I used to buy lots of perennial plants from Bluestone, but I stopped a few years ago because the plants in those 3-packs were so small that I invariably lost most of them in my garden. Other plants would leaf out and tower over them, robbing them of light and water.
Another reason I stopped is that I didn't really want 3 plants in most cases. I continued to buy shrubs, vines, and bulbs from Bluestone, but avoided buying the 3-packs.
Recently the Internet was inundated with complaints about Bluestone's soaring prices. The nursery had started selling plants as units instead of in groups of three, and the price per unit was indeed much higher than it had been before. The plants were said to be larger, however, and that sounded good to me, so I placed an order. It arrived today and I'm supremely happy with the plants and with other details of the process.
No more styrofoam peanuts and no plastic pots. The plants are in coir pots and can be planted, pot and all, with no fear of transplant shock. The plants are appreciably larger than before. The box is 12 inches tall and the plants were slightly taller. You can see that their tops were just slightly flattened when the box was closed.
No staples, rubber bands, or tape were required in this packing process. In the photo above, you can see that three pieces of cardboard keep the box stable horizontally. The white tab you see on the left is the top of the envelope containing growing instructions, the invoice, and discount coupons for future use. The plants are packed in cardboard inserts that lift out of the box easily. There's space for three plants in each insert, but I ordered seven plants, so one of them got lots of extra breathing room.
The plant on the left in the photo below is Hydrangea 'Star Gazer' and the one on the right is Clematis 'Rebecca.' You can see that 'Rebecca' has already grown much taller than the stick it was supposed to climb and has snaked over into 'Star Gazer.' It's the largest Clematis I've received in the mail this season and also the least expensive. I received a discount for placing an early order and paid just $12.71 for it.
The photo on the left below is of two aquilegias: 'Dorothy Rose' and 'Winkie Double Rose and White.' I also bought three 'Ruby Port' columbines because they were half-price. The half-price plants were actually a little bit larger than the full-price ones. The photo on the right is for comparison purposes. The plant on the left is the full-price 'Dorothy Rose' and the one on the right is one of the half-price 'Ruby Ports.'
So all of the changes in Bluestone's marketing practices are positive ones, in my opinion. The plants are better, the pots are better, and the packing is better. The price of each perennial is appreciably higher than the price of one plant in a 3-pack, but it's lower than the price of the whole 3-pack, and I'd rather have one big plant than three small ones.
Some things haven't changed: They sent confirmation of my order right away, sent early notification of the delivery date, and then sent a tracking number when the package was shipped. As always, they sent a slew of discount coupons to be used on future orders.
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