Man, the credit card has been smokin'. I have grown tired of all the empty spaces in the beds and have slammed a bunch of orders into Wayside, Dutch Gardens, White Flower Farm...and a specialty hydrangea place in Georgia. Maybe I need a plant addiction support group! Naturally I turned to DG. SOMEBODY else must be doing the same! I have just been buying perennials. Don't have the inclination to plant annuals every year (except a pot or 2). Things are picking up with the existing growth in the yard.
Anyone plan to use Coast of Maine mulches? Am toying with buying their bagged product. Called around and most places around here charging $32/yd for cedar mulch. Am thinking a better, more locally produced product from an environmentally conscientious company is the way to go. There is one mulch that has seaweed added - good for the plants.
Buying plants...gets expensive!
Don't miss White Flower Farms "Tomatomania" tommorow, Saturday and Sunday!
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/07-tomatomania-event.html
:-)
Yeah....I'm having the same problem. Almost brought some more Dahlias today because I don't know when the dinnerplate ones I ordered will be shipped and White Flower will send them out the next day.
Have you looked at mulch at Mackey's Agway in Colchester? Large assortment and they put the mulch in little bowls on the counter so you can touch and compare.Stopped there a few weeks ago and saved a bunch on self-watering containers. Very nice on the phone too. Not too far from me and I called to check prices.
Celtic, I keep buying too but I look for more bargains. Have you tried saving money on the DG co-op forum?
Dave..speaking of bargans, thanks for the heads up about the Gilbert H Wild and Son sale a few weeks ago. 50 lillies are in the ground and about a dozen have broken the soil.
If you need a support group, I'm afraid the support you get here might be support to enable you to buy more plants LOL. Seriously, I'm working on learning to be patient and growing perennials from seed. Tried wintersowing for the first time this year. I have lots of tiny seedlings, so I won't really know how it works out until next year when I see what makes it thru the winter and what will bloom next season. I don't bother much with annuals either.
Also, look to trading with other DG members, or even picking up extra plants from generous folks for postage if you don't have anything to trade. It's really amazing to me what goes on around here. Maybe you have something that needs dividing, or you don't want it anymore.
Thanks for the Agway suggestion. I won't get mulch there but I WILL look into the self-watering containers. Were they suitable for veggies (ie. large enough)? Cheaper than earthboxes I can only hope.
Yes, I know White Flower farm is doing tomatomania but I have heirloom and desired Hybrids started from seed already. Need to get them into the ground. Wall-o-waters can help. Peppers too and not enough bed space! Hence the interest in self watering containers.
I think I am at the end of my buying spree. I will have enough to handle just planting all of the things I ordered plus need to move some existing fellows. And DH doesn't know all of these boxes will be showing up. Sheesh, he never gives up hope for me turning to the frugal side!
Yes, DG would be a source for plants but I can't commit to getting in regularly...the day job gets in the way, nasty business.
cheers fellow Nor'easterners!
celticgarden - at least the perennials are an investment and should come back if all goes well. I won't tell how many hundreds I just spent on my annuals for containers (and I spend it annually)! My son-in-law said I'm just throwing my $$$ away on annuals and I responded back - it's "my beer"!! I'm sure he spends more on beer/year than I do on annuals/year. I support you 100%. Buy all the plants you want and can afford - gardening is fun and better for you than drinking beer.
Everyone knows gardening is both good exercise and good therapy. What ever we spend on plants has got to be less than a membership at a gym and visits to a shrink!
This message was edited May 19, 2007 7:38 AM
Considering all the bad habits we don't have time for, because we all garden, I'm willing to bet we're not spending as much as anyone going to ball games, golfing, etc., not to mention the fun habits that we're too exhausted to enjoy.
I love Gilbert Wild. I have had some of their daylilies for over 20 years. I just put in prairie blue eyes two years ago. But i think I am going to move it to a sunnier spot.
I spend more on perennials now, but I still do window boxes for my deck rail and hanging baskets for the arbor and fences. and there aren't many perennials that will look as nice as an ivy geranium in a hanging basket! or a big impatiens. I love the blue color of lobelia next to the bright yellow marigolds. And I will never stop buying pansies!
Martha
Oh gosh - I thought I had everything done and paid for last year! NOT! I have already spent oodles. I have focused mostly on perennials for my in ground gardens so I won't need to keep planting but I realized some of the stuff I planted last year didn't come up this year - shucks! Anyhow mostly I have spent cash on annuals for my hanging baskets....they can cost a pretty penny if you ask me!
I have been saving myself for my fave plant sales locally which are tomorrow and sunday. I get some unique and great stuff from these. i got two new epiphyllum varieties last weekend at a cactus show and sale i attended. Who knows what will attract me tomorrow and sunday? I know I am buying at least one Patriot hosta already. but after that?
