Re: garden photos of sample plants

**H*@aol.com**

When a vendor sends me plant samples or asks if I'm  interesting in receiving 
them I always say yes but add the option of which zone  the vendor want's 
them planted in as I have gardens in zones 5-7.  I try to  stay away from annuals 
as I find them too hard to track, but perennials and  small shrubs go into a 
trial nursery or border where they can be tracked  during the growing season.  
If it's a great performer after two seasons  I'll usually write about it. By 
the same token if it's a dud and the vendor is  pushing it with lots of 
promotional material I'll write about it as well as I  think it's my responsibility 
to let my readers know that just because they see  it in a magazine or hyped 
by a grower...even if it's an All American  whatever...it can still be a dud.  
This has been the case, in my opinion,  with several of the hydrangeas 
introduced in the past 5 or so years and I've  given them less than complimentary 
reviews.

Having said that..three years ago I was sent some perennial  asters to trial. 
 The first and second year they did really well and I  wrote about them.  
This year they died.  I'm only human.  They're  only plants.  I updated my review 
but added that in all honesty I didn't  know why the plants failed.

As  a garden writer I've always considered myself to be a  consumer advocate 
and as such I (we) need to let our readers know when something  is 
extraordinary and when something is not work the money we'd have to pay for  it.  
Disappointed gardeners hurt us all.

Andrew Messinger
The Hampton Gardener is a registered  trade mark and is published every 
Thursday in The Southampton Press, The Press  and the Easthampton Press

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