Over the years I’ve bought from Thompson and Morgan a number of times. On each occasion I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the service.
Having recently moved into a new property, complete with an almost plant-free garden, I decided it was time to test out their “garden ready plants” to see if they represent a quick, easy and cost-effective way to fill your borders with colour.
As a test, I ordered four trays of plants. Here’s the package that I received:
As you can see, this is a heavy-duty carton, helping to keep the plants in good condition.
Upon opening, each tray of plants was neatly protected within a further cardboard container. The holes on either side make it easy to lift the trays out of the box.
Furthermore, as you can see, each tray wears a “hair net” to further protect the plants in transit.
While understandably the garden ready plants themselves looked a little sorry after their journey, they quickly perked up after a day or two, and were duly planted out soon afterwards.
My Review
So now you’ve seen the plants, and understood the delivery process, how was the experience as a whole?
The good points:
- The plants were healthy, vigorous and were of a suitable size to go straight out. As a result I was able to rapidly fill one of my borders by just plopping seedlings into my pre-weeded soil and watering heavily.
- The delivery time was reasonable, and the care given to packing the plants made a huge difference.
- All trays were neatly labelled, and an instruction guide was included to advise on how best to establish the plants.
Right now, at the time of writing, my petunias and cosmos are taking over the garden, bringing a splash of summer colour with the most modest of effort.
The bad points:
Whether the following are “bad” points really depends on your perspective. Personally, none of them bothered me, but they could be a sticking point for some individuals.
- Firstly, the parcel was left unattended in my garden. I was happy with this as I wouldn’t want my plants sitting around in a courier depot for days on end. On the flipside, of course, in some areas there would be a risk that your plants could be stolen, or that they could die if left exposed in the sun till you get home from work.
- Secondly, the dispatch email, letting me know the plants were on their way, actually arrived the day after my plants arrived. Therefore I had zero warning until I arrived home to find the package. Again, this seems rather odd, and I wouldn’t have been happy if they’d arrived while I was on holiday.
- Lastly, it can take some weeks between ordering and delivery. Once again, this wasn’t an issue for me, but some less patient gardeners may find visiting their local garden centre is a quicker solution.
Overall, I think this was a very satisfactory experience. I would happily order from Thompson & Morgan again, and their garden ready plants service seems well thought-out and great value for money. Highly recommended.