Frequently Asked Questions

How can Patch help me?

• What does Patch do?

  • At Patch, we want to make it easy for anyone and everyone to get into gardening. To do that, we bring our customers fresh ideas, we source the best plants and products from the best suppliers in the UK, then we deliver them to their new home, along with all the tips an urban gardener could possibly need to look after their new garden.

Plant Care

• I’ve killed plants before, how can you help me do a better job?

  • All of our plants have their own individual plant page which not only descibes what conditions the plant best thrives in but also covers their preferred watering and fertilising routine and, in the case of outdoor plants, what type and how much compost they require.

    All of our outdoor plants are also delivered with a care-guide as well as an extensive potting guide of how to pot them. 

    Occasionally, customers come to us with a specific question about one of their new or existing plants. In such a case, we work with our team of experts to answer the question or, for an instant answer, we direct people to the RHS website, which is an invaluable resource and great place to start.

• Are your plants easy to maintain?

  • Despite searching far and wide, we are yet to come across a plant that is ‘no-maintenance’. However, there are a number of plants that are relatively low-maintenance. These form the vast majority of our plant collections so that we can help busy Londoners keep maintenance to a minimum!

    To help you look after any plant you get from us, we bring a survival guide with every delivery. What’s more our weekly email of great tips, written by urban garden expert, Gay Search, will equip you with loads of easy ways to prevent you from becoming a plant killer...

• Will my plants survive if I go away on holiday?

  • Naturally, the answer is ‘it depends’: on the length of time you’re away for, on the weather while you’re away, on the plants’ position relative to the sun. However, with a thorough soaking before you leave, by grouping all the plants together – preferably in a shadier spot – and with a couple of clever hacks (such as this one) your plants should be able to survive for 7 days. For more extensive periods of time, we suggest you blackmail your friends into watering them for you...

• Can you help me look after my plant?

  • We've got plenty of of videos and articles to help you look after your plants at home. Answers to the most common questions we get asked can be found on our Plant Care page, but if you can't find the answer you're looking for, you can also contact our Plant Doctor using the request form. 

How to pick the right plants

• Will my outdoor plants survive in London weather all year round?

  • All of our outdoor plants have been chosen with the British climate in mind and so should be happy outside throughout the seasons. British weather can be incredibly unpredictable however, so be prepared to take action if the forecast is predicting the hottest summer since ‘76 or hurricane-strength winds.

    You may have heard of plants that are ‘hardy’, i.e. they can survive harsh winters, and ‘tender’, i.e. they can’t. These definitions aren’t always relevant for a balcony in central London, for example, whose temperature will be considerably higher one evening in January than it would be in the middle of the English countryside, due to London’s higher average temperature and the heat radiating from a block of flats. That being said, there is a small handful of plants that we love but that we would recommend bringing inside over winter and these are highlighted individually.

• Are my plants child/pet-friendly?

  • All of the plants in the collections are child- and pet-friendly unless otherwise stated in the plant description.

• How does the amount of light my space receives affect the plants I can grow?

  • Each outdoor or indoor space will be more suitable for some plants over others. Sun-loving plants will prefer west- and south-facing spaces in full sun as they also receive the strongest of the sun’s rays in a day, whilst other plants are content in shadier positions. You can work out what plants will work best in your space by using the filter tool that allows you to filter plants by the amount of light that your space receives.

• How long will my plants live for?

  • With a few exceptions, all of the outdoor plants are ‘perennials’, which means they will come into bloom year after year. As a general rule of thumb, the smaller plants in the collections live for between 2-5 years, the medium-sized plants live for between 5-10 years and the larger plants live for between 10-15 years.

    Some of our flowering plants, such as petunias and some geraniums, are ‘annuals’ which means that they last for just a year. But this is no bad thing as it can freshen up a focal point in your planting without you having to completely start again.

• What size will my plants arrive as, and how big will they grow to?

  • All of our plants have their own individual plant page which lists the estimated height the plant arrives at, and will grow to. 

• My outdoor area gets strong winds; should this affect my choice of plant?

  • Some plants are completely happy being exposed to the wind whilst others will greatly suffer. You can work out what plants will work best in your space by using the filter tool that allows you to filter plants by the amount of wind that your space receives.

Potting

• Does Patch pot the plants for me?

  • Our indoor plants do not require potting as they come pre-planted with plenty of healthy compost. They have been planted in a plastic 'cache' pot with holes to allow for drainage when watering. As a result, these 'cache' pots will require an additional pot. You'll find the correct size for each plant recommended at the bottom of the individual plant page.  

    Our outdoor plants have been planted in a plastic 'cache' pot and will require planting with additional compost. We recommend how much compost your plant will need in the "Looking after this plant" section.

• How would I pot my plants?

  • You’ll need a plant, a suitable container, compost to match your plant and a willingness to get your hands dirty – unless you’re equipped with gardening gloves or you’re willing to sacrifice some rubber gloves!

    1. We recommend choosing a pot with drainage holes in the bottom. Place some material to aid drainage at the bottom of the pot. This might be broken terracotta, polystyrene pieces or large stones. Alternatively adding sand or grit to your compost can have the same effect.
    2. Add compost to the bottom of the container. It may help to use the plant in its plastic pot as a guide for how much to add whilst ensuring that the top of the ‘root ball’ (i.e. base of the plant) ends up about an inch below the rim of the new pot.
    3. Loosen the plant from its pot and – being careful not to break them – tease the roots apart to encourage them to establish into the fresh compost. Use your fingers to lightly firm the compost in the base of the new pot and set the plant in position.
    4. Fill in the gaps with compost and firm with your fingers - aim to leave a 1-inch gap between the top of the compost and the rim of the pot.
    5. Finish by watering well and filling in any gaps in compost that may appear as a result

Delivery

• How does delivery work?

  • We deliver from Tuesdays to Sundays. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays we have an afternoon slot between 1-5:30pm and an evening slot between 6-10pm. On Thursday-Sunday we have a morning slot between 9am-1pm and an afternoon slot between 1pm-5:30pm. 

    24-48 hours before your delivery day, you will receive an email confirming a delivery window.

    Our delivery slots close 48 hours before any given delivery day ie. to receive an order by Thursday you need to place your order by 8am on the Tuesday before. Please note that slots may close prior to the 48 hour deadline if delivery slots are already full.  

    Unfortunately we will only be able to attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. 

• How much does delivery cost?

  • Delivery is free for all orders over £39, on our standard slots, or for orders under £39 we will charge a £5 delivery fee. If you choose one of our peak delivery slots, the delivery charge will be £8. All delivery prices are inclusive of VAT.

• Do you offer free delivery?

  • Delivery on our standard delivery slots is free for all orders over £39.

• What are peak slots?

  • Peak slots are our most popular slots. These tend to fill up more quickly than our other slots.

• Can I change my delivery slot?

  • Of course, just get in touch using the help widget at the bottom of the website. Please keep in mind we won’t always be able to change your delivery to your preferred slot, as it may already be full.

• Why do you charge more for delivery over Christmas?

  • In order to cope with the extra demand over Christmas, we need to add more vans and more drivers to the roads, and so we charge a bit more for the busiest times. We still offer free delivery on our standard slots for orders over £39 over the Christmas period, so you don’t have to pay more. 

Payment

• How do you take payment?

  • For our indoor plants, we take secure payment over debit or credit card or Paypal.

• Is there are minimum order value?

  • We don’t have a minimum order value, but for any orders under £39 you will be charged a £5 delivery fee.  Any orders placed on one of our peak delivery slots will be charged a £10 delivery fee, regardless of the order value.