Martha
Find a Round up in your area. Take some plants you have to many of, & bring some new ones home. A year ago, at Iowa, I got 20 or so new Daylilies, and numerous Iris, plus a few other goodies.
2 weeks ago they were hundreds of plants. I picked up a lot of what nobody else was taking. I filled a new bed & then some. Again this was Iowa Round up.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/720434/
If you can't find one, organize one with your DG neighbors.
A barrel of fun & no cost plants, how can you beat it.
Bernie
David_Paul--thanks for thank link! I had no idea tomatomania existed, but now I will be going on Sunday and probably trenching out yet another big area for tomatoes.
Celticgarden--look at the clearance plants. They're usually in dire straits, but can be coaxed back and save you a bundle. Today, I picked up a dozen ice plants for 23 cents a piece. They are all stunted and pot bound, but with a little TLC will make a nice vigorous patch for next season.
Martha, I admire your patience! The catalogues always get to me during the long winter and I buy then buy some more. Then the DG co-ops got me. Then the clearence sales are too good to pass up. Oh, and I have to check out at least 3 local nurseries, etc,etc
David & John, Did you ever try Vaiuso's in Branford? Good place for annuals.
Celtic....I picked up some 12" self watering hanging baskets at MacKay's Agway in Colchester for around $8 each. Smaller self watering pots ranged from $2 to $4. May have seen a 14" pot but I'm not sure. You might call to ask. They do carry earthboxes and they are a few bucks cheaper than the other dealers I called and less than buying online . Store carries a wide selection of fertilizer--kelp, fish emulsion, high K formulations etc. Must be some dog and cat breeders or kennels in the area as I've never seen so much pet food in a hardware store.
Agway began their stores as feed shops for animals.
I got some hosta from my hosta guy today while introducing him to a couple of my garden club friends. I bought lakeside cha cha from him last week and a new Patriot this week. Then we went over to Reading which is the next town over from the hosta guy and went to a local perennial sale and I picked up a couple of perennial things from their dollar table {not named} a hosta and some iris and a beautiful burgundy hardy geranium. not only were the flowers burgundy but the leaves are green with a burgundy zone.
and finally a couple of six packs of excellent sized coleus. The ones at HOmey D's and Lowes etc., have all been too dinky to bother with. They were only 3 dollars a six.
and my girfriend gave me a piece of her unusual epiphyllum for being the garden sale hostess and chauffer for this trip. Not a bad day's work!
Now tomorrow is the Society Row plant sale out in Wellesley. Off to see the hosta, iris, daylily societies and their wares for this year.
All in all a great weekend!
martha
Sounds like some good bargains, Martha. I would love to find a geranium like that. I'm getting a little tired of seeing 'Johnson's Blue' everywhere.
Have you tried 'Rozanne', gram? I love 'Ingwersen's Variety', 'Bevan's Variety' and the sanguineums.
I'm trying to avoid ordering perennials. but I have been looking to see what's available locally. I've been at 4 different nurseries this week and there is so little variety. I like some of the cinereums. Do you know if they can be grown from seed? I w/s'd wild geranium (I think G. maculatum) but they didn't germinate for me...at least not yet.
I rarely go to nurseries anymore. Little variety and they're usually expensive.
I don't go to nurseries much either. I'm a big fan of shopping online. but I was shrub shopping. I bought a ninebark, a variegated Hollywood juniper and a Mint Julep juniper. it's so hard to get a decent size shrub online, and I need some larger plants because I have these huge empty spaces to fill.
here's the Hollywood...never saw this before
and the Mint Julep
I love to go to plant sales from different organizations. Several garden clubs in the area have them and they are worth the trip. you can usually find something exciting if you get there early enough and a lot of people pass over the really good stuff because "the iris isn't blue" or the "lilac isn't purple" or this or that is some different color. They don't seem to know what to do with it. I got a beautiful little tiarella today with burgundy markings and some tiny hosta and a really cute variegated leaved african violet which is going down to my mom tomorrow. She's really great with them. I kill them off.
Martha
Do tell Gram, a local gal here is dying to know what nurseries you hit! LOL
I can't even leave K-Mart without buying at least one plant, it's that bad.
Your acquisitions look great!
This message was edited May 21, 2007 8:55 AM
Jackie, I went to Menne's, Lincoln Park, Lowe's and Ulrich's. I bought the shrubs at Ulrich's (Lockport Rd). I had a coupon for $20 off a $100 sale. also got a pot of Helenium 'Ruby Dwarf' and Physostegia 'Pink Bouquet (obedient plant) and 2 big hanging baskets (fuschia & cascade petunias). they seem to have a bit more unusual plants. although Menne's is my alltime favorite place to waste my time and money ;0)