North Creek Group Buy

We have been discussing doing a group buy for plugs from North Creek Nurseries on the "Who's Excited for Spring" thread. I think there is enough interest to do it. I'm up for organizing it, as long as we keep it simple. There are a lot of good suggestions on the "hows" and I also got tips from Jill when we met for dinner last night. I'm putting together the organization details/guidelines now and will post them soon. More to follow....

North Creek Order Guidelines and Organization:

*** Due to family health circumstances that had me pre-occupied after starting this Group Buy, Coleup has graciously offered to step in and assist. To that end, and based on suggestions to offer an earlier pick-up/delivery option, a few of the initial Guidelines have changed. The modifications are notated in bold. ***

Last year I established a commercial account with North Creek Nursery associated with my husband's current business and for plug growing research for future expansion to farmers market sales. I ordered a variety of plants and plug sizes, and was very happy with the product.

Guidelines:
1. Interaction with North Creek - Based on gardadore's comments, I insist that only Coleup and I interact with North Creek directly. For all intents and purposes, this will be considered research for future expansion to farmers market sales by determining how to organize pre-sales interest and client marketing. Coleup and I do not want to jeopardize our relationship with their company.

2. Participation - Only participate if you can meet Coleup or me locally in the Montgomery or Anne Arundel County, MD area soon after our 04/21 or 05/19 pick-ups from North Creek or at the Spring Plant Swap in Lucketts, VA (May 31). We do not plan on re-shipping and do not want to be responsible for perishable plugs more than a week or two.

3. Individual Order Qtys - Your orders to me must be in specific qtys of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 or Full Flats. Flats sizes contain 32, 50, LP50, or 72 plugs. Coordination of further break down of individual plugs should be done on your own - there were some good suggestions about including it in your haves/wants discussions for the Spring Swap. Note, not all plants are available in all plug sizes (check on Availability Link).

For flat portions:
32 Plugs: 1/4 = 8 Plugs, 1/2 = 16 Plugs, 3/4 = 24 Plugs, Full = 32 Plugs

50 or 50LP Plugs: 1/4 = 12 or 13 Plugs, 1/2 = 25 Plugs, 3/4 = 37 or 38 Plugs, Full = 50 Plugs (Note, only 1/2 or Full Portions divide up evenly, if you want 1/4 portion you will have to specify the even or odd number)

72 Plugs: 1/4 = 18 Plugs, 1/2 = 36 Plugs, 3/4 = 54 Plugs, Full = 72 Plugs.

4. What to Order - Plants must be available "now" or prior to a "future" date of Apr 21 for first delivery or May 16 for second delivery (check on Availability Link). I do want to mention that even though some plants show available on a "future" date, something may happen to the anticipated crop and it will drop off the list. If it is something already placed on order, North Creek is very prompt in notifying about the change in status.

5. Payment - No payment required until pick-up. I will keep track in a spreadsheet and d-mail you prior to the Spring Plant Swap.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvT-yEvT15A6dFQ5R2ctRmJySVBVWlBiR3dJakxhaGc&usp=sharing

6. Guarantee/Risk - The only guarantee is that the plugs will be healthy when I pick them up during the week of 04/21 or 05/19 and I am not too concerned about them perishing in the week before the plant swap. North Creek does not have a guarantee or replacement/refund policy, so you must be willing to accept the risk. I will caveat that I had absolutely no issues with their product last year.

7. I think we can keep this fairly simple, but if I start to get really overwhelmed, I will cry Uncle and ask for help and/or wrap up with what we have ordered up to that point.

Organization:
1. I have reserved two spots below this post.

The first will show when we have commitment for a full flat, and will indicate plant, plug size, who and what % of flat, price, and the date placed on order with North Creek.

The second will show flats of interest that are being mentioned, and will indicate plant, plug size, and % of flat spoken for until it adds up to 1 full flat.

