Nurseries that mislabel

I have had this camellia for over ten years and I thought it was Nuccio's Peral. However, when I visited Summer Winds Nursery in Palo Alto which used to be Woolworth Nursery until Woolworth went out of business. It was much better when it was run by Woolworth.

I was looking at the camellias and they had these with white flowers with red edges labeled Nuccio's Peral. At first I believed them because they also had something like a power point presentation all printed up with a color photo of the red and white flower and Nuccio's Peral written and it looked very offical.

I finally found an online site with Nuccio's Peral, but it was not easy and Nuccio's Nursery does not even have a website. My plant was Nuccio's Peral. I don't understand why they could have made such a huge error, and I question if it was deliberate.

What if they took an "undesireable plant" and decided to name it Nuccio's Peral because that is trusted name? Then they printed up these glossy photos to convince people of it. However, they have since then removed the display, but I really wonder abut that.

I am sure Nuccio's reputation is on the line. If someone buys an inferior plant labeled Nuccio's they may get the impression that Nuccio's are poor performers.

Also I was going to buy a icelandic poppy until I saw it had spider mite in the check out line, so I pointed this out to them and they acted like they had did not even know it. Spider mite is almost impossible to get rid (even with chemicals) and I pity any poor soul who brings it into thier garden on a nursery plant.

It's sad but true that a lot of nurseries and garden centres have mislabling problems. Many order the majority of their plants from wholesalers and have to take that wholesaler on trust when it comes to a cultivar name.

I've never come across a nursery or GC that is pest free, in fact I sometimes feel better because they have more problems than we do in the garden. Pot bought plants are a big contributor to insect and weed pests into individual gardens, lucky you spotted the spider mites before you bought the plant. We don't have a problem with spider mite in outdoor plants, just indoor, they hate humidity so we keep the houseplants and orchids misted.

Wow, I am some what shocked to think of all nurseries as having pests, instead of them being free of pests and then that one being the one with pests. Maybe you don't have access to the same arrary of chemicals that we do, in the Uk. Commmerical growers can buy chemicals that are not allowed for individual users, and boy are they strong. It is just a matter of the garden center using them in a timely fashion. But, I don't want to get into a big debate about the the chemicals. I am not saying chemicals are good or bad, but most nurseries I have seen are pest free, so they must be using something on the plants.

We have strict legislation on the use of pesticides as do most developed countries, we have quite a dazzling number of commercial only pesticides available here. Perhaps you've many lucky nurseries near to you?

No actually it is nightmare, independent nurseries all went out of business, and the huge chains don't have much selection in terms of variety. I have to drive 100 miles to go to a large independent nursery, all the way to Sacramento. There are some in the south bay and east bay but none have bugs.

We've got bugs at our nurseries here as well. I find it the norm to come home with some sort of bug.

Being rather new to gardening - only really 3 years totally self gardening, I had not thought of this. Great topic and I would like to know what to look for at nurseries when purchasing a potted perennial. I now try to grow most items from seed, but find myself becoming impatient several times a year and buying grown stock.

What do I look for and where in the soil or on the plant? Thanks a mil !

Dohopp

That's a tough question, especially for me as I live in another country. However, a pest is a pest and what we're all searching for is a healthy plant.

I look for plants with new shoots, those without new growth may be healthy but shoots are a good sign the whole plant isn't in panic mode. Plants with plentiful flowers are not necessarily healthy, plants will often bloom heavily in a shock state as a last attempt at keeping the genes alive. Plants with flowers are also slightly less able to cope with a move or transplant. We all succumb to blooms in a nursery but technically we should be buying plants without flowers or buds if we're going to plant them straight out into the garden.

The plant should look clean. Do the leaves or stems have discoloured spots or brown/dying tips or bases? Can you see any fungal growth, a white dusting on the leaf or base of the plant. Any plant with mushy deep brown/black bits (or even white dusting) are best not touched (and I mean that in the literal sense, touch is another way for disease to spread). Best place to find insect pests is under the leaves and right in where the leaf joins the stalk, or at the base of the plant.

One thing the nurseries really hate customers doing is knocking the plants out of the pots (see post below) and yet the roots are just as vital as the top of the plant is.(of course you need to leave the soil intact and ensure that when you put it back in the pot it sits properly in there) Plump, clean, pale roots are a good healthy sign. Roots with holes or mushy bits - avoid like the plague. You can also check if the plant is root bound or not this way. Not everyone is comfortable with doing this in the GC, so as soon as you get it home, knock that pot off in a place where there are no other plants. Any sign of pest or disease in that soil or root system ... take the plant back straight way and claim a refund!

A case in point. I have a seedling Lilium nepalense over wintered from last year. They are late to show signs of growth, it's in a small pot so I used that as an excuse to see what it was up to. I knocked the pot off and took away the soil, inside here was a good healthy bulb ... absolutely infested with newly hatched vine weevil grubs (promptly dispatched twixt carefully applied boot and paving slab). Fortunately it has signs of life and will hopefully manage without the extra layer of scales. As with all things in a garden, time will tell. The vine weevils came in initially with some nursery raised Fuchsias, until then we rarely saw any vine weevils.

