Five Clematis in the mail

[Nyboy]

explantion of why so mny orders are late

I need to ask for your help
Dear Alex Limato,
As most of you know we are running way behind delivery schedule. I did not want to have to do this and have wrestled with it in my mind for weeks. I want to fill you in on the entire story of what we are going through.

We got off schedule the very first ship week due to the Easter holiday. Then a few weeks into the season I lost an employee which has not been replaced. The flash sales where such a success that we where overwhelmed with orders. But this is only a small part of what has caused us to so far off schedule. We where determined to work 16 hours a day to get back on schedule ...... then

Around the first of May during a routine checkup the doctor felt a lump in my daughters neck. This is our youngest daughter who's name is Raven. After that we where sent to multiple doctors and had several series of test / scans run. Then came the news that the lump was a tumor. The doctors we are seeing are in Bristol VA which is about and hour and a half drive from our home. The running back and forth to the doctors and hospital eat up a lot of our time and we kept falling further and further behind schedule. One doctor finally ordered biopsies of the lump and it came back positive for Cancer. They kept running test and found out that she had Thyroid Cancer and told us it had to come out immediately. (This was last week) We knew they where concerned about it being cancer but they all seemed to play it down until that moment. From that moment it went into crisis mode.

They are not sure if it has spread and want to do some more biopsies while they remove her Thyroid and the tumor. She is scheduled for surgery this coming Monday the 23rd. She is then scheduled for some type of full body scan as soon as they have her thyroid out.

As you can imagine this has turned our entire world upside down. We have been so worried and depressed that it slowed our pace of work down and some days my wife could not work at all. It has overwhelmed us to the point where we did not know what to do about the outstanding orders.

Other family members are tying to help but this is all new to them. While we are at he hospital next week a large group of other family members and friends of the family are going to try to get out as many orders as they possibly can. There will be mistakes made but I promise to correct any that are made
.
I have to swallow my pride and ask that you please bare with us during this time. We are getting a lot of cancellations and credit card charge backs and if it continues at this pace it will put us out of business during one of darkest periods of our life as this is our sole source of income. If you could see it in your hearts to wait just a little bit longer we will get your order out. I hate to ask you to this because I am a gardener also and know what spring fever feels like........visions and plans of a flowering paradise drive the planting instinct.

Next week we will be staying at the hospital with her and I will have to turn over the control of getting orders out to a team of folks with good intentions but have no plant knowledge or how to do many things on the computer.

I feel like I am rambling on and on, but my mood and mind are making it hard to explain what is going on and why your orders are so late. Please be patient...... I promise I will make it up to you great folks somehow. I just can't loose my business during the middle of all of this.
Ravens facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/raven.rhodes.92 where she is getting a lot of encouragement from friends and family. I think she quit posting once she found out it was not just a tumor..... she has been on a roller coaster of emotions as you can imagine.

Once again I ask for your patience and understanding and humbly request that you don't cancel your orders.... but in the end you do what you feel like you need to do. I know you have things going on in your life as well.

Sincerely Hopeful,
Tra Rhodes
www.thehostafarm.com www.plantsforsale.com
888-418-3683 ( My dads sister Debbie will be returning your calls)
3501 Louisa Road Coeburn VA 24230
help@thehostafarm.com

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[Nyboy]

Poor woman

 

[Smart Red]

Whew! That's rough and I know they were already going through tough times with their business. Last year (2014-15) a storm took down all but one(?) of their buildings and greenhouses. They lost a lot of business when they couldn't deliver because of that mishap. I'm not sure why they started their "flash" liquidation sales of other greenhouses and nurseries this spring with all the other things going on in their world.

I received a second order on Wednesday. The hostas in the order were in fine shape and labels were with the plants. No problems at all that I've seen -- I haven't planted the hostas yet -- so I'm hoping things go more smoothly for them now. I really do like their product and prices, but I can see why customers would be unhappy with the company. This is the third year I've done business with them and I believe I have one more order coming from TheHostaFarm.

 

[Smart Red]

I have my first flowering clematis from the spring purchase. I believe it is an Indigo Sapphire.

(Photo from the internet of Indigo Sapphire)

(Abilene)

(Bernadine)

(Giselle)

(Empress)

Therefore, my one tiny flower must be
Indigo Sapphire, huh?

So far all six clematis are alive -- one or two barely, but alive -- and now I can plant this clematis where I had planned when I purchased them. I sure hope I can keep the rest alive until I can determine what clematis they are so they can get into their forever homes.

Nyboy, how is your Indigo Sapphire Clematis doing for you?

 

[Nyboy]

I don't know what happen to it I had it on potting bench and it disappeared. One of my guys believes anything not planted after a few weeks fair game. I am hoping it has been planted somewhere

 

[Smart Red]

Looked back at the post and realized -- for your newbies -- I didn't include the story behind my delight at seeing a flower.

The plants came to me tossed about in the box, out of their small pots, and without identification -- other than two Indigo Sapphire tags -- also floating about freely in the box.

Finally I can identify one of the clematis.

 

[Smart Red]

Indigo Clematis is supposed to be a tiny little vining plant that should be good for those little spaces that need a touch of color but can't handle 12 feet of vine. I have a 4 foot trellis waiting for the clematis near the mailbox out front. Time for some color there.

 

[Nyboy]

Lets us know if flower as pretty in person then photo. I think to many mail order use a color filter when photographing for catalog

 

[Smart Red]

I did include a photo of my very own first flower in my post above. It is the same size and color as the internet photo, but has only 4 petals. Except for the petals, it is just as I expected and wanted in size, color and bloom.

Here it is again: