Re: Selection

**"* <d*@comcast.net>**

They send out-of-zone plants to us here in the south, too, mostly zone 9 and 
10 plants labeled "perennial" but often cold-temp plants that faint in our 
heat.

It bothers me that so many gardeners get their first gardening experience 
with plants from the big box stores. When they fail, they're as likely to 
give up rather as to ask for help at an independent, I'm afraid.

daryl

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jo ellen meyers sharp" <hoosiergardener@sbcglobal.net>
To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum" 
<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2008 9:05 AM
Subject: Re: [GWL] Selection

> One of my big problems w/the big boxes (Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Home
> Depot), is that they are southern- based corporations and send us
> northern gardeners tons of out-of-zone plants. I can't tell you how
> many times customers at the independent garden center where I work
> come in to ask about a plant (yesterday, it as pampas grass) and why
> it didn't make it through winter.
>
> There are as many plants rated Zone 6, even 7, in the big boxes here
> as there are Zone 5, mixed in with climate appropriate stock without
> any signage about their horticulture requirements. Usually, the clerk
> are not much help in this area, either, since many don't know a
> petunia from a ninebark. (I had one tell me about the "new
> ninetrunks" once.)
>
> Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know about the pending USDA map and the AHS map
> that place me in Zone 6, but I don't believe it.
>
> At the least, plants rated Zone 6 may push the envelope and many
> gardeners don't want that. They want the plant to do well. And, we
> can complain about the hardiness zones all we want, but it is the
> first quide most of us use in selecting plants. It dictates placement
> in the landscape (microclimate) and gives us an idea of what to
> expect. To the inexperienced gardener, pushing them into out-of-zone
> plants only sets them up to fail. We want them to succeed.
>

_______________________________________________
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