Where to shop

Hi All,

Just wondering where most of you find your houseplants. Does anyone purchase houseplants on line or from catalogs? If you do, what should I watch out for? I am getting ready to put a terrarium together, plus some other projects, and want to avoid expensive mistakes.

Thanks,
Deerchaser

Best thing to do if you're going to buy them online is check out the Garden Watchdog--you can do a search in there for companies that sell houseplants (at least I think that's one of the categories), and sort by the company's rating. If they have a good rating in Watchdog, you've got a good chance of getting plants you're happy with (or they'll be nice about replacing them if something bad happened). Logee's is one of my favorites and they have a great rating in Watchdog.

The one thing to be aware of even with the reputable online companies is that they usually don't guarantee their plants for as long as places like Home Depot or some local garden centers. I know some of the big box stores offer either a 1 yr or a lifetime guarantee on their plants, but most online places can't afford to replace plants unless it was really their fault the plant didn't make it (and let's be honest, if the plant dies a year after you bought it, it's probably not the nursery's fault at that point!). So they'll be happy to replace things that arrive in bad shape or die very quickly after you get them, but don't expect them to replace something 6 months down the road.

I think everybody has their favorites, as far as on-line shopping goes. You can ask ten different people here, and I guarantee you'll get ten different answers! Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you!

I can offer you my personal favorites... maybe others will do the same. The rest is up to you. DG offers Garden Watchdog, and Go Gardening, both as reference resources... so definitely mill through them too.

Logee's has long been a reputable company, and offer great color catalogs. I've had to deal with them as far as customer service for issues regarding shipping or plants that did not come through in good condition... they have always been up-standing, with gtreat communication.

My personal favorite is Secret Garden Rare Plants. His plants are big and always healthy. He also has an eBay store... and that has become more convenient because I can use Paypal. He's not the greatest communicator, but he's always reliable and timely. I'm a repeat customer for over four years.

I have also taken to using eBay quite a bit for individual hunts. I like things on the rare or unusual side... and you can't beat the selection you'll get when you do a search. There is such a broad risk to using eBay, and their are so many that have had bad experiences. I can only say... I have had good luck when it comes to buying. I do check out the seller's feedback etc. Then... if I've had good luck with a particular seller... I am of the belief, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Therefore... I stick with just a very few sellers all the time.

I've babbled on enough... sorry! Hope it helps.

Have a good evening and good luck with your shopping!

Karen

I think with Ebay the thing to watch out for is that with plant sellers you can't always tell much from the ratings, there are some scammers out there who have good ratings--someone explained to me once how that can happen but unfortunately I don't remember the reason. There are some outright scams, these you can usually figure out by the overly hyped plant descriptions and the photoshopped plant pictures, but it's harder to pick out the ones who just don't do a very good job shipping the plants and then won't give you your money back. So if you find a seller on Ebay who you think you want to buy things from, post here and see if anyone else has experience with them.

Thank you so much for your advice, ecrane and karen. I will start my research based on what you have given me.

I dont believe this! Logee's is just 25 miles from my home! I will have to pay them a visit this week. I can't wait! Thanks so much you guys!

Awesome! Now that's a find!!!

Two recommendations about ebay sellers:

For great cacti and succulents, try exotic_cactus_collection. I've done a lot of business with him, and his plants are reasonably priced, and in excellent condition.

Stay away from calplants. The pics look nice, and the prices are OK, but I've gotten some plants in really bad shape from them. I'd never consider getting another plant from them, even if they were free!

Just my 2 cents worth.

Marsha.

Thanks for the tip Marsha. I think I will be able to find enough around here for this project, and the more I think about it, the more I think it's better to actually see these plants for size and color.....at least until I get a little more experienced with the house plants.

Happy Sunday, All!

Oh,my....if Logee's was that close to me I'd probably be there every other weekend, and I'd be flat broke, LOL!!!

You'll be in paradise, deerchaser.....the prices are supposedly lower in-house than on-line, and you won't have to worry about shipping!

If you visit Logee's...be sure to let us know what you thought and what you ended up with!

Oh, I am in big trouble! LOL! Logee's was amazing! I had no idea what to expect. I thought they would have some houseplants and landscaping plants. When we pulled up to the building, it looked like a cute cottage that someone was using for a plant store. They hadn't opened the front door yet, so we made our way towards the back of the building where the greenhouses were. Well, I now know how Alice felt when she walked into Wonderland. The greenhouses are so full and lush, you cant even tell you are in a greenhouse once you enter. There are plants hanging, standing, leaning...even the restroom has vines growing along the ceiling! And the varieties....I have never seen anything like this...it was like walking into a jungle. Some of their plants are so rare, that they are not for sale...they must be getting ready to try to clone them. Apparently, the owners travel all over the world to collect rare specimens!

The small plants were very healthy. I didn't have to really pick through any bad ones; I just had to pick the shapes I liked. Here's the list of plants that we purchased (not all went into the terrarium): B.Richardsiana, Episia 'Suomi', Calliandra Tweedii, Selaginella Pallescens, B. Foliosa, Serissa 'Variegata Pink', B.Incisa (fern leaf begonia), Episcia 'Kee Wee', Selaginella Uncinata 'Peacock Moss'.

I am trying to get my camera to cooperate, so I can post pictures of the terrarium. It looks great!

After we left Logee's we went to Worms Way which has everything you need for hydoponics and such. We were looking at lighting options.

From there, we went to New England Bonsai Gardens (only about 20 miles from Logee's). That is also an amazing place to visit. Greenhouses chock full of all types of Bonsai and Pre-Bonsai. One greenhouse was just for containers! That alone was worth the trip. I have had such a hard time finding shallow and other nice pots. We bought a few small pots that were slightly imperfect for about $4 each. I was in heaven lol. My plan has been to take lessons in Bonsai, but the lessons they offer are on Saturdays, when I have to work, so my husband is planning to take the lessons, and fill me in.

So, Sunday was a wonderful day. If there is any way you can come to New England to experience these two places...do it! You won't be disappointed.

Donna (Deerchaser)

Oh, you did good!! Nice choices!

I'm envious....would love to have taken that trip!

Your description on this thread is even better than the one on the terrarium thread... makes my mouth water to think about it!

I get to go to the US Botanic Gardens in Wash DC on Saturday. I absolutely love this place, and hubby is taking me there! I now have a camera that is able to take over 400 pictures without a download, so I plan on taking full advantage of it.

I will probably be posting photos in all kinds of forums when I get back!

Anybody interested in a Road Trip??!! LOL. I would love to visit Logee's .... I have always heard it is a wonderful place! I live in the land of Tourist Attractions .... Logee's would be my kinda tourist attraction! Alas, like Nan .... If I lived close I would be broke fast! Ooooh .... I can't wait to see photo's of both Logee's and the U.S. Botanical Gardens!!

Oh, I love that Serissa variegated pink ... it's a real beauty! I sure hear Logee's calling my name:

http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1555-2


Oh My ... I love the Begonia incisa too! Love those ferny, feathery leaves!

http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=B3057-2

This message was edited Aug 16, 2007 3:12 PM

Looking forward to your photos, Rose. Have a wonderful time!