Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Alan_b on March 25, 2014, 07:53:02 AM
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The snowdrop G. elwesii 'The Groom' is currently being offered for sale on eBay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/galanthus-elwesii-The-groom-/171275638699?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item27e0d2d7ab (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/galanthus-elwesii-The-groom-/171275638699?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item27e0d2d7ab)
But the photograph has been lifted without permission from this site http://www.galanthus.co.uk/snowdrop/The-Groom (http://www.galanthus.co.uk/snowdrop/The-Groom) and I understand the site owner, Rod Begbie (I think), says he has only ever parted with a single bulb of 'The Groom' and does not believe that what is being sold derives from that. There seems to be a recurrent form of eBay scam where ordinary plants are sold out-of-season as rare plants and the purchaser does not discover this until the plant flowers many months later. I do not know if this is an instance of such a scam but the circumstances appear quite suspicious. My attention was drawn to the is by the Facebook Snowdrop Group.
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This seller has offered many rare snowdrops in recent weeks, including 'Elizabeth Harrison'. Caveat emptor.
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Or bidder beware in this instance (I cannot translate that into Latin). This seller is also selling 'Green Tear' at present, that is if it really is 'Green Tear'. And the eBay price of 'The Groom' seems to have gone into reverse this morning.
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I'm sure I know who the person was who has the single bulb that was given away , and it pretty much was still a single bulb when I saw it .
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The eBay price has dropped from £100 down to £16
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I hope the price reverse means that we are doing some good by raising doubts about the authenticity of this snowdrop.
Emma, can you contact the owner of that single bulb of 'The Groom' that seems to be the only possible source of a genuine one being offered for sale? If they can confirm that they are not the vendor and have not distributed that cultivar further then that knowledge would make it almost certain that the one being offered for sale on eBay is a fake.
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they confirm it's not them and I trust them completely
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I take it that the owner of the site www.galanthus.co.uk (http://www.galanthus.co.uk) is the originator of 'The Groom'? So either the information we have that reportedly comes from them is wrong or the snowdrop being sold on eBay as 'The Groom' is a fake.
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They're even using the same wording as Rod to describe the snowdrop.
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Rod Begbie is the only source of this snowdrop, as previously stated.
This ebay seller claimed that he "was old" and so had no good photo of his own to illustrate the alleged 'Elizabeth Harrison' when he was challenged about using a stolen picture to sell the bulb -
no doubt that would be his answer now - but I think we are all sure that he does NOT have this very rare snowdrop to sell.
How very sad that people are so dishonest.
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I think we have to be reconciled to the fact that there are a few dishonest people around. For me the sad thing is that it appears that are means by which someone can commit fraud via eBay with very little fear of being prosecuted for it. On the other hand, it is very good and very public-spirited of the SRGC to allow us to raise concerns on the forum when the authenticity of a plant being sold appears questionable or a photograph is being used without permission.
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He can't be that old if he is using eBay mobile to sell final fantasy figures from his collection
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And if hes using a mobile , what mobile that is internet ready doesn't come with a camera !
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Exactly!!
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Hmm, oddly reminiscent of the seller who sold Anne Wright a fake 'Ailwyn' a few years ago but mainly sold models and figurines.
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The eBay seller is claiming that Rod gave out more bulbs to someone he is no longer acquainted with and that is where the stock comes from
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He also says you will receive a bulb with a flower on .
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A mixture of the vaguely plausible and the impossible. Again oddly reminiscent of the seller who sold Anne Wright (and others) a fake 'Ailwyn' a few years ago. he said he had originally bought his 'Ailwyn' at a nursery somewhere in the vicinity of Anglesey Abbey but could not remember exactly where.
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I've asked him to take a picture of the bulbs he has in flower rather than the photo he's nicked from someone else's website .
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Given the choice between believing a respected SRGC Member and an ebay seller who steals photos, I know who I put my faith in - Rod Begbie.
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Totally forgot about this matter on Ebay. I already heared on the 9 th of March that this seller is bad news >:(.
I was informed from out of the UK that this seller sells snowdrops on Ebay, but that I must not even consider to make any bids !!
So I personally have no experience with this seller.
But as Maggi said already, it is not difficult who to believe........
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I can take a picture yes. My photos are not brilliant so I used the suppliers image. I've allready spine to the original owner and have agreed to not re use the image.
Regards. That is the reply I got when I asked for a picture of it in his own garden . Please nobody waste your money on buying from this seller , it all seems highly suspect !
