2006/2007 Catalogues

Anybody received any yet.

I recently felt I was long overdue on my annual T&M whinge but they've only sent us a small booklet so far this year. Beyond that none of the others have come through yet either, perhaps many are converting to internet catalogue only :(

Oh yes i have received a few.......................
Spalding plants and Bulbs, T&M etc etc....
Mine are only small catalogues too................. you may be right Baa......

Mark

I got T&M in the mail last week I think - same size as last year - don't know what size you're used to in the UK :-)

I got my normal T&M catalogue too, probably 2 weeks ago. I haven't bought much from them lately, too many other places to get great stuff from, they keep trying to tempt me. I did place an order last year for a small amount, with the free seeds etc I think they must have lost money on me!

I've had one from Dobies and a T.& M, also lots fall out of the gardening magazines. I also got the Kings one through the Community Gardening Group. I must say I've not received any from the ones I usually order from yet. I've saved quite a few seeds from my favourites this year as I only buy open pollinated ones and avoid f1 hybrids, I also have lots left from last year, so I won't need to buy many for next year. I do like to try one or two new ones each year though.

I've said before, I have been really pleased with the seed from Real Seeds this year. They are noticeably more vigorous and germinate very readily, they also give a generous amount of seeds compared to the stingy little quantities in some packets.

Yep, I've recieved quite q few including T&M and Plantworld. I too have saved my seeds Pat, but unfortunately it doesn't stop me from coveting quite a few more, though I am trying to resist actually sending in the orders!!...it's even worse on-line..I put things in my basket , get to the checkout, then baulk at actually buying them...so far so good. But I just know that on one wet and miserable day I'll be buying them to cheer me up!!....

I too was inpressed with The Real Seed Company, do they send out catalogues? or is it just ordering on line? Though I do most of my ordering on line..I do love soaking in a hot bubbly bath, armed with seed catalogues to browse through , dreaming of next years flower display/ vegetables.

Interesting that some have received theirs and others haven't.

T&M have definitely lost money on me, I haven't bought anything from them for years, I don't buy on principle but the catalogue is usually good for a laugh at the so called new and introduced. PlantWorld, Plants of Distinction, Mr Fothergills and Secret Seeds haven't sent anything through which is unusual for October.

I've also been impressed by Real Seeds, their service, information and seeds have been great, Chiltern Seeds are still my favourite but the prices went up rather sharply in the last two years.

Yeah I got the Chiltern Seed catalog a few weeks back after I ordered some Helloborus seed from them. Found a lot of enticing goodies in there ...... might succumb to temptation and order some more in the future after I recover from my bill for taxes and duty for the last order :-)
Think I've found a way around it .... wit A LOT of paperwork .... time will tell - I'm sure I'll give in in a moment of weakness and order more seed someday!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/648904/

Hello Baa,

Yes, already ordered from T&M. Nothing much though. Just trying their cycad seed and some Lapargeria rosea.

The new T&M range is being delivered to retailers now. Of course its not the full range. I like the way they don't pretend to be a specialist in some kind of Genus. They just sell the most comon well tested stuff with enough lines that are different that keeps the interest. Remmember the general public doesn't want unusual they want low maintenance and easy to grow etc etc.
I would say most of the people here are plant nuts and T&M and the likes unwins Sutton Fothergills don't really aim there business at us! Bit like my local butcher sells vegtable pies, doubt he's trying to take over the vegetarian market. LOL

I wish plant world listed there new items seperately. And whats happened to jungle seeds website? Its not been updated since before may, i think.

You all might find the T&M range uninteresting but it's A LOT more variety than is available at the garden centers here ! And their shipping is really cheap compared to others. At least they have a wider range of perennials than Fothergills and Johnsons which are mostly available here ...... When I stumbled upon their website two years ago (and realised I could order from it) I felt like I'd found a pot of gold! I'm still not done with their catalouge .... in a few years maybe ....... :-)

I agree T&M have there place. I hear alot on hear slating seed companies and Garden centres. Does anyone understand that these places are in business to make money, if they tailored there business to the kind of people who swap seed of unusual stuff they would have gone bust!
Its not even like there is loads of money in Garden Centres or Seed companies! Most of these companies struggle through each year and some years make a big fat lose depending on the weather.
Every year most seed companies cut out there 10% of worst sellers or items that are no longer available and replace them with new ones. If everyone that wanted them to change on here told them what seeds they would like and actually bought them, i bet money on it they would change.
But hey its easier to moan about companies than actually do anything positive.
There are alot of small nurseries out there many of them i speak to do it as more of a hobby than a business. People who run them as hobbies with no wage costs to pay out etc have time to tell you all about a plant you never bought from them in the first place.
My point being do i ask a supermarket how to cook my sunday roast or do i buy a cook book?

