spring time plant shopping

It's time to scour stores for new plants. What an exciting time of the year!

I got 3 pots of dward irises from Walmart. Their flowers are a vibrant blue. Very cheerful. They are supposed to be perennials in our area.

I also bought a French Lavendar from Lowes. It is not hardy in my area (survives winters in my friend's garden in downtown DC ), but I love their cute flower heads and grow one each year as an annual. I always bought baby lavendars in the spring and they bloomed in the summer. I never had one that was already blooming this time of year. Does it mean it will be done with blooming in a few months and have no flowers at all in the summer?

I bought outdoor plants at the Pine Knots Farm Winter Hellebores Festival and at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Pine Knot Farms - 5 Hellebores, 1 Daphne, and 10 Cyclamen
Philadelphia Flower Show - 2 Hellebores

Can't resist hellebores anymore. Perfect for my shade garden, and deer won't eat them. Just wish they weren't so expensive. Really need to find smaller sizes, seems like most retailers are selling the larger grown out sizes that are priced accordingly. There are quite a few blooming from previous years in the garden now. Wish I had kept better track of cultivar names.

Donner thanks for this thread. I've been out and about and seen some interesting new plants so I am glad to have a space to talk about them.

Aspen, I thought of you when I saw a new hellebore called "Pink Frost" available locally. It is an upright grower with upward facing blooms!
http://www.plantdelights.com/Helleborus-x-ballardiae-HGC-Pink-Frost-PPAF-Perennial-Pink-Frost-Lenten-Rose/productinfo/9267/

Golden Sedge Carex 'Everillo' is a beautiful plant that I think would do well in a semi-shade woodland setting.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Carex-oshimensis-Everillo-PP-21002-Everillo-Golden-Perennial-Sedge/productinfo/9802/

'Bulls Blood' Ornamental Beet is also stunning and edible!
http://www.finegardening.com/plantguide/beta-vulgaris-bulls-blood-beet.aspx

And then there is Euphorbia 'Blackbird' which stayed green er black all winter for me.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/169488/

Coleup, that Pink Frost is nice. I think I might have bought one of those late last fall, but I'm not sure. This is the best time of year to buy them though, so you can see what the blooms look like.

I can only look at catalogs and websites and drool...and dream

That's such a pretty hellebore, Judy!!! The other plants are interesting too. I have never seen an Ornamental Beet. Love the red leaves. Must look online to see if their seeds are available.

Terri, while smaller hellebores are less expensive, they take FOREVER to bloom.. I bought a few small plants about 4 years ago and they still have not bloomed yet. So if you love them, go for it :-). Get blooming ones so that yon can enjoy the flowers.

donner is that 'French Lavender' or Spanish lavender? It looks a lot like my Spanish lavender I saved from Walmart neglect - and purchased for a $1 a few years back. It comes back each spring for me. Do you have yours in a protected area?

Beau-ti-ful pics coleup!!

Chantell, this lavender is sometimes labeled as French lavender, and sometimes Spanish lavender. The label this one came with said French. :-). Whatever.

Damascus, according to my neighbor, is the coldest part of Montgomery County :-(. The lavender wasn't in a protected area, and never survived. I will try to give it some good mulch this year just to see how it does.

Not shopping--but wanted to let you all know that my HD got in HUGE Pitcher Plants. $25.

I am guessing some of the other HD's also got these in??? Check out your local HD....

G.

Donner, Plant Delights Nursery has this 'spanish' lavender new this year. possibly rated to 5b!
http://www.plantdelights.com/Lavandula-for-sale/products/945/

Also, seeds of Bulls Blood Beet are available a number of places and some spots have them available as 6 packs. Have noticed a lot of 'cute' veggies showing up in mixed containers. My 'rainbow' chard has actually overwintered in my veggie container garden. Also seeing lots of use of salad or micro greens in verticle gardens like raingutter gardens.

We were at HD just now and it also had those enormous pitcher plants.

How cute, the rain gutters- and look how they slant back and forth to continue the flow.

I agree with Sally. Very awesome. Hmmm, I don't think I have a place for it. Hmpf.

Judy, the rain gutter garden is a really neat idea.

Aspenhill, Pine Knot Farms offers hellebore seeds and seedlings from their plants!
http://www.pineknotfarms.com/new%20list.htm

Might be economical and good to try growing out some of their babies now that you are a seed starter! lol

I like to look thru (Becky) some of my favorite Nursery sites to see what they are offering as new. One of my favs is Plant Delights (I like how the plants are written about and trialed by the writer..kinda like first hand info) Here is a link to their new for 2013 offerings
http://www.plantdelights.com/March-2013/products/1043/

Thanks Judy - definitely queen of the research! I didn't see anything but the larger plants for sale when I was at Pine Knot Farms for the winter festival, and didn't think to ask. Also didn't notice it when I've been on their website before. Yay, I will check this out.

Our salad greens do not need deep soil and the gutter gardens keep them out of range for hungry bunnies, ground hogs and slugs!

