Re: todays experience
Melody - I really didn't intend to come across as a plant snob, though I
suppose I may be to some extent. I have Purple Coneflowers and and Tawny
Daylilies because I love their simple charm. But I kicked the Shasta
Daisies out long ago because they're a royal pain.
I understand K-Marts carrying such items, actually I'm happy they don't
carry anything rare, as it would be a shame to see them gasping their last
breaths when no one waters them. But it would be nice for "bonafide"
nurseries to offer something unusual.
There is a huge world of plants to be expereinced and I hope to God we'll
never be reduced to some "white list". Personally, I don't care if there
are times when nothing is blooming. The week or two of that Glaucidium will
be enough to carry me through. I'm a collector, not a designer, so I'll
keep hoping to find something interesting, breathtaking.
I don't argue the need for tried and true, but to tell the truth, there is
more to try.
Kitty
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melody" <mhobertm@excite.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2004 8:15 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] todays experience
> Now, as someone whose gardens are full of very ordinary
> plants...daylilies, peonies, phlox, etc. and whatever else I can pick up
> at Walmart, here is another point of view...
>
> Perhaps one of the reasons that places like Walmart and Lowes, etc.
> carry so much of this very ordinary stuff is because of supply and
> demand...They order what they know they can sell and obviously what many
> people like myself want is just ordinary, tried and true standards. I
> have a great love of gardening but am I going to go out of my way to
> look for the unusual to put in my garden? Probably not and if so, then
> only very, very rarely. I like the looks of a garden that is filled with
> these tried and true friends, so I guess places like the big box stores
> market themselves to people like me. Even when I do go out of my way to
> go to a local grower, I still look for the things I am familiar with and
> that are inexpensive and affordable. No way am I going to pay $30 for a
> plant that I don't even know will survive. Matter of fact, I have a hard
> time spending more than about $10 on any one plant, unless it's a rose.
> Also, please notice that I said that in order to go to one of the local
> nurseries, I would have to go out of my way to get there. Whereas, I am
> at Walmart at least once a week, usually more, throughout the entire
> growing season...convenience could be my middle name! :-)
>
>
>
> Melody, IA (Z 5/4)
>
> "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
> --Albert Einstein
>
> --- On Fri 05/07, james singer < jsinger@igc.org > wrote:
> From: james singer [mailto: jsinger@igc.org]
> To: gardenchat@hort.net
> Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 17:54:59 -0400
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] todays experience
>
> I agree 110%, Kitty. But it's the vision thing. And most of them don't
> <br>have it. I've always suspected that if the normally inept local
> <br>merchants would quit whining about Wal-Mart and start offering value
> <br>[instead of same-old, same-old], they could very well whup the
> Arkansas <br>titan. If you read the NYTimes or the WSJ, you know that
> Wal-Mart's <br>plan in invade real cities [as opposed to jerk-water
> towns like my <br>neighborhood] has stalled again. They are frightened
> of competition <br>from quality merchandise. There are lessons there.
> Mom and pop need to <br>wake up.<br><br>On Friday, May 7, 2004, at 05:42
> PM, Kitty wrote:<br><br>> Jim, you're right. But a smart nursery
> buyer could spend a little time<br>> looking for more options. The
> min order qty can be overcome. Green <br>> Mtn<br>> Transplants
> offers the ordinary and a few extraordinaries that you can <br>>
> mix<br>> and match all you want at no additional cost. I'm sure there
> are <br>> others out<br>> there. Doesn't Barry Glick - Sunshine
> Farms - do this?<br>><br>> Also, I'm aware of a couple of small
> nursery owners who split orders. <br>> They<br>> are on opposite
> sides of town, so generally aren't competing for <br>>
> customers.<br>><br>> I think sometimes it can be the buyers'
> fault. No imagination. But <br>> there's<br>> a caveat to sticking
> with the tried and true. Small nurseries can't <br>> compete<br>>
> with the big box stores on the same merchandise. Why pay $15 for
> a<br>> Rudbeckia that you can pick up for $3.99 at K-Mart?
> Specializing in <br>> the<br>> right area, creating your niche, is
> what will keep the little guy in<br>> business. Your specialty might
> be the kind of plants, or the service <br>> or<br>> even the
> ambience. But it can't be the price.<br>><br>>
> Kitty<br>><br>><br>> ----- Original Message -----<br>> From:
> "james singer" <jsinger@igc.org><br>> To:
> <gardenchat@hort.net><br>> Sent: Friday
>
> , May 07, 2004 3:52 PM<br>> Subject: Re: [CHAT] todays
> experience<br>><br>><br>>> I think Lynda's got it right.
> Tried and true is safe and predictable.<br>>> In addition, plants
> are perishable and there's the minimum quantity<br>>> thing that
> make's it iffy to buy on speculation.<br>>><br>>> This
> tendency on the part of the marketplace to standardize is
> what<br>>> makes underground markets--plant society sales,
> farmers' markets,<br>>> garage
> sales--interesting.<br>>><br>>> On Friday, May 7, 2004, at
> 09:19 AM, Lynda Young wrote:<br>>><br>>>> The owners I've
> spoken to in this area says it's better business to<br>>>>
> stick with the well-known, comfortable plants that everyone
> <br>>>> recognizes.<br>>>> Not enough space or money
> to invest a lot in plants that most people<br>>>>
> are<br>>>> not familiar with.<br>>>><br>>>>
> But, isn't that part of the fun of gardening? Stretching the
> limits<br>>>> and<br>>>> trying something new in the
> hope of finding a great addition to your<br>>>> plantings.
> Unfortunately, it seems you can only do that through<br>>>>
> mail-order in most cases. Certainly not everything you get
> will<br>>>> thrive,<br>>>> but when an experiment
> works it is a real thrill.<br>>>><br>>>>
> Lynda<br>>>> Zone 7 - West Tn<br>>>><br>>>>
> -----Original Message-----<br>>>> From:
> owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net]
> On<br>>>> Behalf Of Donna<br>>>> Sent: Thursday, May
> 06, 2004 9:31 PM<br>>>> To: gardenchat@hort.net<br>>>>
> Subject: RE: [CHAT] todays
> experience<br>>>><br>>>><br>>>> Yeah I am
> kinda worried about that.... There are so many more
> choices<br>>>> via mail order, but I always wondered about
> that.. like if they are<br>>>> really hardy and grow able here,
> why i
>
> sn
> 't any of the nurseries<br>>>> carrying<br>>>> them? I
> understand the big box stores only do the main plants, but
> <br>>>> what<br>>>> about the specialty
> ones?<br>>>><br>>>> Anyone care to explain it to
> me?<br>>>><br>>>>
> Donna<br>>>><br>>>>><br>>>>> Uh-oh,
> Donna. Careful - you might get hooked with this mail
> order<br>>>>> thing! And, believe me, I know whereof I speak
> ;o)<br>>>>><br>>>>> Lynda<br>>>>>
> Zone 7 - West TN<br>>>><br>>>>
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> Island Jim<br>>> Southwest Florida<br>>> Zone 10<br>>>
> 27.0 N, 82.4 W<br>>><br>>>
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> http://www.hort.net/funds/<br>><br>><br>Island Jim<br>Southwest
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