People ask plant businesses the strangest questions i.e A lady phones up a garden centre and asks if her neighbours tree will cause structural damage to her house. Since when was that a question for a garden centre?

yeah mike I hear you. Add to that a population of 300.000 - of which only a small fraction is interested in gardening and you get a really small market - if you think trying to run a nursery in UK is hard - try it in Iceland where the majority of people just grow annuals in pots if they grow anything at all ...... I'm totally aware of why there is such a limited variety of plants available here - I still wish it were easier to get my hands on plants I'd like to grow ;-)

Mike_freck

My beef with T&M has nothing to do with their range, they do two things really well, a wide range of seed for all experiences and a great catalogue. My major objections are the making up of names (T&M aren't the only company to do this), claims of new and introduced by T&M when they are nothing of the sort and the quality and/or quantity of seed simply doesn't match the high prices.

As I run my own business, I understand how dependant businesses are on the "meat and two veg" market, I started out selling seed and plants a number of years ago on eBay when it was a viable marketplace for gardeners to list their stuff, now it's way too competitive with all the nurseries on there (and no I'm not complaining) and yes people do tend to buy the familiar far more often. I don't do many of those items now but I'm more than aware of how much businesses need to keep repeat customers happy as well as obtaining new customers. I don't feel keeping repeat customers is one of T&Ms strong points and frankly they don't need to because as long as they can keep attracting waves of new customers and branching into other countries with the two things they do really well, they'll still keep the top market share.

Rannveig

I was sorry to read about yoru Hellebore seed troubles! Do you have to fill in the forms when you want to receive home saved seed too?

Yes so I've been told - I'll find out soon enough - I'm expecting some seed from a fellow DG'er..... I totally agree that some of the T&M seed doesn't germinate well at all - but others do - I've gotten a few really nice plants from them.

Hi Baa,
I do agree with most of your points about T&M and the other retail seed companies. I think the fact that they are quick to take you of there mailing list if you don't reorder shows there not really think about each customer long term. T&M and almost a marketing company now. Most of the seed they grow is bought in from abroad. The rights to sell new varieties makes selling seed even dearer.

I suppose i was trying to say to other DG'rs that they are what they are and not really aiming at us! It shows when T&M's head of sales in the uk has been into plants for less than 10 years and his previous job was selling Marlboro ciggaretes. (top bloke though)

Anyway i have to go i have about 100 Paulownias to pot up! Oh what fun. Lol

Rannveig, that's a pity, I thought perhaps someone could buy them here and send them on to you in a home made packet.

Mike

I can understand why the traditional paper catalogues don't get sent out to non-buying customers, I believe it's DT Brown who calls such souls catalogue collectors. Any catalogue from a paper list to a full glossy is extremely expensive to produce and that expense is passed on to those who do buy. The pity with many great small companies is that they don't have a web catalogue so with no paper or web catalogue it's a case of out of site out of mind.

I always had the feeling that T&M aimed at beginners and intermediates, their range would still interest me if they would pull their socks up. (I'm yet to come across a sales man of a big company who was fully qualified in the industry with the exception of vet and human pharms.) Then again it just goes to prove that providing a one stop shop is close to impossible even if the supermarkets are doing their very best :)

Enjoy your potting, our Pawlonia has grown into an odd shape to compete for the sun.

yeah, well I can get away with paying less if I do all the paperwork myself (it turned out that most of the expense for the Hellebore seed was paperwork fee not duty) so it won't be as expensive next time - just more work..... the trouble one is willing to go through for some seed :-)

Too true Baa
"(I'm yet to come across a sales man of a big company who was fully qualified in the industry with the exception of vet and human pharms.) "

How big is your Paulownia? My last house in town, i planted one in a very tiny inner city garden. I went back early this year for a nosey It was a monster! Bigger than the house and had flowered earlier in the year. I planted one last year in this garden so i might get to see it in full glory.

