Germany),Sarracenia Northwest (USA) etc.etc.etc....nice stuff. The worst off all BLACK JUNGLE (aka CARNIVOROUS PLANTS WORLD) They are re-sellers not growers, very limited selection, expensive and small low quality plants. Don't be fooled by marketing campaign, and PET FLYTRAP limited selection and low quality plants. The best of the best EQUILIBRIO CARNIVOROUS PLANTS impresive selection, high quality plants, large sizes available, rush orders without extra charge, satisfaction guaranted, etc, and second prize CALIFORNIA CARNIVOROUS large seleccion, high quality plants, large sizes available, years of experience, etc.

    Here is a link that might be useful: EQUILIBRIO CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

  • lleopardggecko
    17 years ago

    That's so strange, what you said about Black Jungle. I've always received great plants from them...

  • kakozord
    17 years ago

    Hi there carnivorous.plants
    What were the neps like from The Nepenthes Nursery/Andreas Wistuba. Are they good quality, healthy plants?

    Thanks

    Kyle

  • gw:carnivorous_plants
    17 years ago

    lleopardggecko, I have visited Black Jungle "greenhouses" at their back yard several times and I have expended hundreds and hundreds of dollars on plants (never again). They resell plants from Borneo Exotics, Equilibrio Carnivorous Plants, Ron Gagliardo (Atlanta Botanical Garden), Agristarts, Etc. very good quality material. Unfortunately the condition in their greenhouses is not the best for CPs. Plus they lost the CP person in charge of the plant care.
    Kyle, Wistuba's plants are excelent quality, altough very small in size. For you in UK I think is one of the best options for hard to find Nepenthes and Heliamphora

  • kakozord
    17 years ago

    Alright thanks. I've ordered three neps so I'll see how they go. Prices seem very good aswell.

  • xymox
    17 years ago

    So i finally recieved the plants from Cooks. They said they made a mistake about shipping me the plants; meaning that they thought they shipped them already. So they arrived yesterday thursday, April 28,2006. i ordered wo plants but they have me one for free, and it is truly appreciated. the plants that i ordered were a bareroot sarracenia leucophyla, and an "egg mini terrarium that brings soil & a flytrap. The free plant was the sarracenia Oreophilia(the green pitcher plant) the nepenthes is my old nepenthes sanguinea that got knocked over while growing in my window. it's growing a new pitcher! all the new plants are in my terrarium for a week, then they will be growned outside in full sun. the nepenthes is only growing there for a short while. then will be moved in a sunny windowsill.:) here they are. needles to say, and i would like to admit that Cook's is a good on-line store. is black jungle really good too? i bet!
    {{gwi:549920}}
    from top view, from left to right(sarracenia leucophyla, egg mini terrarium with flytrap, and the free sarracenia oreophilia)
    {{gwi:549922}}

  • gw:carnivorous_plants
    17 years ago

    Here there is my purchase from Equilibrio Carnivorous 2 weeks ago.
    {{gwi:549926}}

    4 S. flava (Large), 1 D. adelae (Large), 2 C. follicularis Giant Form (Medium), 1 D. sparulata Frasier Island Form/purple flower, 2 P. moctezumae x sp Kores (Large) and 1 D. intermadia Mt Roraima (Large, No dormancy)

  • Bruce_in_ct
    17 years ago

    I haven't ordered from Dean Cook in a while, but was always happy with what he sent. Dean is famous for sending people free Sarracenia alabamensis/jonesii/oreophylla plants. He propagates lots of those endangered species and, because laws only prohibit him from selling them, he gives lots away. I suspect a high percentage of people growing those species got them from Dean.

    I've heard Dean had to take another job and tries to maintain his business as a part time operation. It's unfortunate because customers expect a certain level of quality and service. But I do believe Dean is good people and I hope no one thinks he's trying to rip them off. If his business isn't reliable now, I've heard Tony Paroubek's Exotic Plants Plus is a great source for Neps.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Exotic Plants Plus

  • glenn_mi
    17 years ago

    I have purchased several nepenthes from Cook's and they have been cheap and very healthy. Nothing but praise for them from me.

