Poor Mail Order Plants

[mark smyth]

Last Saturday Margaret Glynn and I were at Woottens of Wenhasten
https://www.woottensplants.co.uk/index.htm and very happy to be there after years of looking at the web site and buying their big year books. We spent over 2 hours at the nursery and decided to have our plants mailed home. I bought mainly species Pelargoniums and selected plants for their size, overall shape and flower buds. They arrived yesterday and what I saw I couldn't believe. The packing was starch chips that had stuck to all the plants because it dissolves when moist. The plants were butchered. The root balls look like they were jet washed to remove every trace of soil and all plants were cut very hard back. Gone were all the flowering stems, flower buds and leaves. The Iris, not seen when ordered, were lifted from the field and just put in an onion bag. I really could have cried to think I paid £60 for fantastic plants to receive examples of what you see below.

[mark smyth]

By contrast these arrived last week from Firtrees Pelargonium Nursery out of their pots but root ball intact, all stems present and flowers still on the plants. Each plant was carefully wrapped in newspaper.

[Lesley Cox]

I'd be returning the first lot Mark with a serious complaint. What an incedible stuff-up and I can't imagine a good nursery sending out its quality stock in such a way.

[mark smyth]

I was planning to give Woottens a good write up on the forum but it was down. If you can drive there it is well worth the visit but do not go for mail order. We had planned to take empty suit cases for the visit. I only remembered on the day of departure. Getting the ladder out to go in to the attic at 4.30am isnt a good thing.

[David Nicholson]

Mark, why not try Emailing them and send them a pic of one of the plants they sent you together with a picture of one the other Nuserie's plants, and ask them to explain why the two should be so different?

[Brian Ellis]

That's a really good idea David.  Such a shame that they have tarnished their own name when its a brilliant nursery.  I believe that is always the way they send out their Iris, and they have certainly grown well and not suffered from it, but the pelargoniums may well be a different matter.

[galahad]

That is pretty shocking, Mark.  I seem to have had the opposite problem lately.  The plants have been so well packed that it take forever to get them out of the box - though it is the preferrable extreme.
You should let them know.

[mark smyth]

I now have a refund on the worst but I have still been cheated out of really good plants. He says I can keep the plants that got the refund for.

He says
"I am sorry the plants arrived in a disappointing condition. We have used this method before with great success. The plants should not have arrived stuck together - I shall talk to the packer involved - however if this should happen plants are readily separated by hosing down.  I am refunding you today for the cost of the plants you were dissatified with - see attached refund note. If you want plants sent to you in their original pots uncut back we can so do. Carriage would obviously be considerably more expensive. If any of your remaining plants do not thrive please let me know. We offer an unconditional guarantee on all our plants."

Today I potted everything he sent and so had a good length of time to study them. Every plant had less than 3 inches 8 cm of root left. Most were growing in 1L pots. There is nothing there that will keep the plants alive

[mark smyth]

Ross the plants from Firtrees arrived over packed. Each plant had it's root ball in a plastic bag and was then wrapped in news paper. Between every plant was shredded paper. This is how Michael Loftus should have sent his.

Has anyone on the forum ever got mail order from Woottens?

[Eric Locke]

Hi All

I find the worst mail order supplier to be Thomson and Morgan .
I find this company regularily supply plants of very poor quality.
Best to avoid.

Eric