Re: sedum

**"* P* L* <t*@spamfodder.com>**

> Plants like Autumn Joy and Palace Purple were a breakthrough three decades 
> ago, and I truly thank whoever introduced them. But it's like disco. Way out 
> of date. There are many more interesting sedums and heucheras, and they are 
> no more difficult to propogate. I can't believe that the small plant patent 
> fee is so prohibitive. Where big box stores do carry better varieties, they 
> are commonly no more expensive than their obsolete offspring.
> 
> So please explain -- you PR and breeder and wholesale grower types here --  
> why are these now old-fashioned plants so dominating the popular market?

You hit the nail on the head with patents.  No need to buy from a licensed
supplier -- you can eliminate the middleman with their extra shipping, 
profits, and licensing fees to mass produce with your own facilities at 
a low cost.  

I *hate* plant patents.  If the plants I currently have in testing are
deemed market-worthy, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  I'll probably
be a hypocrite.  :)  

But when I have to pay 70 cents for a license on *each* plant, then
another 15 cents for a label, a flat of 32 plants gets a lot more
expensive.  It's even more expensive if you lose some of the plants;
you might as well stay home and just flush dollar coins down the toilet.

There is another issue.  You talked about Heuchera, and a lot of the new
cultivars are crap.  They're breeding entirely for color and not taking
hardiness or vigor into consideration, so the plants slowly decline and
die.  There are good cultivars coming out too, but consumers are probably
getting gun shy and will just stick with the tried and true varieties now.
It's exactly why I stopped buying Heuchera a few years back, and yes, I
now just transplant my 'Palace Purple' seedlings around for color or into
pots with annuals.

I'd rather have live, out-of-date plants than trendy, expensive, dead 
ones.

Chris

http://www.bonvivantnursery.com/                     Bon Vivant Nursery
http://www.hort.net/gallery/      4113 online plant photos and growing!
http://www.hort.net/gallery/date/2007-06-10/       The latest additions
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