    These types of discussions are very useful and should keep sellers and buyers on thier toes!

    Glenn

  • pramodisha
    17 years ago

    I am based in India and there are no nursery in India which sells CP. I can not get CPs from out of India as I have to get import license for the same.
    Will it be possible for the senior growers to send me seeds so that I can grow Cps here?
    Thank you.
    Pramod Agrawal.

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    i've made all my on-line puchases on calafornia carnovors

  • banjoman
    17 years ago

    I have been extremely happy with Sarracenia Northwest, which is my top choice among CP vendors.

    I recently got a shipment from Cook's, and they were fine, although perhaps not outstanding. I still prefer the consistent quality from Sarracenia Northwest. I do have to say that the Cobra Lilly I bought from Cook's for just $10.50 shocked me with how nice it was.

    I have also bought once from California Carnivores, but the plants I received had a mealy bug infestation and ultimately did not survive. I have avoided buying again from California Carnivores since then. If others have been pleased with California Carnivores, perhaps I should give them another try.

    The 2 Cephaloti from Equilibrio in the picture posted by carnivorous.plants above look great. How much did they cost? Perhaps I'll try an order with Equilibrio next time.

    Jon

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    doese this thing have a limit on how many tmes one chat room can be posted on.

  • terrestrial_man
    17 years ago

    No fly traper. Post as much as you want!

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    than i would like to compliment C. carnovors
    I live in AL and they got it to me in 5 days they said it wold
    take 2 weeks . that's what i call good service. and the plants were in great condition

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    here is a pic of the sundew i got from Ca carnovors
    {{gwi:549928}}

  • FlytrpL8E
    17 years ago

    Posted By banjo man

    >>>I have also bought once from California Carnivores, butthe plants I received had a mealy bug infestation and ultimately did not survive. I have avoided buying again from California Carnivores since then. If others have been pleased with California Carnivores, perhaps I should give them another try.

    Hey there Jon,
    Did you contact Peter and tell him about your ailing plant?
    I know that he personally selects each plant to go out in mail order . He sees many pests with his naked eye, that I can only imagine to see, or need A 5X magnifying glass to see the actual pest.
    He always makes things right. A happy customer is a repeat customer.
    Thanx for listening and keep 'em plants growin'
    Lois

  • sarraceniahunter
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I've yet to order from California Carnivores. I absolutely loved Peter's book, "The Savage Garden" though! Perhaps I'll give them a try.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Bogs (The Natural Alternative)

  • hunterkiller03
    17 years ago

    Hi all,
    I've been reeding about people's opinions of their favorite vendors and I have purchased from them all (except for Sarracenia Northwest. I have purchased and received via mail from Dean Cooks, Lee's Botanical Gardens, Black Jungle(they have a good selection of Nepenthes), Equilibrio Carnivorous Plants, and even tried ebay for a couple of sundews. All their plants seemed to be neatly packaged but are all more or less in shock. Not to mantion how the packages are mishandled by the post office employees, so I never expect to recieved plants in top condition, they all come in shock and loose some of their leaves. The only vendor I have purchased plants directly is California Carnivores )N. alata, S. Leucophylla, and a hybrid Heliamphora that died =( on me).
    They had a stand at selling plants in a farmer's market or Rancher's market something in San Francisco. When it tired to package them as best I could and given them much care during the trip back to Arizona. They all went into shock despite that they were potted in their original pots.
    But one thing I do agree is that Cook and so had Lee's have give a freebe for the price of one.