2. Because the plant availability decreases each week as North Creek receives orders, I plan to put in an initial order next week for any full flats spoken for. I will then add to the order once every week or two as we make decisions.

Links:
North Creek Home Page:
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/

Direct Link to on-line catalog:
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.nativePlants/index.htm

Direct Link to Plant/Plug Type/Availability spreadsheet:
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.availability/index.htm

This message was edited Feb 3, 2014 6:09 AM

Completed Orders:

Group Buy Baseline Order as of 02/02/2014:
04/21 Week Pick-Up:
Asclepias currasavica (tropical milkweed) / 72 / coleup (full flat)
Asclepias inc (Swamp Milkweed) 'Ice Ballet /50 /Coleup (full flat)
Asclepias inc (Swamp Milkweed) 'Ice Ballet /50 /Coleup (full flat)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) / LP50 / coleup (full flat)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) / LP50 / coleup (full flat)
Onethera 'Fire works/50/ Catmint(1/4)+SSG(1/4)+Coleup(1/4)+Catbird(1/4)
Viola walteri 'Silver Gem' / 32 / Aspen (1/2) + coleup (1/4) + Catmint (1/4)
Baptisia australis / LP50 / Aspen (full flat)
Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' / 50 / Aspen (full flat)
Tricyrtis 'Sinonome' / 32 / Aspen (full flat)

05/19 Week Pick-Up
Helleborus "Brandywine' / 18 / Yehudith (2/3)+SSG(1/3)

This message was edited Feb 3, 2014 6:05 AM

Reserved for plants of interest / available plug sizes / who showed interest and (spoken for % towards a full flat).

Partial Flats Spoken For:
Aster divaricatus 'Eastern Star' / 50 / happy (1/2)
Aster ericoides 'Snow Flurry' / 32 or 72 / happy (1/4)
Aster laevis 'Bluebird' (smooth aster) / LP50 / catmint (1/4)
Baptisia australis (false blue indigo) / LP50 / catmint (1/4) + happy (1/4)
Geranium maculatum 'Espresso' / 32 / coleup (1/4)
Helleborus Brandywine / 18 / ssg (1/4)
Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' / 32 / catmint (1/4) + happy (1/4)
Heuchera americana 'Dale's Strain / 32 or 72 / happy (up to full flat)
Meehania cordata / 32 or 50 / happy (up to full flat)
Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' / LP50 / catmint (1/4)
Oenothera fruticosa 'Fireworks' (sundrops) / LP50 / catmint (1/4) + happy (1/4)
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' / LP50 / catmint (1/4)
Phlox 'Triple Play' / 72 / happy (1/4)
Pycnanthemum flexuosum / LP50 / catmint (1/4) + coleup (1/4) + happy (1/4)
Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' / LP50 / catmint (1/4) + happy (1/4)

Plants talked about in Discussions for keeping track of interested individuals who have not yet committed to a specific qty:
Amsonia 'Blue Ice' / 32 or 72 / happy
Amsonia hubrichtii / LP50 or 72 / happy
Amsonia tabernaemontana var salicifolia / 72 / happy
Asclepias currasavica (already ordered, coordinate directly with coleup) / 72 / happy, ric
Asclepias incarnata (already ordered, coordinate directly with coleup) / LP50 / catmint, gardadore, happy, ric
Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' / 50 / gardadore
Asclepias tuberosa (already ordered, coordinate directly with coleup) / LP50 / catmint, gardadore, happy, ric
Aster laevis 'Bluebird' (smooth aster) (partial flat available) / LP50 / gardadore
Geranium maculatum 'Espresso' (partial flat available) / 32 / happy
Geranium macrorrhizum 'Bevan's Variety' (already ordered, coordinate directly with happy) / 50 /sequoia
Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' (partial flat available / 32 / gardadore
Meehania cordata (partial flat available) / 32 or 50 / donner, sequoia
Phlox 'Triple Play' (partial flat available) / 72 / coleup
Pycnanthemum flexuosum (partial flat available) / LP50 / holly
Pycnanthemum muticum (already ordered, coordinate directly with catmint, coleup, or happy) / LP50 / holly
Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly' (ironweed) / 50 / catmint, ric
Viola walteri 'Silver Gem' (already ordered, coordinate directly with coleup / 32 / holly


This message was edited Jan 13, 2014 10:19 AM

Thanks Aspen for organizing; it's much appreciated :)

Should we start posting what we'd like to purchase?

