Re: Selection

**"* Z* <b*@gmail.com>**

Dear List,
I feel very lucky. First I never buy plants at ant box store Costco Home 
Depot Wal-Mart Etc. I find selection in Annuals perennials and the selection 
of evergreens and shrubs is spectacular. The local Garden Centre also has a 
excellent selection of marginally Hardy Palms, Gardenias, Evergreen 
Magnolias, Hardy Oranges etc. It maybe time for you to focus on what the 
real Garden Centres are handling in your talks, articles, broadcasts. I do. 
I can in this case state that I have grown Evergreen Magnolias 10Yrs , Hardy 
Oranges 18 Yrs. I would have a Hardy Banana but I just can not find the room 
in my garden. I did find room in my garden this Spring to build a large free 
standing stone bird. The bottom rock is about 350 lbs. I call it my Pukeho 
( New Zealand Bird) You could also encourage something like this to make 
your audiences think outside the lines. Not always the latest plants. Oh yes 
the space for the bird was created one year ago when a senior citizen drove 
through my front yard . He was airborne twice in my yard. Sometimes tragedy 
can become opportunity
----------------------------
Bruce Zimmerman
Open-Line Garden Show
CKTB 610 AM
Saturdays 10 - Noon EST

www.brucezimmerman.com
abz1@canada.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "C.L. Fornari" <clfornari@mail.com>
To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum" 
<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 9:10 PM
Subject: Re: [GWL] Selection


> Duane,
> Here on Cape Cod - closest metropolitan center Boston, an hour and a half 
> away if you drive at 5 AM on Sunday but two hours at any other time - I 
> just spent the day working at a local, family owned garden center. Many 
> customers asking for 'Red Riding Hood' Mandevilla vine, Persian Shield, 
> and heirloom tomatoes, and we have them all.  We are fully stocked with a 
> the full line of Proven Winners and the WONDERFUL (in my 
> never-to-be-humble opinion) Wave petunias. I helped a customer who was 
> looking for Lychnis and her question to me was "Do you have any of the new 
> cultivars?"  We did. Whenever someone asks for a perennial we don't have 
> we put the request on the manager's voice mail and he tries to find a 
> supplier for it.  I'd say that at least two thirds of these special 
> requests are met at this time in the season.
>
> What DON"T we have? Many customers wanted snap pea and green bean plants. 
> We don't have them, and try to tell them about something called SEEDS even 
> though they aren't interested.  They want these, and corn and carrots in 
> six packs, God help us, and they are always put out that we don't stock 
> them. And then there was the woman today who asked "Where are the 
> tomatoes?" "What kind do you want," I asked, so that I could point her in 
> the right direction. "Round ones." was her reply.     Yes, we have round 
> ones, but don't stock square.
>
> Not to paint too rosy a picture....there are plants that we've always 
> stocked in the past and that I continue to recommend to my consultation 
> clients that we can no longer get from our large perennial supplier, Sunny 
> Border. Persecaria polymorpha to name the one that I'm currently tearing 
> my hair out over.  Good plants that are no longer on their list because 
> they don't look good in the pot, but take two or three years to show what 
> they can do.  I'm thinking of propagating them myself so I can sell them 
> to my garden center.
>
> The palette of shrubs continues to grow, however, with new variegated, 
> purple and yellow foliage plants hitting the nursery every week it seems. 
> Ditto with shorter plants which has me cheering because so many of my 
> consultation clients want new foundation plantings that they don't have to 
> prune.
>
> Our garden center is huge into organics - any customer who wants to know 
> where the Miracle Grow is given the standard reply of "Over this way, but 
> since we're passing right by it, let me tell you why this organic product 
> might be better for your garden."
>
> So that's the 'News From Lake Wobegon'  on this Memorial Day Weekend at 
> the seven acre garden center where I work.
>
> My feet are killing me,
> C.L.
> C.L. Fornari
> www.gardenlady.com
> "Looking for relaxation and inspiration?  It's all in your own backyard."
>
> -- 
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