Buying plants
1. Local nurseries. Most countries have a wide range of local plant nurseries, although they may be concentrated in the capital (which may be far away) and if you are a newcomer, finding them may not be easy. In general, they will be close to the sea, where there is a high humidity and lower temperatures, since this is best for seedlings.
The problem is that almost all will sell exactly the same plants. The reason for this is that:
The solution is to buy your petunias before the Municipality (early October) and to be on good terms with a few nurseries, so they will be willing to put aside what you request. Additionally, you can keep checking on the nurseries to see what is ready (but this is not useful if you live far away). The nurseries have a succession of plants as the autumn progresses, starting with the very hardy (marigolds) in September through to the species requiring cool conditions (pansies) by end of November. But the timing will vary from year to year.
A very few nurseries import exotic plants from overseas. Obviously, these plants will be relatively expensive (but still cheap by European standards).
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The problem is that almost all will sell exactly the same plants. The reason for this is that:
- They share their stock among each other. Hardly any import plants that are different.
- You, the public, are unimportant. Their finances are totally dependent on the Municipalities. If this morning, they have just sold 1,000 trays of petunias seedlings to the Municipality (and have orders for 1,000 trays each week for the next month), your request for half a tray is irrelevant and for the whole of the next month, you will not find a single petunia in any nursery. Similarly, the stock of plants that they sell depends on what the Municipality requires, not you.
The solution is to buy your petunias before the Municipality (early October) and to be on good terms with a few nurseries, so they will be willing to put aside what you request. Additionally, you can keep checking on the nurseries to see what is ready (but this is not useful if you live far away). The nurseries have a succession of plants as the autumn progresses, starting with the very hardy (marigolds) in September through to the species requiring cool conditions (pansies) by end of November. But the timing will vary from year to year.
A very few nurseries import exotic plants from overseas. Obviously, these plants will be relatively expensive (but still cheap by European standards).
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2. Buying through internet. Here, you are likely to be restricted to 3 types of plants that can be easily imported: orchids, seeds and bulbs.
a) Orchids. These come without soil, either just the plant, or with the roots enclosing bark chippings in a tiny basket. Thus they are just sent through the post. In addition, most orchids are very hardy and can withstand weeks in the post. On Ebay, you will find many Thai nurseries. You should be aware that buying 1 plant gives a very expensive postage, but this rapidly decreases if you buy several. You should also be cautious about the age of the plants (very young plants will be cheap, but more difficult to rear) and whether they will survive the heat of this region (see the orchid section). You should be aware that many countries do not allow import of plants, especially in soil, without special documentation
b) Seeds. These come in the post as a tiny light packet and there is a vast array of internet nurseries. You should be aware that many companies have minimum orders. Seeds cover everything from trees (but growing a tree from seed needs patience!) to annuals, but you should be aware that many seeds are very difficult to grow - never buy orchid seeds, as an example, so check them out beforehand. You need to be careful, since there are large numbers of scams. If the colours in the photos look unnatural, they have probably been "Photoshopped". You will receive seeds of a totally different plant (and by the time you find out, it is too late to complain) or no seeds at all.
c) Bulbs and tubers. There are a number of specialised nurseries that sell bulbs and tubers. For example, there are nurseries that just sell Caladiums, while others concentrate on plants such as Zephyranthes, or on Achimenes. The bulb/ tuber is sent when the plant has died down with no soil, but this means it may only available for a few months in the year. You can find many of these plants on Amazon e.g. www.amazon.co.uk if you put in the name of the plant in to the "Find" box.
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3. Buying in Europe/ North America. If you go home as an expatriate or go as a tourist, then every town has huge "Garden centres" selling a vast range of seeds and "indoor" (= tropical) plants. Even normal hypermarkets will sell orchids (Phalaenopsis) and other indoor plants at prices much lower than the Garden centres.
a) Orchids. These come without soil, either just the plant, or with the roots enclosing bark chippings in a tiny basket. Thus they are just sent through the post. In addition, most orchids are very hardy and can withstand weeks in the post. On Ebay, you will find many Thai nurseries. You should be aware that buying 1 plant gives a very expensive postage, but this rapidly decreases if you buy several. You should also be cautious about the age of the plants (very young plants will be cheap, but more difficult to rear) and whether they will survive the heat of this region (see the orchid section). You should be aware that many countries do not allow import of plants, especially in soil, without special documentation
b) Seeds. These come in the post as a tiny light packet and there is a vast array of internet nurseries. You should be aware that many companies have minimum orders. Seeds cover everything from trees (but growing a tree from seed needs patience!) to annuals, but you should be aware that many seeds are very difficult to grow - never buy orchid seeds, as an example, so check them out beforehand. You need to be careful, since there are large numbers of scams. If the colours in the photos look unnatural, they have probably been "Photoshopped". You will receive seeds of a totally different plant (and by the time you find out, it is too late to complain) or no seeds at all.
c) Bulbs and tubers. There are a number of specialised nurseries that sell bulbs and tubers. For example, there are nurseries that just sell Caladiums, while others concentrate on plants such as Zephyranthes, or on Achimenes. The bulb/ tuber is sent when the plant has died down with no soil, but this means it may only available for a few months in the year. You can find many of these plants on Amazon e.g. www.amazon.co.uk if you put in the name of the plant in to the "Find" box.
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3. Buying in Europe/ North America. If you go home as an expatriate or go as a tourist, then every town has huge "Garden centres" selling a vast range of seeds and "indoor" (= tropical) plants. Even normal hypermarkets will sell orchids (Phalaenopsis) and other indoor plants at prices much lower than the Garden centres.