This is the second time I've gotten Richters' catalog in the mail since I signed up for it on their website and I haven't ordered a thing from them. I have to say that I'm really impressed with the design and quality of their catalog and it makes me want to order even though I'm not interested in growing my own herbs but if you like herbs and veggies sign up for this catalog.What I particularly like is the design and effort put into producing this catalog. Nice color photos that illustrate what the plants look like. I'm not very fond of books or catalogs that have B&W photos of plants or even worse- illustrations! The photos of these herbs and plants are accompanied by a short description (over a thousand plants) of what the plant is used for and sometimes information about the country a particular plant is popular in.
The plant selection is unique and a good resource for people interested in making their own remedies for a particular ailment, gourmet cooks and people interested in ethnic foods. I don't really fall into those categories so I'm not sure I'll ever order from them. But I am tempted to order some seeds from them because I've been toying with the idea of making a small garden around an alchemy theme and some of the plants like European Mandrake, Liverwort and Skeleton Rose would be welcomed additions.
Richters' plants and seeds are available according to the catalog as plants, plugs packs and plug trays. What's especially cool is that they sell seeds in bulk for people interested in purchasing seeds in large quantaties. You can also order extracts & oils books if you're interested in reading up on things like cooking with edible herbs or the healing properties of certain plants.
From my Google searches I get the impression that they're really slow to ship and problems with shipping internationally (they're in Canada) can leave American gardeners getting dead plants. Some people in the States reported receiving dead plants while others were very pleased with the plants and condition they arrived in and in particular the packaging. It may be a better seed source for Americans than a plant source but with anything else your results may vary.
A visit to Richters.com left me unimpressed with the design and usability of their website. But I did like the little articles and information they provide. The information is particularly good if you're thinking about growing certain crops. I have to give the Richters Herb Catalog 5 out of 5 stars for their great catalog and plant selection.
1 comment:
Agreed on all counts but as far as buying from Richters, I'd strongly advise against it. We ordered plants and they arrived dead or dying. after getting the run-around for 3 weeks, we're still not making any progress. Off to contest the charge with the credit card. Sigh. Richters could have been great, but alas, they're miles from that. :(
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