Do you cut yours down each year for the big leaves?

Wheeeeeeeeeee I got Mr. Fothergills catalogue over the weekend!

Rannveig, sounds like too much trouble to me *G* but then we are so fortunate in the UK to have the gardening resources we do!

Mike_freck

The Pawlonia is about 5ft tall and about 5 years old, it's shoved in with a bunch of other shrubs all competing for space. We don't cut it at all we just let it grow, we were hoping to see some buds again this autumn but it seems none are forthcoming :(

Well Baa - if there was an easier way to get plants here I wouldn't bother - but since there isn't .......I'm willing to go through a lot of trouble to get what I want :-) I only sow seed of plants that I'm pretty sure I can't get at the nurseries here and only order seed from abroad I'm pretty sure I won't see for sale at the garden centers.

There are lots of people with great seed here so at least you can save yourself one expense! I don't mind paying for the phytocerts we sometimes need as long as the exchange rate is in my favour :) fortunately it's something that doesn't apply to a lot of ornamental seed.

Yeah this is a great site! I've already gotten some seed from generous DG members and I'll be doing some swapping as well! That has been totally trouble free so far - no fuss and no expense (except postage - but that's so little it doesn't even count!) ;-) Really like that!

I got Dobies catalogue this morning, just looked at what else I have, they just get dumped on a pile for looking at later!

I have Plant World seed cat., Rare Plants autumn cat., Parkers autumn cat., (I do try not to order from them!), Van Meuwen which I never asked for and have never yet ordered from, but they do have the newest Zantedeschias! If they could add the White Giant to the Red Desire and Green Desire I might just jump!

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/times/plant/26628

I'm hoping more companies soon put there catalogues on line. It shoud start to expand the ranges and lower costs as so many companies spend money wasting there time sending stuff to people who never place an order and us them as free information! Time wasters cost companies thousands.
Even my website gets enquiries from time wasters. I had one today asking me to post info to "Mr Rambo" i'm pretty sure thats a hoax! Lol

Baa
My last Paulownia was as big as the house before it flowered so maybe be yours needs to get a little bigger. Loads of food and water. Lol.

Speak soon
Mike

It's already flowered, we had several last year and one earlier this year. We're on clay so there's plenty of water and food LOL. We were a little worried it might get carried away.

I've got piccies of the flowers somewhere, I need to find the time to sit down and label all the 2005 and 2006 photos :)

Wow Baa flowers at 5 foot. Now why won't mine do that? Its so not fair. I'm going to have a girly tantrum now heheh

LOL, we were surprised when it flowered so soon.

POD catalogue arrived today too, they had some interesting veggie additions again this year.

POD???
=Plants of death?
=Plant or die?
=Proof of delivery?
= Pod (think pod is something to do with feet) so cheese plant seeds?

I'm bursting to know who now! Lol

Mike

http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/

Oh yes.
Shame really i was looking forward to buying some death plants. Lol

Just don;t tell her indoors! Lol

Naughty Mike. It reminds me of one of Dad's jokes: "My first two wives died of mushroom poisoning but my third wife died of a fractured skull. Oh I'm sorry, how did that happen? She wouldn't eat the mushrooms."

This message was edited Oct 18, 2006 2:06 PM

Hehehe I love that.... Like a northern circuit comedian...
Take my wife.... no realy take her lol

The catalogues are coming thick and fast this week - Marshalls - bigger and better than ever, Edwin Tucker, Real Seeds etc. Problem is I have so many seeds from last year and the RR and those I have saved that I don't really need many more. I will try to get my order in for Kestrel potatoes as I forgot last year and somehow got two lots of Yukon Gold - very good but not what I intended.

I've never ordered from Edwin Tucker, I'll take a peek at their catalogue. I do understand about having too many seed, it's one of the doubtful benefits of the RRs LOL