Bluestone's 1/2 off sale....

I didn't realize they would give you credit for the box and peanuts. How does that work?

They send you a certificate with each order. If you mail the box and packing materials back, it's good for free shipping on your next order. Since you're paying to mail the stuff back, you will save a little on the next order. I think the first time I did it, it was $6 something to mail the box so I saved a couple of bucks on shipping on the next order.

Darn, Tasmanian Tiger is one of the things I tried to get two sale orders in a row with no luck. sigh

hart when did you order??? I got it on my first order and there wasn't any problem on getting for the second order. Sorry you couldn't get it.

Tell ya what, if it does well for me this year and comes back next year I'll send ya some, if ya want it?

Janet

Last year's spring and fall clearance sales. I love euphorbias and thought the Taz was so cool.

I never noticed that coupon. Phooey. I always whine about the environmentally-incorrect peanuts -- I would have been delighted to return them!

My latest order had a large envelope which contained the new catalog and a coupon booklet. I thought that was neat.

Paul

So did mine. I just didn't look inside!

I am so weak. I just placed a last minute order. Add this to the LA Iris co-op, the Brent & Becky's order, another order from a semi-local greenhouse, and the upcoming swap, and I won't need any more plants for at least... a week or two!

Yeah...you know you're in trouble when either you run out of pots or are having difficulty getting ALL of the plants IN the ground that need to be there....and IF you still have ones sitting out from a previous order....well then maybe a 12 step program is in order...LOL Disclaimer: I, of course, have no personal knowledge of the above stated scenarios.

Ahem - I'll sign up for that program - I have in depth knowledge :-)

Had to place an order with Bluestone of course - half of my garden came from them!!

Hi
My Nmae is Paul
and
I'm a Plant-aholic

It started one day when..........

Bec and Chantell, I need to lure you two out here to the little nursery in Woodstock. Four packs of perennials for $3.25 and they are nice. Did you see the leopards bane I had for Happy at the swap? They came from there. They have bigger ones too and lots of herbs, annuals, vegetable plants.

I'm with yall as I went out this weekend to get another fix and ended up with 12 more plants.

But by george, I got 90% of them planted yesterday, (47) and I have a sunburn to show for it too>>>> LOL

Hi, I'm Janet

I'm a plantacholic ............................................................................

ROTFLOL - ya'll are too funny!!! Sad bunch aren't we? Course if what you're growing is legal...it's all good!!
Diane - is that the one the stock came from last year? Dang I wish gas wasn't so high...

Hi my name is Becky - I came by it in vitro - and I can TRULY blame it on my mother - a therapist would have a field day with that!!!

Since I grew up in the very, very northern part of Norway you'd think she didn't have the opportunity to grow much - ah wrong, she even had a little greenhouse made out of old windows - complete with red grow lights - every spring we had 100's of little plastic drink cups (mostly Disney ones) ALL over the house - she even had wider windowsills installed - and since this was a 5 bedroom house with tons of windows - you do the math :-)

Sadly my mother kills anything green unless plastic...so I have no one else to blame...but....BECKY....now that's funny

Well Becky, your off the hook for my addiction as I have to say my grandmother was the cause of mine.. LOL

My family tree is rife with gardeners and my grandfather, who was a retired tobacco farmer, was growing a smoking tobacco plant in a pot as a houseplant when he died. He wasn't using it, just growing it. LOL He always preferred a good chaw and never smoked.

Chantell, this is a different place but I think the place where the stocks came from must buy her plants from them wholesale as well because she carries a lot of the same plants. This place is a bit cheaper. Last year her perennials were $1.25 each and I think $18 for a flat of 18.

I do have to say she carries some wonderful shrubs and trees as well at very reasonable prices while the place in Woodstock doesn't carry any. She's in Front Royal, which is closer to you.

I'm making progress. Probably have about half planted. I'm weeding out new planting areas and moving some things as I go along so that's slowing it down.

So, my order arrived on Saturday during this ridiculous heatwave. I came home from Jody's swap to find it baking on the front porch. All the plants were pretty sad and droopy. Three days later, all have perked up except two of the three-pack of primroses and one of the three-pack of poppies. I'm torn about whether or not to email Bluestone about this. Obviously, they can't control the weather. They didn't do anything wrong at all-- it was just bad luck with the timing for me. On the other hand, I'm so disappointed because I'm sure the one poppy is beyond help and the two primroses are probably not going to make it, either.

I would take it up with my post office - those boxes are clearly marked live plants and/or perishable - why did the postal person think it ok to leave a box marked as such, sent priority mail, to bake on a door step? I fight with my PO folks all the time about this...I wont' even start on that. If I'm expecting a shipment and I know that they might not be anyone home I'll leave a note on my door asking the PO to hold it rather then chance the weather. Not that they listen to that either some of the time...but I at least try. :( Bluestone generally sends an email with a tracking number - so you have an idea when to expect it.

This message was edited Jun 10, 2008 5:01 PM

You can complain to the post office if it'll make you feel better, but don't expect any satisfaction from them (like $). Bluestone is generally very good about sending replacements, but you need to report promptly since it was a problem that arose during shipping. If Bluestone gets enough complaints, they may switch to a different carrier.

