Have you placed an order(s) with a Canadian on-line nursery?

It is that time of year and this weekend I plan to order from Gardenimport.com and ttseeds.com.

What about you?

I usually order plants from Gardenimport and Beaver Creek Greenhouses, but I might not this year because I have several spring trips planned, and that means asking my DH to unpack and care for mail-ordered plants. Not that he can't do it, but I have to leave him pages and pages of minutely detailed instructions covering every eventuality - and he will still end up phoning the supplier for advice. I'm not starting any seeds indoors for the same reason - leaving them for DH to water would be chancy - although I'll sow outdoors later.

I ordered and received seeds already.
Being in the same boat as June,
I arrange my gardening around the rest of my life.
I'll start some things in March and do direct seeders later.
Caroline

I have some seeds already from a combined order with a friend. Have an order ready for Botanus and will put that in this week, mostly bulbs. Have pulled my own saved Begonia's out as one is sprouting and have them in a window sill. Brought the geraniums out too and have them potted in vermiculite. Thinking about getting the canna's potted up but haven't done that yet as it's a big job.

Brought in my seed heating matts to warm up so I can check to see which ones need replacing this year. Will plant seeds in March with plans to move them out to the green house when they get to the 2 inch pot size. Except my eucaliptus (sp?) will be planted early as it's such a slow grower.

I can't believe winter is 1/2 over!
Ann

Hi Folks
I just got an email from Hosta Choice. Some things on sale for the week.
Here is the list.
Alberta Ann

HOSTA CHOICE GARDENS- APPIN, ONTARIO
SUPER HOT WEEKLY SPECIALS
(while quantities last)
JANUARY 16-22, 2012

HOSTA

Alakazaam (7"x12") - Reg. $20.00 Sale $13.00
Americana (12"x27") - Reg. $18.00 Sale $11.00
Aomori Gold Star (18"x30") - Reg. $35.00 Sale $23.00
Barbara May (13"x35") - Reg. $20.00 Sale $13.00
Beauty Substance (30" H est.) - Reg. $14.00 Sale $9.00
Blarney Stone (23" H est.) - Reg. $32.00 Sale $22.00 -NEW FOR 2012
Coconut Custard (5"x12") - Reg. $21.00 Sale $15.00
Floratini (7" H est.) - Reg. $21.00 Sale $13.00 -NEW FOR 2012
Golden Goal (12"x24") - Reg. $20.00 Sale $12.00
Laverne & Shirley (16"X46") Reg. $19.00 Sale $10.00
Jack of Diamonds 16"x40") Reg. $15.00 Sale $9.00
Komodo Dragon (28"x72") Reg. $17.00 Sale $9.00
Lakeside Zesty Zeno (14"x31") Reg. $25.00 Sale $13.00
Lothar the Giant (24"x51") Reg. $21.00 Sale $12.00
Mayan Moon (18"x40") Reg. $15.00 Sale $8.00
Miss Tokyo (30"x40") Reg. $19.00 Sale $9.00
My Child Insook (14"x37") Reg. $22.00 Sale $12.00
Ocean Isle (20"x45") Reg. $25.00 Sale $15.00
Pamela Lee (10"x20") Reg. $21.00 Sale $11.00
Rhino Hide (20"x30") Reg. $35.00 Sale $15.00
Ripple Effect (12"x22") Reg. $22.00 Sale $15.00
Rootin Tootin (12"x28") Reg. $18.00 Sale $10.00
Popcorn (12"x25") Reg. $19.00 Sale $12.00
Scarlett Ribbons (14"x31") Reg. $25.00 Sale $15.00
Secret Love (11"x40") Reg. $19.00 Sale $12.00
Slim & Trim (5" H est.) Reg. $20.00 Sale $12.00
Swamp Thing (16"x34") Reg. $24.00 Sale $14.00
Thunderbolt (21"x40") Reg. $17.00 Sale $10.00


MINIMUM ORDER OF $100.00
$15.00 CANADA-WIDE SHIPPING
You can mix sale items with regular items that are on our availabilty at:
www.hostachoicegardens.ca
All prices/delivery charges subject to 13% HST

I know it may be a bit early but I am wondering if any Ontarian has seen Delosperma "Fire Spinner"

http://www.plantdelights.com/Delosperma-Fire-Spinner-Fire-Spinner-Perennial-Ice-Plant/productinfo/9675

in a 2012 on-line catalogue for a 'brick and mortar' nursery?