I think they would work well for straw berries, succulents and if one wanted a privacy screen from neighbors...that, too. Take a look at some of the google pictures and clic on sites for many more interesting applications.

Here's a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTtWhO6oGoM

Aspen, Again, I like that the seeds are from their own plants so you know the quality you are getting and even though a seed or seedling cannot be garanteed to be just like the parent until it reaches blooming size, I think you and I agree that 'cultivar name" comes down the list after having these lovelies tucked in many spots around our grounds and woodland.

I also noticed that Pine Knot will be one of the Nurseries at the FONA (Friends of National Arbroetum) plant sale in April. Maybe they could bring you some seedlings!

I don't dare hit the plant shops yet, although I'm sorely tempted! We're saving $$ to head to our daughter's wedding in TN the end of next month, but after that, I'm all over it! Down the road from us is a wonderful little nursery a German Baptist woman started some years back, and it's great. Matter of fact, one the local home centers recommended her place to me, which said volumes about her quality and reputation. It's taking pure restraint to not turn the car in that direction .....
Just got two new books I had to have - "Straw Bale Gardens" and "Gardening Shortcuts". That'll have to do for now, outside of starting more seeds, of course.

Yeah, when I saw the word shopping in the thread title I thought that is the last thing I need. A week or so ago when thinking of all the plants and plant associated goodies that are beginning to show in the stores I commented to John that his job was to keep me out of stores for the next little while. Good grief folks.....every where I look I see past purchases never used in terms of pots and other things.

I can go shopping in one of my garden sheds if truth be told. Things show up that I have forgotten about quite often.

A first for me this year was to order flower seeds when I don't normally do that. I buy a packet or two usually but nothing like the ten or more that I plan to sow this year. I do quite well sitting here and ordering most things that come to mind on line. In fact I was told that the amount of delivery trucks coming up our driveway needed to stop and the things that can be bought locally, should be bought to save the drivers having to come up a steep drive and all the while the big trucks are damaging to our driveway. That tip lasted about ten minutes and several trucks have been here since hearing that comment.

I don't shop in stores as much as I used to and really had to do it deliberately because I tend to go overboard when seeing something cool.

Interesting thread Sally, thanks for starting it. Waiting to see more goodies that Coleup sees while she is out and about....you sure spot some unusual plants Judy.

Ruby

I waaay over-purchased last year when I was planting my awful front hill, so I'm going to try to hold off this spring until I get everything planted -- might be wishful thinking. I am on the hunt for cheap shrubs, though, so as soon as those half-price sales start up....

It's fun to see what everybody is looking at, but my own yard and shelves are so full that I am not shopping.

Coleup, I was at Lowes this morning and saw the Hellebores 'Pink Frost' that you mentioned in 2 1/2 qt containers for $12.99. Nice - picked up two. Then saw them again at Meadows Farms for $15 something - glad I stopped at Lowes first LOL.

Good price Aspen. Hope your plants are full...usually new introductions are so they will sell well. Do you think they are more upright than some other hellebores? Does any one plant their hellebores with coral bells? The coloor of my "georgia Peach' right now is to diie for and would so go with and echo the 'Pink Frost' !!! I don't have my hellebores 'companion planted' at all


Donner, did you get those iris for your blue garden for your cat?

Yes, I love to spot new plants...I suppose I would be happy being one of those plant hunters going all over the world to find new plants...much more fun and adventure than finding a parking space at a big box store any weekend in April/May!

The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth
by Anita Silvey

"Driven by an all-consuming passion, the plant hunters traveled around the world, facing challenges at every turn: tropical illnesses, extreme terrain, and dangerous animals. They battled piranhas, tigers, and vampire bats. Even the plants themselves could be lethal! But these intrepid eighteenth- and nineteenth-century explorers were determined to find and collect new and unusual specimens, no matter what the cost. Then they tried to transport the plants—and themselves—home alive"

This message was edited Mar 22, 2013 7:27 PM

Judy, yes. Blue flowers for my cat's blue and white garden. So you remembered it!!!

I got online and bought some ornamental beet seeds http://www.paseseeds.com/servlet/Categories. Will enjoy the beauty of the leaves, and then eat the roots :-)

I love the interesting vertical garden in your photo. I have seen something similar on TV. There is a building in downtown Baltimore with a vertical garden on the wall. It was installed last year, and the plants did very well over the winter. This picture was taken last October. I saw the garden only last week, and it still looked great.

This message was edited Mar 23, 2013 12:33 AM

Oh, boy!!! Loving the pics and especially enjoyed the video of the rain gutter system.

Would have liked to visit some nurseries out here in Oregon, but my caregiver duties have prevented that. Whenever we are here in the summer I like to visit the Saturday market and go crazy dreaming.

Hope that everyone is having a good weekend.

Ruby

donner thanks for tht picture, have to look for that sometime.

ditto interesting video. Yes its fun to see what they sell in different places.

You too Ruby!

My "Egg-stravaganza" Clinic went well this morning. Wore me out a bit....

