new bedding plants

[mark smyth]

Nice plant, Fermi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopkinsii/12126943/

[David Nicholson]

Last year I bought a packet of Suttons marigold seeds called Bo Jangle. The packet promised "a dazzling display of colour combinations". The packet shows doubles, very double and nicely striped flowers

What a disappointment. All the flowers were yellow with varying amounts of chocolate/red

This year I decided to give them another try. I simply broadcast the seeds where I wanted them to grow - among my Dactylorhiza and Colchicums.

They are just beginning to flower. They plants are tall, well branched but again the flowers are very  poor compared to what the packet shows. Only one plant, so far, looks like those on the packet.

Write to them and complain, they need to know and will probably send you vouchers in return.

[mark smyth]

David I'll not be buying those seeds again but will email them

[mark smyth]

The reply is back from Suttons. They are lying, can I saw lying?,about the contents of the seed packet

"Dear Mark

Thank you for your email.
The flowers of the Marigold Bo Jangles do vary from single yellow flowers to double flowers with various mahogany markings. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Ian Prestt
Garden & Technical Advisor"

[David Nicholson]

Mark, did you send him pictures? if not you should and ask him to compare the plants you grew with the pictures on the seed packet. Tell him you feel they have mis-represented the seeds you recived and you want your money back, otherwise you will contact your local Trades Descriptions people. Lay it on thickly and don't let them get away with it.

[mark smyth]

David I emailed him and said

"Thanks for the reply Ian but I would say your seed packet is misleading. I only bought the seeds because I wanted what was on the packet. Do you have photos of your stock plants? How do they compare to what's on the packet front? Is Bo Jangles a seed strain? Can you think of any reason why a packet bought last year from one garden centre and a packet bought this year from a different garden centre would have single flowers?

Once all my plants are in flower I'll create a web page so you can see what I got.

Mark"

[David Nicholson]

Let's know your reply.

[mark smyth]

Suttons dont care!!

"Dear Mark

Thank you for replying to our email.
A photograph can be attached to a reply to this email. I appreciate your disappointment and if you would like to send me your postal address I will arrange to refund the cost of the cost of the packet of seed purchased. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with."

[Maggi Young]

They care a little, Mark, if they didn't care at all you'd have had no reply at all  and  no offer of a refund!

[mark smyth]

I suppose they do but only a wee bit. Will £1.69 make me happy? No I want lovely fully double yellow and chocolate flowers.

Makes me wonder how many people who have bought these seeds get what it shows on the front

[Ezeiza]

I have on several occasions (from England) but have long gave up. It is like the Tigridias: they show a picture with all the known color forms but you always get the common red form. With the Tagetes they collect all the stunning variants together for the packet photo and you receive the countless radiation. Perhaps if one buys a thousand packets all the pretty forms will be there but this should be pointed in the catalogue!

[Lesley Cox]

Makes me wonder how many people who have bought these seeds get what it shows on the front

Probably no-one does because the seed will all be from the same source and packeted in bulk. More to the point, wonder how many people complain about not getting what was ordered. If everyone did that and demanded money back (while mentioning the bad publicity they're getting on places like this Forum), they'd soon realize they had to up their game and produce what they advertise. Even though you often can't tell the mistakes until months, sometimes years later, consumer legislation still applies. In NZ it is the Consumer Guarantees Act and it requires a product sold to be true to description and fit for the purpose for which it was purchased. We have a Wednesday night TV show called "Fair Go" which names and shames those who persistently cheat whether by taking money without supplying the product, bad service or any of a host of ways in which the general public are cheated by firms and individuals, including on the Internet. One of the most watched programmes in the country and it has been running for around 30 years!

[mark smyth]

We have similar programmes, Lesley.

I again asked the man from Suttons for a photo of their trial beds showing this plant. He didnt reply - so far.

[Diane Whitehead]

Not a bedding plant, but I don't want to start a new topic for this.

There was a pink and white hollyhock with fringed flowers in the
bistro courtyard where I ate yesterday.  I snaffled the only dry
seedpod, palmed it, and checked it in the car - no seeds.  I find
this odd, as I have never seen a seedless capsule before.  I googled
and found it is called Fiesta.  Is it always seedless?