  • entwife
    17 years ago

    I got an order from Cooks a couple months ago. I will never order from them again. I got BULBS, not plants. My Walmart VFT's look better than these things. One has died. Cooks will do nothing because I did not contact them right away. How was I supposed to know in 3 days if the bulbs would come out of dormancy or not? The Pink Venus VFT I ordered is dead. The others I ordered-Big Mouth, Red Dragon, are only about 1 inch across. Cooks tells me this is normal. Normal? I ordered plants, not bulbs.

    And there was no freebie. They grow their plants outside, (this is what they told me) so my advice would be to only order from them toward the end of summer, when their stuff has had a chance to grow and you get actual plants. I wish I had known in advance what they were sending me. I'd never have ordered from them.

  • banjoman
    17 years ago

    Hi Lois.

    I did contact California Carnivores to ask what to do about the mealy bug infestation. They suggested an insecticide (Something like Orthonox I think). I sprayed them with the recommended insecticide, but in my great desire to get rid of the mealy bugs, I think I over-treated. The plants died within a few weeks (my fault, I'm sure).

    In contrast, among my several orders from Sarracenia Northwest, I once had mold on the soil shortly after getting the plant. They surprised me by advising I should throw away the plant, and they immediately sent a healthy replacement that did very well. Of course, I did my best to get rid of the mold and nurse the first plant back to health.

    Jon

  • sarraceniahunter
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I placed a huge order with Cook's and the plants I got looked like they were leaf cuttings or seedlings. I ordered a bunch of the different flytrap varieties also. Most of mine lived thanks to vigilance on my part. I would order from them again now that I know what to expect, only if I can't find what I want elsewhere. The biggest problem I had with my order is that the price dosen't match the plant. When I pay 6 to 8 bucks for a plant , I'm expecting something that I can see without a magnifying glass! No kidding, some of the VFTs were THAT small!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard Bogs (The Natural Alternative)

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    here is a pic of my red dragon
    {{gwi:543974}}

  • FlytrpL8E
    17 years ago

    Hey there Jon.
    So glad to hear that you did contact C C.
    The product is Orthene, wettable powder.Which you mix with water then apply.If applied in too strong of a concentration then it will kill the plants.
    Sorry to hear about the demise of your plants from C C.
    How did your first plant from NW C turn out? Were you able to nurse it back to health?
    Thanx for listening and keep 'em plants growin'.
    Lois

  • banjoman
    17 years ago

    Sarraceniahunter: Among the different flytrap varieties that you ordered recently from Cook's, are there any that you were especially excited about when you received them? I've noticed that many are only available as bare root, and I've been reluctant to buy them. But I have been watching for Vigorous and Big Mouth, since they were recommended by someone on this forum. I'd be interested to hear more about your experience with these varieties. I ordered a Pink Venus recently from Cook's, and although it was a bit small (perhaps just coming back from dormancy), it is growing nicely and I am happy with it.

    Lois: I spooned out the mold from the surface of the NW Red Cape Sundew, and it did OK. I have had a separate problem with Cape Sundews that I've already described on this forum, and the plant ultimately did not do well for reasons that were probably unrelated to the mold. My only surviving Cape Sundew is now the replacement plant I got from NW. After seeing a beautiful Red Cape Sundew that someone grew in a terrarium, I'm guessing that my current problem with my Cape Sundew is that it is not getting enough light (too many trees in my front yard blocking sunlight to its windowsill).

    Jon

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    i just recently ordered a N.ventricosa from calafornia carnovorsthis

  • fly_traper
    17 years ago

    horay my n. ventricosa is here

  • tommyr_gw Zone 6
    17 years ago

    I just got 2 Neps from Sarracenia Northwest, a Sanguinea and a Ventricosa and both are great and even have a few small pitchers!

    They are very fast at shipping too! I will definately be ordering more from them!
    Their web site is chock full of useful info too!

    Tom

  • twotut
    16 years ago

    -Has anyone done business with Cascade Carnivors? I've just received a ping from them and I am very happy with it.

    About 3 yrs ago I too bought from Cooks and had no problems.
    It's sad to see a good company turn bad...