At the end of the day, it's just a matter of keeping an eye out and keenly inspecting that gorgeous plant you've just the right planting hole for, a little bit of cynicism can go a long way. Some plants will show no outward signs of pest attack and yet will die a few weeks later of something you couldn't prevent even if you had a crystal ball that worked.

This message was edited Tuesday, Apr 15th 7:14 PM

Bug_Girl, most of the nurseries in our area (central OH) are locally-owned. The vast majority here are IPM, and almost no chemicals are used inside the greenhouses where customers are allowed to roam. More and more local gardeners are resisting entering nurseries that have any chemicals in their growing areas.

A few nurseries have a few pest infestations on their plants, but most are strictly controlled by biological or mechanical means. Lots of ladybugs, praying mantids, crypts, etc in evidence.

Added to which, a lot of customers bring their children who love to touch all the plants, and kids being kids, often they transfer the fingers to the mouth before washing their hands. When our herb garden volunteers host the annual plant sale, we only buy our stock from wholesalers who do not use chemicals within 4 weeks of our purchase to minimize potential hazards.

But it is pretty bad when the nursery offers for sale plants that are infested. I am glad you found out before you bought it, and possibly infected your own plants!

I feel I should add ... if you are going to knock off pots in the nursery, ONLY do it on those that you are really, really keen to buy! Never do it on a newly planted up pot or where you detect loose soil. You could even go up to the checkout or a GC worker and ask them if you can do it just to check.

Wholesale pot removal may result in you being marched of the premises never to darken their greenhouses again *G*

When you put the plant back in the pot, firmly tap the pot base on the floor, it will help the plant and soil settle straight back into the pot.

REMEMBER don't blame Baa if you get told off for doing any of this!!! ;) I do this stuff at home, I'd be far too embarrassed to do it in the GC.

Since we're pulling up our soapboxes, I think one of the biggest dis-services our garden centers do for new gardeners is to pander to their desire to have plants in full bloom in the nursery. I know when winter is over, we all yearn for that instant gratification that a pot of blooming flowers satisfies. But it would be better for all concerned if they would instead educate customers that a younger, smaller plant that is just ready to put on flower buds, is a much better choice than a pot-bound plant that has been manipulated in order to be in full bloom when it hits the nursery shelf.

As to mislabeled plants, I'd have to agree with Baa - I think the problem often originates with the wholealer. And there's the whole issue of what the nursery ordered, vs. what they THOUGHT they ordered (back to botanical names again.) To further complicate things, more and more trademarked names are appearing, which might or might not be a synonym for a cultivar name. Do nurseries intentionally mislabel plants? Not if they're serious about their credibility with their serious customers. That's not to say the occasional loose tag doesn't find its way into the nearest pot by a well-meaning but careless nursery employee.

But does the typical gardener CARE about the plant's name or authenticity? I'd have to say probably not, present company excluded :~)

It's one of the reasons I like mail-order for my serious purchases. I can buy smaller plants (or seeds) from reliable sources (those that stake their reputation on customer satisfaction, and know they're dealing with knowledgeable, discriminating customers.) I may have to spend a few years getting the seedlings to a good size, or take a little extra care with smaller woody plants, but if I'm going after a particular plant, I feel more confident I'm getting what I pay for.

I really agree about the desire for bloom, but some people feel like "oh, it is going to die any way, so I might as well see it in bloom now".

I bought a rhodendron out of bloom, that was supposted to be pink and it was mislabeled and bloomed purple. If you are buying a big plant like that, and you can't see it bloom, you won't know if you like it that much, unless you did some research on the net about the appearances of the flower.

I also have had a lot of plants too pot bound to live and it one of my biggest complaints about nurseries. Halfmoon Bay nursery is really the worst offender in this reguard.

I now remember there is a large nursery in Fremont, which is only about an hour away, but I hardy ever go to Fremont, so I never get there.

I like to stop at the nursuries that are located near something else, that I am going to, like an event. But, I am planning to go to the Fremont nursery, but you know how it is, "stop me before I buy another plant" feeling that you get, so I don't often let myself go.

We brought home aphids with our plug and mum starts. Only way you can get some of these plants. My son says we are going to find new supplier next year. This one ships all over the country, wholesale only. They buy their stuff from some grower that can raise these patented plants. Only certain growers can grow some of these things. Look what happened to Geraniums. Some of the ones raised from cuttings have some real bad disease that can't be cured, only spreads to others. Mislabeled is caused by garden centers trying to save dollers by hiring unknowledgeable people so they can compete with the wonderfull big box stores. If you want better quality plants, do not shop at those places. They have no business selling plants, they should stick to their dime store stuff.
We let our greenhouses freeze solid for the winter. That takes care of the bugs. At least we can start without any.
The big boxes got people started buying over the hill plants in full bloom, now in order to sell anything we must do the same. At least ours aren't over done. Shame what some so called sucessful people can screw up.
Enough rambling.
ßernie