By all means let Bluestone know. The very same thing happened on both of my orders, only lost 2 plants from the first order but the second order is almost completed lost. Stinking folks that leave a live plant box on a door step when they can clearly see that the sun hits it full force and if they had just left the box behind the one shrub it would have been in the shade and most likely most of the plants would have made it. The box was damaged on the second order and one plant (of course the one I wanted the most) was broken in two places. I sent an e-mail both times on my orders and they are replacing all of the ones that didn't make it.

I just found out I'm only 1 hour south of them, and Thursday - Saturday they are having a special sale for those that come to their location. So several of my garden club members and I are going up and will be there bright and early 8 am so we can get in on some of the best buys.

They have already e-mailed me back to let me know what area to go to pick up my replacements for my two orders. They are the best. Very responsive with answering my e-mail. I love the size of their plants tool.

So yes by all means let them know.

Janet

I went ahead and sent Bluestone an email. I don't believe I ever received a shipment email from them-- can't find it in my inbox or junk folder. In fact, I got my order before they even charged my credit card-- talk about fast!

I am going to write a letter to the post office as well, for all the good it'll do. That box was clearly marked as perishable and containing live plants. Leaving it in the sun especially when temps were in the high 90's was not a very smart or responsible thing on the part of the mail person. I guess she was probably hot and tired and wanted to get her route done as soon as possible.

Janet, What day are you planing on going to Bluestone? I won't have to be at work all day Friday and work is between my house and Bluestone, I was planning on shooting up that way to get in on the sale.

Here is a few tips for you for your visit, Pick up a catalog before you start your shopping, the pictures will help you decide if you want the plant or not. They usually have a lot of catalogs left over for the taking.
Take a small pair of scissors, If you only want one plant you can cut the 3 pack, they don't mind, in fact one of the workers did it for me one time, but I hated to bother her again so I always take my own pair.
Don't pass up on the shrubs, even though they are small, I pot mine up to a bigger pot and let it grow a few seasons in a sheltered spot until it is a size where I won't mistakenly pull it up or hubby runs it down with the lawn mower or weed whacker. ☺
Don't be shy about asking ?s they know their stuff or will fine someone who can answer your plant questions.
If you carpool make sure you have room for every ones plants, or a few people might have to hitchhike home. lol
And don't be disappointed if something you have your heart set on is sold out, a plant that is a rage one year might not sell the next and they can't predict what will sell out.
Have fun, I know you will.
Chris

Wow Chris - what great info...makes me want to head up myself!! ^_^
I'd actually wondered that previously - to put IN the ground or baby in a pot for a bit...hmmmm.....

Chantell, That's how I got my beautiful Carol Mackie Duphne, Miss Kim Lilac, Forever Pink Hydrangea, Wine & Roses Weigela and a dwarf Mountian Laurel. It takes a while but the end results and great. Potting up for a while makes them easy to attend to if they need a slight trim to shape them (remove any wild branches) I also rotate them so the roots don't grow into the ground in the pots and this lets them grow more even if they are next to a wall in the pots.
Here is Carol Mackie

LOL, Chantell... think we could come up with a big enough car-load to make a road trip worthwhile? ;-)

Heart screams: of course!!! Brain yells: have you looked at gas prices....so sad :(

ROFL... I just googled to see how near they were to Pittsburgh, since I've been going up pretty regularly to see my folks. It's about 2 1/2 hours away from them. That's probably not going to happen this summer, either. Maybe I'll plan better next year!

Sad when shipping runs you less then driving there eh? Oh...but such good Italian places to eat....and pick up some nut rolls? I'm starved!!!

Hmmmm, so, I could order these still, send them to the new house, and whilst my wonderful better half is sitting unsuspectingly in GA still....possibly pass these off as ..."HONEY, look what just popped up here on the new property?"

Whadya think, will it fly? :D

It'll fly! Just be sure to make it to the fall swap, so we can give you housewarming presents... :-)

Someone from Bluestone actually called me today. Apparently they're having problems with some emails and that's why I never got a shipping notice. They're going to replace the dead plants. Yay!

Oh, and she said the carrier was Fed Ex, not USPS, so I guess they'll get my nasty letter instead. :-)

Ahhhh, I knew I'd find fellow enablers here...teehee! Good to see you again Critter! Fall Swap....sounds great - hopefully I'll have something to bring to swap by then.

Great news Kublileya - glad to hear that you'll get new babies.

Does anyone know how long the sale is for? Sorry, I haven't read the entire thread - just popping in to take a break from packing from time to time.

I just returned from going to bluestones annual customer appreciate sale..... WOW just isn't big enough to describe the experience.....

I'll report more later as I now have to get a shower and go to work.

Sitting here.....verrryyyy. verrrryyy jealous....

(sits down morosely beside Chantell and waits to hear what she missed out on....)

Was it a mad scene, with people elbowing other people while grabbing plants? Are their grounds pretty?

I hope you left some plants for me, meadow. lol
I plan on going up tomorrow as soon as I get down working my short day. Getting my list ready, checking out their web site to see what is still available.
Happy, they are a huge mail order place with big buildings, nothing pretty. But most of the properties along the way house gardeners.
If you go to their web site and look under Tour, they have pictures of their facility. I am staying away from the place on Saturday/Sunday as I have a feeling that most will do their shopping this weekend. Then it will be elbow to elbow. Friday is my day of choice.
Now to pick out a few mums to grow for the fall, choices....choices...what to pick?

here is a picture of our second round. this is after we were able to get our hands on a four wheel cart. These are the handing baskets that are 12.50. Just incredible.