Selection

**"* C* <d*@chilitech.net>**

Went to the Big City yesterday. For me, the Big City is Binghamton NY, some 
70 miles away. I hit the big box stores and some independent nurseries. I 
came home with three not very interesting plants and plenty of money left in 
my pocket.

Locally I have access to a KMart (just down the road), a WalMart and a 
mini-Lowes (20 miles away), and a couple of mid-sized but uninspired 
nurseries. Beyond impatiens, those damn wave petunias, and acres of 
geraniums, they had almost nothing. Summer bulbs have been nearly 
non-existent, as are my personal favorite, 4 inch pots of less common 
"accent plants." Even the big branded lines were few and far between. Last 
year was bad, but this year it is terrible.

I tell my readers to buy locally whenever possible, but if the locals have 
nothing more than half a dozen dead common plants, I'm going go back to 
pushing mail order.

I know those who live in or near real major metropolitan centers have places 
they can go to find the less banal, but are others in less urban climes 
experiencing this?

Is there anyone on this list, or anyone you know, on the buying or 
merchandising end, who might be willing to talk to me, off the record, to 
get an understanding of what is going on.

D 

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
&quot;Gardenwriters on Gardening&quot; &lt;gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org&gt;

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters