I am so excited that tomorrow starts the open house weekend for Plant Delights (or at least one of them)! They have pink poodle, pink double delight, ruby giant, etc. A nice long list! Also, I hear that their display/trial gardens are fabulous, so I am so looking forward to going on Saturday. I'll try to snap some pics of their display echs for you guys. This will be my first year going to their open house, so I am like a kid at Christmas. They don't open their doors often!
Big Day Tomorrow...Plant Delights Open House!
i wish i could go this year. they have fabulous gardens and great plants.
please post lots of pictures!
You know fun that we are having a PDN visit and plant swap on the 18th, right? Nothing like living close by to make your heart go pitter-pat, lol!
Are their prices better in person? They are outrageous online.
The prices are the same, but you don't have to pay shipping and handling. Also, you can choose your own plants. I like going with a friend and splitting plants. They are usually overflowing. Living as close as I do, I can call on non OH days and arrange to pick up my plants at the nursery as I did when he had his 20% off sale going. Really tough on the old pocketbook, lol!
I am always willing to pay a little more for a larger plant that I can pick in person, especially with no shipping. I am not a patient woman unless I have to be! Instant grat all the way, LOL!
tggfisk, no didn't know about the plant swap, but I knew the open house covered next weekend also. Thanks for the info. Can't wait!
I'm jealous. I wish I was in that area. I have ordered from them on many occasions and their plants are beautiful I must say. They may seem a bit pricey, but they are well worth it. I remember receiving a hard to find canna plant from them two years ago. I was shocked when I opened the box and the plant was 3 feet tall. Now that's one serious sized plant to receive in the mail.
Jon
I must add that I've also received a few, not all, Echinacea from them with blooms already on them.
Jon - which plants did you order from them? I bet they were expensive!
To be honest I can't remember which specific ones in the past two years. Here are a couple of photos from today of year two plants I have from them. I know they came from Plant Delights because I still have their labels for the plants. Here is Dahlia "David Howard". This has been my best Dahlia as it has bloomed non stop since June or July 2008.
Both of these Echinacea came from Plant Delights in 2008. Harvest Moon is on the left. In the middle is Tiki Torch and on the right is another Tiki Torch that has grown on its own from the original plant.
Jon
Here's a link to the sign up thread...Not too late to decide to join us:) And Jon...feeling the need for a vacation? Anyone is more than welcome. We informally 'meet' at the nursery. Most folks spend the morning touring and buying. Then we travel a few min down the road to Garner to swap, eat, and gab. Don't ask me which one we do more of...I'm not tellin', LOL!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1002929/
Thanks for the link and information. Trust me, I am so needing of a vacation. That's quite a distance to travel/drive from here. LOL Sometimes I feel so alienated down here growing all these flowers that no one else attempts or knows anything about down here. I've even posted on the Florida Gardening section of this site a few times, but get very few responses. I really do appreciate you taking the time to post more information about it. I'll check out your link.
Jon
I know that it's quite a distance! I was born in Fla...My dad used to make the drive with no pit stops if ya know what I mean, lol! Titusville is much closer that Ft. L...Don't think I'd make it that far with the old man;))
There are other botanical attractions around here if you decide to make a commitment...Duke Bot. Gardens, JC Raulston arboretum is here, and the Bot. gardens in Chapel Hill.
Sorry to temp you so...NOT! LOL!
It's a ten hour drive for me if I went. I checked the prices of their Echies...$16.95 per plant. I think I will just wait till next year when my local nursery has some new ones. She charges $6.95 - $12.95, depending on the plant. I can't see any reason why Plant Delights' plants would be worth more than her plants.
LOL. I would guess its an 11 or 12 hour drive!!! I'm sure my car would have a few plants it in when I headed back in this direction. There is no doubt about that. When I was visiting my brother is Sarasota, FL two weekends ago I spent a couple of hours at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL. What a beautiful setting they have there right on Sarasota Bay overlooking the Gulf Of Mexico.
Tony's big obessions I guess are not echies...I don't usually buy mine there, either. I love his hostas, salvias, and other stuff...so I see your point. Make sure to let us know if you ever feel the need to drive, and drive, and...;>
I would love to go though. I have spent so much money this year on plants. This lady at work is always saying, "You sure do waste a lot of money on coneflowers." I just tell her that at least my coneflowers don't cause Cancer like her cartons of cigarettes! LOL.
So true!! A waste is in the eye of the beholder, right?
We have a couple of folks coming in from VA, and have had one fly in from GA in the past...Lemme know if you're making a break for it, lol!
Yeah, I have the feeling Plant Delights is big on tropicals also? They sure do seem to offer quite a few of them. Here's another photo from today of a plant I received from them about 2 months ago named Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) "Toffee Nosed".
Jon
I have Toffee Nosed, too! Really am liking that one. His gardens include some impressive displays of Colcaisis, different aroids, and amazing agaves. Have you tried the ecomis? Love those.
Yeah, toffee nosed is my first Red Hot Poker. It's cool. What I would really like is that Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) "Lola". I just don't have the room for that 7 foot tall MoNsTeR poker. I have never heard of Ecomis so I looked it up. I guess its also called Protea? It looks like a nice groundcover?
Jon
Perhaps I'm wrong. I see something else sating its 5 feet tall. Help!!
