Most houseplants sold here were grown in the Netherlands in glasshouses lit and heated to keep them moving, then shipped in a warm lorry and sold within the week. They look immaculate on the shelf.
Then they arrive in a normal room, and the difference between the growing conditions and the living room is a shock: leaves drop, growth stalls, and people conclude they cannot keep plants.
We buy plugs and grow them on for at least four months, with the heating off from April, and give them a fortnight in an unheated room before they are listed. That last fortnight is where the weak ones show, and it is the reason we can promise the first month.