Where do you buy your plants?

I look through books, search the internet for garden plans to get ideas, and make a list of the perfect plant 'varieties'. Then I go to my local nurseries, Home Depot or Lowes. Most times they don't have what I'm looking for (var., color), so I settle for something close or completely different. Eventually, most of the HD and Lowes plants don't look so great (could be my fault -- novice gardening skills). I'm tired of settling, I want what I want. I've seen pictures of your plants and gardens here on DG -- they're beautiful. I thought about ordering through catalogs, but I'm afraid the plants won't survive the mail. So, where do you buy your plants?

Internet, mail order, and the occasional local greenhouse or nursery.
One of my favorite nurseries, though not exactly close, is Behnke's in Maryland... especially the one at Beltsville.

A couple of pointers on plants from places like Lowes. First, try to plant hunt as close as possible to the day they came in. That way you know they haven't been stressed by lack of watering, etc.

I've also found their plants are often potbound and need to be planted as soon as possible.

One mail order nursery I highly recommend is Gossler Farms. I couldn't believe the size of the plants I got from them and they were the healthiest I've ever bought anywhere. Prices are good too. Shipping is high but not for the size of the plants.

Bluestone Perennials is very reasonable but the plants are small. Watch for their sales or, if you buy from them, they will send you coupons.

Check Garden Watchdog - there's a list at the top of nurseries that have gotten top ratings. If you order from a reliable place, the plants will do fine in the mail.

My best plants come from a good local nursery. They have a half price sale every summer and I wait every year for that sale. We have other gardeners from your area here and I'm sure they can recommend good nurseries in your neck of the woods.

Don't forget about trading. Keep an eye on the plant and seed trading forums and try to make it to one of our plant swaps.

Thanks Wild Rose. I think Beltsville is a little to far for me, but I will try mail order.

Hart - I'll check out your mail order recommendations and garden watchdog. I love the nursery half prices sales -- I do keep an eye out for those. I do have a favorite nursery that I found this year -- everything I bought is still do well.

Since discovering DG, I purchase far fewer plants than I used to. I now start many from seed and gain tons of plants from swaps. Otherwise, I get more from mail order than from local nurseries. Btw, I live a few short miles from the Beltsville Behnkes ... spent *thousands* of dollars there over my first three out of four years in this house. Now I spend not much more than $100 there/year. I'm actually not a big fan of that store, but it's the closest to me. lol For annuals, I'll stop by HD and pick up several flats of cheapo plants, but I follow the same guidelines that Hart uses with the box stores...

Anyhoo, Michaeljo, I was wondering where West Norriton is located. I think I'll google it.

I can hardly take care of plants that come in pots, starting them from seeds scares me. But, I have been reading about winter sowing, I might give it a try this year. I also what to learn more about growing plants from cuttings. I am going to try some mail order. When is the best time to order perennials?

West Norriton is about 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia, near Norristown and King of Prussia.

Hart - what's a plant swap?

The best time is during end of season sales, imo! The thing to understand when you order plants is that you need to be prepared when they arrive on your doorstep. You do not want them to sit in the box for any length of time. Someone should be home the day that they arrive and they should come out of their packaging, watered, potted up, or whatever is required of them ASAP.

One of my neighbors swears by a fantastic nursery up in or near Harrisburg. He is a phenomenal plant man and I have a lot of respect for his gardening knowledge. I'll try to get that nursery name for you.

Thanks for the tips wrightie. I'll have to pick a nice day for delivery, so I can take off work to care for my new plants ... I'd rather be gardening!

LOL - no need to take off work! It usually only takes me a few minutes to deal with any deliveries. The plants can certainly sit in a box at the doorstep for a few hours provided that the heat nor cold are extreme.

sure, rain on my day off plan. You mentioned end season sales ... would that be now?

Well, I'm sure that the others have told you how mean and nasty that I am. I'm afraid that that's just how I roll....

I think that there still are some sales going on, but it's beginning to get a wee bit late. Will have to ask the others to chime in on that one as I haven't been buying much this season since having Hoof Surgery a couple months back. Generally, late Spring, late Summer, and late Fall have been good times for sales. Late Fall is perhaps the best time, however.

