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Re: plectranthus, P. Sheild et al
Interesting comment. This past spring I've had a very difficult time
trying to find sources for 1) Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold' and
2) Polygonum orientale ‘Shiro-gane Nishiki’. The Asclepias in
particular seems like something many people would like to grow since
it is a super terrific plant for attracting butterflies. I first saw
it two years ago at Ball Seed but even they had no solid ideas on
where to purchase either plants or seeds. I did eventually discover
both in the Chicago area but it was difficult.
The Polygonum I acquired in 2002 as a plug in a trial box from Terra
Nova but they no longer sell it. What I like about this plant is that
it self-seeds (admittedly too abundantly for some gardens), comes
true from seed, and then blooms in Sept to give my autumn garden a
much-needed pick-me-up. It's about 6 feet tall but doesn't need
staking, despite the wind tunnel created by the high-rise two doors
down the street. I finally found 2 sources for seed online--Fragrant
Path in Nebraska and Select Seeds in Connecticut. The pickins are
indeed slim. (Note that I don't need seed for myself since this is a
plant I will have FOREVER provided I don't disturb the soil when the
seeds are germinating.)
As the editor of Chicagoland Gardening, I'm torn about recommending
these plants since readers are going to find them difficult or
impossible to buy. On the other hand, if I don't mention them,
readers will never know about them at all and will never put pressure
on the garden centers/nurseries to offer them. I've opted to recount
my experiences with the necessary caveats since it figure it's part
of my job to broaden people's knowledge of what's out there.
Carolyn Ulrich
On Jun 1, 2007, at 7:06 PM, Garden Design, Inc wrote:
> As a general lurker to this list, I arise to bemoan what I see as a
> lack of
> originality on the part of most growers and garden centers. I
> purchase
> unique annuals for our company. A very large part of that order is
> custom
> grown for us by a local company that does an excellent job. But
> even they
> can't find seed/plugs for some of the "stuff" that I want. So, I
> go out
> shopping. I generally purchase somewhere between 6000 and 7000
> plants. Not
> a big deal--but I want them all to be unique and closely designed.
>
> It also helps me to put my finger on the pulse of the local gardening
> community and what the independent GCs sell to them. In my travels
> this
> year I visited more than 35 Garden Centers and Retail Nurseries.
> Since I've
> been doing this for the last 10 years I can speak with some
> comparative
> authority.
>
> We, as garden communicators, are doing a terrible job of pulling
> through the
> new varieties to the purchasing public. I have never seen such a
> lack of
> unique plant material. Frankly, with my shopping list, I didn't find
> anything unique, interesting or unusual in the midst of vinca vine,
> spikes,
> impatiens, petunias (not any of the new varieties) and geraniums.
>
> It is very discouraging. Even my tried and true sources--this
> year--seemed
> to go conservative and only grow the old standards. "Proven
> Winners" put up
> a nice pot and POP but they're still only selling the things that
> people
> recognize.
>
> Three years ago at the Ball Seed Trials in Chicago I saw many
> things that I
> wanted and needed to try. I'm still trying to get the seeds for
> some of the
> weird things. Even Jeff Gibson couldn't really define the "Wild
> Spike" that
> I really wanted to get this year.
>
> I think the country--and GCs/Nurseries--are returning to a much more
> conservative time. If we can't produce a recognizable new variety
> that has
> legs, no one wants to trial it.
>
> Kirk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Duane
> Campbell
> Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:24 PM
> To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
> Subject: Re: [GWL] plectranthus, P. Sheild et al
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "C.L. Fornari" <clfornari@mail.com>
>
>> Well, I would in no way assume that the lack of a particular plant
>> in your
>
>> area means that a shift in marketing, a wholesale crop failure, or
>> the
>> death of "real gardeners." As a part-time worker in a garden
>> center, I
>> see that every year a particular plant may not be available for a
>> variety
>> of reasons
>
> OK, but my comment was not that dahlias and cannas were not
> available but
> rather that they were not available as tubers. Only as potted and
> growing
> plants, and with the dahlias, in bloom. That bloom thing eliminates 90
> percent of the great dahlias.
>
> And incidentally, though this may be a local or regional thing, my
> local
> KMart (the only big box store in the area of this small town) has
> half (or
> less) the plant inventory they carried in the last couple of years.
>
> D
>
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