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Super Contributor
Posts: 300
Registered: ‎08-12-2014

Never trusting Cottage Farms again

I ordered the Blue Siberian Iris. I don't know what they shipped

but this ain't it. I hate that I waisted my time on weeds.

 

 Screenshot_20210804-224725.jpgP_20210528_092533.jpgP_20210801_181615.jpg

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,736
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

I stopped ordering anything from them years ago.  I've only ever had one shrub I got that has survived (a hydrangea), even though it's nowhere near the size they said it would get to.  At least it still blooms.

 

I ordered several things from them at one time.  A set of six hydrangea plants.  What I received were ridiculously small and didn't survive.

 

Strawberry plants with a planter - the plants were half-dead and moldy, when they arrived; not even wrapped in any kind of plastic, just thrown in a bag.  They were two different varieties and weren't labeled.

 

Philip repeatedly made it clear, on air, that they guaranteed what they sold and would issue a refund, if the plants failed - customer choice.  Well, all I got, when I wrote to them was a multi-page letter lecturing me on how to grow strawberries and saying they'd send replacements "next year".  No refund.

 

I was so cross I wrote back that I have a degree in biology, worked on plant research and certainly knew how to grow strawberries!  Plus I had a father who could grow anything when I was growing up, including delicious strawberries.  Never got a response and the next year, in came another bunch of half-dead plants.  I tossed them.

 

I buy from my local garden shop now.

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope
Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,781
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

At least you have something to show for your purchase.

 

 

I purchased some Eco something brand from Zulily, Wow, the pictures of the flowers are just beautiful........I have a nice picture to show for it and an empty space surrounded by a divider I bought so nothing would eat my bulbs...too funny.

 

BTW...love your garden shoes...I think that's what I'm looking at.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,736
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

[ Edited ]

@Just Bling - I recognized the garden shoes as Sloggers.  I have two pairs of them and love them.

 

ETA:  And maybe you could cut out pictures of what your flowers should've looked like and put them on stakes in the ground, so you have something other than empty space.  Woman Very Happy

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope
Honored Contributor
Posts: 22,280
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

Yikes......looks like "horse corn"........

♥Surface of the Sun♥
Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,781
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

@Venezia 

 

I was thinking something similar, I would copy in color the beautiful flowers they sold me (not!) and glue them on wooden sticks then put them in the ground.

 

I must add not only did I buy one variety I bought 2!

 

I think I have a couple weeks to go until I can e-mail Zulily and tell them what I think of the bulbs they sold me.  I read bulbs need 8-10 wks and maybe in the next 2 wks I'll have a enclosure full of flowers....(not!).  too funny

Honored Contributor
Posts: 75,735
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

@RU4 real    Maybe you'll have a big surprise next spring. 

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,736
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

@Just Bling - They'll probably tell you the bulbs got eaten by moles or other rodents.  (That has actually happened to me.)

 

About three years ago, I bought a large bag of tulip bulbs from Sam's Club thinking "what the heck...why not".  They still come up and are beautiful.

 

The only problem I had last year was the groundhog who took up residence under my front step.  Every time the tulips were ready to bloom, I'd come out next morning to nothing but headless stems.  Same with my beautiful petunias and dahlias.

 

Then - SHRIEK - another groundhog joined the first one this year and that did it.  I managed to humanely trap both of them and relocate them to an unpopulated area.

 

And what do I see on my back lawn this afternoon?  A groundhog!  I hope I put the fear of God in him.  (He ran back into the woods.)

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope
Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,206
Registered: ‎10-03-2014

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

No luck at all with Cottage Farms or Roberta's. All plants and replacements died.   

 

Try online 

 

Michigan Bulb

Spring Hill Nursery

Wayside Gardens

 

Always have good luck.  

 

Also, latest purchase from Barbara King on QVC worked out well.  

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,666
Registered: ‎03-28-2015

Re: Never trusting Cottage Farms again

I learned my lesson a couple years ago too....never again...

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