small plants and costs
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: small plants and costs
- From: C* P* <E*@AOL.COM>
- Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 12:24:21 EDT
In a message dated 5/23/99 7:46:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Liliaceae4@AOL.COM writes:
<<
That sounds like a real good price to me. I just don't like paying $7 or $8
for a 2". >>
For those of us buying plants for many years the costs are usually
commensurate with availability. If you need to give more dollars for a small
plant, it may that it is very hard to propagate or very slow to reach a
saleable size.
Ten years ago the selection in local nurseries and garden centers was limited
to the "common" plants of today. A gardener desiring diversity or challenge
had to search the catalogs. Many catalogs give good descriptions of the size
of plant shipped.
I am truly pleased to find a wide selection of annuals locally plus good
nurseries with perennial selections that are new to me. No nursery can be
all things to all gardeners so the catalogs are still important.
When a small plant is received it probably should not be sited in the borders
as it is easily overlooked. If planted out when received a trick we use is
to encircle the very small plant with a section of transparent plastic cut
from one of those great big soda bottles.
Dictamus is an example. I bought three small plants and they remained small
for three years. This is the first years they have passed 10 inches. If I
had paid for a large plant the nursery would have cared for it for three
years and the cost would be justified.
Just a few thoughts on nurseries.
Claire Peplowski
East Nassau, NY
z4
