Garden

[Dennieee]

I order a lot of plants from QVC. Yesterday, I went to Lowes, and realized that you really get more for your money there (and other local places) because the pots and actual plants are often larger. I feel like I have been in a weird QVC bubble, and forgot that other places have a lot of the same plants. I even found a few of the same plants on clearance at the store. Next year, I'm going to order fewer plants from QVC, but I still love watching QVC garden shows.

[Kachina624]

@Dennieee.  The best  plants are those grown by locally owned nurseries in their own greenhouses.  They are acclimated to your climate, suited for the local growing condition and ready to grow. 

[shoekitty]

Qvc. Plants are the bottom of the barrel for me.  I quit buying them years ago. Good plants come from great stock, good DNA so to speak. Most of the stuff from qvc  is just slips   The plants are too small as well  I think some of the plants just don't do well in certain areas. Your local nursery will not have or selll plants that don't thrive outside your area. They also get them in and sell when the plants growing season is prime.  But as I said it's been years since I purchased garden stuff here. I think your local garden or better yet nursery centers have better root stock. It's like. Lowes May have great impatiens, they last a season.  But my nursery center has impatiens that not only go the season. They can make it til next season if covered, or protected. I have impatiens out front for 3 years. The difference is how they were conceived, grown and nurtured. Also, not all plants or bulbs will survive anywhere, through anything. No matter where you get them. Proper care and nourishment is key!

[shoekitty]

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@Dennieee wrote:

I order a lot of plants from QVC. Yesterday, I went to Lowes, and realized that you really get more for your money there (and other local places) because the pots and actual plants are often larger. I feel like I have been in a weird QVC bubble, and forgot that other places have a lot of the same plants. I even found a few of the same plants on clearance at the store. Next year, I'm going to order fewer plants from QVC, but I still love watching QVC garden shows.

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@Dennieee   I think the garden shows would be inspiring. They give ideas Things you might not think of. Beside I love looking at plants and things outdoors,,,fun to watch!

[Grade1Teach]

@Dennieee 

I am an avid gardener and I am always shopping at local nurseries and Home Depot/Lowe's for my plants.  The plants on QVC pale in comparison to any of the ones you can find locally.

QVC makes one think that they have the best, most unusual plants. That's not usually the case.  If you take the time to shop around, you will often find the same exact plants somewhere else and in much better condition than the ones QVC offers and delivers.

I have bought my fair share of plants from QVC over the years (before Covid).  I have had luck with some and no such luck with others.  Many of their plants arrive MUCH smaller than they show the shipping sample to be.  They are often dried out or look like they are in really bad shape. Who wants to nurse sickly looking plants back to health before you can even get them in the ground? 

Buying locally enables you to choose the size and health of your plant.  There is so much more variety too!

[amyb]

@Dennieee Years ago I used to order plants from QVC (haven't in about 10-12 years.)

More than half did well. Some didn't, partially, due to the climate in CT, and care I wasn't able to consistently do (planted many down at my mom's, and due to mobility issues needed help with maintenance.)

Day lillies & irises did very well at mom's. Low maintenance plants, for her, were best. The irises didn't bloom the first year, but after that came back year after year & were beautiful. I planted some at my bf's also that did well. But my local nursery has a beautiful, varied selection of Irises; if I ever do them again, I'd go there.

I did a Cottage Farms blueberry plant, I had zero luck with. Started it at my place for two seasons, in a pot (I'm in a 2nd floor condo, only do pots.) In the pot never had fruit.

I replanted it at mom's, in a very sunny spot & it never did well there either. With some mobility issues, she couldn't water easily, and I'd only get to water it once or twice a week there. What one or two berries came...never ripened and got eaten by rabbits. Never did fruit again from QVC, or from local stores either, lately...just focused on flowers.

I had a set of small rose plants from Q. Had one on my deck one season and it bloomed pretty. Then replanted some at mom's, some at bf's. Mom's never grew or lasted. Bf's turned into a very large, beautiful rose bush, that bloomed a few times a year, until a disease that was going around CT got it a few yrs ago.

Overall, I mostly had luck with QVC items, but finally decided to stick with my local garden stores; we have many great ones, I love to visit, including an organic one. 

Pricing is about the same either local/QVC, but there's sales, membership deals I get at local stores, and a large, varied selection. I go to ma/pa shops, but @Dennieee I've also gotten things at Home Depot, and like Lowe's, as you said...pricing can be good, items are fine there, nothing unusual, but the basics.

I still enjoy watching QVC's garden shows, particularly in Feb/March when spring is hardly in bloom here in CT for another good month or two. I did buy a cute Bunny planter from Carolyn's line this season. I love it & already have a plant in it. 🪴 🌷🪻 🌱 🌞 

[kaydee50]

Don't understand why people would order plants, or food, from TV.  Aren't there local places to shop???

[Mom2Dogs]

I learned my lesson years ago...buy local, when ever possible.

[Meowingkitty]

I don't garden because it way to hot but on the rare occasion I need to replace a bush or something I just go to Lowe's. They also will give you a refund if the thing dies. Our gardening season starts early and soon it will be to hot to be going outside let alone digging in a garden. There's a reason we have desert landscape. The stuff they show on QVC would not do well here and take to much work.

[We rescue cats]

I used to buy plants from QVC - usually when I saw something I had not seen locally, I was surprised to see musa basjoo for sale this year. I had one for years then lost it 5+ years ago so I ordered it. . . but I think it was from HSN. I usually watched all the garden shows with my garden encyclopedia in hand and would check each plant they were offering, but I gave up on all that, now I buy locally based on what I see. I know, like and trust the owners of the garden center we go to.