I started buying bulbs from Peter Nyssen, no particular reason except they had a good range of species tulips, which is what I mostly wanted at the time. I've stuck with them since because they are making every effort to avoid single-use plastic. If you happen to want the narrow range of plants in which they specialise, Fibrex are excellent. Good plants, good value, good customer service.
I've bought from Yougarden, they were ok (plants survived) but they weren't in great condition when they got here. For clematis, Taylors, Hawthorne and Thorncroft can't be beaten. I bought some plants from Thorncroft last year the week before Chelsea (so they were obviously busy getting ready); when I told them we needed them for a customer they pushed the order to the top of their list for us
I've bought quite a lot from Sarah Raven, always good quality and every bulb I've bought has come up, though service has occasionally been a tad slow. Recently had an order from Beth Chatto - great quality again and the plants have got away very well, which proves they've been well raised I think. Claire Austin, Burncoose etc too. None of them the cheapest, but the plants have proved themselves worth the extra cost. I've bought three things since lockdown from Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery and I can't sing their praises highly enough - good prices, fantastic healthy plants and a phone call / email with personalised plant and growing information (eg: the exact height of the specific shrub they were about to despatch).
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Hayloft are pretty good. Especially if you are after something a bit different. Their aftercare is good too, i had a problem with one order and they repalced immediately.
Came well packed and good healthy plants. Their selection varies from week to week depending on how ready things are I believe, but they tend to have a nice (albeit limited) range in my opinion. One thing to note though is they usually only sell plants in sixes for around £12 (so £2 per plant before postage). So if you want a nice clump to fill up a spot or couple that's useful, if you'd rather have a very varied mix of species it's not as useful though.
They are a bit lacking on the information side of things compared to some though, so you need to do a bit of research about size/planting requirements elsewhere first.
For Roses the only place I've bought them online is direct from David Austin Roses https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/ . Again well packed, all healthy strong plants, but obviously useless if you don't want a rose (or one they don't sell).
As others, I like Peter Nyssen for both bulbs and small plants. Last year's nepetas are still going strong. This year's scabiosa Perfecta Blue, monarda Cambridge Scarlet are looking good, earlier the pulmonaria Blue Ensign were good. So reasonably priced, 3 for £5.70, I feel I can afford them. I am shortly going to order some bulbs.
and the best online place I’ve found for bulbs is Broadleigh https://broadleighbulbs.co.uk/wp/ a wide variety, including native species, ethically produced.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Most of these aren't
perhaps really nurseries, but...
I have found Sarah Raven good too (and
honest/realistic about potential delivery times.) I have had a lot of flowering
plants and bulbs from her. Suttons are very good (for veg at least) and reliable remained so
throughout the worst bits of lockdown. Excellent customer service. Norfolk
Herbs did next day delivery when everything else took a month. At a cost
though... Blackmoor Nurseries for fruit
shrubs. (Beautiful mature blueberry plants are fruiting heavily even though
bought this spring.) I am still not sure about Rocket Gardens (for veg). They have annoyed me in the past (later delivery of
small tomatoes) but they certainly delivered my peas and beans back in April,
ordered quite late on, so they are back in favour somewhat. Eco packaging.
I will never use Marshalls for plants again. (No shows, dead plants customer service, if
you can get it at all, showed willing but not able, it would seem. Although in
the end they sent me a cheque - not covering letter or breakdown included.)
I have had bad experiences with DT Brown for plants (dead/damaged) with bad customer service. That was
the year before last though. Farmer Gracy is good for bulbs. They take a while, but worth it for
unusual things. Not all of my dahlias have come up, I have to say, but maybe that's my fault. Victorian Nursery Company quite good -
unusual plants. My go to place for summer savory for companion planting - broad beans (Seems to have worked!) I have
just ordered some salvias and echinops from Hayloft, at my mother's recommendation (which I
don't entirely trust, tbh...!) We shall see... J.Parker - patchy. Ok for bulbs but I have had some manky
plants from them. Two nice Buddleia are doing well though.
T&M I received some dianthus that were so small they made
me laugh. Other things from them have been ok but very slow coming. I think
they got their act together in the end somewhat? Hetty's Herbs sent me some nice herbs and little samphire plants (to
replace the ones Marshalls say they sent but which never turned up and weren't
replaced).
I've spent quite a lot this year...
For trees I highly recommend Mail Order Trees. I have bought more than 10 trees from them over the past 4 years and they were all nice when arrived, and they are all growing beautifully.
Posts
Oh, and I've bought excellent clematis from https://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk and agapanthus from https://fairweathers.co.uk
I've used Peter Nyssen for bulbs and they were fine, intending to use them again this year.
Also have used Rosybee: http://www.rosybee.com/
Came well packed and good healthy plants. Their selection varies from week to week depending on how ready things are I believe, but they tend to have a nice (albeit limited) range in my opinion. One thing to note though is they usually only sell plants in sixes for around £12 (so £2 per plant before postage). So if you want a nice clump to fill up a spot or couple that's useful, if you'd rather have a very varied mix of species it's not as useful though.
They are a bit lacking on the information side of things compared to some though, so you need to do a bit of research about size/planting requirements elsewhere first.
For Roses the only place I've bought them online is direct from David Austin Roses https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/ . Again well packed, all healthy strong plants, but obviously useless if you don't want a rose (or one they don't sell).
and another thumbs up from here for Burncoose https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/index.cfm?CFID=44064433&CFTOKEN=b8c896450060bb39-F589C6AD-C4F7-463A-269193DA93642D81
https://www.classicroses.co.uk/
a wide variety, including native species, ethically produced.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Most of these aren't perhaps really nurseries, but...
I have found Sarah Raven good too (and honest/realistic about potential delivery times.) I have had a lot of flowering plants and bulbs from her. Suttons are very good (for veg at least) and reliable remained so throughout the worst bits of lockdown. Excellent customer service. Norfolk Herbs did next day delivery when everything else took a month. At a cost though... Blackmoor Nurseries for fruit shrubs. (Beautiful mature blueberry plants are fruiting heavily even though bought this spring.) I am still not sure about Rocket Gardens (for veg). They have annoyed me in the past (later delivery of small tomatoes) but they certainly delivered my peas and beans back in April, ordered quite late on, so they are back in favour somewhat. Eco packaging.
I will never use Marshalls for plants again. (No shows, dead plants customer service, if you can get it at all, showed willing but not able, it would seem. Although in the end they sent me a cheque - not covering letter or breakdown included.)
I have had bad experiences with DT Brown for plants (dead/damaged) with bad customer service. That was the year before last though.
Farmer Gracy is good for bulbs. They take a while, but worth it for unusual things. Not all of my dahlias have come up, I have to say, but maybe that's my fault. Victorian Nursery Company quite good - unusual plants. My go to place for summer savory for companion planting - broad beans (Seems to have worked!) I have just ordered some salvias and echinops from Hayloft, at my mother's recommendation (which I don't entirely trust, tbh...!) We shall see...
J.Parker - patchy. Ok for bulbs but I have had some manky plants from them. Two nice Buddleia are doing well though.
T&M I received some dianthus that were so small they made me laugh. Other things from them have been ok but very slow coming. I think they got their act together in the end somewhat?
Hetty's Herbs sent me some nice herbs and little samphire plants (to replace the ones Marshalls say they sent but which never turned up and weren't replaced).
I've spent quite a lot this year...