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I've asked for a picture
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Apparently if I want to see the picture I have to bid on the snowdrop
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So I put in a bid , let's see if I get a photo
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Oh ..... So now I have to be the winning bidder to get a photo !
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I'd be wary, Emma. If it is the same guy as before he can become quite threatening when forced onto the defensive.
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Waves to the person selling the snowdrop on eBay if he's looking . Just stop , we are on to you , it's not fair to rip people off .
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What harm would it be to show people the photo if your genuinely have the snowdrop .
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Mmmm to get the photo I have to send my email address ....I'm not an idiot
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And these days eBay allows sellers to attach pictures to messages so no need for email
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This situation calls for Crimestoppers!
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Also if he's reading this , post a picture of it here , end the doubt . No harm in proving you are telling the truth . After all you want it to make money , if it's the real thing we can bid on it .
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Oh he's now claiming to be an OAP , why should that matter . If you can set up an eBay account and sell on it , you can post a photo message !
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I was just about to ask all of you for some advice regarding Ebay as well, but just saw this thread, so thought I would comment/ask here.
I have also been sold a mislabelled bulb on ebay last year, and a very expensive one... here is the situation :
In april 2013, I purchased from a UK seller a supposed frilly leaf form of boophane disticha from Port Elizabeth, rarely available at specimen size. I potted the bulb, and in august/september 2013 it leafed out. The leaves where very very straight, without a sign of frilyness, and wide. I had my doubts, thinking it must be the usual form of disticha. I let it leaf out further to be sure, and cross checked with 2 plant friends/contacts in South Africa, who confirmed my doubts. : What I had was the stright leaf form of boophane disticha, not the frilly leaf form.
I contacted the seller, who for weeks argued that they had sent me the correct plant. They said that it gets more frilly in hot temperatures and full strong sun. I agreed with this, sending them a picture of my whole boophane collection in full leaf, my 3 true port elizabeth boophanes being frillier than ever after our record hot and warm sunny summer, while their boophane, next to them, was in comparaison very very unfrilly to say the least, even after baking in the heat wawe and getting as much sun as it possibly could get.!!
When I asked for a refund if I posted it back they reluctantly said maybe if i would agree to pay the return postage, or if they sent a replacement perhaps. I agreed to this and awhaited my refund before posting, or an alternative replacement plant or any sign of life from them by e mail. But since january, total silence from the seller who refuses to respond to my Ebay messages or emails. The opening of a case on ebay has now timed out for this item sadly. What can I possibly do now?
I was told by a friend in South Africa who looked at their ebay listing that it seems that they sell illegally wild dug haemanthus canaliculatus from the betty's bay reserve in SA where they grow....
when i once asked them where they get their bulbs from they refused to reply...
I do want to try and get my money back, as it is a large sum...any advice on what I can do?
thanks in advance for any help :)
Pontus
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Pontus, sad story :-\. Even more because I think you can do nothing about it anymore.....think you money is lost.
Emma, thank you for all the trouble you made for us. But do not let it make you crazy ;). I have warned many contacts from me now.
And many people will read this and tell it on ;)
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yes very sad, I suppose all I can do now is warn you all to be carefull if you consider purchasing from this seller, as you may run into problems. I suppose its ok for me to put a link to their listing here as a warning? if not, I can remove it, but for the moment, here it is :
http://www.ebay.com/sch/9665cue/m.html?hash=item4cffe2cc24&item=330710567972&pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&_trksid=p4340.l2562 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/9665cue/m.html?hash=item4cffe2cc24&item=330710567972&pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&_trksid=p4340.l2562)
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Pontus,
If you paid with your credit card (using paypal) you can ask your credit card company for advice, Maybe they can do something, although you are quite late. I have had refunds from my credit card companies even long after the Ebay or Paypal terms of claiming. The best is Amex in my experience, but the other companies have similar services/insurance for having received wrong items.
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yes thanks John, I had not thought about that, but yes, I paid with PayPal which is linked to my credit card (Visa)...
Pontus
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Pontus, if what you experienced was fraud, as it seems, then the fraudsters rely on eBay time limits to get away with their crime. I think eBay would rather turn a blind eye to this type of fraud than to set appropriate time limits for plants bought 'out-of-season'. I recommend you to seek legal advice as to what action you can take.
