RHS online shop

Hi everyone, it's been a little while but I'm back again looking for advice! I'm looking to buy some new plants and as I don't drive and can't really find anything round here that I particularly like, I was contemplating buying some plants online from the RHS shop. I've never bought plants online before and was wondering if anyone else had used them, and what the quality of the plants are like. Also is it worth getting the 9cm plants or should I be looking at bigger ones?

I need some bedding type plants, but to go in the little pots that you can hook over fences, you know the colourful metal pots. I also wanted some shrubs that I can plant in bigger container pots - the ones I have are 50cm and 40cm diameter. I did have some that I'd planted but I'm not very good at gardening and I think a combination of the very hot summer last year followed by the colder winter did them in. I like azaleas but the only ones I can find round here are the dark pink/red ones.

Thanks in advance

 

Have not used the RHS for plants, but as with any online supplier it can be a bit of a gamble from whoever you buy as many actually use sub suppliers.

Bigger plants usually cost more and will be delivered later, but smaller plants will possibly need potting on and more shelter before planting out; do you have a greenhouse?

We swore we would never use one well know supplier after two orders of poor quality plants a few years ago, but they had a particular plant offer we liked last month, so took a gamble, they arrived next day and were perfect plants !

The thing is, whoever you order from, take a photo of the plants once unpacked and if any problems with them send them an email with the photo and ask for replacements or your money back, usually they will be happy to comply.

 

Thanks for your advice, I don't have a proper greenhouse as I've only got a smallish garden. My husband did buy me one of those tall polythene type greenhouses which I haven't used yet so I could put the smaller plants in there until they're ready. I don't mind paying a bit extra for bigger shrubs as I'm guessing they would be more established and hopefully less likely to suffer at my inexperienced gardening fingers!

 

While popular those tall poly greenhouses can get very hot if not opened and closed regularly.
Our neighbour has one and he virtually killed some sweetpea seedlings by overheating and underwatering.

For you it might be worth buying the larger 'garden ready' plants and using larger over the fence pots so you do not have to do so much watering.

Still worth looking at what stock your large supermarket gets in as they can do some decent plants, though still waiting for the bulk of the tender annuals in our branch.

 

I agree with Ricky, if you use the supermarket, a plant bought there now and then will quickly give you a nice garden, they actually have some really good plants if you can get to them before they kill them due to not watering anything.

If you are looking for bedding plants best to get ones that are indoors if possible at this time as I've seen some outside last week at Waitrose and they were getting totally battered in the freezing wind.
Good plants but badly looked after by them.

 

I don't have a greenhouse but have 4 x smaller Blow-away plastic houses, plus 1 x large one. These work well for me and all are left open in mid-summer.

I agree with ricky101 & pete the supermarkets usually have a good supply of plants, and you can see what you're buying.

 

Thanks everyone, I think I'm probably being too impatient as per usual. The weather is starting to get nicer so I'm desperate to get my little garden looking nice again. A couple of years ago I'd got some really nice plants from B&Q but they just don't seem to have much at the moment.

We also got a dog last March and he hates being left on his own so it's harder for me to look round places as I can't take him with me. I will keep looking in the supermarkets when I can and see if I can get some nice ones.

 

Pity you cant leave the dog.

Is it a puppy?
I just ask, hope you dont mind, because that is not a good situation.

 

I don't mind at all, he's 15 months old so pretty young. He is left on his own sometimes but I usually come home to little puddles as he gets anxious. I work days and my husband works nights so he's on his own for a bit in the mornings until my husband gets home, not usually longer than 30 minutes though.

 

Nice looking dog, I'm guessing you are trying to get him used to being on his own for a few hours.
Some of my neighbours leave their dogs for long periods and they are only young and I end up having to listen to them, its not the noise that is the problem to me its the fact that the dogs are so unhappy being left.

I hope you can get him used to the idea and lessen the stress for him.

 

Aah thank you, I'm biased obviously but yes I think he's gorgeous! I'm lucky in that he only barks for a minute or two then he stops, confirmed by my neighbour. It's more the nervous peeing when he's on his own. He's probably not as bad as I think he is, I get just as anxious at leaving him on his own!

 

I had a dog once that was fine all the time she was left and then used to pee in the excitement when I came home.
It stopped after the first couple of years but was amusing at the time.

 

I've bought shrubs via the RHS on a few occasions and they've always been packaged well and look healthy on arrival. Plants have arrived from various nurseries around the country so I think the RHS doesn't stock most of the plants it sells.

 

Thanks, I had to pop into sainsbury's this morning and they actually had some new plants there so I bought two Gaillardias and two Coreopsis on the two for £5.00 offer. They did have rhododendrons for £10.00 but I've heard they can be quite difficult to grow so I left that!