Buy in bulk for the cheapest plants, right?

We always say the nursery trade, growing plants, trees and hedging for others, is a peculiar one.  Yes, it is in some ways – who else still works by fax machine?! – but it has lots of the same bugbears we all experience in everyday life and trading.

It’s competitive. Yes, that’s a given.  But are we competing on the same page?

Large nurseries can supply your plants cheaper

There, I’ve said it.  BUT. Say you’re a landscaper awaiting a plant delivery to a private roof garden in Chiswick.  You’ve bagged a bargain, the best price you could get – buxus for a low-growing hedge to fix up a parterre – and it’s on it’s way from the wholesale nursery.  In fact, it’s just around the corner…only that’s just where it’s staying.  The property’s access is down a narrow, alley with limited access and you’ve got to get the plants to the roof space.  Never mind, you can offload the plants yourself and manoeuvre them to the point of planting, right?

So that’s Hassle 1 – how much will this cost you?

Pile em high, keep em keen?

The plants are rammed into pallets – you sure got a lot of plants for your buck – well done you.  But “pile-em high, keep ‘em keen” means there’s quite a few damaged plants, and they’re not looking great, truth be known.  Still, you can grade them as you go, right?

Hassle 2 – hmmm – factored this in at the outset?

Oh, and Hassle 3 – keep a note of the damages, you’ll sort those later with the wholesaler, yeah?

Woah, that’s a LOT OF PLANTS

You’ve actually only prepared one phase of the roof garden so far as the client can’t provide access to the remainder until further notice.  Damn.  You’ve offloaded 1200 buxus but only need 300 right now.  Where the hell are you going to keep these till you’re ready?

Hassle 4 – you see where we’re going?!  More time, more labour, more hassle, more COST.

Double-handling, double-labour, double-downtime, double-hassle

The buxus WERE cheaper.  The exercise of having them delivered in bulk from a wholesale nursery in an artic load, in pallets…wasn’t.  Not by the time you’ve added in your double-handling of the plants, your grading of the plants, your setting out of part of the delivery but storing the rest safely until a later date when you’re ready, your liaison with the wholesaler about the damaged plants and their replacements.

Imagine a different scenario….

A nursery that understands what you’re asking for.  One that appreciates the constraints under which you are working.  One that won’t just sell you what they’ve got but will work with you to supply you with the right plants for the job, the client, the location, the purpose.  One who delivers when you want. In “manageable chunks”  – smaller deliveries where and when you need the plants.  In vehicles that give you flexibility of delivery and on-site access.

Pay a little more – get LOADS more (and then some).

Oh guess what? ***we’ve got new vans***

We worked with Horton Commercials just like that.  We looked for commercially-available vehicles for our nursery needs: the right size and spec for us, not just the standard.  Richard Hall at Horton got the gig because he got “us”.

We get “you” (and we have done for over 10 years – wish us Happy Birthday)