Mailorder Snowdrops

[Anne Repnow]

In the past 3 years or so I have made the expedition to Nettetal in order to buy snowdrops and other wonderful plants. And an expedition it is - I have experienced snowstorms and bitter cold as well as pouring rain. My car was almost swallowed up in a boggy field (called 'carpark') and had to be pulled out by a tractor...

Anyway. As there is no way to get hold of snowdrops close to home, I have also bought by mailorder in order to build up my collection. Matt Bishop's drops arrived in excellent condition and were just what I wished for. Ashwood Nurseries also sent very good plants wonderfully packed - and a small complaint was dealt with in a very satisfactory way. I can recommend Monksilver as well as the German nurseryman Michael Camphausen.

However, today I received a drop-delivery from Harveys Garden Plants and I am most disappointed. The parcel took 7 days to arrive (bad courier), several of the drops are in bad condition and in at least 2 cases not what I expected.

What are your experiences? Or is it 'gauche' to say these things openly on the forum?

[Leena]

My solution to the long shipping time to Finland, is that I only buy dormant bulbs, and I have been very pleased with the quality of the bulbs.
The shipping to Finland may take over a week, but it can also be as fast as three days, you never know, and snowdrops in green can't take it so long (or at least they go prematurely dormant and the next year's flowering suffers). I think it is the Finnish mail which is unpredictable, if I send anything to the UK, it almost always takes only three or four days, so the UK mail is better.
MY only problem with buying dormant bulbs is how to wait for so long before I see what's for sale and to order, especially when looking at the lovely snowdrop pictures here in the forum.

[mark smyth]

I think you should search Harveys on the forum

[Alan_b]

If you do, you'll find similar criticisms of Harvey's snowdrops in previous years.  But I bought one from Harvey's two (?) years ago and that was fine.

[Anne Repnow]

Just to illustrate what I mean...
Thank you, Leena, for your experience. Dormant bulbs from trustworthy sources are probably the best solution.

[mark smyth]

Looks like Atkinsii. You need a refund for the snowdrops and postage and not be charged postage for replacements

[Alan_b]

".. cultivar with all green inner segments" is an accurate description of 'Merlin' but that's not what you've got.

[Anne Repnow]

Quite... And the other drops aren't much better.
However, maybe Harveys will resolve the matter - I have mailed my complaints to them.

[mark smyth]

I would like to see what was sent. Are all flowering size? He says all bulbs are flowering size but may not produce a flower this year

[Anne Repnow]

Here is another one for a laugh 

[Anne Repnow]

And here is 'Green Hayes' bulb and flower. The bulb seems to have been stripped of its outer layers. The flower doesn't have any green markings on the outers. I expected a few green lines. - Somewhat disappointing considering I paid a ridiculous price for this one. What an idiot I am...

'Wendy's Gold' and 'Trymlet' were ok.

[Richard Williams]

      I bought some plants from Harveys website last year and as far as I recall they were all fine. I've just nipped out to the greenhouse to check and all have survived and bulked up nicely.
      As someone with a foot in both camps as seller (of auriculas) and buyer (of snowdrops) I can see both sides of problems like this, I'd be annoyed with plants turning up that I was not happy (and I wouldn't be slow in letting a seller know about it) But equally if I was Harveys I'd be spitting mad that a problem has been aired on a public forum before I had the chance of redress!
On e-bay do they sell as dorasnowdrops and simplysnowdrops ? Just put 2 & 2 together to make the proverbial 5 as both registered as coming from Thurston or Bury St Edmunds which is the same address as Harveys and a few plants have the same photo? I bought some drops from simplysnowdrops including a couple of £20 cowhouse greens which along with the others were very good plants. May be different people and coincidental, if not why the mystery?

[mark smyth]

Same people as well as selling as Harveys. If I remember correctly each, in the early days, gave the other feedback

[uvularia]

I have bought a number of snowdrops from Harveys. Although there has been problems, they are very quick to redress any problems. Even though I have received the wrong plants, they sent me replacements very quickly and I returned the wrongly named snowdrops. Speaking as a nurseryman, I think Harveys do what  they can to solve any problems. I will have to look at my Green Hayes now asap!

[Alan_b]

Harvey's used to sell as Harvey's but I don't think they still do.  I wonder if this is something to do with the difference between selling on eBay as a business or selling as a private individual?  I think what eBay expects of you as a business is much more rigorous than what you can get away with as a private individual.  Harveys are by no means the only snowdrop nursery to use an 'alias' in order to sell on eBay.