There is a plant fair near us every year (in early spring), and it is highly recommended.I went and spent about $450 (a lot of money in my books) as we were building our house.However, the plants have not all worked out.2 x big trees didnt leaf up (at the time of buying everything was dormant and no trees had leaves), just a few leaves at the base, leaving about 3m of dead wood above.I also bout 6 or so bulbs that were "Gladioli", these turned out to be Alstromerias.5 x Robinia trees died, and I could go on.But, my question is.I am umming and aahing about ringing the school up and complaining. Am I being over the top! should I just suck it up!
kp11,
Feb 7, 4:37am
Given the price you pay at school fairs & usually super cheap & its usually for fundraising for the school, you probably still got a very cheap bargin for the rest of them.If i was really concerned id just pass on a message for the plant person to take a bit more care with her labeling.I wouldnt be chasing a refund though.
redhead96,
Feb 7, 4:50am
You will find most of the schools are not plant nurseries. yes they are cheap but these plants are normally put together by the parents.
stevee6,
Feb 7, 4:51am
Agree - school fair personnel are rarely professional plantspeople, and if those who donate don't label properly, there's very little you can do about it.Let's face it - you bought there because they were far cheaper than at a nursery or garden centre - and you get what you pay. I don't buy anything I can't identify unless I want a challenge, and am prepared to bin the result if it's not what it was labelled as and I don't want it.
bugin,
Feb 7, 5:01am
Maybe you could make the commitment to go to the fair preparation day and ensure that all the plants are properly named.As aschool board member I would gladly accept that kind of help for a fund raising event\,
zak410,
Feb 7, 5:40am
If I was the OP I'll think your reply is cheecky an unhelpfull.
#1, Just let the school know and see if they give you some replacements.
lozzaqtn,
Feb 7, 5:42am
suck it up, learn, move on and pay more at a nursery instead
samanya,
Feb 7, 5:49am
You were on a win getting Alstromeria instead of Gladioli! Sorry , if you want cheap go to fund raising fairs .you want quality, go to a proper plant nursery. I buy a heap from fairs, but I can recognise quality plants.
mottly,
Feb 7, 6:00am
I have the same problem whenever I buy seed packets - it's never the variety on the front.:(I'd just plant them all anyway - you can always change them in a year or ten.
piquant,
Feb 7, 6:23am
Yes, I agree with stevee. Don't buy from these places unless you are prepared to a) identify or b) accept a percentage of mis-named plants. It would be interesting to hear if the trees were donated by a nursery or if they were propagated or grown by staff/parents etc. I just wonder if Robinia suckers were dug up and potted on - they don't work and they are on species rootstock anyway so you would not have got the cutivar. There is always a tendency to try and do landscaping by these means - especially when house builds invariably go over budget and there is little left for landscaping but you might have been better looking to get GOL's and growing them on yourself - at least that way you would have a consistent line and get what you wanted. There are plenty of reputable growers on here that supply 5 and 7 cm tubestock and the like. Just a thought.
punkinthefirst,
Feb 7, 8:28am
OP, rather than buying plants to make an instant garden, you probably would have been better to live in the house for at least a year, improve the soil, lay irrigation and paths,and see which bits of your section were dry or damp, shaded by buildings or overheated, so you could carefully, thoughtfully and methodically make a garden with plants that enjoyed the situations they were in.
amazing_grace,
Feb 7, 8:58am
This particular fair, is very well run, divided into sections by plant.Each section is labelled, has been propogated specially for sale at the fair.It is a specific plant fair, and runs every year in Spring.I just wondered if I should ring them or if that was OTT!
karakagranny,
Feb 7, 10:48am
Ive found buying off TM is sometimes the same lucky dip, even reputable plant centres get it wrong. I bought a plant that was labelled Canterbury Bells and it def is not one, at least I like what it is, just dont know what it is LOL. One thing you could do amazing_grace is take your iphone and google what you see on the label. If the plant or bulb looks vaguely correct then you might be in luck and pick up a bargin.
lythande1,
Feb 7, 7:08pm
Yes. Yes. You want perfection, go to a plant shop.
bugin,
Feb 7, 7:19pm
So how does your suggestion help to ensure the problem does not occur again.!
dibble35,
Feb 7, 9:32pm
"you might have been better looking to get GOL's and growing them on yourself - at least that way you would have a consistent line and get what you wanted. There are plenty of reputable growers on here that supply 5 and 7 cm tubestock and the like. Just a thought.[/quote] " Good idea but not neccesarily true, I worked at a large GOL nursery a few years ago now and I remember if one variety of something (hebe usually) wasnt available they would swap it for another that was similar. I wonder how many plants around NZ were subsequently mislabeled because of this.
kp11,
Feb 7, 9:41pm
Suck it up - Feel good you helped the school & still got a bargin "Win Win".
muzzaandmich,
Feb 7, 10:19pm
so you brought them thinking you wereonto a winner and you were . Paid for what you got . If you buy a new caryou go to the dealership, same with the plants
tjc30,
Feb 7, 11:47pm
If its as well run as you say. I would actually ring the school and talk to the head of the fundrasing committee. Ive been involved with fairs and if there were an issue as big as that for that much spent. I would let them know and see what they say :)
I don't think you can blame the school for the robinias that died.They have no control on what happens to plants/trees/shrubs etc after they have sold them any more than any normal nursery would.I would be thinking that I probably got good value overall, but some of the items weren't what I expected as they were incorrectly labelled - but that's not the end of the world - and some didn't make it.On the grand scale of things it's not catastrophic, and you probably would have paid a lot more had you bought the same stuff at your local garden centre.
gabbysnana,
Feb 8, 8:21am
its up to you to check your purchases and satisfy yourself, a school is not a plant nursery, a school fair is just that. so its your problem.
gabbysnana,
Feb 8, 8:22am
yup, lol
deathrockboy,
Feb 9, 9:05am
If you can't tell the difference between Gladioli and Alstromeria then you can't really complain about the plants being mis-labeled.
spiritofgonzo,
Feb 9, 10:21pm
I would still tell them . not in a complaining way, but in a nice way to help them ensure they are trying to not let that same problem happen in future years.The school would no doubt want customers to return and the fundraiser to grow as an event.
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