Great idea Ladies! Thanks so much for organizing Aspen! I'm definitely interested in some of the native plugs! Need some time this evening to go through the catalog. :-)

By the way, since people are getting into the spring spirit please check out the newly started caladium bulb buy thread! :-)

This spring, I want to focus more on native plants that attract the pollinators. E.g., I really want to get some Asclepias tuberosa--butterfly milkweed. They come 50 plugs per flat. I would probably only want a few. Are others interested in butterfly milkweed, or other native plants that the pollinators love?

I don't think we are interested in ordering flats of anything, but I'd be likely to buy plants from other peoples.Lititz is less than an hour from our house, I may be able to pick stuff up on Friday if needed. Also is anyone in need of ProMix? If so I'll start a thread later.

I'd def be interested in iron weed, milk weeds, and butterfly weeds.

This message was edited Jan 10, 2014 6:04 PM

Catmint: I'd love to try some on my awful front hill, just as an experiment. I'm not sure they'd do well there.

Ric, what is Lititz? And no pro-mix for me -- I still have lots left from last year. Unless I get really busy this spring which is possible.

This message was edited Jan 10, 2014 5:15 PM

Ric, NorthCreek pick up site is in Oxford, not Lititiz. All flats are 10 x 20 whether 32. 50 or 72 plug size. I figure I could pretty easily fit 30 flats in my van without rigging up racks across the back. My back two bench seats fold down flat so that gives me two to four levels to work with.
Would feel like old times to load and unload a goodly # of plants again! Sure do miss the nursery trade!

Since my experience with raising butterflies last year I am committed to seeing as many Butterfly host and nectar plants planted around the Mid Atlantic as possible.
To this end I am ordering the following flats from North Creek and will gladly share with Catmint, Happy, Ric and others as interest grows. Just indicate your interest and additional suggested varieties and I will total and coordinate with Aspenhill Mix and match allowed!
Let's do this MAF! Thanks Judy

Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa 50 or 72 (Butterfly Weed)
Catmint, Ric, Happy

Asclepias incarnata 50 (Swamp Milkweed)
Catmint, Ric

Asclepias currasavica 50 (Tropical Milkweed)

Other?

Pollinator Nectar Plants
At least two flats of fall bloomers like NY Iron Weed, Asters and Goldenrod. Open to suggestions ...

This message was edited Jan 10, 2014 8:13 PM

I am really excited -- what fun!

Ric and Coleup, I'm with you on those!

Here are some plants I found in North Creek's plugs catalog that have the native 'American Beauties' stamp on them. I would be interested in any one (or more) of these, depending on interest from others. (I am assuming we are planning to buy flats, is that correct?)

Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth aster)
Baptisia australis (false blue indigo)
Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'
Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace'
Oenothera fruticosa 'Fireworks' (sundrops)
Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'
Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'
Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly' (ironweed)


This message was edited Jan 10, 2014 7:48 PM

I am under the impression that they only sell by flat.

I have a Solidago -- might be Fireworks -- and I found it very dull. The foliage is indifferent -- and then when it blooms, the blooms only last a very short week.

I can give you Huskers Red to your heart's delight. It is very easy to take cuttings of. So don't get a flat of it. Assuming my plants survive the winter, I could probably produce 50 plants.... though hopefully there isn't quite that much demand.

I'm very interested in the others -- I'll have to do some research, though.

This could be fun if, as we decide to "sponsor" a flat, we explain what it is about the plant that caught our eye....

