Planning a trip to Lancaster, Pa to visit mennonite Nurserys

I am so bummed

With it not working out for everyone else, I'll beg off too and hope for another date for this get together - sure sounds like fun with the nurseries, food, and all kinds of other things to see in the Lancaster area. Judy, thanks so much for the offer and all the work you put in to it. I know Critter and I love these kind of outings, so maybe later this summer or in time for fall planting will work out better for everyone. Terri

Ok, we'll see but I think I will put the trip off until next May when they have more to offer in the nurseries. So sorry this didn't work out, either. Mrs Martin made that Moravian Suger Cake. Boy was I embarrassed.

This message was edited Jun 25, 2011 4:06 PM

I'm sorry I'm not visiting and running around with y'all this afternoon! But I'm getting a lot of thing into the ground that wouldn't otherwise survive while I'm away. Also, my nephew went home yesterday after a week of "Camp Aunt Jill," and I was so beat I slept in until well after 9 this morning, so I'm glad I wasn't trying to leave here before 7, LOL.

Is the selection really so much less good in fall? We could try a slightly different expedition another time, then... The Violet Gallery, The Concrete Jungle, and That Fish/Pet Place are all fairly close to each other (near Gettysburg, York Springs, and Columbia, respectively). I need to get up to TFP soon, anyway. I've been promising the clowns their own anemone for some time, now, LOL. I'm also hoping we'll soon be moving tanks and changing carpet in the family room soon, and when the new tank is set up (switching to a corner tank and taking down the current tank), I will need more critters for it! (Currently, that tank has only 1 big fish and a bunch of "live" rock.)

Yes, the nurseries have their best selection in April-May-June. I am unable to do a trip like this in the fall because most of my craft shows are in the fall and we are both on fixed income & the extra money from the craft shows hold us over for the winter.

i wish more nurseries had good selections in fall (or in August, for fall planting)... it's such a great time to plant perennials! I guess it's harder to sell plants to the general public when you don't have a bright display of annuals in full bloom as well. But still.

Well critter, all business try to reduce their inventory before the season is over. They buy inventory for the spring and try to sell it before autumn. That is why you will see good bargains in autumn (in the chain stores) and reduced selection.

Hmm, wonder if Ms. Marion has good bargains in fall... ;-)

She might. I will have to ask her. I went by myself yesterday and picked up some very neat plants. Will post pix here. The Black Creek Nursery was about 1/2 bare. I asked one of the girls when is the best time to come for the best selection and she told me end of April-Beginning of May. Food for thought. I actually waited too long but will mark this date (Beginning of May) on my calendar next year and try one more time to put together a trip. I can appreciate the fact that some people like SallyG live very far away (Annapolis) but maybe you can save up your gas money for next year & Gita can help you out with the gas. So please keep your calendars open for May 2012. I'll let you know if Marian Martin has a sale in the fall. I will say that Black Creek has terrific prices all the time: 4" perennials 2.69-$ 3.69 and tropicals, too. I bought two Asclepias curassivica for $ 2.69 each: Here's the pix.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/604/
I'll save their seedpods in the fall or try to winter them over in the greenhouse for next year. Anyway, more to come. Gotta run.

By next spring, hopefully I'll be in the market for plants again, too! It would have been really hard to either pass up those goodies last wekeend or buy some knowing they might well die while I'm away.

Sally & Gita, when I was plotting a mapquest route, I did notice that it only added 10 minutes to my drive to Ephrata to go around Baltimore (in on 70, then north from Towsend), so if Terri and I take the Odyssey, we can all ride together... if we get too carried away, though, we will be riding back with plants in our laps! Theresa and I have stuffed a remarkable number of plants and trees into her old Civic... there use to be a great co-op nursery near Lancaster, and we'd get pretty carried away. People would watch to see if we could really fit all that into the car, and we did! But I'd end up with tree tops coming over both shoulders as I sat in the front passenger seat. The Odyssey has a bit more space!

Jill--

I think Sally and I both have the same dilemma....neither of us room for more plants.
Besides--Sally has to be careful about spending money --so driving 2 hours
to go plant shopping when you really do not want/need any--is reason enough
not to go.

I would much prefer a trip to Lancaster to crawl around some craft stores--hand made stuff--
some good home-cooked, smoked, grilled, or whatever foods to bring home, etc..

Looking around at a Nursery is OK too--but not if you cannot buy something....
I would just admire the plants and move on....I have SO many!

Gita

I think we all have to be careful with our budgets these days! Well, as I said, if we don't get carried away we should be able to fit a number of people into our minivan. :-)

I'll be posting pictures of what I got after this craft show in carlisle is over on Saturday, July 2. Bob & I are making earrings to sell. There is a ballet school going on at Dickenson College & the kids love the jewelry.

Judy- again, sorry I had to beg off, I know its disappointing to plan and not have things work out.

Spring would be better- and 'before swap' would mean room in the garden. I have a mini van too which can hold 4 people and tons of plants and junk, or five or six people and less plants, if no one minds the way back seating. Gita picked a good meeting spot when we rode together' to Holly's place.

Just my two cents......this economy sucks to high heaven. I have lived fifty five years now and can remember talk of being in recessions before, but never has my pocket book felt as empty as it has for the past two years. I grew up with parents born during the Depression era and often heard my dad complaining of the country getting in to a mess that would be really hard to get out of. I can truthfully say that I am glad that he didn't live to see the state of the nation again. He preached it all of his life, but he didn't get to see this second big one thankfully.

Anyway.....this is the first year that I didn't have money to walk in to a store or nursery and fill my cart if I felt like it. I didn't even go to any knowing that I would be too tempted. To change the thinking of this complaining post around a bit....I am truly so grateful for each of you lovelies who are so very kind to share your bounty of plants with me. We are getting to the same point some of you are in and running out of space to plant things. Anyway....it is always a delightful pick me up to walk through the yard and see all the wonderful plants I have received from each of you such giving hearted folks. Gita and Buttoneer have kept my house plant collection well supplied.

Thank each and everyone of you for being the big hearted folks that you are. Love each and every one of you. Now, go and enjoy your weekend ladies.

Ruby

Marion Martin is having a daylily sale this coming weekend: 1/2 off but I'm not going. LOL. I think next year beginning of May (1st week or so) would be the best time for this little escapade. Will have to put it in my calendar so I can put out a reminder for everybody. I was so tired today from the craft show yesterday (it was super hot) that I managed to get three plants put in but tomorrow will try to put the rest in. Hoping everybody has a super holiday weekend. Bob is making BBQ Pork ribs, I'm working on the corn on the cob & my neighbor brought over a big bowl of macaroni salad that her husband didn;t like cause it was too tart. A little sugar, more mayo & some milk really fixed it up and we will enjoy it this evening. Here's what our booth looks like at craft shows.

Nice booth!