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yes very sad, I suppose all I can do now is warn you all to be carefull if you consider purchasing from this seller, as you may run into problems. I suppose its ok for me to put a link to their listing here as a warning? if not, I can remove it, but for the moment, here it is :
http://www.ebay.com/sch/9665cue/m.html?hash=item4cffe2cc24&item=330710567972&pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&_trksid=p4340.l2562 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/9665cue/m.html?hash=item4cffe2cc24&item=330710567972&pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&_trksid=p4340.l2562)
I have followed the link; why does this seller have 100% favourable reviews?
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The normal practice on eBay seems to be to fire-off a sycophantic review before inspecting what you've got. If you cannot properly evaluate an item for months after it has arrived there is no way of giving an accurate review.
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I believe John Grimshaw is having to fax eBay his complaint about the seller using one of his photos for green tear . Who the hell has a fax machine these days .....makes you think eBay is quite happy to leave it like this to limit it's copyright complaints
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Who the hell has a fax machine these days .....
Probably from work where they haven't had the resources to update their office equipment!
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yes you are right, I was about to say the same, my theory is also that they sell mislabelled bulbs that in some cases can take up to a year to establish and leaf out, and then a further year to flower! by which time of course the normal ebay reporting time has run out light years ago...
it is strange that all their reviews are good, but it may be that people who have been frauded and discovered the mislabelling months after teh purchase are , like me, no longer able to leave negative feedback or reviews, as again, the automatic ebay timing on that will have timed out as well..
its a shame that there is no way to contact a live person at Ebay....or even e mail/call them somehow..
I heard that there is a small claims court in the UK, but as someone told me, it may be a bit tricky to use as I dont live in the UK, I dont know... YOu have to pay £ 25 to open a case, money which is again lost if no settelment is found and you do not get your money back..
I imagine I can again e mail the seller threatening with the small claims court, but they may not take any notice of that either...
i had never had any problems at all with Ebay untill last year, when this happened and i also recieved lilium bulbs that prooved to be mislabelled in august when they flowered!!..I am also trying to sort out a VCR player whch was sold to me without a power cord!!! After all these incidents I may soon stop buying on Ebay altogether!!
Pontus
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What's happened to good old bartering and visiting specialist growers face to face! Any lawyer would just say caveat emptor I think, and since it's not possible to judge plants coming from Ebay you must just have to take the rough with the smooth. Life before computers...
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Bartering and visiting specialist growers face to face is an ideal, Tim, but there are a lot of folk out there who are interested in plants who do not, for whatever reason, have access to those methods - such people will use the likes of ebay and I hope we can do whatever we can to warn people to be both generally cautious and also to avoid those sellers who we have found, in our collective experience, to be charlatans - I will avoid the use of stronger language for these people who are, in fact, criminals.
I think we owe it to ourselves to do what we can to stamp out such activity.
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Hi,
I don't want to hijack this thread but after talking to Maggie I'm adding another ebay vendor to be wary of.
This is a cyp vendor from France going by the name Francis.
She has had many different crosses and species for sale recently.
I bought a plant labelled macranthos x hotei atsumorianum - in effect a cross between 2 forms of macranthos.
I received a poor almost dead small division of what looked like a wild collected rhizome.
I sent it back straight away and although she was cross I have got my money back.
I did wonder why she did not post photos of the rhizomes/roots, just the flowers.
Anyway - just a warning. Other plants may be Ok - who knows?
Regards,
David
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What's happened to good old bartering and visiting specialist growers face to face!
Another problem people have who do not see, lurk or take part in our forum (or belong to AGS, HPS, CGS etc), is that they do not know who the specialist growers/sellers are and are tempted by the photographs to buy things that are so obviously suspicious to us. We are doubly fortunate :)
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Tim, of course what you suggest is the best way ;). But as already discussed on this forum, lot of snowdrops are stolen also those days.
I think not many growers are looking forward to have visitors in their garden/collection anymore. Only writing this down makes me sick already, thinking about it that people are visiting other people with thoughts to steel some plants >:(.
Like Brian says, we are lucky to have this forum and that many people know each other. For me personally it is one of my best
sources to have some new snowdrops for my collection ( by this forum).
And also the Gala's that are organised is a very good way to find/buy some new snowdrops.
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While it is deeply disturbing that plants are stolen and that photos are stolen to sell plants that are, for the most part, not correctly named- or even, perish the thought, plants that have been stolen - thank goodness we are able here to discuss such matters and try to prevent at least some people from being fleeced.
We are able to praise good sellers and also to flag up those using dishonest tactics - better that we do that than try to pretend nothing is happening.
