Botanus this year

So the new catalogue came, shortly after they were online with 2005. Not sure what to think.

Haven't picked through every section yet, but they don't seem to have as many choices, not the great deals that they usully do, and the bonus is a Ladies Mantle? Gimme a break.

Some prices are down, most are up, some by a lot. This could be a bad omen.

Got mine as well......DH has been tempting me with pics from it!

Hey there's Trillium erectum (reddish purple flower) in it........$8.00 for a bare root. Trillium undulatum (pure white with a magenta collar) @ $8.50 would go so well with the above.

It also has my fav Thalictrum delavayi "Hewitt's Double" for the horrible price of $12.50. I've picked that one up in Regina for less than $5.00! Now the trilliums, to the best of my greenhouse stalking, can't be found here but $12.50 for the Hewitt's Double is very pricey. :S

Their page of novelty and trumpet lilies always catches my eye. I'm always growing a trumpet however that is never true to name. Is Botanus accurate with their packaging?

Compare some of these plants to last years catalogue prices. Throws me off a bit, although for some lilies, if you need just a splash of colour they are still a good price for five. They have really cut back on varieties here though.

That's what I thought too....I've never ordered from them but I remember some of their catalogs seem to have 5 times the number of plants that this one does.

I may still order if I find enough good buys, but you really have to compare. I hate it when you find things you really want scattered around at different companies. Then you end up blowing the budget all to hemerocallis. Did I say budget? That's not a word I know a lot about.

Check out Lindenbergs for some good prices on plants. But you have to order a catalogue, as they still didn't have their website updated last time I looked.

Been years since I received that one.....thanks for the heads up I'll get in contact with them. Ü

Another little one is Halifax Seeds. They don't have anything spectacular, but I buy supplies form them and notice they have some plants I may want too .

That one is new to me.......thanks echoes! Ü

Received some catalogues in the last few weeks
also got one from the guru garden. lovely pictures and prices..

Hi, dillpickle! :-)

Brenda and Pam, when did your Botanus catalogues arrive? I got an e-mail from them a couple of weeks ago saying it was coming, and then nothing.

Hi spklatt
I received my Botanus last week..
guess yours will be coming soon,

Yes last week for Botanus, Shannon. Guru late last week. There too, some big changes, not all real appealing. Some things have really gone up in price, like the mertensia I ordered last year was 3/10.00 and this year 1/12.00.

received my botanus a couple of weeks ago; noticed far fewer callas and exotics. first time i've ever looked at the lilies, so wouldn't know about price increases
never much liked lilies but they sent me the asiatic 'oriental expression' as a bonus last year and i found my self actually admiring it regularly so it looks like i will have quite a few lilies this year
budget?? is that a new term on this site? shall we put it in the botanary?garden terms? does anyone have an accurate definition?

how about "a fully flexible predetermined amount allowing the reconciliation of needs to wants on a progressive basis as opportunities for acquisition arise" - maybe i should go to work for the government in the language confusion branch LOL

Describes it perfectly to me, Lynn! But then, I work for the government....LOLOL

Now, just where is mine?????????????? E

Mine was waiting in my mailbox when I got home from work today - see, all you have to do is whine a little! ;-)

It looks ok, but doesn't suit our particular needs as well as the Vesey's or McFayden's catalogues, for example. I hadn't heard of Guru - will have to get busy and order theirs, if you guys say it's good.

Got mine last week....now I ordered from them for the past 3 years, but last fall the Tulips I ordered came with mold...now I don't want to talk bad about Botanus...they have been good in the past, and they offered me a credit for this year, just curious if anyone has had a similar problem. I also received my Veseys catalouge which I also have been ordering from and I must say they have been consistently sending me quality bulbs and seeds..they have some good deals going as well.

CB

Well I think the last of my catalogues arrived yesterday. Lily Nook now has me drooling and dreaming, along with the other favourite for lilies - Valley K. Must say Lynnette Westfall did a nice job with Valley K's catalogue.

echoes - I have just learned of the two lily suppliers you mentioned. I have not received catalogues yet but I have visited their websites. So many lilies.... So little cash.... I did place a small order from Valley K including a lily called 'dotcom'. That is my usual on-line handle which was already taken when I signed up here at Daves - hence 'durtcom' where the 'durt' is the first part of my last name.

You also mentioned Lindenberg - I have only ever ordered seeds from them. Have you ever ordered plants or bulbs? I agree that their prices look good. I just don't get quite as excited without all the colored glossy pictures.

I must go to the mailbox now and check for catalogues...

Susan

Lindenbergs, yes very tempting. I ordered a few plants from them last year, and they had a fairly high failure rate. For sure a couple of plants arrived in real poor condition. I think the bulbs were just OK. If I remember, this is another one of those places that gets most of the stuff (probably from Holland) in the little pre-packed bags and sends it out from cold storage. This is my last chance order for them, if they have what I want. They don't quibble over refunding on complaints though.

Found the order from last year. To be fair, I ordered seeds, six plants and two varieties of bulbs. They shorted me on the Dictamnus and a poppy. The Tiarella arrived mostly rotten and bit the dust right away. The Fernleaf Bleeding Heart struggled all summer, don't remember if it made it. The lilies, I hope will be a lot stronger this year. So I guess it would be fair to say, don't expect a third of what you order to show up and expect to lose another third. What does well, is priced right, and you'll get your money back on the dead stuff.

