if you're within driving distance or up for a road trip, Bluestone Perennials is doing their annual sale again starting Thursday June 7 from 8 am to 8 pm up a their greenhouses in Madison, OH. The sale lasts through the Sunday of that weekend - the 10th. In years past, the prices were $1.50 per perennial, and $4 per shrub and hellebores.
I don't know if they are raising prices this year since it looks like their catalog is up a bit.
If you go, either plan for cargo or don't bring more than you want to spend, it is very very very very ( can you tell its the voice of experience? ) tempting to load up at those prices.
This sale is not announced to the general public and isn't available for the on-line business. Its one of those - you just have to know about it sales.
If you go on Thursday you might see me there with one arm tied behind my back to limit my extension!
Bluestone's annual sale
Oh, alyrics, I envy you! sigh . . . Well, enjoy your trip and may you find every plant you desire in better shape and lower price than you expect :-)
Thanks Michaela! A fellow gardener and I plan to be there at 7 am. In past years even though they say they open at 8, the people are already leaving around that time with wagon loads of plants. Trust me when I tell you, I do not need more plants. But I'm tempted by a few things and I have a pretty short list - I just like to go ooh and ahh over all the plants. Sometimes they don't have enough stock of something to list it in their catalog but its for sale at the greenhouses so I might see something cool.
My list is - more Carex Evergold - that is one fantastic plant - I think I have about 200 different varieties of perennials and right now its my favorite - what a work horse wherever you put it. I tried some a few years ago in different locations and I love it. There is a Carex called Island Brocade that I am lusting after but I don't think Bluestone has it.
1 medium hosta with a lot of white on it so I can finish copying the cover of a magazine - no shame
A brighter/darker Buddliea like Red Delight or Dark Knight .
The past few years my digitalis have died out and I only have a few plants that came back this year - would like to check out what they have.
Some small pots of viburnums and any other fruiting shrub good for wildlife .
The orange native Asclepias to add to my butterfly garden for the Monarchs.
Shrubs Itea, Kerria and Clethra for shade
I'd like to try that Echinacea Kim's Kneehigh to plant in front of some big grasses along the driveway.
If I limit myself to 10 perennials and maybe a half dozen shrubs there is a good chance they will actually get planted since truth be told I am still weeding and mulching. So I probably need to cut this list in half already. I have met the enemy and it is me! I am so bad about keeping a plant ghetto of stuff that needs to go in the ground.
Well, I understand the issue of lack of space - I am luckier than some because we have large terrace on this street which needs plants, so any extras can be planted there.
Its not the lack of space, its the time to take care of what I have already. I inherited someone elses 20 yr old garden. Someone with no children, and a part time job that didn't work in the summertime. Someone who the neighbors say spent from 6 am till 6 pm every day in the summer and on weekends doing something in the garden. Boy was I dazzled when we bought this place. Then I found out she had this all natural thing about not amending the soil and not mulching. So the soil is completely clay and all plants have to be topdressed every year. She actually picked each weed out of the soil with an implement. I have to have something lower maintenance than that. I mean, I'm an organic gardener but I believe in mulch!
I have finished taking up 2 whole giant beds and amending them and then replanting them. I have one bed that is lying fallow right now that is 100 ft x 70 ft x 80 ft - a triangle. I got somebody's lawn service to dump 2 x 10 ton dump trucks full of fall leaves into it 2 years ago. Maybe by this fall it will be ready to plant and landscape. The leaves were 3-4 ft deep but are almost all decomposed now. I am going to steel myself not to plant perennials in there. It has to be all deer resistant shrubs or things like aconitum that no sane animal will touch. I've had it drawn for 2 years now - its going to have a 2 level terrace with stone steps going up to a huge curved bench backed by shrubs that screen it all from the road. Can't wait.
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wow! send pictures! this sounds very impressive. Boy, talk about being able to resist immediate gratification - planning 3 years in advance! I admire your tenacity.
Aly, I tend to plan that far ahead, too. it sounds like a wonderful plan. would love to see it when you get it going. sure would love to be going to that sale!
Boy what I would give to be able to go to that sale......hmmm the wheels are turning on how to get to Ohio in the next 12 hours! LOL
Man, I would go with you pixie, but we have graduation ceremonies . . .
DS GF is a senior and her prom is tomorrow night and DBIL is getting married Sunday so my weekend is pretty full too.
Too bad . . . I wonder if DG members in the Bluestone area send Care Packages?
It's funny this thread about Bluestone's showed up today....I just got a box from Bluestone's!! Had forgotten about this, it was a gift certificate that I got for X-Mas from my daughter.
I got:
3 pk. Gaillardia "Tokajer"
3 pk. Catananche "Coerulea Major"
3 pk. Oenother "Sunset Boulevard"
Weigela "Carnival" (a bit disappointed with how small it is.) I ran the last one over with the lawn mower and this one is much smaller than the deceased!
I love that Catananche - there are so few things that are that color of blue. flax maybe. My soil seems to hold too much water for it to do well so I've killed all of them.
All the good photos of that big unused bed are on another computer so I can't post now. Will try to remember. there isn't much to look at right now :( I want to take out a few more trees so I can plant some that I want and that will be done during the summer. THis is more of a close up of the original edge planting. Its still there but there is a big empty space to the right of it now.
Alyrics - you lucky dog! beautiful landscaping AND a chance to go to the Bluestone sale. Man, you must have good karma!
Aly, Very peaceful looking spot.
Thanks guys!, it really doesn't compare to anything you've shown. I think it's kind of lonely looking in that pic. Originally that was planted when there was a lot more overhead canopy. Now that I've taken down more trees I'm concerned about digging those green hosta around the roots of the dogwoods. I might just use some RoundUp on the eyes closest to the dogwood. I lost a big dogwood in another area because the hosta were so aggressive they just sucked up all the nutrients and moisture and I was too chicken to dig them out.
Wow - mean hosta! Who knew?
They were probably originally planted a foot or 2 away from the trunk, but grew closer and closer. Dogwoods have very shallow roots.
Hum . . . I didn't know that. I have a little bitty dogwood I may have to move . . . thanks for the tip.