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Re: [GWL]: Gardens To Go

I think this is a bit of a myth. Since the 1800s British catalogues 
have sold things like 'Traditional Border Collections' - plants, plan 
and planting insttructions for borders of different sizes and a few 
catalogues still do.You mention 'boxes and totes filled with plants, 
fertilizer, seed, planting chart and even borders and small garden 
ornaments.  A bale of compost was included in the
package—all for one price. '  But I've never seen this and I'm in 
garden centres around the south east often when I'm in the UK.

What you do see is boxes containing, say, six plants in 9cm pots 
selected with a theme - ornamental herbs, rock plants, shade lovers 
etc.... These are usally put together by the wholesale nursery, in a 
pretty box with a bow and/or carrying handle, and occasionally you'll 
see that the garden centre has added, perhaps, a small pack of 
fertiliser as a tempter of their own... but the comprehensive package 
you mention was, I suspect, probably seen by one writer in one place 
- once... and turned into 'the latest thing'!

True, I spend a lot of time in the US these days and so see less of 
British garden centres than I used to but I've not seen anything 
quite as you describe.

BTW... the phrases 'gardens to go' and 'curb appeal' are not in use 
in the UK. Brits don't use the phrase 'to go'... we tend to say 'to 
take away' and the phrase would translate as 'take-away gardens'. But 
then we say 'I live in a flat' - and no, we don't mean we live in a 
seed tray. As for curb appeal... I think most Brits would rather 
reserve their best displays for the privacy of their back garden 
(sorry, back yard)!

Graham Rice
www.grahamrice.com

>About a year ago, I read in a London newspaper about the gardens-to-go trend
>in the UK.  The article detailed how garden centers were selling boxes and
>totes filled with plants, fertilizer, seed, planting chart and even borders
>and small garden ornaments.  A bale of compost was included in the
>package—all for one price.  These gardens-to-go were aimed at the
>time-starved young professional who lived in a terrace house (a row house
>with a small backyard) in urban areas, and at two-income suburbanites with
>little time and small yards.  Varieties of gardens included herbs, sunny
>annuals, shade gardens, curb appeal, etc.  You get the picture.
>
>At the time, I thought this was a terrific idea for the USA, in view of the
>success of Etera and Spring Hill were having.  I pitched the idea to a
>couple of editors with no luck last year.  A few weeks ago, I got a contract
>to do the article.
>
>With the demise of Etera and Spring Hill, I’m in a quandary about retail
>sources.  Do any of you know of regional garden centers that package this
>way?  Do you know of any catalogs that will be doing this concept for 2002?
>I think Park does in the Park Countryside catalog, but how about others?
>
>And, lastly, can any of our UK list members give more details about the
>gardens-to-go trend and how it has worked?  Popularity, variety, endurance,
>etc.?
>
>Any help is appreciated.
>Doreen Howard
>
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