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All credit to Hayloft !

Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
in Plants
2 or 3 years ago I ordered Helleborus 'Golden Lotus' . The first year it grew very strongly ; the second year the vibrancy and duration of the flowers were a beacon on my Spring border and a tribute to the skill of the breeders who raised it .
This year the plant has completely disappeared (!) ; not a trace .
Enquiring to Hayloft as to whether it is susceptible to Winter wetness , they said highly unlikely .
As a gesture of goodwill they are now sending me not one , but three new plants free of charge inc. P&P !
Now that's what I call good back-up service !

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Good customer after sales service is so important and nice to hear.
    I have felt rather let down by Beth Chatto so might give Hayloft a try
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I've always had good service from Hayloft, including two lots of hellebores. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • SamBevingtonSamBevington Posts: 134
    Hayloft are my favourite on line supplier, Brookside a close second with Sarah Raven 
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I didn't have a good experience with Hayloft.  I ordered a ceanothus thyrsiflorus Snow Flurries which cost £10 and was tiny and half dead. After much nurturing I now have something which still seems to be struggling.  In the same order were 3 Salvia x Jamensis Javier which were supposed to be blue but after much cossetting turned out to be a horrid salmon pink and not good plants.  2 of the 3 penstemon were OK, one was dead.  After complaining I got sent a couple more of the penstemon but that's all.  One was OK but the other one wasn't even a penstemon.  I potted it on to see what it might be but it died.  I do like Sarah Raven but 2 of the coreopsis Mango Punch that were for autumn planting don't appear to have made it through the winter, although the 3rd, planted in the same (sheltered) area seems OK.  I did email a week ago but no response yet.  I'm liking Paddock Plants at the moment - well grown plants sent without plastic pots which I really appreciate.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited April 2021
    I ordered a double black hellebore from Hayloft and got a double green one. I quite like it though and it's healthy so fine. I've just ordered a few more plants from them so we'll see.
    Sarah Raven has been disappointing. I ordered a dahlia from her but got an entirely different one. I can't keep dahlias alive here though, I have learned, so just gave up. I used her catalogue this year (lovely photography) to chose some tulips and then ordered them from Peter Nyssen - same varieties for a lot less money.
    I like Dorset Perennials and, if I'm feeling wealthy, Burncoose. The latter is very pricey but very reliable, IME
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • EustaceEustace Posts: 2,290
    I too didn't have a good experience with Hayloft last year when I ordered delphiniums. Plants in the first lot were in bad shape and replacements were even worse. I gave up on them and bought from elsewhere.
    Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth :)

  • SophieKSophieK Posts: 244
    My experience with Hayloft has been so-so, same with Sarah Raven (but I agree, the catalogues and photos are beautiful). Burncoose is for sure my ultimate favourite, fantastic quality of plants, but the delivery charge is rough so indeed no spontaneous on a whim purchase with them.
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