@ rouge21 - Are you looking to buy this plant? or just admiring?

Not recommending this place, but they have it in their catalogue. https://www-secure.mcfayden.com/product_detail.aspx?pid=4842

I probably won't be ordering any seeds this year, but there are a couple of things I could use at Botanus, I think, so may put in an order there. I want to try one of those cooling bandanas.

Rogue I grew some from seed last year but they were a Gelato color. I will see if I can find them.
Alberta Ann

Rogue 21 here is a photo of my Gelato from last year. I started the seed mid March and they glowed in the dark it was hard to get a photo of them as they only came out in the sun and then I couldn't get the camera to do a good job as the light was so bright.
Alberta Ann

Does the Lee Valley Gardening Tools catalogue qualify as an on-line nursery? I just ordered a metal trellis archway (some assembly required). I hope to grow a clematis up-and-over it, if I can figure out how to put the arch together and also find a way to stop the deer from eating the clematis. Well, I can dream, can't I?

hi from manitoba...............my seeds have been coming in with plants being shipped after
frost. here's a list, most are on-line except lindenberg seeds in brandon;
stokes.....great for seeds..........lots of commercial varieties
vesey's....bought their mason bee house this year ! have bought their amazing iris's
t and t seeds....in winnipeg.....only place i can find 'dandy gold' 'dandy green' beans
upper canada seeds....he has wonderful heirloom tomatos ...in ontario
blue ribbon seeds... on ebay... heirloom and kentucky heirloom tomatos
lindenbergh also has wonderful plants and seed potatos...no shipping in manitoba
last week i was in costco and the bags of perennials are in...the best price for peonys !
each year i buy the LAhybrid lilys from walmart 15 bulbs for under 10 $....a screaming-
good deal!!! the bar fridge is full of plants and the plant rack comes in the house next
week.....may the seeding begin !!! YEAH!!!!!!

Good luck with your plantings!
I am about to start this weekend.

hi from manitoba,
heres a few pics of the walmart lilys from last year, un-named LA's, in a planter, north side of the house.
cheers L

LindyP lovely Lilies. I have some new ones coming from Botanus later and will hope my others will come back as they are navigating winter outside.

I have just planted my m............... (ice plant seeds) and I sprouted them first. Canna's are arising ad are begonias and my Cobea and Eucalyptus are soaking. Will start the Coleus and others at the end of March.

Alberta Ann

Ordered perennials and lily bulbs from Vesey's and from Botanus.
Both came this week and all appear to be good.
I won't know until they sprout and bloom, but the bulbs and roots look good.
Earlier, I received Hostas from Vesey's and they are looking really good too.
The Hostas have sprouted nicely.

I have placed a ton of orders with Pickering in the last few years. Most of the roses in my garden came from them. Back in 2003, I ordered from The Peony Superstore, from the late owner, and got some of the finiest peonies I have ever received.

I have found a new Canadian supplier for peonies, Parkland Perennials. I have been searching for a particular peony, Cornelia Shaylor, which I got originally from The Peony Superstore, and which appeared to be available only in France. Although Bob does not typically ship peonies to the U.S., he graciously agreed to do so (I don't mind paying for a psytosanitary certificate - I did before). Next thing I knew, I was ordering, with a friend, ten items, including martagon lilies. Bob has made this really easy, and I am very happy to have found this new source.

That is good that you have found a good peony supplier.
I may order for this fall.

I should have added the link to Garden Watchdog. Their are no new reviews for a while but the old ones are excellent.

