Buying plants & shrubs from the continent since Brexit.

Skylark001

In the last 20 years, but before Brexit, I occasionally ordered plants and shrubs from the continent, usually from Holland, and always because the items in question weren't available anywhere in the UK.  It was easy to do and it was not expensive.  But this weekend I sent an enquiry to a supplier in Holland, who has replied:

"Due to Brexit, the shipping of small orders to the UK has become much too expensive. Each shipment, no matter how small or large, needs a Phytosanitary (health) Certificate which costs Euro 200 to get.  So we now have an agent in the UK who collects orders we receive and then has them all shipped to the UK at one time, to save on the cost of the certificate and shipping.  This now happens twice a year."

This is unfortunate for gardeners like me at this time who don't want to wait for the next six-monthly shipment, but hopefully it's a development which will encourage UK nurseries to extend their ranges.

Posy

I'm sympathetic,  but only a bit. Britain imports millions of plants and cut flowers from Europe and elsewhere and with them a host of pests and diseases which are doing appalling damage to our farms and gardens. We have wonderful nurseries and garden centres here - I wish all of their stuff was home grown - and I believe we should think carefully before we invite in even more trouble.

Hostafan1

Posy said:

I'm sympathetic,  but only a bit. Britain imports millions of plants and cut flowers from Europe and elsewhere and with them a host of pests and diseases which are doing appalling damage to our farms and gardens. We have wonderful nurseries and garden centres here - I wish all of their stuff was home grown - and I believe we should think carefully before we invite in even more trouble.

should we also rely solely on the fruit and veg we can grow ourselves ?

Skandi

It works the other way as well, I used to import all of my seeds from the UK, (denmark has no place to buy bulk seeds) Now I have to buy from Sweden or Germany, both of which are much more expensive and have less choice. I'm very much hoping they get the plant passport stuff sorted out soon!

Posy

No, we cannot feed ourselves without importing food, although personally, I would like to see MUCH more emphasis on growing as much as we can ourselves.

However, plants are a luxury and it is heartbreaking to watch our trees dying and our crops decimated by diseases and pests we have imported with our bedding plants. We have been careless of our most precious assets.

Hostafan1

Posy said:

No, we cannot feed ourselves without importing food, although personally, I would like to see MUCH more emphasis on growing as much as we can ourselves.

However, plants are a luxury and it is heartbreaking to watch our trees dying and our crops decimated by diseases and pests we have imported with our bedding plants. We have been careless of our most precious assets.

should we ban our nurseries exporting for the same reasons?

Nollie

Some of the smaller suppliers in both Europe and the UK haven’t got to grips with the phyt cert and plant passport regime (and no it doesn’t cost anything like that much, that’s a ‘I can’t be faffed so please go away’ price) The bigger suppliers are more on it, they have the resources to do battle with paperwork, I guess. I do know of a few Dutch nurseries that have resumed deliveries to the UK.

For many years, pre-Brexit, plants I ordered from France, Holland, Germany and Belgium all came with all the above certification as standard and guaranteed free from disease. All the plants sold in my local GCs have it to. Which leads me to suspect most of the confusion and misunderstanding over the rules and requirements are at the UK customs department.

Posy

I think we should consider it very seriously. Bio-security is much neglected and I don't think we should be sending out disease and misery without thought. Look what we did to the poor South Americans and American Indians. Now we're doing it to plants.

Hostafan1

I read that Dutch Elm disease was imported in a consignment of bananas. ( no idea if that's true though )

raisingirl

Hostafan1 said:

I read that Dutch Elm disease was imported in a consignment of bananas. ( no idea if that's true though )

No, according to the Woodland Trust. They seem fairly unequivocal on the subject - not sure if that means its proven though.

Dutch elm disease was accidentally imported into the UK from Canada in the late 1960s. It spread quickly, reaching Scotland in just 10 years.

The movement of elm products caused the spread of the disease, particularly on logs with bark attached but also through saplings, crates and mulching bark.

Busy-Lizzie

I had a beautiful garden in my last house in France, which I opened for the French equivalent of the NGS. A lot of my flowers and roses were bought in the UK. Many had happy memories, plants I bought from visits to places like Beth Chatto's garden, Bressingham, Great Dixter and the Malvern Spring Show, also a wonderful holiday in Shropshire with a visit to David Austin. Now I have a new blank canvas French garden and bringing plants back is forbidden, thanks to Brexit. I couldn't take plants as the buyers of my house had it written into the contract not to. I managed to split a few though.

Even taking back seeds isn't allowed. I wanted some foxglove seeds in France, couldn't find them anywhere. I've never seen Tithonia, Ammi or even runner bean seeds for sale in France.

A lot of the plants for sale in French GCs just say on the label eg Campanula, Phlox, Penstemon etc without saying which one - no variety, maybe the colour if you're lucky.

Anyway, now my time is shared with 2nd OH's cottage in Norfolk so I've been doing his garden.