You got it! (want me to find you an old lacy bra or two?)
PLANT ADDICTS CHAT #5
LOL! I have old pantyhose I kept for no reason. Now I have a use for them!
I am trying to remember where I was...lost cause...BUT--it was a Greenhouse
and they had all the melons growing there hanging--suspended in nets.
A very dangerous site, if you lean towards native plants.
http://www.sunfarm.com/index.phtml
Have you been there, aspenhill? They seem to like hellebores
The hellebores festival I went to a few years ago was at Pine Knot Farms in Clarksville, VA - not this one. I stumbled across this site a few weeks ago, and thought it would be great to visit there - it is in WV, about 4 1/2 - 5 hour trip.
Interesting link Sally, I think you may have sucked me in there. There's a lot I like but don't want so many of them. Although, Maianthemum canadense could find a home here. I'll have to do more research.
Ooh, you're right, Sally...lots of tempting plants there. I'm going to keep repeating "Plant what you have first." until the urge passes.
Well I checked out his feedback in the Watchdog and some of the things aren't so good. He has a pretty high negative rate...
Oh rats! good to know.
I wasn't going to be ordering, just dreaming.
I talked with the guy this morning via email, I might still give it a shot. I really like that one plant plus he's got a pretty good deal on Mitchella repans, which I've also been hunting. I was going to get that one from Forest Farm.
I've done business with Barry in the past and never had a problem. He's a bit eccentric for sure, but I received good product for my money. What's his deal on Mitchella repans?
His deal is 4 for $25. I think it's a 2x2x5" pot each. This is the price including shipping unless you want him to ship in the pot, which I do, then add .95 per plant.
Wow - I've known of the Glicksterus maximus for about 30 years. His place isn't too far off my beaten path to the DC area, when I take the I-64 southern route.
Hmmm...
He seems like a fun guy, the way the website is written. I came across it looking for Xanthorhiza simplicissima.
(Note to self= next plant I write about will be named Bob)
Oooh...do I smell a group buy VV style?? LOL
Just a note from a lurker: Pine Knots Hellebores festival is coming up the next 3 weekends! Rare Finds Nursery will be there the last weekend, they always have interesting plants
Sally--
That Hellebores link (the Very dangerous Site) does not open any more.
I already looked at it--but wanted to again.....G.
Ignore the above--I already had it 'open" in my upper tool bar but forgot it.
G.
1. I'm going to check out the Friends of the National Arboretum sale on 4/25. They always have interesting shrubs and trees that are not commonly found in nurseries.
Hi Dragonfly! Pine Knots and Rare Find Nurseries will both be at the FONA sale.
2. I'm still interested in visiting Carolyn's Shade Garden. Here are the tentative open house dates for 2015: http://carolynsshadegardens.com/csg-2012-spring-sale-dates/
3. I wasn't going to get any caladiums at all this year but then I saw that Bill at Caladiums for Less is selling 200 smaller bulbs of White Wing for $40. It's a great deal, and I'd love to get 50 bulbs for $10...
I would like to visit Carolyn's at some point but I think I'll be too busy to go this spring.
Yesterday I got an email from American Meadows saying they were giving free oriental lilies away with every order; a mixed bag of 3 that is. I said to myself, let's do it. I got a bag of 3 begonias, an oriental poppy, and my free bag of lilies. Well I got an email today that the begonias were shipped. Now I have no experience with begonias but I feel that they could die if delivered on a cold day while my wife and I are at work. I called and they said the begonias are shipped early because they need to be started early. She said they are 100% guaranteed if they freeze. How do you all think my chances are on these guys?
gee whiz is flippin 12 degrees right now. down here. don't think it would take long to freeze thru!
Well that's what I was thinking. I don't want to have to try to start them up only to find out weeks later they aren't viable.
and then you surely would be behind schedule on them.
Edited to say I misread what you said...it sounds like you're getting Begonia tubers (?)
Are they perennials?
This message was edited Feb 19, 2015 10:11 PM
Pretty sure the begonia tubers would be mushy if they got frozen along the way... you'd know. Not a good time to send them, for sure, lthough I've heard the same thing about their needing an early start.
