topic Re: Roberta's - why bother?? in Garden

Roberta's - why bother??

FranCNY — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 20:26:13 GMT

Why do they keep bringing Roberta's back? The reviews average 2 1/2 stars with last item I saw had 24 5 starts and 112 1 stars???

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

millieshops — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 20:37:03 GMT

I think the answer to why is that almost everything sells out. I'm watching right now - over 1100 of just one item.

Almost all the callers are repeat customers who apparently don't write reviews.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

hoosieroriginal — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 20:42:39 GMT

Same with Cottage Farms - they send out such puny plants, they die the first year - I will never buy plants off of the Q ever again - I will buy bigger healthier plants from my local businesses. That way you can see what you are getting. I got hydrangeas from Cottage Farm two years ago - they were about 1 inch big - died within days of planting them.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

Lorik62 — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 21:04:25 GMT

I've ordered from both Cottage Farms and Roberta's and have never had any problems.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

KingstonsMom — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 21:53:36 GMT

@hoosieroriginal wrote:
Same with Cottage Farms - they send out such puny plants, they die the first year - I will never buy plants off of the Q ever again - I will buy bigger healthier plants from my local businesses. That way you can see what you are getting. I got hydrangeas from Cottage Farm two years ago - they were about 1 inch big - died within days of planting them.

@hoosieroriginal

I had the same experience, if they weren't already mostly dead when they arrived and didn't even live a month.

And anything that was supposed to bear fruit, never did.

Like you, lesson learned.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

Trix — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 08:42:37 GMT

The plants shown on set are several years old. With the exception of annuals, the plants you order from Roberta and Cottage Farms have to be treated like an ICU patient the first season or two. I have had good luck, but it's a result of patience and not expecting much in year one. The hydrangeas are agood example. The first two seasons my Cottage Farms hydrangeas were small with few leaves and no blooms. I hid them behind geraniums. Last year they finally showed some significant growth and blooms near the end of the season. In this fourth season, I'm hoping for even more growth and blooms so that I do not to have to hide them behind geraniums anymore. If this fails I'm going to let the rabbits have them.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

DiAnne — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 23:26:33 GMT

It is very tempting when you are anxiously awaiting spring to order from Cottage Farms and Robertas. I have not had great luck with their plants. I live in the rainy PNW and we do not have a hot summer. I usually will buy one thing from them and then get everything else at a local nursery where the plants thrive in the rain.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

cater — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 23:33:46 GMT

I have had very little luck with either one of these growers but I must say I ordered thornless black berry plants from Cottage farms and they produced tons of blackberries. All the rest of the trees, strawberries, flowers a waste of money.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

circles — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 00:33:54 GMT

I am glad I came upon this thread....I was looking at some of the plants....namely the small tomato ones ..but if both places have such poor reviews...(which i hadn't looked at yet) then I am not going to waste my money...Thanks everyone....

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

JustJazzmom — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 01:56:08 GMT

@circles wrote:
I am glad I came upon this thread....I was looking at some of the plants....namely the small tomato ones ..but if both places have such poor reviews...(which i hadn't looked at yet) then I am not going to waste my money...Thanks everyone....

If you really love and want the small tomato varieties, write down the names and shop locally.

I have had a nice yield of Sun Gold and Black Cherry tomatoes. The Black Cherry can 'volunteer' and they come true to the original I planted several years ago.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

kislandlover — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 04:03:09 GMT

I have had success and failure from both. My greatest success was from Cottage farms, a hydrangea tree. I laughed when I planted my "stick," but it did have blooms the blooms the first year and has gotten fuller every year since. If it is getting taller, I can't tell, but is very full and pretty.

From Roberta's, the Desert Star did well until I went into the hospital, and the one I gave my friend got quite large, but she let the frost kill it. The moral: I think all can do well, but need a lot of time, care and TLC. If you want instant gratification, buy older, larger plants locally!

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

Nataliesgramma — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 11:24:52 GMT

I purchased lavender plants locally and from QVC......planted all of them down the side of the garage......the ones I got locally bloomed and the ones from QVC..dead.

Buy local...cheaper and better results...

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

gonnab — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 12:53:49 GMT

I can't understand why anyone would purchase plants online. True - they look so pretty, healthy, full of blooms on the TV, and it's tempting, but it's so obvious that they are fake blossoms. Purchase from your local nursery - you'll get better plants and service.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

PINKdogWOOD — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 15:29:42 GMT

Unless you are buying from a VERY REPTABLE grower,

BUY LOCAL.

PLEASE BUY LOCAL.

These garden growers on the q may be the good ones to buy local IF you live where they're located, their plants ARE very little, do not grow, do not bloom, die the first year you try them.

PLEASE BUY LOCAL.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

RedHeadedWench — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 16:18:54 GMT

I don't understand it myself.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

Another new name Sue — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 17:20:28 GMT

I would not buy plants from QVC, but I do enjoy the programming and think they offer items which we might not be able to find in the nurseries. Also, you get so many plants with each order. Since I have a fully established landscape, there is no room for the final size of all the plants they offer in one order. They would take up too much space (assuming they lived!).

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

msvictoria — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:40:27 GMT

Try the Super Sweet 100 - they are sweet, tender and yield a ton of tomatoes. Be sure to stake them as they grow because they get about 4 ' high. I live in zone 5 and just plant these each year. They taste like candy and I eat them just about the same way! Hope you'll try them. You should be able to find them easily at your garden center, however I have seen them available in seed. Good luck!

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

tl98466 — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 01:18:05 GMT

I agree! There has got to be other growers out there that can produce higher quality plants than those that are currently being offered! I appreciate the convenience of being able to buy through QVC, but the quality of plants is horrible (as the reviews show!). I'm back to buying local!

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

JustJazzmom — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 01:43:57 GMT

@tl98466

If you find a plant here that you must have in your garden, google the botanical Latin name and there will be other nurseries that show up where it can be purchased. Look at the Gardenwatchdog website and see if their TOP 30 or TOP 5 carry the plant(s) you want. Read the comments under each company or the company you have googled on that site.

Good luck in your search for plants you want.

Re: Roberta's - why bother??

mousiegirl — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 18:34:47 GMT

Both companies have improved on the size of plants that are sent now, much bigger than a few years ago. Everything I bought last year is thriving. I planted the plants/trees in pots first to give them a good start, so they could grow and become strong, and fertilized them.