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Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

I ordered these cottage garden perennials from Thompson Morgan...

26 replies

flatbread · 08/03/2013 12:43

www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-plants/perennial-and-biennial-plants/perennial-collection-a-and-b-and-weed-beater-collection/p92381TM

Was really pleased. Ok, I don't partcularly like foxgloves, but the rest of the collection seemed great and in line with recommendations I got from the lovely gardening folk here.

But now am reading lots of bad reviews of the company. Late delivery and dying plants seems to be the theme.

I'm screwed, aren't I Sad

OP posts:
OP posts:
Nagoo · 08/03/2013 12:46

What makes you say that?

Wait and see when you get them. The review man said he got vouchers for the dead ones.

I'm sure they will look lovely. I have garden envy just looking at them :)

Nagoo · 08/03/2013 12:46

I want some now Grin

Original poster
flatbread · 08/03/2013 12:46

To add, delivery is supposed to be end of the month.

I guess I am hoping some of you have positive experiences to cheer me up. Otherwise it will be mopey-time till whenever they arrive...

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Original poster
flatbread · 08/03/2013 12:48

Nagoo, you are making me feel better Grin

I made the mistake of randomly doing a good review of the company after I placed my order.

Made me choke on my wine tea

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LIZS · 08/03/2013 12:48

My mum ordered me some plug plants for my b'day a few years ago and they were not great in good condition on arrival tbh. They did eventually send me a second batch but even many of those did not survive.

Original poster
flatbread · 08/03/2013 12:49

Google review, I meant...

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Original poster
flatbread · 08/03/2013 12:53

Lizs Sad

I should have known it was too good to be true Sad

And guess what, I ordered three of that lot, 'cos I got a lot of ground to cover.

Think I'll have a bare garden for many more years now Sad

Did I mention that I am feeling Very Sad?

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LIZS · 08/03/2013 12:56

:( sorry - they do give a guarantee though.

MooncupGoddess · 08/03/2013 13:14

Oh, don't fret. I ordered a similar collection last year and they arrived in good shape, though very small. Most of them then got eaten by the slugs, but can't blame T&M for that!

Taffeta · 08/03/2013 14:43

I just received 10 plugs of sweet peas through the post from T & M and they are in EXCELLENT condition, much better than the ones from the garden centre.

I've had loads of plugs on the past from T & M and they've been fine.

ChunkyPickle · 08/03/2013 14:48

I've had all sorts of stuff from them, and the plugs often do arrive in a fairly sorry state (in a jiffy bag!) but I've not had anything die yet.

The strawberries I just got are perking right up, although they looked nothing like the ones the lady on the T&M you tube video had!

Taffeta · 08/03/2013 16:01

I'm sure you know this about plugs, but it's a good idea to pot them up into a larger pot first, and harden them off properly before planting out.

choccyp1g · 08/03/2013 16:11

I've used them many times over the years and they've been fine.

The plants looked a bit disappointing compared to the illustrations, because they are more or less dormant in the winter, but grew very well once planted out.

I've had fruit trees, which have all survived, and borne lovely fruit and I've bought seed potatos for about 5 years in a row, which have also done very well. (thanks to my hard work digging, manuring, planting, earthing up, earthing up again, and again, and finally lifting the B**s)

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 08/03/2013 18:08

I have used T&M several times. The problem, I think, is that the plugs are minute, so although they arrive in good condition they are delicate and need a lot of tlc. When they have succumbed it has, frankly, been my fault.

If you want chunkier plants, look at some of the excellent offers from Hayloft Plants.

Original poster
flatbread · 08/03/2013 18:23

Oh just came back and this has lifed my spirits. Thanks all of you Thanks

I'll make sure to repot them till till they are hardier. Will be quite a tedious job I imagine, given how many I rashly ordered. But I guess that is one of the joys of gardening Grin

Thanks, I will look at Hayloft. The thing is I am in the CI and there are very few nurseries that deliver here.

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Original poster
flatbread · 08/03/2013 18:40

Lol, choccy. Hope the potatoes tasted really special after all that hard work Smile

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rhihaf · 09/03/2013 14:42

Hi everyone,
Flatbread: I have also ordered this pack from T&M and am feeling a bit apprehensive, although my seed potatoes came from them a couple of wks ago and seem ok. They're currently chitting in my plastic greenhouse Smile

Will definitely pot the plants on when they arrive... fingers crossed!

claudedebussy · 09/03/2013 14:45

those look really lovely. i wouldn't worry. i have ordered seeds from t&m before so can't comment on the plugs, but i've bought crap plugs from j parkers and despite looking awful when they arrived did well.

Original poster
flatbread · 09/03/2013 15:16

Thanks everyone. I am wondering though, if they have to be repotted, why do people buy plugs rather than seeds?

I would imagine the effort/equipment required in planting from seed and repotting tiny plugs is roughly the same...?

I am going to try to grow agapanthus by seed. It is so expensive in the plug version and I can get a seed pack for a few quid.

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claudedebussy · 09/03/2013 20:40

i dunno. i have bought those baby plugs by mistake. i wouldn't intentionally buy them, as i don't have much time available for gardening so i take as many short cuts as i can.

other thing i've done is buy the seeds and stick them straight in the ground. either they germinate or they don't. if they don't, they probably wouldn't have lasted in my garden anyway as i don't do nearly as much as i should.

cerinthes worked really well this way. all the seeds germinated. a real pleasure.

Taffeta · 09/03/2013 20:47

Seeds can be tricky germination wise. You pay for plugs because someone has done that work for you. Time taken fom germination to plug size can be 6 weeks, or more.

CointreauVersial · 09/03/2013 20:52

I had quite a lot from T&M last year, and on the whole it was fine. There were a couple of casualties on arrival (and a few that I didn't transplant quickly enough), but that's to be expected. Big faff planting out the mini plugs, though (they are minuscule).

Rhubarbgarden · 09/03/2013 21:52

Same as others have said, I've ordered baby plugs like these in the past and they've been fine except where I've not devoted enough attention to them. I would buy them again but only if I was in a position to look after them properly - I don't have the time these days.

T&M once sent me a pair of peach trees when I'd ordered nectarines. It took them a couple of years to fruit so I wasn't aware of the mistake for a long time, and I no longer had any proof of purchase. They still refunded me without a quibble, so I thought that was pretty decent.

rhihaf · 18/03/2013 12:54

The perennial collection just arrived. My god they are tiny! Shock Have potted them on and they are currently in trays with plastic lids on in my unheated greenhouse.

How are yours fairing Flatbread?

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