Having thus proven the legality of my actions, should anybody wish to question it, here is the luggage that I checked in when returning from visiting the Flâneur Husband in Aberdeen over Easter, a 4′ by 2′ sportsbag:
Of course, the bag held very little in terms of “normal” luggage.
On top you see one rhododendron, and in the black bin liner underneath are another two. Yup, I brought three 3-foot rhododendrons from Scotland to Denmark…
My husband really likes these plants that he had in pots on his large deck by his Aberdeen apartment, so since he’s moving back to Denmark – and the garden and, of course, myself – on June 1st he wanted to bring these plants back with him, and I had the pleasure of schlepping them first via plane to Copenhagen and then by bus, metro, train and bus up to the garden by the summer house. (I make it sound worse than it is, of course. It’s a trolley bag, so essentially I just rolled it around a bit.)
I got back from Scotland on the evening of Easter Sunday and went up to the garden on the morning of Easter Monday, but because it basically rained the whole day yesterday it seemed foolhardy to attempt to prepare proper planting holes for them and plant them, so instead I heeled them in in one of the raised vegetable beds where they await the weekend. There will be more pictures ones they are installed in their permanent location.
The rhododendrons won’t be the only planting project of the coming weekend, though; the Flâneur Husband’s birthday present from my parents (ordered by me online) finally arrived today. Three L.D. Brathwaite bare-root roses, and I’m pleased to say they look like prime quality. Well-developed roots, lots of tiny shoots and generally a healthy-looking group of plants. The postal service managed to send them but not deliver them – and fail to notify me that they were held at the local post office for a week before being returned to the sender – but then the nursery packed up three fresh roses and sent those to me instead, so in spite of the delay I really don’t think I could have had a better service from that nursery.
Yeah, I wanted to give them a mention, just because they’ve been so helpful and seem to have delivered great quality. I know most of you won’t be ordering from a Danish nursery, but still. They deserve a positive mentioning! (And if you ever find yourself in Denmark and need to order a rose online, you now know where to go.)
Sounds like you will be panting some lovely bushes soon…
I was worried that the rhododendrons would be quite damaged after their plane journey – after all, luggage handling in airports is not exactly gentle – but not a single branch seem to have snapped, so with a bit of luck they will look perfectly at home once they’re in the ground. And the roses look like they’re ready to grow whenever – wherever – they touch the ground!
My dream luggage!
And because they’d grown in pots the root balls weren’t very large, so it wasn’t too heavy to drag around…
Well done on carrying your important goods! I’ve carried fresh leeks and parsnips on flights from London to Geneva, but never a live plant!
Well, it waa only three small shrubs… (Quoth he, as if that was common luggage on international flights!)
Great story. I love the idea of well travelled plants and that they arrived in good condition. I spent most of a journey by car from Germany to the UK with a potted rubber plant in my lap. Not the most comfortable journey ever. We were moving back to the UK and our car was so full it was the only place for the plant to go! It was wet all day Monday here too. Didn’t get a lot of garden jobs I need to do done which is frustrating. The rose company sound great. I think it’s great to give companies a mention when they give good service. So often we only mention companies when we want to whinge about them.
I love these plants especially because they’ve given my husband some greenery and flowers even though he’s been far from the garden. They’ve earned their place, I feel, by virtue of the pleasure they’ve given him!
And the rose nursery really is beyond expectations. Also, my mother actually visited them last summer and was given the full tour even though she admitted from the beginning that she wasn’t in the market for new plants… I hope to go there some time this summer to see their rose garden in full bloom!
They look very well for such a long journey. And how wonderful for your rose nursery to replace your bare roots. Yes, they did deserve a mention. Sounds like you’re going to be busy digging holes!
I’ll definitely have my work cut out for me the coming weekend…
And I love it when businesses go “above and beyond expectations”; it makes me happy that I put my money in their hands!
I was wondering how you would transport them. They look good for the long ride.
Not a single snapped branch or twig… I find that surprising; I had imagined they’d take at least some damage, regardless of how carefully I packed them.
So, what rhododendrons are they?
Erhm… Erh… Hrm… I haven’t a clue! They’re two different kinds, but apart from that I just know that they both have pink flowers, with one of them being somewhat paler than the other.
Soren, How exciting that you and your husband will be reunited in Denmark in just a few weeks! And I always enjoy hearing about your adventures traveling with plants. (I believe it was one of those accounts that first got me hooked on your blog.)
I must say, sometimes when I go up to the garden with bags of plants I do wish I had a car; it would make everything somewhat easier, but then gardening is not meant to be easy, but enjoyable (and I do enjoy being able to piece the garden together little by little).
Tomorrow I’m off to Paris, but this time I intend to travel plant-less!