Comprehensive site to order plants from? 4seasonsnurseries?

Hi folks,

So, I recently got my first house, and I've been looking around for some plants for the yard. One of the first places I came across was 4seasonsnurseries.com, and I almost went ahead and placed a BIG order with them today (big for me, anyway -- $300)... but then I did a quick search for reviews and it looks like they're the last place I should consider buying from. Is that a correct assessment?

Where would you guys suggest I purchase plants from? The local nurseries near me (Springfield, MA area) all seem really expensive (a 4ft blue spruce was $160!!). I know there's a section of Daves Garden that lists mail-order/internet nurseries with a good reputation, but I'm hoping for some more specific recommendations. I started searching for specific plants using the "PlantScout", but I quickly realized that I was going to end up placing half a dozen orders through different companies.

Can someone suggest a fairly priced web-based nursery that has an extensive selection? Ideally I'd like to buy everything from one or two places, but I'm not sure if I'd be wasting a lot of money that way. Here's a list of some of the stuff from 4seasonsnurseries that I had wanted to buy, so you can get an idea of what I'm looking for:

edit 2 6214 Pecan Tree $9.99 remove
edit 2 6963 Redwood, Dawn 1-2' $5.47 remove
edit 2 1099 Mosquito Shoo Geranium $4.96 remove
edit 6 6661 Rose, Rosa Rugosa $9.49 remove
edit 2 5102 Butterfly Bush, Bi-Color $9.50 remove
edit 1 5343 Rose, Blue Moon $5.99 remove
edit 6 5103 Walk on Me Plant $3.00 remove
edit 2 4682 Rose, Almost Black $9.95 remove
edit 1 1187 Indoor Juniper $3.99 remove
edit 100 6601 Ozark Beauty Strawberry $23.99 remove
edit 3 6993 Irish Moss $4.99 remove
edit 2 5543 Cherry, Sugar Sweet $5.79 remove
edit 6 4643 Calla Lily Mixed $14.99 remove
edit 2 3577 Pussy Willow $3.96 remove
edit 2 5818 Persimmon, American $9.49 remove
edit 3 6759 Jumbo Spruce $7.99 remove
edit 1 6891 Weeping Willow $1.99 remove
edit 1 3674 Rose, Climbing Bargain $4.99 remove
edit 1 5940 Kiwi Collection - (2 Female & 1 Male) $13.75

remove
edit 1 1115 Orange Citrus Tree $4.99 remove
edit 6 6780 Tree Bargain $5.00 remove
edit 2 6300 Niagara Grape $6.49 remove
edit 2 6573 Lilac, Old Fashioned $3.76 remove
edit 3 6826 Butterfly Plant, Orange Glory $6.99 remove
edit 10 7958 Lily, Asiatic Bi-Color Mix $4.97 remove
edit 3 7667 Lily, Towering: Satisfaction $7.49 remove
edit 1 1286 Pomegranate, Purple Sunset $9.99 remove
edit 5 6238 Daylily, Native $1.99 remove
edit 1 5562 Cherry, Royal Japanese $7.99 remove
edit 1 4634 Rose, Copper $4.99 remove
edit 1 6812 Peony Tree, Red $12.99 remove
edit 1 6942 Cherry, Potted Weeping $5.99 remove

My goodness that is an awfully ambitious list you have there. Most of the trees from 4seasons are very small diameter seedlings that really should be babied for the first couple years. Do you have a landscape design/plan laid out for your yard? You have a dozen or so trees including citrus. Do you know what type of soil you have? Have you measured the mature size and growth rate of the trees against how much space you have? Here are some links to some landscape basics for you to consider.

http://local.garden.org/Growing_Citrus_in_Containers_Holyoke_MA-r1216579-Holyoke_MA.html

http://www.lib.niu.edu/1996/ic960408.html

http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/dos-and-donts-for-a-successful-hardscape/index.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/landscaping/

http://www.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Garden+Centers/S-MA/T-Holyoke/ (a list of garden centers and nurseries in your area.)

http://lgrmag.com/Getting-to-Know-Mulch-article7767

some of those selections will be available at HD, your local big box store. I was in there recently and saw pussy willows, weeping pussy willows, lilac, cherry trees, and junipers (don't know what an indoor juniper is) just read up on how to select healthy specimens, some stores take better care of their stock than others.

Here is my 2 cent: When I first moved in to my new home I went crazy planting things all over the place (especially from mail order sources - much cheaper!). After a few years, I quickly learned that some things are not good!!! For example, I thought the Trumphet Vine was really cool. I planted a small vine about 7 years ago - it completely took over the whole 6 foot fence across my yard and then spread in to my neighbors yard on all 4 sides! I have been trying to kill this plant for 3 years now! It send shoots up over 30 feet away from where the plant was originally planted. You also tend to "get what you pay for" with these companies. Sometimes it arrives dead, etc.
I learned that getting plants that adapt well to your area and selecting the cultivars that thrive in your zone are key elements. Many online mail order companies are way too broad. I would suggest that you contact your local university or county extention office. Many times they have brochures or leaflets with suggested plants for your area. You can usually stop in and talk to an expert as well (free) These are great resources!!
I don't know about your area, but I am having a landscaper come out to give me suggestions for my front yard landscape. Some will draw up plans for free! Even if you have to pay a little for the consult, at least you will have a starting point and more advice on what works and what does not.

Whatever you do, I would think twice before ordering from 4 seasons--here's their Watchdog page http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/236/

I would also not give up on buying locally--the reason mail order nurseries feel cheaper is that the plants are much smaller. So if you don't mind getting a tiny plant for $5-10 and being patient while it grows, or if you're looking for a particular plant that you can't find locally then I'm all for mail order, but if you want something decent size and it's something readily available then you may be better off shopping locally.

I agree with Ecrane. The extra you pay locally is worth it. Four years ago I bought a couple hardy almond trees from 4seasons....Hopefully this year they will be big and sturdy enough to plant into the landscape....they are 31/2 feet tall now. They were 4 or 5 dollars each plus shipping and 4 years of babying as opposed to the one I bought at the nursery last year (got tired of waiting) for $15 that was almost 4 ft tall when I bought it.

Hey, thanks for the advice, everyone! I know I'm going a bit overboard with that list... but I've actually got a pretty good idea where it would all get planted. If I end up not having enough room, a friend of mine lives right around the corner who'd be happy to take the extras.

Also, I actually don't mind having to "baby" a small plant indoors before it's large enough to go outside. I'm pretty new to gardening in general, so the thought of waiting a couple years isn't a total put-off... I think it'd be kinda fun to watch it grow from a $2.00 stick into something huge and beautiful.

That said, are there any mail-order/internet nurseries that have a good reputation and a large selection? I don't mind waiting for a plant to grow, but I DO mind wasting my time with disreputable businesses. Ideally I'd like to find one or two nurseries that cover 99.9% of whats available, even if their prices aren't the absolute cheapest.

I love lazyssfarm.com, check out their rating on the watchdog.