I did hear some things about you, but no one told me you had hooves. Hope you're recovering well and in time for next spring ... someone has to take care of the pineapples you just planted.

My pineapple hedge is doing very well, indeed. Thank you for remembering. They are beginning to bare fruit. I tend to them from my mobility scooter.

hmm ... hook a wagon to the back of it and you have yourself a mini-tractor. That would be helpful when you harvest the fruit

now would be good to hunt for half price trees and shrubs, I would hesitate with perennials, unless I like the way they look and Lowes puts them on the dollar rack, LOL...

What's a plant swap? said the fly to the ten spiders

I do buy my pansies every year from a good local nursery, after th year I got cheap ones at Walmart and they sulked all winter. I think that was a testimony to good care at the nursery. Do check Watchdog. Nothing better than testimony from customers.

michealjo,

Have you tried Waterloo Gardens for plants? I love the one in Exton; there are also other locations in Warminster, Devon and Wilmington,DE.
here's their website: http://www.waterloogardens.com/

They have a lot of regular plants but a good supply of unusual ones and while they aren't cheap, they are knowledable and their planta are always in good condition.

*SOB* I miss Waterloo and Longwood!

michaeljo,
Pa. is just loaded with good native plant nurseries. If you google native plants nurseries in Pa. you can come up with a long list. Bowmanhill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope does a Spring and Fall plant sale (you have to go to the Preserve to purchase plants) and you can mailorder seeds.
I would recommend Rarefind Nursery in NJ. for mailorder. I've visited this nursery during it's late summer dog days big sale and mail ordered from them with excellent results.

Thanks all for your input. I'll checkout the "native plant nurseries in PA". I go to New Hope often, about an hour away. I'm at Waterloo Garden just about every weekend (the one in Devon).

Dragonfly, Waterloo is my favorite nursery, they have the best plants in the area. Never thought of going to Longwood gardens to buy plants, thanks for the tip!

hmm ... I think I'll stay away from the plant swap!

I think you ~won't~ ... You are already trapped.

I think the one in Exton is larger, from what I remember. When gas was cheap, I used to travel all over the area for plants. Sadly, I left them all at my last few houses....

Wrightie is still in Halloween mode. LOL A plant swap is where we all get together, swap our extra plants with each other and eat lots of good food and talk lots of good garden talk.

No spiders or flies. LOL

Our Lowes had most of their shrubs and leftover perennials on half price this week and bulbs were 75% off. I got some really nice bulbs for $1 and $1.50 a package.

I'll bring my Dionaea muscipula to the plant swap, just in case.

I just printed Bowman's Hill seed catalog ... and the check will be in the mail tomorrow!

I loved WKRP in Cincinnati! Please bring Johnny Fever as well, okay?

Keep an eye on the Co-op Forums. Last year I bought a lot of plants from them. Most of the co-ops were very well run and I got a lot of plants for very good prices. But it does say "Participate at your own risk" for a reason. I participated in 5 of the co-ops 4 of them were very well run. and I got excellent prices on 3 of them. The one co-op had some problems, I think it just got too big and too much to handle for the person running it and I did get my plants but it took awhile and there were some people that weren't very happy when it was all done. The other co-op I got beautiful plants at a good discount but later in the year found similar ones in our area at better prices. All in all it was a positive experience that I will repeat this year.
Wrightie, Wonder which nursery near Hbg. your neighbor likes? I'm in that area. There are several that have very nice plants but IMO pricey. Although pricey to me could be very different from pricey in your area down closer to DC. BTW any chance your hoofs will be comming to the Conservatory on the 16th?

Conservatory on the 16th??? Dec. 16th? I missed that post. More info. please! I'll ask my neighbor which nursery he uses. Yesterday my podiatrist cleared me to begin easing back into running again. He said that I need to start out on a treadmill ... so I went out and ran up and down my street a few times last night - just to see if I could. Still ouchie.

Co-ops -- great idea. I still have not ventured down that Rabbit Hole yet myself. I'm sure that if I spent much time on that forum, I'd be swimming in plants galore.