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/206/

I ordered from, Breck's, (ontairo), Breck'sBulbs.ca
last summer for Fall planting. They send them to you in your time zone for the correct plantings. The bulbs all come from Holland. Really healthy and fresh. Then this summer I have order quite a number of the Tall beaded Iris. They were a great deal and will come late Summer for planting up for next year.

Three years ago, I ordered peonies from Pivoines Capano and Elysium Gardens. Some of their offerings are pricey compared to other nurseries offering the same variety, but the bulbs I received were in excellent condition and reasonably large. I wasn't looking for eyes back then so I can't comment on them. All the plants shot up in the spring, and a few produced at least a flower (I got three blooms from one), but I can't remember which ones they were and from which company they came. Unfortunately, I left the peonies behind and have to start over again. This time, I ordered from Boreal Farms (not even listed in the Watchdog), Les Jardins Osiris, and D'aoust - which has an automated order system!!! - so easy. D'aoust already has excellent feedback on the watchdog, but I'll be sure to comment on the other two when the bulbs arrive.

I left behind peonies too, but some of the ones that were fairly recent (three years or so) went into pots and into the ground later. I found that if you don't disturb the root too much they won't know what happened. I pulled out Lady Alexandra Duff, Kansas and Festiva Maxima successfully. Kansas was actually sent to me by mistake. So was Duffie, but I fell in love with her. All three actually progressed and have more flowers than previously. Some bloomed for one year and vanished. It may have been the fact that the shapes of the tubers caused me to plant them quite high.

Poinget, I was looking at the website you mentioned. Please know, everyone, that Poinget kindly contacted me about the availability of Cornelia, after I bemoaned my fruitless search on the peony forum. I am so grateful.

I've received my peony orders and I'm happy with how they turned out. The first pic is of the peonies from La Pivoinerie d'Aoust. The smallest had 3 eyes - one of the first to sell out. The rest had more than 5. They were packed in peat moss as a single lump and arrived without incident. She also gave me an extra - Horizon. It was very nice of her. It wasn't one I would have chosen, but I can see why she had chosen it and am now looking forward to its bloom next year.

Her automated ordering system was easy and she replied quickly to emails. I had to call Lindsay to add to my order, which was no trouble, but I did wish she had called me back as her window of availability is very narrow. I had to catch her between 6-7am my time - I'm not a morning person! I eventually caught her but it turned out I had called her on a holiday - I was embarrassed. I blame the hour. :) She was very nice about it.

Pics 2-4 are from Boreal Farms. Just wow. They were huge. They were packed individually in peat moss. No problems with transport. #2 is of Mrs. FDR, #3 of Pink Jitterbug, #4 of Sunny Girl. FDR had about 15 eyes. Sunny Girl was the smallest with 9.

The owner, Ursula Brons, had notified me when she had received my order and told me when she would be sending it. I experienced no problems and I'm delighted with the product. The company isn't listed on the Watchdog.

#5 is from Les Jardins Osiris. I'll add more photos on my next post. The roots are grown in pots which was why they are compact. They were packed in moss and some parts arrived moist. I sat them out so they could dry a bit. The order was loosely packed in a box, but there was no damage or mess from the journey.


This message was edited Sep 21, 2013 10:21 PM

There was one root that looked like it had a nasty part cut off of it, but the rest of it looked really good so I don't expect I'll have trouble with it. I'll see next year.

The trees were young, as advertised, but very nice specimens. Pics #1-2.

The itohs were great. Bartzella was big (#3). The other two were younger and smaller, as advertised, but had a bunch of eyes.

Chantal was very friendly and spoke excellent English. Serge Fafard notified me when they received my orders and gave me a tracking number when they shipped it.

Your peony plants are fabulous. It's nice to have more sources. I will report on Perennial Pleasures when I receive my plants.

