Okay, telly shopping sometimes feels a bit mystical; something you watch in a 2am haze, or when you can’t sleep, or you’ve had one too many advocaat. There’s plenty of people that have never ever bought anything, but you can bet they’ve wandered into the “shop-space” when channel hopping.
So why not take a short trip into this fantastic world of demonstration, unique products, and good value with me? I’m going to explain why buying from a virtual garden centre makes a whole lot of sense…
1. Plants are delivered to your door. Over the last year or so, the opening of retail stores has become somewhat unpredictable. Furthermore, it’s always super convenient to have something delivered to you at the right time, in secure packaging.
2. Plants are sent of the right time. Sometimes, in the retail stores, they get a little bit ahead of themselves, and sell baby plugs in the cold winter months. But, you can rest assured that when you order through the TV, everything is sent at the right time for you to pot or plant on.
3. You will find varieties that you cannot find in the garden centres. Very often, a plant needs to go through many many hoops in order to become a commercially sold variety. Mail-order is much lower quantities than retail, so you have access to plants that are in limited quantities, and that little bit more unique.
4. We can explain more to you than you can read on a plant label. You know how it is, when you need help in a DIY store or garden centre, there is nobody seen for dust. When buying from the TV, you have a five minute explanation, including demonstrations too!
5. You’re buying from some of the top brands, with years of mail-order experience. QVC really is the premium shopping channel, and quality is their priority. Many plants also feature a guarantee too, for extra piece of mind.
6. It’s easier to find the plants that you want. Without a plant directory for annual plants, it can be hard to track them down. You’re not going to drive around 100 mile radius of garden centres, are you? So when they pop up on QVC, we recommend you reserve as soon as you can.
7. I’m there, giving you lots of extra hints and tips. Sometimes, it’s best to learn from someone who has really done it, and not learnt from the textbooks. I confess, I’m not always the best gardener, but the way I garden is realistic, and hopefully my shortcuts and tips can help everyone!
8. There is a community. We have a special Facebook group called “gone gardening”, which is such a warm community of TV shopping gardeners, basically. Pop in there, show off what you’ve bought, ask for advice, or just have some random chats.
9. We really are a one stop shop. For example, last year, it was difficult to get hold of any compost, so many people turned to using mail order, and having bags delivered to the door. It means you’re not dirtying the backseat of your car either!
10. Where else do you get a two hour gardening programme on a weekly basis? We don’t go for the hard sell, we want to build a community, and so that’s why we have lots of customer interaction, hints and tips, demos, and such.
Tempted?
Check out all the show dates here!
Join our community here.
Sign up to the Plant Geek Magazine here.
Want to find out a little more about buying plants off the TV? I’ve created a video with lots of tips – watch below!
Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
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