Here is the link for the Conservatory trip. Sunday Dec 16th. Everybody welcome.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/788825/

Michael,

Most people here know I work for a HD. However, I no longer buy too many plants there--at least NOT annuals. Several reasons:

1. I don't want 24 of the same kind! They no longer had 6-packs this year. Only half flats of annuals (24), and then each one is in a 1" sq. little cell pack. How many roots do you think they have?

2. All plants at all the HD's around here are now grown and controlled by Bell Nursery. They grow them, bring them, arrange them, water them, etc. HD does NOTHING! They also do not take any of the $$ losses either if plants die. BUT--you will also not see too many clearances.
My only complaints are that the prices have gone up too high for my taste and that the annuals are pushed into bloom by too much fertilizing so they look "marketable". Then you plant them--there is some cool weather, and they just do not re-bloom as good as they should. Not hardy enough.
I have no problems with their Perennials or trees or shrubs.

Where do I buy my plants???
All over the place, but prefer privately owned, small businesses, road-side stands, local Nurseries and wholesale growers. Many of them now allow the public to shop at their Nurseries for the same low prices.
One I went to a lot last Spring was "Maryland Flower and Foliage" in White Marsh on Vincent Farm Road. Great place!!!

I, personally, have never bought plants through the mail.

Hope some of this helps, Gita

Very helpful. Thanks Gita!

HollyAnn & others -

Can you tell us more about plant buying co-ops?
I had a odd experience with one this spring - our local garden club put on a our annual plant sale to benefit a local public garden. About mid-morning in came two plant co-ops buyers and bought out half our sale inventory.
Now that is not all bad - as we were glad to make the sales and had worked hard with local nurseries and growers to get a great selection of plants that many donated for this purpose or gave us at cost.
However, it is my understanding that the plant co-op folks will then in turn be selling these plants off to their members at a higher price? And aren't they in a way depriving the public of getting these great plants direct from our sale at good prices?
Note, we did not think we were underpricing things nor overpricing for that matter.
I'm just trying to grasp - if this is a good or bad thing for the local plant buying market?

PS I let my DG membershop lapse last year - but I'm back now and ready to participate regularly. I'm a member of a number of local Maryland garden clubs, avid gardener sibce childhood, and prcatically live on online when not in the garden.

It doesn't make sense to resell to folks in a co-op at a higher price.....almost every co-op I've been in has been formed for the purpose of getting a wholesale price by having a lot of members who want to purchase enough of one item at the lower price to make the wholesalers minimum.

Ebay.

Amy, check out the DG Co-op Forums. They run them all the time for all different types of plants and other things like plant markers and other plant related items. There are several different ways that I have seen them run. A DGer organizes them, the organizer doesn't make any profit. One way is to buy in bulk from a wholesale nursery. All plants are shipped to the co-op host then they divide the plants between everyone in the co-op and ship them. You pay the wholesale price + whatever shipping costs and misalliance expenses. I've seen another way where you order thru the host but the wholesaler ships directly to each person. Usually a host puts out feelers to see if there is interest in ordering certain plants. I have been pretty pleased with the ones I was in. Some of them were really great. But it is definitely a buyer beware. Not everyone has had positive experience. Read the sticky at the top of the Co-op forum. Holly

Thanks, HollyAnn - I'll definitely check out that forum. Still wondering this particular co-op bought so much at our benefit plant sale - I'm guessing we did not mark up enough from the wholesaler prices.

Amy,

You priced them just right if you didn't end up with a load of leftover plants and made enough money to pay for whatever you ran the sale for! I've been to some plant sales where the members were selling unnamed plant varieties at prices equal to or higher than the local bigbox! Needless to say they had a lot left over and I heard them blaming the people for being cheap, the weather for being cold and rainy, etc. They looked everywhere but didn't come up with the real reason, that they were overpriced for what they had because there WERE a lot of potential customers present..

And I think the co-op did you a favor by getting the plants to people who might not have been able to attend the sale. Did you have to turn away a lot of people who wanbted to purchase plants after the co-op bought theirs?