How well do mail order companies do with small ground covers,etc?

Question

I was wishing to purchase some groundcover plants for my garden, but many of the local nurseries are out of or running low on the ground cover plants I am wishing to find.

How well do mail order companies do with buying plants such as Heuchera, Coral Bells, Dicentra, etc?

And do they have good quality plants all year?

why and how so?

also how are they on prices usually compared to nurseries usually?

Thanks for your answers!

Answer 1

This Spring I ordered "maxi plugs" of ground cover plants from a catalogue company which were suprisingly low cost.

They arrived in expensive plastic containers but some were dead, most were squashed, dehydrated and none were labelled so I couldn't tell one variety from another. The ones that survived have grown well after receiving a lot of TLC.

I contacted the seller and got a credit note to compensate for the dead plants.

Would I buy again? Probably not. The plugs were very small and local nurseries offer much bigger plants for not much more cost.

The catalogue changes according to the season - now, in July, they are selling Spring bulbs for next year.

I have since discovered the joy of growing from seeds.

I'd recommend buying good quality seeds, germinating in a greenhouse and planting out. Such fun. And tremendous value.

Answer 2

I have personally ordered from a few mail order companies, and I have never had any problems.

I have found their prices are competitive with local nurseries, and even better at times.

All the orders I have placed during the past few years came in with good quality plants.

Answer 3

I've ordered from mail order catalogs for years.  I'm just careful to what I do order tho'.  If you'd order say a butterfly bush you'll get a dead looking sprig that may or maynot come out of it,  3 of mine did, 3 of mine didn't.  If I can get it from a local nursery I for sure would do that.  Even if it's a bit higher I would still go with the local.  First it's local but you're seeing what your buying.  I've ordered creeping phlox from 2 different catalogs at the same time, got them both about the same day ....  long story is all were basically dead when I got them, I followed directions and everything.    I still do order but only if I can't get it locally.         Good Luck  :)