I've been wanting Toffee Nosed, but I refused to pay $18 for it at Plant Delights Nursery. I found another source of it for $10.50. I might order it next Spring. I'm not cheap, but $18 for one Kniphofia! These plants are so easily divided too!
I know what you mean about the price. I keep ordering from Plant Delights because I know exactly what I'm going to get from them...a healthy plant.
Jon - Does that plant re-bloom for you down there? Kniphofia bloom here and the show is over within a week. They don't bloom anymore till the next year.
I'm sure I can find a healthy plant some place else at a reasonable price. I hope so anyways. I'll ask around and see what I can find! :)
I'm sure you can find it locally where you are. Unfortunately, buying it locally here isn't an option. Actually I've had the Kniphofia "Toffee Nosed" and also Kniphofia "First Surprise" since late March. I realized that after I looked back at my photos. Toffee Nosed sent up 4 or 5 blooms in April/May and has sent up around 4 or 5 more since mid June. Kniphofia "First Surprise" (planted next to it in the ground) sent up 4 or 5 blooms in April/May but has not sent up new blooms since then. Here's a photo of "First Surprise" blooming on April 15, before I had a chance to get it in the ground.
Nice. I had read some place that Toffee Nosed blooms longer than other Kniphofias. I will put that on my ever-expanding list for next year.
I'm getting a bigger place this fall! Next year should be fun!
I'm new to Kniphofia's so I don't know much about them. I'm good at sticking them in the ground and watering them though! LOL I'm glad it did start reblooming again. I was hoping the April/May blooms were not all I would see. This area on the west side/front yard is my newest area and is sparsely planted so far. It only receives afternoon and evening sun. The only other plant in there is Daylily "Going Bananas" (photo attached)
Sorry about my spelling...still running a fever...Eucomis, pineapple lilies..Tony has a great selection.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/page32.html
As I said before, there is usually enough in PDN plants to split them from the get-go...If you take a friend and do that, then you still get nice sized plants at half the price. Gotta have a strategy if you live as close and are as tempted as I am,lol!
Ah, thanks. Very interesting flowering plant. I added it to my "desires/wish" list for upcoming purchases. Sometimes I have to wait a little until I get to the minimum plant order amount for a Plant Delights order. Here's another photo of two third year plants from Plant Delights named Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily) "Freedom". This year they are blooming their best. They have been blooming non-stop since April.
Beautiful! I added A. 'Sweet Laura' to my gardens this year.
I have E. Burgandy, Ruben, and Sweet Innocence...Very cool no maintenance plants that get lots of attention when they bloom. I'm sure that in your zone, you'd get even more time to enjoy them.
Thanks. I like Sweet Laura also. I wasn't sure if they would make it/do well down here in Zone 10. They list all of them as either through zone 8 or 9 in the south. In 2007 & 08 they only bloomed somewhat in April and May, but this year has been super. They're great in a vase and usually last 1-2 weeks. I'm sure you're well aware of that!
Just got back from Plant Delights--WOW! I have never seen gardens to that extent at a "private" home. It was crazy. Good thing they were giving out maps b/c I so would have been lost without it. Trails and paths everywhere, waterfalls, stonework, oh, and don't forget the plants :) As far as echinacea goes, they had a lot of different varieties planted around the grounds. Fatal Attraction, Merlot, a few of the Big Skies, Magnus (of course)--the list goes on! I noticed that (please don't nail me down on this, this is an approximation) about 80% of the "color" in their gardens came from coneflowers and just a few varieties of dahlia. I thought that was very interesting.
There is also one more thing - I am soooo glad that I didn't purchase green envy! I started to, but decided on Green Jewel instead b/c it seemed to be a truer, more even green. They had a BIG specimen of green envy and it was horrible! Faded, mottled and ugly. I so would have ripped that thing out.
Available to purchase, they had tiki torch, tomato soup, mac n cheese, a couple of big skies, ruby giant, among others. 16 bucks each. I didn't buy any b/c my local nursery has much larger echs for 12 bucks, so not worth it for the smaller ones.
All in all, it was a great experience, the gardens being the highlight. I am going to organize an outing for next Saturday (open house again) and take a few friends. It was just too much to take in on just one trip. I need some time to digest and then I'll be ready to look some more! Maybe they will bring out some surprises for purchase next week that they held back this week. I can dream!
This message was edited Jul 11, 2009 2:34 PM
Sounds like a good time and not a typical Saturday, thats for sure. So did you end up buying the Echie "Green Jewel" or are you looking for a better price? I think I like Green Jewel better than Green Envy although its going to take more time to know for sure. Even the Green Jewel blooms are quite a bit faded down here. They're still green but very light. Funny that you just educated me about Eucomis (Pineapple Liles). I just returned from a Home Depot down here and they had 2 varieties all with about 3 blooms each for $5.97. I didn't buy one because there is one on Plant Delights website I think I like much better.
Jon
Sounds like a fun day. Nothing better than a day wondering through a garden. You showed great restraint to not buy any echies. I don't know if I could be so strong. :)
Exactly. There is no way I would be able to resist even though I definitely don't need another Echie. Can't figure out where to put the extras already.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time:) Bet there were tons of people out there. So, don't keep us in suspense...what did you buy?? I usually have a list when I go out, but I really don't know why I bother, lol!
Jon posted some pics of his Green Envy and the blooms were nice. I'd like to see pics of your trip!
"Were" being the key word. LOL. There's no more green in my envy during the heat of summer. Yeah, bring on the pics of the trip!