Coleup, just saw your message above. I'm in for the following:

Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Asclepias incarnata

Other:
Asclepias syriaca


Pollinator Nectar Plants

Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth aster)
Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'
Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly' (ironweed)

I currently have one goldenrod and really enjoyed it. The yellow blooms lasted a very long time and it really attracted the pollinators. It's also good for attracting predatory insects--natural way to cut down on pesky bugs. So, I'm definitely in for the 'Fireworks' goldenrod.

Sounds like we made need multiple flats of some things like the Asclepias! I have a milkweed plant, quite large, that reseeds each year. It comes up in the craziest places - driveway, middle of the lawn, etc. I try to keep all the ones that are somewhat in the beds because they do get really big and have a magnificent purple bloom. Don't know how they got there or where they came from. They are definitely not as well behaved as the incarnata or tuberoses that I have had. I would also be interested in some of the asclepias.
The Ironweed I have also reseeds like crazy and that root cannot be moved once it takes!! I am happy to dig up seedlings as I find them and pass them along! My plants get up to 7-9+ feet tall. The blooms last forever and are great even as cut flowers. I will be on the look out for seedlings this year. They are hard to dig up with root intact but if I get a good "dig" are very hardy and transplant just fine.

I just noticed this thread and became really interested when I read people are interested in native plants as I am also.

I already have a gift certificate from Toadshade Wildflower Farm so I won't order with you this year but I do have a little information that might be useful about the common milkweed A. syriaca.
This is a wonderful attractor of butterflies but also a very aggressive plant that works well in large open spaces not in a regular garden environment.

I have found A. purpurascens, purple milkweed, a good substitute for the common milkweed in my area
and a really attractive plant in bloom next to the red seed heads of the earlier blooming Penstemon "Husker Red".

I also have found that a combination of one of the native mountain mints planted with a native grass like my favorite Little Bluestem and asters keeps the late season garden humming with the smaller native pollinators and skippers.
The mountain mints are literally covered with the smaller pollinators and bees for weeks as are the asters and the little bluestem is a host plant for the skippers.

I noticed that they have Viola walteri 'Silver Gem'. I bought this last summer and it is truly a beautiful little violet.
Don't forget that these are plugs and can be very small plants you will be buying, especially the 72 count.

I wintersowed Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) last year and they came up beautifully. But I got delayed in actually digging up that darn rain garden so the seedlings stayed in their little plastic containers for months.

They were so late in getting planted that they didn't get much bigger than a few inches. I'm hoping they come back big and strong this year, even though they got trampled when the tree trimmers were limbing up the hemlock.

That purple milkweed looks almost like allium blooms!

SSG, fingers crossed for your incarnata!

Gardadore sounds like you could be a source for a few Ironweed seedlings or seeds for next year! The stand I knew about of Ironweed with Blackeyed Susan native was 'developed'. Might be interested in some of your purple flowered milk weed seeds or seedlings, too.

Sempervirens I love your combo ideas especially the mountain mints. I believe David/Greenthumb 99 has offered mountain mint at our swaps, Which asters do you grow?
For the project I have in mind I will need ones that don't flop a lot and looks more kempt without care. Also, do you by any chance have saved seed from your A. purpurascens? I agree that Common Milkweed is best in open space and if Catmint wants some seeds I have saved some from several stands I have identified near me. Our seed swap is Feb 15 this year in Frederick, MD

NC offers Little Blue Stem (host to Skippers) and Chelone glabra host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot. What other host plants might you recommend? Lol, we all know how Swallowtails love our parsley, dill and ruta this year and the pupa we have stashed away will be hungry come spring!

Catmint, The meehania cordata is a low partial shade groundcover that doesn't seem aggressive. I have it planted at the sunnier edges of a shade garden with foamflower.

