Comments regarding Rice Creek Gardens Inc.

Betty Ann's identifications are unreliable. I had always asked for genus and species and whether the plant was a naturally occurring species. With this information, I bought a number of plants and have been discovering that her speciation has been questionable at best. She also tends to call plants cold hardy for zone 3 or 4 that really are zone 5. Just advice in case you want to buy from her. If you don't care and only want a plant because it looks cute, that is another matter. She does sell occasionally out of her home.

"On Nov 2, 2010 10:09 PM, Rice Creek Gardens Inc. responded with:

Botanists often disagree with horticulturalists about "proper" names, in fact, botanists disagree with botanists. As for hardiness, all the plants we sell are propagated from plants grown right here at my home nursery in zone 3/4, having spent many winters, unprotected. The zone is only a guideline, someone's best guess. You can see the plants growing in the ground with their companions. I do not do this for money--only for the love of these rare plants and to help others enjoy them, too. "

I live by Rice Creek. We have Sandy soil, as do they, so for obvious reasons I wanted to buy through them. I've had so so luck with their plants, compared to other nurseries (and plants from Home Depot & Franks). Their selection is amazing...plants you've never heard of to common ones. I've gotten a wonderful clematis from them, and an ornamental tree that seems to be doing well. Also, the daylillies seem to be doing wonderfully. I've not been happy with my grasses from them, or several of their more uncommon plants I've tried. One of the owners is very helpful and they have beautiful display gardens.

The Rice Creek Gardens website states that they are restarting full mail order service in 2002. I checked the site because I did not receive a catalogue yet.

Due to popular demand, Rice Creek Gardens has opened their mail order to many more plants including all of their small perennials, alpines, large perennials, daylilies (out of pot), peonies, shade plants, hostas (out of pot), primroses, most ferns, most grasses, all herbs, waterside plants, some flowering shrubs and trees, most conifers, and vines.