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It seems clear that the seller ember_danny is using stolen images and cannot, for example, be selling a true plant of "the Groom" - this and other information that is forthcoming from various places is evidence that anyone would be VERY WISE to avoid this seller completely.
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ember_danny, the eBay seller arousing our concernss, recently sold snowdrops supposed to be 'Elizabeth Harrsion' and 'Godfrey Owen' to frequent eBay snowdrop bidder a***a. If anybody knows a***a can they please draw their attention to this thread and invite them to contact me.
Likewise I would be interested to hear from anybody who has bought snowdrops on eBay from somebody in the Basildon area in previous years which did not prove to be the snowdrops they were supposed to be. I've already had a private communication from one such person providing a plausible link between ember_danny and the real names of the two people he dealt with. My intention is to put everyone who thinks they have been scammed in touch with each other so they can make a joint approach to the authorities.
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Even if the seller is selling the correct plant, stealing photos to market their product on eBay is just as criminal. There is another discussion going on about this on the forum here http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11601.0;topicseen. (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11601.0;topicseen.) This seller, classicflowerbulbs has stolen my photos of Trillium luteum. I would hope that no forum member would purchase plants on eBay from someone who steals photos. However, when Mark S. pointed out in an earlier thread that an eBay seller in Greece had stolen my photo to sell snowdrops, and Mark's before mine, people commented that they had purchased from that seller with good results. I make money selling my photos so stealing the photo is just as bad as selling the wrong plant.
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Even if the seller is selling the correct plant, stealing photos to market their product on eBay is just as criminal. There is another discussion going on about this on the forum here http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11601.0;topicseen. (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11601.0;topicseen.) This seller, classicflowerbulbs has stolen my photos of Trillium luteum. I would hope that no forum member would purchase plants on eBay from someone who steals photos. However, when Mark S. pointed out in an earlier thread that an eBay seller in Greece had stolen my photo to sell snowdrops, and Mark's before mine, people commented that they had purchased from that seller with good results. I make money selling my photos so stealing the photo is just as bad as selling the wrong plant.
It seems to me that those using stolen images to sell plants are often those who do not give either good plants, correct to name , or good service.
Of course the unauthorised use of photos is stealing. This is discussed in several threads throughout the forum and has recurred over a long period. Many forumists sell their photos but even if someone is willing for their photos to be used without payment - WITH PROPER PERMISSION AND CREDIT GIVEN - then using those photos without authorisation is theft.
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The groom has been removed from sale , as have the other snowdrops he was selling
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Well thank goodness for that. I hope this means that the seller has realised that he and his associates are liable to end up being prosecuted for fraud.
Unfortunately he has already sold snowdrops purporting to be 'Big Boy', 'Godfrey Owen' & 'Elizabeth Harrison' in the last couple of weeks and I am lead to believe he (/they) has pulled the same sort of trick in previous years under a different eBay identity.
One moral is that you really do need to be wary when buying on eBay. Is the seller using his own photograph? Has the seller requested some departure from the normal eBay selling procedure? Doubts in either case should cause alarm bells to ring.
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Please be aware that this ebay seller has changed their ID from ember_danny, they are now sheridan2014
[attachimg=1]
Those who have been in contact with several forumists over this matter of mis-selling are confident that these are connected to Rob Emberson and a Danny Boulter who have been involved in a previous scam selling bulbs.
Be aware !
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As a newbie myself to the world of galanthus would it not be possible to post
a list of reputable sellers on eBay or on the Internet so people like me don't get ripped off?
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I have my photograph on eBay so everyone knows who they are dealing with. works well.
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Ant-k - there must be thousands of ebay sellers around the world selling plants and seeds - compiling such a list as you suggest would be well-nigh impossible. The SRGC forum is at least somewhere where problems with sellers can be aired and also where good reviews of excellent suppliers can be shared too.
Forumists can always post a question in the forum to see if anyone has experience of a seller or ask if a particular offer sounds too good to be true. If it does sound too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.
With the google picture search facility, mentioned elsewhere - I'll find the link in a minute - it is possible to enter a photo into that and find out where else it may appear on the internet. If you find the picture on another website other than one clearly belonging to the seller, and there is no note of authorisation or credit given to the original source -that is a good guide that things are not as they could be and so caution is advised.
Openness of ID of the seller, as with Michael's story, is another good sign, too.
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Here is the link to help with using a photo to search in google- a very useful tool:
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html (http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html)
Quote from the site :
Search Google using images
Instead of typing words, you can use a picture as your search to find related images from around the web. For example, if you search using a picture of your favorite band, you can find similar images, websites about the band, and even sites that include the same picture.
