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alleycallie_gw

nurseries sending dormant plants

alleycallie
16 years ago

I am a fairly new gardener and have a slope I need a lot of plants for, so I ordered a lot of them from a cheaper catolog from 4 Seasons in IL. My first ever nursery order-by-mail. They first sent 6 Gaillardia which were in green slime-like-algae and were obviously never going to live.

In their literature they warn the plants will look dead. I was very upset to learn their return policy is 14 days for a refund and after that, no refunds, just replacements for up to a year if the stuff you plant from them doesn't make it. They tell you to give the plants at least 6-weeks.

Yes, I should have read the fine print but I didn't. It seems to me that they have you in a vise: you can't return 6-week old plants that haven't grown for money.You wait for replacements that might not grow either. This could go on forever! Plant, wait 6 weeks, relace, plant wait 6 weeks, etc. until I throw in the towel and just lose my money.

What are your experiences with these nurseries that sell dormant plants? Is 4 Seasons reputable? I have so much ground to cover that I really couldn't afford to buy from someone like Jackson & Perkins or White Farms in Conn.

Are all plants this dead looking even from the top most expensive nurseries? The rest of my order of ornamental grasses, 2 burning bush and 2 spirea arrived yesterday, I'm opening them today and have to decide whether to even put them in the ground and take a chance. Also, they arrived on a day with thunderstorms and lots of rain, and rain and thunderstorms are predicted for the next five days! Do I dare plant any of this stuff on my slope, or will it slide away in the rain and wind? I'm stuck. HELP.

Thanks for any advice and/or recommendations. Alleycallie in north-central Kansas

Comments (3)

  • plantladyco
    16 years ago

    The Garden Watchdog rating for them is 24 (out of 100)
    I often get dormant plants from reputable nurseries...they do fine.

  • sakura2006
    15 years ago

    I ordered RED rose of sharon from QVC but because plant was dormant, I couldn't tell if I got what I ordered or not.
    I was so angry when rose of sharon start blooming because color of the flowers is not red but white.
    QVC get plants from Cottage Farm and Cottage Farm get some of plants they sell at other farms.
    It is hard to tell where plant come from and who is sending wrong plant.
    No matter where plant come from, as long as Cottage Farm is sending plants to us and QVC is selling plant from Cottage Farm, QVC and Cottage Farm are responsible for sending wrong plant to people.
    Reptation is so important to keep business and they should know.
    To be honest, I never had good plants from mail order companies.

  • petzold6596
    15 years ago

    The green "algae" around the plants is a polymer that prevents desiccation during shipping. The direction should have directed you to soak the plants in water until the "algae" dissolved off and then plant them. New plants REQUIRE watering every two days the first week and increasing the interval one day each week until you are watering once a month.

    Keep this in mind the next time you do any planting.

    I've learned the hard way!!!!!

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