Initiated about 30 new "gardeners"....Some 2yrs. old--some a bit older. Did about 30 total.
Each child planted 4 different seeds and got to take home 2 bright, plastic Easter eggs
filled with candy and chocolate.
I also typed up a full page of helpful suggestions what to do with the newly planted seeds
from now on. That sheet of paper went to Mom or Dad.

1--Here I am--ready to plant the gardening "seed" in all the small brains....made the Bunny sign just last night.
2--Two of my cutest customers today. Oh, my God! Everyone in the store noticed them!
They were with their awesome dad....

Well! our gardens may not yet be ready for spring, but--may I entertain you with
some of the colorful things available in Grden at my HD?

Took some pictures for you all as i was heading home....

1--The rack-full of Pitcher Plants
2--Table-full of pansies..outside
3--Easter Plants inside
4--Heather plants--out front
5--Bog Rosemary---which resembles Heather a lot...

Your table looks great and so do you! All those parents must have been grateful for your attention to their kids. Was this another of your free activities? or did they pay for your time and supplies?

I'm definitely going to Lowes tomorrow to look for the pink upright hellebore. Got to buy something.

OH--I was on the clock! I WAScheduled to do this. None of this kind of stuff is FREE.

However, I spent hours and hours at home getting all kinds of things prepared for this Clinic.
Not getting paid for that! But--I was satisfied with how well everything was prepared.

I have to do another "Do It Herself Clinic" on April 18th. These are "biggies'...Nationally programmed.
This will be on planting a raised bed with Herbs and Veggies. We sell these kits for building "raised beds"--
just that they are only 10" deep. DAH!!! WHAT wants to grow only 10" deep for roots???
I DO believe they have "extensions" that you can add another layer on top to make them deeper.

I heard that the Garden Supervisor will be building this raised bed. That is better.
I DO hope that they will have to accommodate the fact that I cannot kneel or squat.
May have to bring my little stool....:o)

When it comes to garden clinics--I always get "hit"....Flattering--but not recognized in any way.
Just part of my shift....I DO love to teach people...just hope I am telling them what the company wants
the instructor to tall them. They will be sending out a 25 page booklet on what to do.
Dream on!!!! We always do it very scaled down.

Pretty soon, i will have to decide when to start my annual Garden Stint--which will end at the end of June.
If this stupid weather does not get better soon--I have NO idea when to go outside.
Perhaps--3rd week in April this year? Gonna "scale it down" myself as well.
No more "topics" every week. No more 6' tables filled with plants and supplies for my "topic".
No one pays any attention to the "Topic' thing anyway.

I will be out there--with a small table-- just as a prop. Will push the "HD Garden Club" sign ups
and have the drawings every week for a prize among those that signed up.
I will cruise around and talk to people and teach them whatever it is they wan to know.
Water a few plants if needed. Cull some dead ones...Answer a zillion questions..etc...

Overall--I WILL be in my element!!! Doing MY thing...Pain pills in my pocket....
Gita

After reading this thread, I took some time this morning out here in Oregon to go to a nursery nearby. Saw some of those pink hellebores. Very pretty! Enjoyed myself, but it was chilly. Many fruit trees are blooming here, now.

Saw a whipcord cedar. Thought it was interesting. Don't think I can fit any plants in my carry-on. Bummer!

Edited to add: Gita, you always do a bang-up job with those tables!!

This message was edited Mar 23, 2013 7:19 PM

Spotted a new to me shrub for part sun with striking foliage, white flowers in Spring (fragrant), deer resistant, evergreen, easy care, native....2 qt starter plants $7.98 at HD slow grower, likes wet places, can be pruned to keep low as ground cover ....look it up!

Leucothoe fontanesianae 'Rainbow"

Pic 1 Spring Pic 2 Summer Pic 3 Fall/Winter

coleup...I LOVE it....I have two other friends/coworkers with mostly shade - do you think it would do ok?

Gita - that stand that the pitcher plants is on - is that a stand HD sells?

Why is it that all the nice plants like it wet?

Chantel, I think these 'Rainbows' like the same conditions as azaleas and rhodies...I'd certainly give it a try, especially since they are evergreen!.

Hey Paul, I hear you were at Lowes...Did you buy anything for your garden? The Pink Frost at the Lowes I went to weren't as 'nice ' as the ones I saw at Hoemstead Gardens last week. Did you see the double dark purple hellebores?

My find at Lowes was Caribbean Jewels Scilla...$4.98 a pot.

Judy- busted. That is exactly why I went. I actually passed on the pink frost, i wasn't happy with it at mine store. I DID see that double dark purple and it was hard to pass up. I went back to it twice. Hahaha. Ultimately I told myself to save my money for a plant sale, I believe it was $23.

I also have a rainbow leucothe but its a small starter. I rec'd it in a trade along with a variegated beauty berry (which didn't make it because I neglected it). I should probably nurse plants to a larger size before planting them out.

Yup -- me too. Critter keeps reminding me that I need to water, but that's not entirely practical. I think I'm going to try babying them in a container for a year or so before planting out.....