Search by image works best when the image is likely to show up in other places on the web. So you’ll get more results for famous landmarks than you will for personal images like your latest family photo.
How to search
What results look like
When you search by image, your results may include:
Image results for images that are similar to yours
Web results for pages that include matching images
Other sizes of the image you searched for
Availability
You can search by image on the following browsers:
Chrome 5+
Internet Explorer 9+
Safari 5+
Firefox 4+
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Thanks for the reply Maggi, I have downloaded the app..thanks.
I would still like to see a list of reputable galanthus growers
recommended by forum members as a source of information
to newbies trying to find hard to get galanthus at reasonable
prices.
As for eBay,a list of sellers that forum members have used before
and are trusted I think would be very useful too
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would it not be possible to post a list of reputable sellers on eBay or on the Internet?
I cannot do a list but two ebay vendors that spring to mind are:
Matt Bishop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mattbishopsnowdrops (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mattbishopsnowdrops)
Mr O (Ollie) Howes ('mrohowes') who sells snowdrops for/from Monksilver Nursery (Joe Sharman) http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mrohowes (http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mrohowes)
There are lots of other small vendors who are perfectly reputable and a few who are not! But if you want to get galanthus at reasonable prices, don't buy on eBay. Buy from lists or at the sales tables at snowdrop events. I myself have bid for a few snowdrops on eBay but never actually won an auction.
Edited to correct the spelling of Ollie
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I have bought from eBay and I sold one snowdrop this year , just a 'warei' .
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Thanks for the reply Maggi, I have downloaded the app..thanks.
I would still like to see a list of reputable galanthus growers
recommended by forum members as a source of information
to newbies trying to find hard to get galanthus at reasonable
prices.
As for eBay,a list of sellers that forum members have used before
and are trusted I think would be very useful too
There is no guarantee that forumists have tried and tested all the good or bad sellers, Ant-k
If anyone has any question about any particular seller it is a simple matter to use the forum search facility - seen in this screengrab in orange, 4th from the left at the top of any forum page, to enter the name and see what has been mentioned about that person, or plant, whatever, in the forum
[attachimg=1]
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Thanks to the lurker too , you know who you are . I think you should join in !
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I have bought a few off eBay this year.. All in flower just to make
sure I get the right one!
Also a couple from avon bulbs and one from
Foxgrove plants,all of which I'm delighted with.
I have been following your job thread Emma T and so glad you have
found another job so quickly
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Please be aware that this ebay seller has changed their ID from ember_danny, they are now sheridan2014
(Attachment Link)
Those who have been in contact with several forumists over this matter of mis-selling are confident that these are connected to Rob Emberson and a Danny Boulter who have been involved in a previous scam selling bulbs.
Be aware !
192.com lists a Daniel Perryman Boulter in Basildon, Essex, age 22-25. Not an OAP then!
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And Robert A Emberson in Laindon, Basildon age 25-29.
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I've bought several off e-bay this year including a superb and enormous E A Bowles at a reasonable price from Dowling Munro. Ollie Howes has great stuff but the prices do become eye-watering especially the aforementioned variety x5 @ £666. I agree with Maggie that if something seems to good to be true it invariably is. Unless I have dealt with a seller I'd be very reluctant to part with my hard earned cash for drops not in flower. I notice that the groom has been delisted as I'd saved it as a watched item to see what was going to occur. Is this the power of the forum.... excellent.
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Yes, I think this is the power of the forum, acting as a good influence over the plant world. Well done to all concerned.
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Here is the link to help with using a photo to search in google- a very useful tool:
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html (http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html)
Quote from the site :
tineye can be handy too ... http://tineye.com/ (http://tineye.com/)
it has the advantage that it will pick up resized versions of an image .. and sometimes it can also find re-crops .. a bit hit and miss though
There's a firefox add-on that lets you right-click on the image to search for it, or you can upload an image from your own pc.
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I cannot do a list but two ebay vendors that spring to mind are:
Matt Bishop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mattbishopsnowdrops (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mattbishopsnowdrops)
Mr O (Olly) Howes ('mrohowes') who sells snowdrops for/from Monksilver Nursery (Joe Sharman) http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mrohowes (http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/mrohowes)
There are lots of other small vendors who are perfectly reputable and a few who are not! But if you want to get galanthus at reasonable prices, don't buy on eBay. Buy from lists or at the sales tables at snowdrop events. I myself have bid for a few snowdrops on eBay but never actually won an auction.
