Shopping for plants can be a little bit stressful at times. Anyone who has bought plants from a garden centre will have seen first hand the potential problems that can arise during transportation.  Pots can tip over, stems can snap and by the time you get home it looks like a different plant.  So here’s five good reasons to consider buying your plants online :

Convenience: There’s the obvious advantages associated with any online shopping experience such as being able to order from the comfort of your home and the time that is saved by the home delivery service.

Make the right choice :  If you spot a plant you like the look of online you can quickly research to see how big it will grow and what it might look like when established.  It is easy to do a search through google images to see examples of the plant in situ. You might even spot a combination of plants you like that will go with it.

Variety : The average garden centre is unable to match the multitude of varieties available online.  As you would expect the plants in garden centres are commonly dictated by fashion and for this reason the choice can be limited. If you shop around online you’ll almost certainly be able to find the variety of plant you’re looking for. Why go to your local garden centre when you can go directly to the specialist growers online whose plants are often far superior ?

Spend Less : Visit a number of sites from the comfort of your couch to find the best price.  With the cost of petrol being as high as it is can you imagine how much that would cost if you did the same process in your car. Also when buying online there’s less of a risk that an impulse buy will throw a spanner in the works.

Site Survey : At any point during the ordering process it’s quite simple to step outside the house into the garden to double check whether the plant you’re about to purchase will fit the spot you have in mind. Whilst we all like like to support local businesses it’s hard to overlook the advantages of purchasing online. Last year I purchased the majority of plants through Crocus whilst this year I opted for Gardening Express. My experience with both suppliers has further extended my confidence in buying plants online.

Daniel has worked in the garden sector since 1998, is an avid gardener and a foodie. His organic garden is based near Chester.