Well, here we are at the end of what has been an unremarkable summer with few extremes. Watering has been much less of a chore than normal, and temperatures have been mostly on the cool side of expectations. It’s been another busy year though, and we have picked up a number of new trade clients through our excellent service and competitive prices. The trend to using mostly native plants has continued strongly, and since that has always been one of our strengths, we have been involved in several prestigious wildlife projects; we are always pleased to advise on suitable plants for local councils, charities and wildlife groups generally.
This trend for native plants has had the effect of reducing sales of some of the more exotic plants that hitherto have been steady, though limited sellers, to a level which means that it really isn’t worth our while continuing to list them. Once a plant sells less than about a dozen a year, it costs more in labour to look after than it’s worth to keep, so a few odd little foreign treasures may well disappear soon, but hardly anyone will notice. If there’s something you have your heart set on, it’s always worth asking, as even if something is showing out of stock, as we can mostly find one or two lurking somewhere.
It remains clear to us too that the vast majority of plants that we sell are the marginal and deeper water plants, so we will be continuing to reduce the range of moisture loving plants that we offer. This will enable us to look after our reduced range better and offer them at an even more competitive price. Much of the surplus we were holding has now gone, but there are still some bargains to be had; now that most are cut back and going dormant the price has come down. Especially for moisture loving plants that are large and leafy, the cost of packing and sending when they are tall, bulky and heavy is enormous, so once the flowering season is over the price reduces considerably. Now is an excellent time to get these plants in the ground for a great display next year.
There are fewer late special offers on marginals and lilies this year as we aren’t overburdened with stock, and thanks to some larger late season orders we are in a happy place, stock-wise. We have plenty of newly potted plants coming along nicely ready for next season. If you are planning a project next year which is likely to require many hundreds or possibly thousands of plants, please don’t wait to ask us until the day before you want them. We can always offer the best deals for forward orders, and these can amount to a substantial discount for potted plants.
We have sold a lot of plants for Natural Swimming Pools again this year, this is a growth area for us, but often we are only asked for advice or plants at the eleventh hour – please give as much notice as possible and do ask for advice. We have plenty of experience in this area and can help you avoid costly mistakes – but not after they have already been made! Telephone advice is free, and simple email queries will be answered promptly, but please note that we cannot produce free individual tailored planting schemes for small orders, the time taken is too onerous. We have put a lot of effort into providing advice on the site and on YouTube, and if you can’t make up your mind, please order one of our popular Pond Packs.
Bare root plants have always been our speciality, and these continue to be the best value option. The best selection and availability will be in Spring, when we do most of our propagation and division, but based on the last few years’ sales, many will be sold out by early summer. It doesn’t make sense for us then to wash out pots to send them to you as bare root plants at a lower price, as we have often done in the past, so going forward there will be a definite early season emphasis to bare root availability. Our Pond Packs and Pick and Mix selections can be used to get most bare root plants later in the season.
We have been very busy adding to our YouTube videos and dare to think that maybe we aren’t quite so hammy now after some practice, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, please look at the links under the Plant Care tab. There are videos on most pond plant topics with more in the pipeline and a major new one being filmed in Spring 2025 on pond construction. Our Facebook and Instagram pages are good for checking what’s new.
The issue of price is probably a bore to most of our customers. Our prices did not increase in 2024 and we managed to absorb an average 3% rise in costs, but if the same rise happens again next year we might have to make a small adjustment.
Our plants are great value and should not be compared to others whose plants are smaller and inferior. A high percentage of our customers comment on this, so it’s not just us saying it. The price for one or two plants may seem high compared to a garden centre, but they don’t have to send it to your door. Some suppliers get around this by using much smaller plants, often plugs, packed in a flimsy envelope, but we have never felt that this is the way to go. Our plants are mature, substantial and generously portioned and packed in a rigid box, sent on a next day fragile service so that they arrive in perfect condition and get off to a good start. We are at the point where packing and carriage costs, especially on small orders, now exceed the value of the plants themselves, and a lot of our turnover goes to pay the couriers and packaging suppliers. Currently, if a customer orders say two single one litre plants, which works out at just over the current minimum order charge of £20, nearly 60% of the value of that order is postage and packing cost, and results in a net loss to us (our standard delivery charge of £8.50 (£7.08 plus VAT) nowhere near covers the actual cost. A 3kg Fragile service parcel currently costs us north of £11 to send, not including the cost of packaging.) There may well be an increase in the minimum order charge for 2025 as a result.
If you have a larger order of potted plants, by which we mean over £500.00, please contact us before ordering, as we can often reduce the pain somewhat. Whole box quantities can also be discounted, please check under the Trade section to see the applicable discounts. Remember that our low capped delivery charge already represents a substantial discount on larger orders, and orders over £85 are free of carriage cost to you. For customers collecting from the nursery, since there is no packing and carriage cost, much lower prices apply, and these can be downloaded from our Contact page.
A VAT invoice will be provided on request, so that if you are a trade customer our plants will cost 20% less than from many of our competitors.
A big THANK YOU to all our customers, large and small, without you we would be nothing, we look forward to supplying top quality plants and service for years to come. Roll on 2025!
Ruth, David, and the team at Devon Pond Plants