Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Hydrangea Runaway Bride bad buy?

TenNTenN Posts: 184
in Problem solving
My mum bought this Hydrangea from Gardening Express because it was, in her words, 'a bargain' but this is what turned up. There's a bit of life at the base but nothing else encouraging. Out of the pot the roots look like they've been allowed to sit in water for a bit too long. Anyone had experience with Runaway Bride, do they look this ropey in May but come back? I think she needs to get her money back and go to a nursery.

Posts

  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    I am in the process of a garden makeover so been buying lots of plants from online shops as well as local nurseries. I have bought a few plants from from gardening express, one of which, a large Thuja smaragd looked unhealthy compared to the other 4 Thuja's I purchased. They have an online chat customer service and immediately responded to my query, replacing the Thuja (I sent pics). I also bought a few plants from Crocus including 3 x hydrangeas, one of them looked unhealthy (it was actually a discounted one, the others weren't). I emailed them and they got back to me after a week or so and offered to replace or refund, I chose refund. This is the runaway bride I bought froma popular local nursery for £27. I am already in love.


  • HazybHazyb Posts: 336
    Nope 

    My runaway bride running wide …



    Send pictures to the supplier and demand a replacement or a refund.  
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    I emailed them on her behalf with pictures and they advised pruning and wait and see. Awful. I have used them myself in the past but never for anything expensive or important. I won't use them again.
  • Dinnerplatedahlias🌸Dinnerplatedahlias🌸 Posts: 99
    I bought the same plant a couple months ago from this site and it was slow to get going but is now honestly looking great. These plant don’t flower till july so plenty of time to leaf up.
    I’d agree it’s not the healthiest looking plant but I’d give it time. 
  • ElferElfer Posts: 329
    nickten said:
    I emailed them on her behalf with pictures and they advised pruning and wait and see. Awful. I have used them myself in the past but never for anything expensive or important. I won't use them again.
    That's strange, they replaced my £50 Thuja straightaway on live chat, didn't even have to write an email. It didn't even look all that bad just a bit rusty on tip of upper leaves unlike the other one.

  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    edited May 2021
    On year one, it is always hard to see if they are alive or not without foliage. You can do a scratch test on individual stems to see if you "see some green" or not. But that only tells you if the stem is alive. The roots could be alive too and late to produce new growth (stems) from the base. I typically wait until the end of May because they break dormancy for me between February-March (April in very few occasions) so waiting until the end of May sounds like I am giving the plant plenty of chances. Do something similar depending on how cold it is where you are. It is always a good thing to report issues like this to the place where you bought it from so they are on notice that you have a problem. Check the rules of your warranty in case you have to use it. Also, if a stem does not leaf out for me by the end of May, I prune it all the way down; see when the plant tends to leaf out for you so you can know when it would be safe to assume stems are dead and prune them. And remember to use the scratch test if you do not feel sure. Good luck.
  • DitsyDitsy Posts: 196
    @nickten I looked at the runaway brides at the garden centre today. Yours does not compare at all. These are £24.99.




    If I was you I would ask for a refund.


  • luis_prluis_pr Posts: 123
    The ones at the store are usually grown to arrive blooming and the leaves are fully unfurled so they can be sold quickly. My hydrangeas planted in the ground are now just starting to fully open blooms but the ones at the local stores have more developed/open blooms than mine. If the plant does not react to warmer temps (say, reliably above 10°C) soon, I would consider getting a refund if the warranty allows or a new plant otherwise.




Sign In or Register to comment.