It is possible to get good value on ebay, but it takes a bit of preparation. If there's something I'm after I get an idea of nursery prices so I know what's a sensible upper bid. I also 'watch' a lot of snowdrop auctions and leave the ended auctions in my watch list. As the season goes on I remove the higher prices from the watch list (i.e. if the same drop has sold for £17 on one occasion and £12 on another, I delete the £17 from the list) so I build up a listing of best prices. So I know what's a sensible limit and I also have an idea of what's possible.
When I started buying snowdrops on ebay, I now realise, I overpaid badly for a few. But I've also had bulbs well under average nursery prices. Now and again you get lucky.
I've several times had two bulbs for the price of one; flowering size offsets which would have been very easy to tease apart, and which I think the vast majority of nurseries would have had two sales from.
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I do also agree that maybe we should have a dedicated page somewhere here on the forum where we can all gradually add fraudulous Ebay vendors, or Ebay members to be weary of, Of course, it is not possible to have all of them, but just to have even a few of the main ones selling bulbs which have proven to be dishonest in any way or providing poor bulbs would be helpfull.
It is encouraging to see that the snowdrop vendors you talk about seem to have for some of them deleted listings, and it is also encouraging to see that for the first time in a long while, the seller that I had problems with does for now no longer have any bids at all on any of their plants...Coincidence or maybe also helped by the forum? I dont know....
Pontus
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It would , I think, be possible to search through the forum to find details of both good and bad ebay sellers- but I'm afraid I do not have time for such a task. If a forumist wishes to do so then that is fine.
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After reading this thread from the customers point of view, I thought I would share ours as sellers. We started our Snowdrop mail order business this year Cornovium Snowdrops, and made a decision to openly use eBay. The main reasons for this were we didn't want to spend any money on advertising, we don't have a reputation as of yet, we cannot travel to the plant fairs as we live in the North and have a young daughter and the amount of people that use the site. We were also interested to hear customers feedback to see it we could fine tune anything for following seasons. We also have a website and have found it interesting that we had almost equal amount of sales from both. There are a large proportion of people that will not go near eBay, which I can understand getting stung one year with Galanthus 'Yvonne Hay', that turned out to be plain old nivalis.
We have also heavily used social media, having both Twitter and Facebook accounts. We post daily images of our garden on Facebook so that you can be assured that we say we have, we have. I have been lucky to meet some really wonderful people this year and have also done some swapping, which we have had a lot of pleasure out of. Although we are running a business we are passionate about plants in general and enjoy working on making a beautiful garden for ourselves, meeting new friends all whilst making a living :D.
I have mentioned on Facebook that I was give the option by eBay to have my images stored in their library so that anybody could use them which I declined.
I will also say that the SRGC forum is a very powerful site, and when Mark very kindly gave us a good review, it was mentioned by a number of customers. So thank you Mark it was greatly appreciated. Starting any micro-business in horticulture is tough and to have had the start we have had, we can't thank enough all those that have supported and encouraged us this year!
Kind regards
Jane
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I have heard good reviews of your plants , too, Jane - it is good to hear the sellers view and , of course we are happy to share the good news about sellers here, any time!
I must add your website to the links pages now while I think about it. ........ have done so now!
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That is very kind of you Maggi, I shall add the SGRC to our site in return :)
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And if you can spare the time to post on the Galanthus section of the forum a bit more frequently I'm sure we would love to hear from you. The SRGC Forum is a form of social media and, I suspect, read by quite a few who do not want to get involved with the likes of Twitter or Facebook.
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Quite so, Alan - I think the social aspect of the forum is as important as it being a plant information resource with a wealth of plant knowledge being shared in great detail. A glance at the viewing numbers and activity on the main Galanthus section illustrates that quite well, I think!
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?board=25.0 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?board=25.0)
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Hi Alan
I'm going to try and be more proactive on the SGRC, I agree not everyone is on Twitter and Facebook and this is a very valuable source of information with regards to plants.
Kind regards
Jane
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Lol I'm on twitter , fb and the forum ......I have no life ha ha ha
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I'm also trying to study for an OU degree at the same time! What did I do with my time before my daughter was born, I just don't know! The weeks just blend into one, I suppose at this rate it will soon be Snowdrop season again :D
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You go for it, Jane ! Gardening Mums can do ANYTHING, I've found that among my friends - strong , capable women, all of 'em!