Mail-order gardening can be a lot of fun. Or a big disappointment. It depends on your perspective.
Unlike other types of merchandise, what arrives in the package bears little resemblance to the picture in the catalog. You don't receive the bright red tulip you ordered; you unpack a small brown bulb. Tomatoes, pepper and lettuce arrive as seeds, not ready to eat, as in the photos.In fact, what you buy from a mail-order nursery is a promise. A promise that the root or bulb or seed or leafless twig is true to name and will someday match the description in the catalog. Seeds and bulbs usually fit just right, but nursery stock is often smaller than expected. Seldom are live plants "landscape size" right out of the box. And that can be discouraging.
So why bother gardening by mail? Selection. Convenience. Price. The same reasons for ordering any type of merchan-dise, really.
A specialty nursery may be able to offer 50 eye-popping varieties of lily while the local garden center has space to display just three. The antique apple on your wish list might only be available from a fruit tree grower in another part of the country.
Mail-order gardening might not be right for gardeners who crave instant results. But for a gardener who knows what to expect and is up to the challenge, gardening by mail can be both exciting and rewarding.
Some tips to help make your gardening by mail experience successful:
- If you're unfamiliar with a plant, don't base your decision on a catalog description alone. Ask other gardeners or consult a gardening encyclopedia to learn more about a specimen first. It may have bad habits not mentioned in the text.
- Check the company's replacement policy. Reputable firms guarantee their plants for at least one growing season. Keep your receipt and a copy of your order as confirmation of purchase. Don't expect a company to replace a dead plant without proof.
- Add shipping and handling charges when calculating costs; they can add up. A plant available locally could be a better buy.
- Catalog descriptions should include both botanical and common names; cultivars should be clearly indicated. A correct botanical name is the best way to avoid mistaken identity.
- Order early, especially if the plant you want is listed as "new" or "rare." Mail-order firms often sell out of featured items quickly.
- If the order form asks, clearly indicate whether you're willing to accept a substitute variety. Crop failures are fairly common; companies appreciate the opportunity to send another plant of equal value rather than a refund.
- When ordering from nurseries located in zones south of yours, request a later shipping date if possible. But be prepared to accept the material either way - many growers prefer to ship woody plants dormant rather than risk damage to tender leaves, even if that means it's a little early to plant in your area.
- Be aware that flower colors occasionally turn out to look a little different in real life than they do in the pictures. True shades of pink and blue are very difficult to capture on film. Rely on the written description to be more accurate.
When plants are delivered, unpack them immediately to let fresh air and light revive them. Water only if the soil is dry.
Hold bare root stock in a cool shady location; plant it as quickly as possible. If you anticipate a plant arriving bare root, prepare its soil in advance. Tree and shrub seedlings, fruit trees and roses are usually shipped bare root.
The Mail-order Association of Nurseries (MAN), a trade collaborative of more than 100 companies, knows that some gardeners are hesitant to shop for plants through the mail. Members agree to standards of quality that help insure success.
Most gardeners will recognize names like Burpee, White Flower Farm, and Jackson & Perkins, the rose people. All are members of MAN.
But the association's booklet, "Gardening and Landscaping by Mail," also features many small family-owned businesses and specialty nurseries such as B&D Lilies and Dixondale Farms, the largest grower of onion plants in the country. It's an interesting little publication to peruse, and most of the companies' catalogs are free. The mailing address is P.O. Box 2129, Columbia, Md., 21045.
As an incentive to try mail-order gardening, the association includes more than $40 worth of coupons in its 1995 catalog, good at any of the member nurseries through Jan. 31. For those of us who don't need any encouragement, the coupons do help bring armchair dreams a little closer to wallet reality.