Good Healthy peony roots in your pictures.
I have ordered bulbs, but asked them to rush the shipping.
I wish I had ordered peonies from one of these speciality shops.
They seem so much more healthy than what I have seen.
Caroline

Thank you both. Caroline, I hope you will post pics of your order. It's good to see the product different vendors put out.

I look forward to your review, Donna. Did you ever have trouble with the peony roots you received from Old House Gardens? Because I remember you said they were huge and many-eyed. Someone recommended to me that I divide my large root before planting. A website says that the old roots get in the way of new root formation and so the plant doesn't grow as well. Has that been your experience?

The OHG peonies were very large and many eyed but they were in great shape to get into the ground. I find that roots from some vendors have eyes at the tips, and it is hard to get them properly situated - and they tend to either rot (because the bottom is too low and you get into drainage issues) or get damaged eyes. I have gotten peonies like that from two well known American companies, one of them quite expensive. I really dislike them. By the time you get the eyes an inch or two down the bottom of the root is halfway to China, hence the rotting. My older peonies, more conventionally shaped, but planted when I had less experience, sailed through while these newer peonies failed despite a quantum leap in my expertise. When I was a newbie I blamed myself for everything but now I know better what's what. I have also discovered from conversations with others with failed peonies that people (including myself, shame on me) are very reluctant to go on Garden Watchdog and criticize a small specialist or family owned nursery when it has a really bad year.

I will not know how those specific OHG roots did because I planted them in a walnut tree bed. The plants came up wonderfully but the buds aborted because of the juglone - you could almost watch it happen over a period of days. Those roots have been moved to another location - they were gorgeous, by the way. So I have to let them recover. I did order the same two peonies from OHG, and they should be here soon. Indeed, I ordered a third. I have great confidence in them. I have ordered many plants from them over the years and they are batting 1000%.

I received another big root from another company (over ten eyes) and it did bloom, even in excessive shade - but it was the wrong peony. However, the flower was full sized despite the impediment of too much shade, and frankly I have found that big root equals big peony earlier and development faster. My Cornelia Shaylor, from a Canadian supplier, was a quite large plant and it matured really quickly. My understanding is that peony roots don't like disturbance, so dividing a big one seems counterintuitive. And isn't it true that if you dig up a large root of your own and divide it you set it back? The only benefit might be getting rid of any dead material on the root. I had a Kansas that didn't bloom properly for years because it was clear that the middle of the root was dead - it had a hard surface. I dug it up, snapped off the dead sections, replanted the twp pieces together and got the first decent blooms - the very next year, that I had in years.

Parkland Perennials called yesterday. My peonies are being shipped.

Oh, and goody! I completed my requirements, and will be a fully fledged Master Gardener (up from intern) in October. The best thing about doing it is that you get access to the latest information about disease control and pesticide issues and research without wandering around the web and getting sometimes dubious information - and it is sent right to you. And spending time at the "Help Desk" at which people walk in with questions and plants, or contact you by phone or email, really keeps you up to date. I've been gardening since 1996 and doing this has made me a better and more enthusiastic gardener than ever, because I now know more about what's possible. I realize that everyone doesn't have the time to spend a few months in class and doing homework and taking tests, but if you can, I highly recommend it. It is done through universities, and working with the pros who teach the classes and are eager to give you access to their knowledge is smashing. Nothing like getting a shrub recommendation from someone with 30 years of experience!

Forgive my enthusiasm. I get a bit carried away. I'll let you know how my peonies from the two (actually three) companies are. I will photograph them (great idea) because those pictures really do tell a story.

Donna

I have bought end of season sale peonies.
They are in pots. From past experience---
I will dump them out and not plant them as potted
plants. I have found some before,-- where the root was thrown in the bottom of the pot.
And then if I planted them at same level as in the pot---they were too deep.
I got to the sale late, so all the Itohs were already gone.

