White Plant Outrage

[LaCicciolina]

I don't even care if I'm being unreasonable or that this this isn't even a proper AIBU because I need the world to listen (particularly anyone who is in purchasing in retail/garden centres) so I'm looking to get the message across via AIBU.

I buy a lot of plants for the house and garden. At this time of year I like hyacinths for indoors but WHY are there never any white ones left but there are tray upon tray of garishly coloured ones. It's because white ones are MOST POPULAR so stock more of those and less bloody blue and pink and purple.

It's the same for outdoor plants like geraniums - there's always loads of salmon pink, red, pale pink but such a shortage of white. You're lucky if you find one at the back. "Oh yes" says the assistant "we had some white ones in but they all went really quickly - they were in that empty tray there. We've got plenty of garish ones left though......."

Foxgloves? Yes you can take your pick of lemon, orange, purple but where have all the white ones gone? They've sold out because they're POPULAR. So buyers, when you're ordering for next year order five times more white ones.

Or if you are a grower, grow loads of white ones. They sell out first because people like them most. And guess what else? If there were more available they'd all sell out too.

Yes have a few garish colours by all means (a few people must like them although not so many judging by their constant availability) but when the white flowered plants go like hot cakes then clearly you need to take notice and stock more of them.

And this has nothing to do with racism before anyone is ridiculous enough to suggest it is. I just prefer white flowers inside and out for a calmer more relaxing environment. I don't want orange, blue and pink flowers clashing and hurting my eyes.

I'm not enabling voting as I don't care whether anyone agrees with me or not - I know I'm right - garden centres and supermarkets never order enough plants with white flowers. Buyers take note and stock more white ones. Rant over!

sorry both blue and pink pigments missing = white

I would never buy white that to me is boring, I want bright red geraniums, pink foxgloves and yellow or pink roses.

@MrsMercedes I want your job.

I know it's not white but last year I grew some pale apricot foxgloves (from seed) and they were gorgeous and very subtle.

@MrsMercedes

and i'm a buyer/garden centre manager,for 8 years, seen all the trends and preferences. white is not all that!!

the new instamums/mrs Hinch type are killing off colour

if the natural plants we nurture and sell came in grey or griege/beige then they would also be popular, with a tiny section of our customers. until next season, when a trend changes

Erm, ever heard of Sissinghurst?

what the white garden at sissinghurst? a collection of white plants yes, but mainly green as not all are in flower at the same time. thats what i always think when i see it....green

it doesn't look as spectacular as it sounds

@MrsMercedes

and i'm a buyer/garden centre manager,for 8 years, seen all the trends and preferences. white is not all that!!

the new instamums/mrs Hinch type are killing off colour

if the natural plants we nurture and sell came in grey or griege/beige then they would also be popular, with a tiny section of our customers. until next season, when a trend changes

I actually thought there was a trend for greige/beige colouring, no? Like dahlia cafe au lait and taupe / tan roses like coco loco?

Blue hyacinths are the proper hyacinths IMO. Where I live these are the ones which sell out, leaving loads of white ones (boring and wrong) and pink ones (No)

Why not get naturally white flowering plants?

Erm, ever heard of Sissinghurst? I hadn't. I mean I know Sissinghurst the property but not that it had a white garden.

I've just had a google. It's ok. Bit dull.

Disagree. All-white garden 'schemes' are so very passee.... Use colour, be bold, go forth and decorate, I say.

@ILikeToMoveItMoveItILikeToMove pompous was actually what I was going for with this whole thread. No-one engages or responds to all those wishy-washy, insipid threads out there. The more people who react and comment, the more chance there is of my White Flowered Plant Manifesto being heard! Down with garish plants!

@praecantator I agree and mine isn't all white - I love lavenders and have some blue plants (not hyacinths) and some pale pink. My nightmare garden would be the "municipal gardening" some people go in for where they alternate a marigold with a dahlia and so on and so on.

I'm with you.

For the last eight years, Ive been creating a moon garden but its so difficult due to the soil type orientation and lack of white plants and flowers.

Ooh that's good, more colour for me.

I like a few white flowers to break things up but it's a bit much to have everything white IMO.

I love colour.

My nightmare garden would be the "municipal gardening" some people go in for where they alternate a marigold with a dahlia and so on and so on.

Haha, mine too!

It doesn’t make much sense for any company to not stock something that is wildly popular

You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But I remember the cafeteria where I used to work, it was impossible to get a jacket potato after about 12.30 - apparently they sold out quickly because ‘they’re really popular’. Why it never occurred to them to simply buy more potatoes, I’ve no idea. It’s not like they’re uncut black diamonds - dig a whole in Norfolk and voila: dozens of ‘em.

I also read recently about a wine shop that didn’t stock Cloudy Bay because it was too popular - ‘The minute we get it in, it sells out’. Who knew that was a bad thing for a shop?

@stillcoughingandlaughing you articulated the point much better than me.

You'd think supermarkets and garden centres would have data from their tills which informs head office what is selling well and fast and also when it goes out of stock. You'd also think they'd use this data for planning for next season and someone would say "ah all the white ones always get snapped up first - let's order shitloads for next year" but sadly it seems not. Apparently the jacket potato scenario you outlined above applies to white plants too.

Garden Centre/Supermarket Purchasing Managers - give the people what they want (which is clearly white flowered plants)!

I love all the colours, I leave white plants behind. I agree with pp, white = bland and boring.

@user1493494961 yes but my point is that surely if the white plants are selling out first they need to order more of them. I know some people prefer other colours and that's fine but the retailers seem so unresponsive to the very obvious high demand for white which is what bothers me.

@OchreBlue

this is funny I could have posted the opposite! I love rich vibrant colours in my garden and get so frustrated when everything available seems to be white and 'rich plum' is out of stock again. I swear all new varieties come out in white first. I find it very boring, especially in summer when white flowers just seem to disappear whereas reds, oranges and purples really shine and glow. Good thing we're all different! Try ordering from Crocus or similar online, they seem to have a white version of every plant (well they do when I just want a purple one anyway)

When lockdown is over, you and OP need to go to each others' garden centres!

I'm not enabling voting as I don't care whether anyone agrees with me or not
Then what is the actual point of this thread? To shout at clouds? Some people like colourful plants. They're not like packets of crisps stamped out at a factory. Nurseries have to grow them from bulb. Bulbs work just like human babies, the colours are genetic. Because they are a living thing. If you want a specific colour, grow your own.

[quote LaCicciolina]@user1493494961 yes but my point is that surely if the white plants are selling out first they need to order more of them. I know some people prefer other colours and that's fine but the retailers seem so unresponsive to the very obvious high demand for white which is what bothers me.[/quote]
Have you asked your favourite retailer? They would probably be happy to tell you a bit about their purchasing policy and whether white flowers are indeed harder for them to supply.

White foxgloves are a less common variety of pink foxgloves. They're propagated by seed. Even if you cross a white foxglove with another white foxglove, not all your offspring are white. Other plants will be similar. It's not just nurseries not bothering to grow white, it's that they're less available naturally.

This. It is the same for lots of other plants too. I have to say though, I bought some purple allium bulbs about five years ago. For the past three years they have all come out with white flowers. Sometimes the colours don't remain true.

YANGU
I LOVE white flowers, I adore white cyclamen and also gardenias..
White pants in the garden glow at twilight, really really beautiful.