I have to
agree with Joe. In most of my talks with new or fairly inexperienced
gardeners, one of the things I advise is to GENTLY pull pots away from the plants
if there are roots protruding from the bottom drain holes and to reject those
with densely circling roots. I recently made a mess on the floor of the
Community Center where I was giving a talk and demonstrating how to do this
without damaging the plant! Many folks are not near to really fine garden
centers, and even fewer are near nurserymen who actually GROW their own stock
like Anthony. I would love to take Anthony on a tour of what we call âBig Boxâ
garden centers, or even of some of the smaller chain nurseries who buy their
stock from truly MASSIVE growers; he might be more sympathetic. Perhaps he has
never seen the likes of a Hines or Monrovia wholesale grower where the plants
stretch for miles and do not receive the kind of personal attention that
insures really healthy stock. And alas, the problem is often that garden
centers do not sell stock promptly, and do not have the capability to pot them
up to the next size when they do not sell in their season. People who want to
garden, and only have these places available to them, are at a distinct
disadvantage, and we simply advise them to make sure they spend their money
wisely.Â
I think we
also have a bit of a cultural disconnect here. I recall trying to squeeze and smell
fruit in a small storefront shop in France, and the shopkeeper practically bit
my head off! He told me to point, and he would put what I wanted in a bag! Here,
even at the smallest fruit stand, we wouldnât consider buying produce without
examining it, and even requesting a taste, which the stand owner (or even
grocery clerk) will always cheerfully supply! No produce seller, even at
Farmerâs Markets, worth his salt is without a pocket knife for quick samples. We
Americans are really a âshow meâ kind of people, and not just in Missouri where
that is there state motto!
Cheerfully,
Karrie Reid
From:
owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Joseph Seals
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 6:26
AM
To: sunshine.works@gmail.com;
medit-plants@ucdavis.edu; arneherbs@aol.com
Subject: RE: Pistacia lentiscus
problems?
The prevalence of over-grown plants in garden
centers here in the United States is grossly common. Similar to
suggestions given when people buy cars here, we advise that the potential
buyer "kick the tires". Of course, as with any other
generalization, there are exceptions to this rule. You are adamantly
one of those exceptions but I wish there were enough such exceptions here
to prove the rule.
You are, indeed, a civilized businessman and I would
be happy to send my students, friends and clients to your establishment with
"no precautionary procedures needed". Alas, you're not within a
decent drive and I must advise my connections to beware and be prepared.
Joe Seals
Horticultural
Consultant
Pismo Beach, California
Home/Office: 805-295-6039
--- On Tue, 5/18/10, Anthony Lyman-Dixon <arneherbs@aol.com>
wrote:
From: Anthony Lyman-Dixon <arneherbs@aol.com>
Subject: RE: Pistacia lentiscus problems?
To: sunshine.works@gmail.com, medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 1:27 AM
I would have no hesitation in throwing anyone who started pulling
my plants out of their pots, off the nursery. The implication that the
nursery owner has over or under-potted his plants is
grossly discourteous. If you donât trust the nursery, donât go there.
It is alarming to see such appalling behavour being promoted on this
site. And yes, I do sell Pistacia lentiscus.
http://www.arneherbs.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From:
owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Cathe'
Sent: 17 May 2010 17:01
To: TalkingPoints@plantsoup.com
Cc: nancy@winterwarmfarm.net;
medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Pistacia lentiscus
problems?
Nan ,
That's because you know plants, and you know not to buy those in flower.
All those pretty flowers may not bring long lived plants. Another plant hits
the trash bin.
How many of you pull plants out of the pots to look at the roots before you
buy them?
I pulled a fig out of its pot last week at the nursery, and there was no
soil, only roots, like a fibrous mat. Not too appealing.
Cathe'
Permaculture Designer, Consultant and Instructor
www.practicalpermaculture.com
Deciduous trees in general are hard to find in Southern California if
you don't know where to shop.
Traditional retail nurseries simply put, carry limited tree stock,
especially deciduous trees.
They tend to focus more on the plants that people replace more
frequently (or find more attractive) - flowering perennials, annuals,
flowering shrubs, and to some extent, flowering trees. Watch what's in
people's carts - not many trees, especially not many deciduous trees.
Which reminds me about an interesting experience I had a few weeks
ago.
I was driving home from an appointment up in Orange County which is
about a 90 minute drive. For once, I wasn't racing home to pick up
children, let the dog out, or anything else, so I stopped at a nursery I've
been wanting to visit for years. They had a really interesting
selection of plants, some of which I wasn't familiar with - so of course I
had to buy them!
As I stood waiting to check out, I looked at
other people's carts. They were filled with plants in bloom -
red, orange, yellow, pink, purple....
I looked at my cart. Filled to the brim but not a bloom in
sight.
Thanks
to all who suggested sources. That the tree is so difficult to find in
southern California suggests a second question: is there a problem that makes
it undesirable or difficult to grow here?
Does
anyone know where this tree can be purchased? Weâre in southern California
but we do mail order too. Thank you.
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