    Cascade Car. has a great sellection of pings and I hope to go back for more, as soon as my husband isn't looking......

  • twotut
    16 years ago

    Once again I've had the pleasure of doing business with Cascade Carnivors and I am very happy with the plants I've received!!The shipment was fast and the prices do-able, give em a try!!
    www.cascadecarnivors.com

  • twotut
    16 years ago

    These are the newest additions to my tiny family of CP's
    and all of them were purchased from Cascade Carnivors @ $10.00 each

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:549916}}

  • twotut
    16 years ago

    I hope this works...I'm trying to post pictures of my Pings that are on Photobucket.

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:549917}}

  • twotut
    16 years ago

    I hope this works...I'm trying to post pictures of my Pings that are on Photobucket. These are the Pings I bought from Cascade Carnivals @ $10.00 ea.
    BTW, put your "tags" in the body of the message that's where I went wrong! Dummy...
    The first is Ping Agnata Red Leaf, #2 is Cyclosecta, and the #3 is Esseriana gorgeous aren't they?
    {{gwi:549933}}
    {{gwi:549935}}
    {{gwi:549936}}

  • hikenyura
    16 years ago

    I tried equilibrio once, and it wasnt good at all. it took three weeks to process my order, $12 shipping (it was just filled with old newpaper) and they didnt even tell me my plants are bare root.

    The best place for me was sarracenia NW.

  • her_voice_was_gray_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    I'm tardy to the party, but I wanted to make an input for anyone else to see this:

    Re: Dean Cook/Flytraps- A good 85% of my current collection is from Dean Cook, and I've NEVER had a problem with him. Patience is required, because he does have a day job, and on the website, it does state that it can take 7-10 days to process an order. I've had some difficulties with communication, but again, patience is required. They do get back to me eventually.
    Yes, sometimes the plants received aren't the best, but I do believe the season has alot to do with it. Since figuring out what I'm doing, I'm yet to lose anything he's sent me, and they've all grown nicely! I did lose one plant from them during shipping, and they sent me a replacement with the next order I placed.
    I wouldn't say they're out of the game yet, nor "gone bad".
    4/5

    Re: Lois Ochs/Raccoon Ridge-I found her on eBay, and purchased a Dana's Delight, Hummer Hammerhead, and 15 (received 18) lost-tag Sarracenia. The Danas, Hummer, and 16 of the rhizomes were all rotten! Talk about spotty communication, and when I finally heard back, they refused to reimburse me or send replacements because "plants are perishable". When they're received in such shoddy condition, I think the sellers should be responsible. It seems the only people that've received good things from her were physically at her nursery. Total crap, and I'll never order from her again.
    0.25/5

    Re: Sarracenia Northwest- This is where "you get what you pay for"- between the plants being potted and the associated shipping, it was hard on my wallet, but they are worth every penny. I guess people that don't know what they're doing are better off buying from them, but for me, it's just silly to buy anything from them that I could buy from Dean, and make flourish with a little TLC.
    4.5/5 (.5 deducted for price)

    Re: KillerPlantShop- These guys are new on the scene, and they don't have a huge variety, but they've got great prices and quality which rivals Sarracenia Northwest.
    5/5

    Re: Kristi King/MKFarmsofMS- She's an individual grower with a busy life, but she ships orders within a week. I've found her prices to be very reasonable and her plants are always in very good condition.
    4.5/5

    Save for Lois, I've bought from everyone else atleast twice, so I have more than "one experience" to judge.

  • her_voice_was_gray_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    I need to make an addendum to my previous post:
    Lois Ochs is a great grower and person.
    She had nothing to do with my bad experience with her nursery- her daughter was managing eBay at the time and was fully responsible for the fiasco.

    So let it be that Lois's reputation remain untarnished.

  • Prabhjyot
    11 years ago

    Well, there has been problem shopping plants online.

    But, now in India we have India's largest online nursery

    Here is a link that might be useful: India's Largest Online Nursery

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