Horticulturist and plantsman, Rizaniño "Riz" Reyes, shares his thoughts, experiences and observations as an avid young gardener in the Pacific Northwest.
A big, loud NO! from me... Thanks for the "warning", I've actually considered importing from them in the past - but the rediculously expensive phyto has kept me from it.
(Just back from one and a half months in China, nice to be able to read blogs again!)
For what it's worth, I've bought ~35 epimediums from Garden Vision over the past few years and they've absolutely flourished--no regrets whatsoever. They've all started the same size that you received and filled out wonderfully by the next year.
No doubt that they're healthy and all, but I was disappointed in the size of a fairly vigorous growing cultivar, E. x 'Thunderbolt', that Karen sent. For $18, it shouldn't be a single eye division with just a few stringy roots.
I emailed her about it and she gave her apologies, an explanation and an offer for a replacement/refund. She was very nice about it, but a colleague of mine encouraged me to speak up because as a nurseryman, I would like to get feedback from my customers.
So, her explanation was:
1)The running types like E. pinnatum var. colchicums are difficult to get large in the small 2.5" pots they ship in. 2)Most of the plants propagated that filled the pots were shipped out because it was popular this year and I just placed my order late.
I decided to keep the plant knowing it was healthy and will take off alright, but from one grower to another, I'm all about offering a good quality plant if I'm charging quite a bit for them especially if it isn't THAT rare.
I got other fun stuff too besides Epimediums. I got a nice selection of Iris tectorum they've dubbed, 'Slippery Slope' and a pink perennial Lathryus vernus 'Roseum'
I don't completely buy her explanation about pot size, in my experience if given some time the pots get filled with runners, sometimes bursting out of the drainage holes below... Then again, I've also sent out smaller plants if the big ones were sold out, but then with a discount. (...and considering the premium GV charges you'd expect premium plants!)
The pink Lathyrus vernus is a favourite, there's pink forms of 'Flaccidus' that are even nicer, they stay green all summer here but not sure how they would behave in your climate.
A big, loud NO! from me... Thanks for the "warning", I've actually considered importing from them in the past - but the rediculously expensive phyto has kept me from it.
ReplyDelete(Just back from one and a half months in China, nice to be able to read blogs again!)
For what it's worth, I've bought ~35 epimediums from Garden Vision over the past few years and they've absolutely flourished--no regrets whatsoever. They've all started the same size that you received and filled out wonderfully by the next year.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that they're healthy and all, but I was disappointed in the size of a fairly vigorous growing cultivar, E. x 'Thunderbolt', that Karen sent. For $18, it shouldn't be a single eye division with just a few stringy roots.
ReplyDeleteI emailed her about it and she gave her apologies, an explanation and an offer for a replacement/refund. She was very nice about it, but a colleague of mine encouraged me to speak up because as a nurseryman, I would like to get feedback from my customers.
So, her explanation was:
1)The running types like E. pinnatum var. colchicums are difficult to get large in the small 2.5" pots they ship in.
2)Most of the plants propagated that filled the pots were shipped out because it was popular this year and I just placed my order late.
I decided to keep the plant knowing it was healthy and will take off alright, but from one grower to another, I'm all about offering a good quality plant if I'm charging quite a bit for them especially if it isn't THAT rare.
I got other fun stuff too besides Epimediums. I got a nice selection of Iris tectorum they've dubbed, 'Slippery Slope' and a pink perennial Lathryus vernus 'Roseum'
I don't completely buy her explanation about pot size, in my experience if given some time the pots get filled with runners, sometimes bursting out of the drainage holes below... Then again, I've also sent out smaller plants if the big ones were sold out, but then with a discount. (...and considering the premium GV charges you'd expect premium plants!)
ReplyDeleteThe pink Lathyrus vernus is a favourite, there's pink forms of 'Flaccidus' that are even nicer, they stay green all summer here but not sure how they would behave in your climate.