Re: Heronswood

- what else did

you buy there?
I bought a total of 3 plants.
Note, too, that I do not buy carloads of plants like some of you. I don't have the space and I don't have the funds. Sure, I only bought 3 plants there, but I have purchased ZERO plants this year from any big box store, so %age-wise, that's pretty darned supportive if you ask me. BTW I grow my own annuals.

Kitty
neIN, Zone 5
----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna" <gossiper@sbcglobal.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Heronswood


Somehow I don't think my point exactly came across
right :)

I guess what I was trying to say is - well lets put it
this way. (I am not picking on either of you- just
responding to what you said)

Kitty- you drove 80 miles for a plant- what else did
you buy there? It was nice to have a local (or not so
local) place to go, but without the bread and butter
of other purchases, can that person stay in business?

Chris- your 5 flats of annuals are normally purchased
at a big box store.. around here anyways, the smaller
places that have the unusual perennial plants also
have annuals that are a tad better (different
varieties/colors of the standard ones) but cost more.
By supporting their other plants, it helps them get
thru the year and on to the next.

I do agree that a nursery has to have something
special to survive.... but those of us who buy that
type of thing have to support the other stuff there as
well if we want them to continue- which could be
anything else they sell- from mulch to garden
decorations to.....

Although I am not familiar with Heronswood's local
operation, I am wondering if the 'locals' supported it
enough. Did they just drop in to view the gardens or
actually put their money there too... since the profit
end was mailorder- which can be done from anywhere-
the bottom line profits caused the nursery end to
close.

Donna


--- Kitty <kmrsy@comcast.net> wrote:
> Now being honest, where did you buy plants at this
> season? The high priced smaller nurseries or .....

Donna, you are preaching to the choir. ;+)
I don't mean to come across as a plant snob, but we
on this list are
different from the general population of garden
decorators; most of us are
true gardeners. We look for special items; we don't
just accept what Home
Depot and Wal-Mart dictate our gardens should grow.

I recently drove an 80mile round trip to a little
nursery run by a teenager
and his mother to get a plant you can't find here in
town. I have always
ordered the bulk of my plants and the ones for the
display gardens via
mailorder, including Heronswood. But I'm also a
smart shopper and while
getting mulch at Lowe's I was surprised to find a
really nice Songbird
Hydrangea for a song, so I snatched it up. I also
came home with 5 really
nice plants from our MG plant sale and have my eye
on a couple more in our
next 2 sales.

Education is the key. To the garden decorators, the
homeowners who don't
know much more than that they want a pretty bush or
a perennial that "blooms
all summer" (hah!) they have been trained to go to
the big box stores. They
aren't even aware of the out of the way greenhouses
or that mailordering
plants exists beyond Michigan Bulb. That's one of
the things we do as MGs,
we educate. We suggest better sources.

Kitty
Kitty
neIN, Zone 5
----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna" <gossiper@sbcglobal.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 9:16 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Heronswood


>I believe this is a sign of the times. The little
guys
> are having a hard time making ends meet for so
many
> reasons.
>
> We, the hobbiest, are partly to blame by not
> supporting them totally. We might buy some plants,
but
> others are bought from the big box stores/ebay/etc
at
> reduced rates or just at sale times.. cuts that
profit
> margin down for them and stretches the ends even
> further.
>
> Now being honest, where did you buy plants at this
> season? The high priced smaller nurseries or .....
>
> Donna
> who only bought from two places so far this
year...
> one mail order and a smaller local nursery (who
had a
> nice discount coupon, so I am no better than most
of
> you)
>
>
> --- "Christopher P. Lindsey" <lindsey@mallorn.com>
> wrote:
>
>> > Their web site is still up and active. Hmmm. I
>> couldn't get the article to
>> > come up for me.
>>
>> Hi Bonnie,
>>
>> They're just shutting down the physical
nursery.
>> The online presence
>> will remain. Shipping, etc. is moving to
>> Burpee's main office.
>>
>> Here's some other articles.
>>
>> http://hort.net/+13gQ
>> http://hort.net/+13gP
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> http://www.bonvivantnursery.com/
>> Bon Vivant Nursery
>> http://www.hort.net/sHORTurl/
>> Shorten your URLs!
>> http://www.hort.net/gallery/ 3961 online
plant
>> photos and growing!
>>
>>
>

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