Is this how a plant looks like after it has been delivered?

Escapetothegarden · April 2021

Good evening!

I ordered a Star Jasmine from an online retailer, and was just a bit concerned about the appearance upon delivery.

Hopefully others with more experience can offer more insight in terms of what’s normal?

I have bought the same plant from Homebase previously, and the leaves were glossy and dark green.

The leaves of the plant I have received (not from Homebase) are somewhat brittle looking, and don’t look luscious? They look dull?

Could anyone advise me on whether the following is normal? And whether it should perk up a bit? Would really appreciate it. Paid around £40 for a slightly taller plant (which is a lot of money for me) so it does concern me a bit, thank you 💐

Cambridgerose12 · April 2021

I would recommend rejecting it and asking for a refund. While the plant possibly would live, it's in poor condition and they were incredibly cheeky charging this much for such a poor quality specimen. I'd recommend Burncoose for shrubs and climbers, I've used them a fair bit and their plants always seem healthy. It's even better to buy a smaller but very healthy plant, which will take off and thrive, than to invest loads in one which struggles on for years.

Lizzie27 · April 2021

You are right to be concerned, that doesn't look a healthy plant to me. It may of course have been delayed in transit and dried out so hopefully it might revive once it has had a good soaking. I would however take a few photos before you do that and send them to the retailer with a note saying that if it doesn't perk up, you reserve the right to request a refund.

Actually, £40 sounds quite expensive to me, even for a bigger plant.

Janie B · April 2021

I have found the quality of online plants has dropped quite considerably... Burncoose is a company that has always delivered good quality, but I've had several disappointing online plant purchases recently....

Escapetothegarden · April 2021

Thank you for your comments! 🌺 I have never ordered a plant online before so wasn’t sure.

I think I will ask for a refund, because one or two of the leaves looked like they had a black mark (looked diseased) and the way it had been packaged, the tape had stuck firmly onto some of the leaves so they just fell off - a few others looked like it wouldn’t take much to fall off either 😞

Cambridgerose - thank you for the suggestion - will look into burncoose and will get a smaller plant - I should know better 😅

lizzie - yes it’s a lot - I got carried away as soon as I saw the sun 😄

Janie b - oh dear ☹️ I find it disheartening - so excited waiting for a plant, so disappointing when it’s not what you expect.

Appreciate the replies thank you!💐

NorthernJoe · April 2021

I used to get told by the conservation professionals I used to volunteer with that whilst you can get larger trees the best way to get to a mature tree is by getting a smaller whip. The idea behind it is that the smaller whip has fewer roots to damage and needs less to grow on. A larger tree can go into a survival mode growing roots and appearing not to grow for even years. The smaller whip goes into growing normally with roots and above ground growth happening pretty much straight away.

One time he showed me a stand of trees that had been planted as both whips and larger trees. The whole were taller and looked healthier. Since he'd planted them all he knew which was grown from which.

I'm sure most plants that grow to a decent size will have this effect too. Patience is essential though, but that's gardening right?

B3 · April 2021

'The whole were taller and looked healthier.'
Is there a typo here @NorthernJoe?

Is this how a plant looks like after it has been delivered?

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