The mountain mints are Pycanthemums. There are a number of different ones available depending on your location.
I have 2, P.tenuifolum , slender leaf , and P. incaum, hoary,
The slender leaf has very small white flowers and narrow leaves, very pretty next to little bluestem but it is more aggressive then the little blue so I keep it in check.
I believe the other one is hoary mtn.mint, a spectacular plant that blooms late in the season. Not only does it have multiple flowers on a stem it looks like someone sprinkled powdered sugar on the top leaves.
P. muticum or virignianum are other choices I know of but I saw 19 different ones listed.

I see North Creek has P.muticum listed.

The Pycathemums are mints so I do think there will be spreading, I have them all on the sidewalk strip which is hot and dry along with Comptonia (sweetfern), butterfly weed , Stokes aster (summer blooming), New England aster, Little bluestem, Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine) and Phlox subulata and barren strawberry, Waldenstenia fragariodes, as ground covers. It's sink or swim on that strip, no additional watering unless the plant is newly planted.

This message was edited Jan 12, 2014 10:23 AM

Holly, I too love the 'Silver Gem' viola and just know those who see it will want ones for themselves. Want to go halvsies on a flat with me?
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Viola-walteri-Silver-Gem

There are several other plants that North Creek offers that I also love
Phlox 'Triple Play' http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Phlox-glaberrima-ssp-triflora-Triple-Play

Geranium maculatum 'Espresso'
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Geranium-maculatum-Espresso

hi, Coleup. I actually spent time this summer and fall going through various native plant and butterfly sites (I ended up relying mostly on NPIN: Native Plant Site), identifying host plants for different larva. This is what I ended up with in my own garden:

Hibiscus host for hairstreaks

Ilex host for Henry's elfin; special value to honey bees

Cornus florida f. rubra host plant for azure butterflies; special value to native bees

Chelone glabra host plant for baltimore checkerspot

Rudbeckia hirta host plant for Checkerspots, Bordered Patch butterfly

Helenium autumnale host plant for dainty sulphur butterfly; special value to native bees

Viola tricolor host plant for fritillary

Hibiscus syriacus host plant for hairstreak butterflies

Kalmia latifolia host plant for laurel sphinx moth

Wisteria frutescens host plant for Marine Blue, Zarucco Duskywing, and skippers

Syringa vulgaris host plant for promethia moth, swallowtails

Ruta graveolens host plant for swallowtails

Cornus sericea host plant Spring Azure

Digitalis purpurea host plant to buckeye

Lonicera sempervirens host to Baltimore Checkerspot, Spring Azure,
Snowberry Clearwing Moth; special value to bumblebees

Foeniculum vulgare host to black swallowtail

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides host to Blues

Gaillardia host to bordered patch; special value to native bees

Solidago rugosa  host to checkerspots

Coreopsis host to checkerspots

Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida host to Checkerspots; special value to native bees

Coreopsis lanceolata host to checkerspots; special value to native bees

Viola cornuta host to Fritillary butterflies

Hibiscus moscheutos host to gray hairstreak

Paeonia host to Henry's Elfin butterfly

Myosotis sylvatica host to painted ladies

Alcea rosea host to painted ladies

Achillea millefolium var. rosea host to painted lady butterfly; special value to native bees

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae host to Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) and checkerspot; special value to native, bumble, & honey bees

Schizachyrium scoparium host to skippers

Panicum virgatum host to skippers

Aster x frikartii host to sulphur butterflies

Petroselinum crispum var. crispum host to swallowtails

Tagetes patula host plant for dainty sulphur butterfly

Cleome houtteana host plant to cabbage white, southern white

Antirrhinum majus host to common buckeye

Lantana camara host to hairstreaks

Anethum graveolens host to swallowtails

coleup, I am sorry don't have any seeds left of the purple milkweed and the plants are a little harder to find then others. I'll keep an eye out for them in the spring.
I have the taller floppy aster, New England but I cut them back twice before bloom,up until July, and they stay smaller in size. The Stokesia,Stokes aster, is much smaller and a summer bloomer. It blooms a little before the orange butterfly weed and there is a little overlap of the 2 flowers so you can get a nice pop of color with the purple and orange.

