Buying plants online

Not sure if this should go in here or not but i'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with buying plants from online companys?
It's not something i've really considered before today but there are companys offering large ranges of aquatic plants online with info about each species, this would allow me to buy the species of plants i want without compromise.
The company i was specifically looking at was Java Aquatic Plants
Aquarium Plants and Live Aquatic fish tank plants by Java-Plants

So if anyone had used this company or another before and would share that experiences that would be great :happy:

I've bought plants online from another forum member before, but never off a company. Overall the plants did ok, and the one plant that had the worse damage from mailing(melted the second i put it in my tank) managed to recover. It probably depends on the plant your getting, because the other plants held up well

I ordered plants from Ebay once. Went well for me.

I send plants right around Australia all the time and they always make it in good condition. It all comes down to how well they are packed and Carson is right it depends on the plant AND how it was grown.

Most of the plants you buy are grown hydroponically with their leaves out of the water which makes the leaves very hardy and these travel very well.
Others like all the crypts, Aponogetons, vallis' and Lotus' to name a few will only grow under water. Java moss is often grown submerged but not always.These aquatically grown plants have very soft leaves and lack the cell structures the leaves need to withstand being out of the water for long (much like whales) so they dry out easily and are easily crushed, the cells simple lack the nice strong cell walls of their hydroponically grown tank mates. These are the ones that tend to melt but given a little tender loving care they will usually recover. If they are packed well in very damp paper towel (or sealed in bags with water) they will travel fairly well for a couple of days but that's about it and you should expect them to be in less than perfect condition when they arrive.

If you're wanting to make an informed decision on the plants you buy based on their likes and dislikes then have a look at tropica.com Their plant encyclopedia is amazing and will tell you anything you have ever wanted to know about each aquarium/pond plant. Bare in mind when shopping for plants that there are a great number who's submerged leaves (those that grow while under water) can be VERY different to the leaves they have out of the water. Usually the change is for the better
They have recently removed some of the marginal plants from the list so it's not as comprehensive as it was but most of the plants that were removed don't last long under water anyway. They have also recently changed their rating system for light requirements and difficulty to grow to a series of colored dots that I am still getting my head around

Thanks all :happy:
I was a bit worried about the plants during the shipping process, i've put in a order with a different company that seemed a bit more professorial
Here's as link in-case anyone wants a look
Aquarium Plants | Pond Plants | Plants Alive

It does seem a cheaper and more precise way of getting plants than visiting garden centers/pet shops. Hopefully they'll all arrive fine.

As for the specific plants i ended up ordering
Eleocharis parvula
Bacopa caroliniana
Pistia stratiotes - Only ordered one of these.
(thanks MereB that website is great )

I wanted to increase my plant levels to make my tank look a bit more interesting and provide more hides not just for my Axies but i have 5 Cherry shrimp in the tank with there main purpose being as snacks but no they've survived for probably going on a month now and are quite nice to watch anyway

I've bought plants off ebay from a seller called last-trading-post a few times, they came great.. they do a special 25 cold water mixed plants or something like that - migh be worth a look at