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September 29, 2008
Buying Outdoor Plants Online
I am about to redo my yards and I want to plant some trees and bushes. I found the offerings in the local nurses are either overpriced or not great. So I am considering buying them online. It looks like there are amazing offerings and they ship and deliver even trees of fairly big sizes by email. Has anyone tried it and what was the experience. Can you recommend good vendors?
Thank you.
Comments
I'd advise against it. I bought a crape myrtle online through Fast Growing Trees. It was very sick when it arrived, and barely survived. It's doing fine now, but I saw similar specimens for sale at garden centers later in the summer for far less than I had paid. The return policies of these places are designed to essentially prevent you from easily returning the plants if there is a problem, so the lifetime guarantees aren't really worth much, especially when you consider the cost of shipping a dead tree via UPS. If you aren't happy with the selection in and around NYC, take a trip out to some of the larger nurseries in northern NJ or on Long Island. Once you get away from the city, prices are much more reasonable and the selection is much wider. Good Luck!
Posted by: Frederick Law Homestead at September 29, 2008 9:15 PM
Try down at Brooklyn terminal Market...way down on Ralph Ave. They certainly have a big selection in the Spring and prices are good.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 30, 2008 8:26 AM
Try down at Brooklyn terminal Market...way down on Ralph Ave. They certainly have a big selection in the Spring and prices are good.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 30, 2008 8:43 AM
I think that buying bulbs or some rhizomes etc online is fine : www.whiteflowerfarm.com or www.springhillnursery.com. But I would agree with the rest about not buying live plants or trees online. There is an excellent and very well-priced nursery called Rosedale nurseries a friend turned me onto(www.rosedalenurseries.com)up the Hudson about 40-minutes, much cheaper than anything here in the city. Good luck!
Posted by: nyflicka at September 30, 2008 9:46 AM
I have purchased many plants via internet and have been generally happy with the results and very happy with the impact on my budget. (I have a crape myrtle that I planted last fall, which is doing just fine). I have used waysidegardens.com, whiteflowerfarms.com, and others. The key is you have to be patient since many things arrive as, basically, sticks, and you have to make sure to provide plenty of water etc initially since the plants are typically less mature than what you would get at a nursery.
Posted by: Back40 at September 30, 2008 1:48 PM
It depends on the company you go with. The more reputable ones like Wayside and White Flower Farm ship quality stuff but aren't the cheapest way to go. Great stuff and, often not seen at nurseries. I've had good luck with those two and Bluestone perennials. The cheap guys online often have small or poor quality merchandise. You can see reviews of online sellers at http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/.
I go outside the city for my shopping: Try Sprainbrook and Tony's in Westchester and Hicks, Atlantic, and if you really want specialty (but not cheap) try Martin Viette on Long Island. The online stuff seems cheap but when you throw in the shipping on your various items, sometimes it's comparable to just making one trip to a really good place. You will get smaller plants online that need a bit more TLC so it depends on whether you are willing to baby things.
Posted by: kensington gal at September 30, 2008 2:49 PM
If you've never purchased plants via catalog or online, there's a good chance that the stock and/or shipping schedule will not meet your expectations. In particular, take note of what Back40 writes about "sticks." That's not to say these vendors are either good or bad--some have exquisite inventory. It's just to say that ordering online is not like selecting a plant at a nursery. Though I never would have said this a few years ago, don't ignore what's available at Home Depot and Lowe's, especially those outside the city (but don't expect either of them to give you good planting/care advice). Two non-Brooklyn nurseries with distinctly different styles:
Hicks Nurseries, Inc. (Westbury, LI) - 516-334-0066
http://www.hicksnurseries.com/
Sweet Valley Farms (Ringoes, NJ) - 908-806-3276
http://www.sweetvalleyfarms.com/
Posted by: vinca at September 30, 2008 2:50 PM
Vinca is right. We often bash Home Depot and Lowes but I have purchased annuals, perennials and two trees from them. I have had overall success with the plants and when one tree died, I took it back almost a year later and got a store credit. I must admit that I didn't water it as often as I should have though.
Posted by: Just Wondering at September 30, 2008 4:19 PM
I have bought mail order/online several times, and pretty much got what I expected. Bare sticks that took a year or two to turn into anything halfway decent. I had a house on Long Island with a little over an acre, so it wasn't a big deal. I had plenty of plantings and the patience to wait for things to develop, so it was the way to go. Now with my tiny little Brooklyn yard, I want instant gratification, so I go with nursery plants, especially if I were talking trees or shrubs. I was at Lowes today and the stock looked pretty tired and stressed unless you're in the market for mums or Montauk Daisies. I think that when you figure in product,time and gas, you're better off with local nurseries. Of the locals, Gowanus is my favorite.
Posted by: Bond at September 30, 2008 6:13 PM
And there's always Shannon's nursery... Less expensive than the Red Hook nurseries and I've found them very responsive.
Posted by: Back40 at September 30, 2008 10:27 PM
I have to disagree with some of the above posters. I have been ordering from Bluestone Perennials for years. I have purchased shrubs, perennials and bulbs. They are reasonably priced, and their sales are fantastic. I love the terminal market, but Bluestone has a much larger selection, and best of all, their plants are guaranteed. If a plant dies, etc, they will replace it free of charge. Their search engine is great as well.
Posted by: kirby at October 1, 2008 9:36 AM
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