Re: good plants





On Dec 31, 2005, at 12:09 AM, mediterranean climate gardening e-mail forum for gardeners in these climates throughout the world wrote:

I'm not currently looking for these plants. I'm doing a little research about their past, current, and most importantly, future availability. I'm wondering not so much if they are or aren't but WHY they aren't.

As a small nursery owner, and rabid plant addict, I can tell you one simple reason why some plants are not available in the trade--most people buy what they know. They search for what they have seen or read about. They are drawn to the familiar.
It can be extremely difficult to peddle unknown plants, no matter how fabulous they are. The collectors will go for them, but few nurseries can rely upon collectors for income.
In our own gardens, we have discovered many relatively uncommon plants that do fabulously well in our area.
I have great photos of them, I can talk them up, I can speak with great authority on how well they will grow in our area. . . . I just can't sell them.
This is particularly true of those plants who don't have common name. Some of them, I have given up trying to sell. I propagate just enough to maintain steady populations in our gardens, but don't waste my time trying to convince the local gardening masses of their suitability.

Rebecca Lance
Granite Gardens Rare Plants
www.ggrareplants.com

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