A Guide to Buying from an Online Plant Nursery
Long gone are the days when your only options for buying garden plants were those nurseries within driving distance. Today, many plant nurseries sell their plants online to people all around the country. That allows you to choose the plants and trees you want from the plant nursery that best meets your needs without worrying about where they are located – a nice boon for gardeners who live far removed from local nurseries or whose only choice is a big box store. Like any convenience, though, it comes with drawbacks. These tips can help you find the best online nursery for your needs and avoid buying from a nursery that provides poor quality plants and shoddy customer service.
Choose a plant nursery that specializes in the plants you want to buy. Some online nurseries try to be superstores that offer every type of plant under the sun – or in the shade. If you want to buy a spruce, for example, you’re far more likely to get a healthy, vibrant plant from a tree nursery that specializes in growing trees than one that grows just about everything else.
Choose an online nursery with an excellent reputation. The gardening world is fairly insular. You’ll find many online gardeners’ forums where members discuss the quality of plants they’ve received from a particular plant nursery and the level of customer service they encountered. Do your research and find the most reputable nurseries doing business online.
Know your planting zone. Most online plant nurseries allow you to sort the plants they sell by planting zone. You’ll always get the best results if you observe their guidelines and choose plants that are most likely to flourish in your zone.
Be cautious about any plant nursery that always seems to be offering huge discounts and cheap plants. Often, they’re cutting corners on packaging or selling low quality plants and trees. There are exceptions, of course. Many online nurseries do a seasonal housecleaning clearance to sell off any remaining stock. As long as you understand that many of these plants are older and may not be in prime condition, you can pick up some great bargains this way. Avoid it unless you have a very green thumb, though.
Patronize an online nursery that provides clear pictures, good descriptions and growing notes on site. The more information you can get about the plants you buy, the more likely it is that you’ll get the plant you really want.
Look for contact information for the nursery. A reputable plant nursery will post their address, email contact and telephone contact numbers where you can find it easily. It’s one way to be sure you’re dealing with an actual plant nursery and not a middleman who simply passes on orders.
Check out the guarantee. Many online nurseries will offer credit for plants that arrived dead or that failed to grow. Others will return your money or only offer a replacement. Know what the guarantee is before you buy.
Finally, be sure you follow the basic common-sense guidelines about shopping online. Check the privacy policy and be sure that any page that sends personal information is secured. As long as you do your homework, you’ll find great bargains and healthy, beautiful plants at an online plant nursery.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the world’s MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
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