I think there is an option on-line where you can request that they hold your mail, which might be a good choice to keep the tubers safe and then pick them up the next day.
Hopefully Gita will weigh in on this as I know she probably grows a bunch.
Yeah they are listed as annuals but if you lift them out in the fall, they become perennial.
Thanks Pat, I didn't think of that. Even if I did that though, they're coming from Vermont. Tractor trailers aren't heated so they'd likely freeze anyway on the way down.
I recently ordered streps from the Violet Barn - they also deliver no matter what the winter temps are. They used real insulation as an added packing material - it was the first time I'd ever seen that, but I guess it makes sense. I wonder if American Meadows does that too?
Not sure, I guess I'll find out though.
Jeff--
Thanks for your faith in my judgement....but the only Begonias I grow
from tubers are a couple of the Non-Stop Begonias. The others are houseplants.
I never remove the tubers from the pots--just bring the whole pot inside my
Shop for the winter. They sure take their sweet time to grow back in the summer.
Maybe I should water them a bit? Generally--they just sit there all dry.
I almost gave up on a couple of them--and then it started growing..wayyy late.
Now--you all know I do not shop for plants on-line or anything that has to be shipped.
However--as Aspen wrote--they could really insulate them.
I also think that IF a truck was delivering a load of plants --they would heat the truck.
No one wants to absorb that big a $$$$ loss if they would all freeze.
Waiting to hear what shape the tubers arrived in. Gita
Well, they will be on a USPS truck, which I'm sure isn't insulated...they can barely afford to keep the lights on nowadays. We'll see, I've never grown them before so there was a decent margin of error to begin with but now it increases :( Oh well, they were only 14 bucks for a 3 pack.
Jeff--
These are the Begonias I grow that come from corms.
And--the ones I just take down the Shop in their pots.
All my other Begonias are houseplants... G.
Jeff, you could leave a picnic cooler at your front door with a big note tapped to the top for the UPS driver to put pkg inside cooler. Do you have a tracking #? I have many of my UPS stuff sent to a business address (open during delivery hrs and warm/cool) or even my local UPS store. If you have to sign for pkg UPS will leave a Delivery attempt notice and a possible # to arrange redelivery day and time.
As to viability of tubers, etc. When pkg arrives keep in cool place, unpack bulbs/ tubers and inspect for 'soft spots' soft areas can be cut away and cuts dusted with cinnamon (or a fungicide powder). Place each bulb/tuber in a separate brown paper bag and place in a cool 50degrees) for several days, inspecting for further soft spots and removing same.
Begonia tubers:
STARTING TUBERS: It is very important that a SPROUT APPEARS before the tuber is planted. If your tubers seem slow to sprout, move them from the cool storage area to a warm dark place. When sprouts appear, the tubers are ready to be planted.
http://www.bradsbegoniaworld.com/tuber.htm
Thanks for the info Judy. I think I'll just leave them come in and see what happens. Anything I try to do to help them is negated by them being on a freezing USPS truck.
Very nice G, what type of pot are those in?
Jeff--
The plants are in reg. 6" clay pots. BUT--these clay pots sit in holes
in 2 big chunks of volcanic rock.
I got these from my back yard neighbor, he had no use for the...YEAH!...:o)
Ric is jealous that I have them. he wants to come and steal them from me...
Just for fun....
Here you can see them better. May, 2013
Oh man those are pretty cool G!
I like Coleup's idea of leaving out a cooler. Another suggestion: Ask a neighbor to keep an ear open for the delivery truck and to keep the box in his/her house until you get home.
This message was edited Feb 20, 2015 9:34 PM
Last week Julie Borneman of Watermark Woods Native Nursery and I team taught the native plant lecture for the current Landscape For Life course in Leesburg. Despite a couple of a couple of interruptions, she had to leave her cell phone on as she was expecting a shipment of baby chicks and the Post Office was going to call her when they arrived there. Would imagine that similar arrangements could be made with your local USPS office.