That is interesting about Sarah Raven's bulbs. I am wondering if her company is held to higher standards by consumers? I bought from Peter Nyssen, a mix of tulips, iris, crocus and muscari plus anemone blanda. Almost all arrived in good condition. Fewer than 1 in 30 bulbs/corms looked mouldy, so I am expecting a riot of colour in the spring.
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That is interesting about Sarah Raven's bulbs. I am wondering if her company is held to higher standards by consumers?
I would think so. The company states that they only choose the highest grade bulbs to sell and have a public review on each page.
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It is quite hard to review bulbs and tubers if going by the end result. We have had many people on the forum complain that their tulip bulbs must have been bad, from whatever company, because they didn't bloom (well). But that can come from frosting or using the wrong soil mix, squirrel damage - all sorts of things. If a dahlia didn't grow for a newbie grower, there are 100 things that could have gone wrong. I would hestitate to blame the company.
I totally agree @punkdoc. S.Raven is always very expensive. Nyssens have always been reliable and good quality. Been buying from them for years and years.
I can understand that people are tempted because they see photos of plants/bulbs/pots all put together in an artistic way, so perhaps they find that appealing, and easy, and therefore don't mind the inflated prices. The advantage of bulbs is that they work very well in pots, so if you buy a quantity of something in a certain colour, and then buy other types to tone or contrast with that, you can do individual pots of one type/colour, and place them together to get a display. That isn't difficult to achieve, and you can experiment easily to get the look you want, as well as a succession of flowering. You can then repeat that the following year, or change some that you don't like, or that haven't done so well etc.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It seems there is an anti-Raven tribe, as there is a fevently anti-Monty cohort, anti-weed membrane, anti-water crystals, anti-Hot Lips, anti-mycorrhizal fungi packs, anti-rewilding, anti-red plants, anti-decking.Or maybe a group that's just 'anti'.
We have a wide range of good bulb sellers for the UK and that is a good thing. They offer a different variety of plants. I wouldn't say it's a platform for taking personal offence. No point in getting tribal about it. Nyssen offer good bulbs too, and Haddons and Euro Bulbs and lots of others (as noted at the start of the thread). The forum is a place to offer options and nuance, varieties of solutions, insights, perspectives and experiences. We are a multitude. I don't think "yeay/boo" positions help much.
I did a little theoretical price comparison exercise using my order from Farmer Gracy earlier this month (yes I favour dark tulips) and current prices as shown on the Peter Nyssen and Sarah Raven websites.
This isn’t a perfect comparison — see notes below — but overall I think I was able to get the best price for the bulbs I wanted from Farmer Gracy.
Of course the ideal way to compare is in real time, say in October and assuming you have the same/comparable varieties in your online baskets. There will be differences in terms of free delivery promotions and discounts over the buying season (deeper discounts as November advances, but with the risk of certain varieties going out of stock) to take into account. Add to that the actual sizes of bulbs one receives, perceived differences in eventual flower quality, packaging and customer service.
Next year I might buy the same varieties from different sellers and compare the sizes of bulbs and results…
*Sale prices
**11/12cm option selected, and not 10/11cm
***With free delivery
Notes:
1) Most varieties are now already out of stock at the sellers’ websites, so prices are theoretical, except for Farmer Gracy where I have used the prices I actually paid
2) Peter Nyssen doesn’t sell Vincent van Gogh, so the total price should be higher assuming they did or that I had bought a similar, available, variety from them
3) Sarah Raven sells bulbs in 15’s, while Farmer Gracy and Peter Nyssen sell them in 10’s, so the Sarah Raven prices are calculated for 10’s but note they are not actually sold as 10’s
4) All three sellers have delivery fees, but I was able to get free delivery during a promo by Farmer Gracy. In my opinion, the free delivery kicking in only at the £100 price point for Peter Nyssen (as opposed to £50 for Farmer Gracy) has less appeal for me as I have a small garden.
5) I have not factored in a further £5 discount from Farmer Gracy for first-time newsletter sign-up (I believe Sarah Raven offers something similar, 10% off first order with sign-up) so I actually got my order for even less
My post was not intended to be anti- Raven at all, I love her beautiful brochures, and often use them to chose the bulbs I want, and then buy them where they are cheaper. I have bought plants from her, but she is EXPENSIVE, and I think if we can help people save money, we should.
As for most of that other stuff, well I am certainly anti wasting money on things that don't work.... water retaining granules, or, things that are harmful to the environment, AND don't work..... weed membranes, but I love red plants, I have a red/orange and yellow border.
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When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I can understand that people are tempted because they see photos of plants/bulbs/pots all put together in an artistic way, so perhaps they find that appealing, and easy, and therefore don't mind the inflated prices.
The advantage of bulbs is that they work very well in pots, so if you buy a quantity of something in a certain colour, and then buy other types to tone or contrast with that, you can do individual pots of one type/colour, and place them together to get a display. That isn't difficult to achieve, and you can experiment easily to get the look you want, as well as a succession of flowering.
You can then repeat that the following year, or change some that you don't like, or that haven't done so well etc.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This isn’t a perfect comparison — see notes below — but overall I think I was able to get the best price for the bulbs I wanted from Farmer Gracy.
Of course the ideal way to compare is in real time, say in October and assuming you have the same/comparable varieties in your online baskets. There will be differences in terms of free delivery promotions and discounts over the buying season (deeper discounts as November advances, but with the risk of certain varieties going out of stock) to take into account. Add to that the actual sizes of bulbs one receives, perceived differences in eventual flower quality, packaging and customer service.
Next year I might buy the same varieties from different sellers and compare the sizes of bulbs and results…
*Sale prices
**11/12cm option selected, and not 10/11cm
***With free delivery
Notes:1) Most varieties are now already out of stock at the sellers’ websites, so prices are theoretical, except for Farmer Gracy where I have used the prices I actually paid
2) Peter Nyssen doesn’t sell Vincent van Gogh, so the total price should be higher assuming they did or that I had bought a similar, available, variety from them
3) Sarah Raven sells bulbs in 15’s, while Farmer Gracy and Peter Nyssen sell them in 10’s, so the Sarah Raven prices are calculated for 10’s but note they are not actually sold as 10’s
4) All three sellers have delivery fees, but I was able to get free delivery during a promo by Farmer Gracy. In my opinion, the free delivery kicking in only at the £100 price point for Peter Nyssen (as opposed to £50 for Farmer Gracy) has less appeal for me as I have a small garden.
5) I have not factored in a further £5 discount from Farmer Gracy for first-time newsletter sign-up (I believe Sarah Raven offers something similar, 10% off first order with sign-up) so I actually got my order for even less
I have bought plants from her, but she is EXPENSIVE, and I think if we can help people save money, we should.
As for most of that other stuff, well I am certainly anti wasting money on things that don't work.... water retaining granules, or, things that are harmful to the environment, AND don't work..... weed membranes, but I love red plants, I have a red/orange and yellow border.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border