Congratulations on becoming a Master Gardener.
And thanks for telling your experience with larger roots.
I have one which did not flower after many years of flowering.
There is a maple tree which has overgrown that area.
I was thinking of moving the peony, but now I think that I will leave it and cut back the maple.
Caroline

Cutting back the maple might do it. There seems to be nothing wrong with the peony. It sounds like it is not getting enough sun. I have a Burma Ruby that bloomed really well for several years in part sun. I moved it to a shadier area and it stopped blooming, so I have moved it back to a place in which I think it will be happier.

I'll report.

That's excellent, Donna. Congratulations! I have actually wondered about all that involved in becoming a Master Gardener. Then were you one of those ladies that might sit in a plant nursery on customer appreciation day and wait for people to ask questions? I saw that in one nursery and I plunked myself down and chatted with them. No one else was stopping by and that was a shame because the gardening squad was enthusiastic.

Please do go on if you feel inspired. I love hearing about your experiences.

I now know what you mean about the long roots with the eyes at the end. I have an online friend who ordered over a 100 peonies from many different vendors and posted pics of those that came from that company. Someone said the roots had that orientation because they were grown in high narrow beds. I can see how that would be troublesome.

My big roots were healthy, so thank you, I'll leave them alone. I wasn't anxious to cut them. They are in a raised bed and have plenty of space to expand (over 4 foot diameter clearance).

Caroline, I've gotten some great deals on peonies from end-of-season sales, but quality varies greatly, even between different branches of the same company. One nursery had a bunch of peony trees in full sun and were burned, so close together that they looked like they had developed fungus from it, and a healthy earwig population. Its sister store, closer to me - yay - had their trees in partial shade and were well-spaced, so they were still green and very pretty. That store puts ugly plants on the 70% off table, including plants that have died down. They have a Kinshi I want, but I don't know if they will discount the trees. They did put a bunch of (itoh) Simply Reds on the table - they were the first to die down by over a month. Some roots were on the surface, and some had roots so low I couldn't reach them with my finger when I dug it in.

I'm sorry you missed out on the itohs. Was there one or two you were keen to get? I recently saw a pic of Norwegian Blush, and I have to say, if it ends up on that 70% off table, I'm buying it.

Hi poinget! I did not realize that you are pwin at Gardenweb. Your roots are really the largest that I have ever seen. You have made a fantastic buy. THanks for sending me the email to let me know. Best of luck with your plants.

Hi Donna. I did not know that you frequent this forum too. Congrats on earning your Master Gardener certification. Please let us see the peonies that you receive from ParklandPerenials. Thanks,
Karen

I would like a yellow Itoh.
And I like some of the bicolours too.
Maybe another year, or I save my $ for them.

Hi Karen,

It started because I purchased some of my best peonies from a Canadian purveyor. I was looking for a specific peony, and Poinget found Parkland Perennials for me. And I purchased most of my roses from Pickering when I could dig holes big enough, at my previous house, for those huge bareroots that matured so quickly and beautifully. And our climates are not that dissimilar.

I will photograph my peonies when they arrive. Nice to see you here too. This is such a terrific group of people. I'm really enjoying the interaction.

Is every one busy planting bulbs?
I know that I am as most of my orders have come.
All good bulbs from Vesey and Botanus and Breck's.
I am especially pleased with the daffodil bulbs from Roozengardes in Washington state.
They are huge and Din ll mostly. Their tulips are good too.

This message was edited Oct 11, 2013 7:58 AM

I am in the process of putting in all my peonies. But I also ordered bulbs from Old House Garden, Brent and Becky's Bulbs and John Scheepers - tulips, alliums oreophyllum, caeruleum and karateviense, camassia, ornigothalem. The ones from OHG and B&B arrived because I ordered them months ago, and they look great, as usual. My Scheepers order was a last minute one but I have always been very happy with their bulbs.

Whoops! I hope you will forgive me. I promised to photograph my peonies and I did, but they are on the peony thread. But I still have the pictures.

The first is Cornelia Shaylor. Great!

The second is Krinkled White, which I ordered for a friend. Huge!

The third is Festiva Maxima.

The fourth is Peter Barr.