The other plant that really attracts pollinators in my garden is Joe-Pye-weed.
Eutrochium purpureum, this is a big plant that likes it a little moist, good near ironweed, a really big plant. The joe-pye-weed I put in a trench that gets rainspout runoff. It too is literally covered with pollinators.
The only way I was able to fit Ironweed in my garden was to plant it on one side of a grape arbor and tie it to the arbor. It certainly reached the top to bloom among the grapes.

This message was edited Jan 11, 2014 11:25 AM

Sempervirens, the pollinators are in love with my Joe Pye as well! talk about a happy humming area of the garden. What I have is Eupatorium rugosum, aka Ageratina altissima, aka Joe Pye Weed or White Snakeroot, 'Chocolate'.

The bees also totally loved my yellow celosia! Here are a couple photos of them crowded onto the blooms. I'm planning to bring seeds from this plant to the seed swap. It started as a volunteer and grew to be ginormously popular late-season real estate for the bees.

Sempervirens you are just what I need on this cold grey January day!
Thank you in particular for your above list. I actually have 15 = of those plants in my wild yard. Plus some smaller Eupatoriums. and several asters My glossy Abelia bushes get a lot of action.
I'm proud of myself because as I read through your list I could actually picture the plant and the butterflies etc that visit them. There is hope for me yet!

Hope you'll stick around as I think I could use your input. Oh, and I think your Ironweed solution is just perfect and makes me think I could do something similar along a fence row that sports wild grape and Virginia creeper.

Again, thanks

Sempervirens, several of us have limited full sun in our yards, but plenty of part to full shade. Do
you have any dry shade or drought tolerant recommendations of native plants or shrubs?

coleup, a large part of my small backyard is under the shade of 2 large (90ft. tall ) non -native evergreens so I have a good amount of experience with dry shade.

Let me think about this for a bit because there were alot of failures under those trees and unfortunately quite a few unwise choices that won't go away from the days before I switched to natives.
Hellebores bred like rabbits!

Haha Catmint, I must have been temporarily blinded by the brilliance of your super bright new avatar!
Back atcha with a list of preferred food plants for cats!
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/butterfly/2004041551026161.html

Hope you will stick around, too. And thanks for brightening my day

Coleup -- I'll definitely go halvesies on the viola if Holly doesn't want to. As well as the Phlox you mentioned and the Espresso.

I need to soak in all these informative emails -- I am so excited!

Holly is right to remind us that these plants are small -- they will need a lot of care to survive, and some percentage likely won't make it. That's fine with me, but I just want to be sure everyone is aware of the price we will pay in terms of the need to tend to these. Most should be planted into pots before being planted in the ground, and nursed until they get a bit bigger, unless you have a garden that allows careful scrutiny of newly planted babies.

And sempervirens, I can't wait to here about your dry shade successes!

LOL Coleup--yes, I finally took the time to shrink a photo and put it up as an avatar! It was hard choosing--I finally went with the celosia because of all the pollinators on it, even though it's not a native plant. ;-)

Speaking of native dry shade plants, I was browsing around on the American Beauties Native Plants website, and here's a link to their recommendations for native plants that do well in dry shade:

http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.landscapePlans&recID=2

Hi all,
I've put together the guidelines and organization details on the reserved entry at the top of this thread. I am now going through all the posts to consolidate a list of the plants of interest - I will post them on the other reserved entry, and will let you know when first cut is done...

CatMint: I love lists like that for ideas, but even more I love to hear what actually succeeds in dry shade in true gardening conditions. I think my "dry" shade is a lot drier than that of some list-makers! Even the big-root geraniums struggle if I don't water them occasionally -- they don't die, but they don't look robust. Yews, on the other hand, do great. I really want to plant the back of my yard with stuff that won't require much, if any, supplemental watering.... so I am all ears for everyone's successes.