This message was edited Feb 3, 2005 11:11 AM

I see they have Dotcom in Lily Nook catalogue. It looks nicer in this picture than I thought. Much pinker.

echoes - Thanks for the feedback. That wasn't exactly a glowing review on Lindenberg. I think I might stick with the specialists for the lilies but I will give Lindenberg a try for a couple of plants and will get more seeds. Time to think about the veggie garden too.

I didn't see the Dotcom lily on the Lily Nook website - I found it at Valley K and just had to get it because of the name. I also bought a deep red one called Blackjack that I thought would be a good companion to Dotcom's dark red center.

My trip to the mailbox was fruitful. I got my first ever Botanus catalogue as well as the Veseys Spring Bulb & Perennial catalogue. I also got a small seed order from Gardens North and my Calgary Hort Society newsletter. I have a lot of reading and dreaming to do...

Susan

Those two should be very nice together. Keep your fingers crossed that they bloom together. They should at least overlap.

try johnny's durtcom if you are looking for interesting variety in seeds for your veggie garden

Echoes, Have you received Lily bulbs from T and T. What did you think? I got a raise at work and back pay- I'm blowing it all on PLANTS! If you have this years catalogue could you please look on page 48 and 49 and tell me what you think of the 'super lily collection'. Thanks for your time, sorry if it causes you an inconvenience. Joelle

Edit to add, or anyone else who has ordered from here. ;)

This message was edited Feb 4, 2005 1:13 AM

jagonjune - I have ordered a Johnny's catalogue - thanks! I took a look at their website. It looks like a nice selection. I usually order most of my veggies from Vesey's with some from Stokes or McFayden as well for the tried and true standards. Looks like Johnny's has some interesting less common varieties.

Joelle, it is never inconvenient to talk to you and I always love to talk plants. I can't find my T&T catalogue. Wonder if I even got it yet. I looked on-line at the lilies though and think you must be talking about that 110.00 collection. I wouldn't give them that much money for lilies. If you just starting on lilies, select a few that you really like from Valley K or Lily Nook, or pick up a couple from Botanus if you are ordering from there anyway. If you have a Lily society that holds a sale in your area, that is a good way to get some at good prices, and of course trading with us in the Canadian Trading forum could snag you a few lovelies. I bought bags of lilies at big box type stores a couple of times. When you start out with 6-12 bulbs, it doesn't take long and you have a very nice big clump for a splash of colour. Collections at T&T are what they pick(sometimes what the supplier wants to get rid of), and IF they are true to name, will contain some that you wouldn't have picked.
T and T is famous for selling plants that are not true to name, I'm still trying to figure out what some of the lilies were that I got from them about five or six years ago. They did the same to me with irises, but since only about half of them lived, it was only half as confusing. Sometimes it's just their descriptions that are misleading. I try to go in to their store to buy from them if they have something interesting. I have a Daylily called Eenie Fanfare that doesn't look anything like their picture or description. They seem to be good for shrubs and trees at decent prices. I do have some perennials from them that I still love. Years back, I didn't know where else to order, except for them and McFaydens. They were the only catalogues we got around here. and Rockwood - snicker snicker.
I'm sure Ginny, the lily mama around here, will have some suggestions of where to spend your money on lilies.


This message was edited Feb 4, 2005 10:13 AM

like your positive attitude echoes - if have die, it's only half as confusing LOL

Hey - as long as they're willing to fix their mistakes, I'm willing to give them another chance. My attitude is not quite as forgiving in July as it is in February, however.

Ah Echoes the voice of REASON! Thank you for bringing me to my senses. Your right, why do I want to let them decide what bulbs I buy. I will only get a few I like and shop around. My trouble is I like one or two plants from every single catalogue or site I see- shipping is where it really hurts! I just have to settle down make a list and then choose. Thanks again! Joelle

Just think of the shipping costs as money you would spend for gas running around looking for the plants. Then I can think of a couple more excuses. While I enjoy shopping the nurseries more than anything, spring is such a busy time of year, looking after all the seedlings I grew to save money. Right. So we save gas money and time when shopping by mail order. And if we're lucky, they send us the plants we really want and probably couldn't have found locally. What a small price to pay.

Are you focusing on lilies this year?

Focus hmmm! I don't really focus on anything- scatter brain. What I like of them is -hardy-reliable and beautiful blooms with little effort. I have bought a few every year for about 4 years but I have not been great a keeping track of who is who.--Shame- bad gardener! I crossed a Stargazer with a fragrent unknown pink Oriental last year and have the seeds in the fridge. That is as extensive as I have got so far with lillies.
Gas Money-- great idea, as Pam knows in Moose Jaw if we want something really different we must drive into Regina-60 clicks or Saskatoon-200? ish.
Thanks for rationalizing it for me. Got any excuses for eating large amounts of Chocolate? Joelle

Sure, chocolate says "I love you, I love me, or just, I love life". Lily seeds, what fun. Get them started. No such thing as a bad gardener, unless it's the neighbor who lets his weeds spread to your yard.

Do you buy the Harden & Huyse chocolate up at the mall Joelle?


This message was edited Feb 6, 2005 8:44 AM

Never heard of it Pam- are you recommending it? Is it a new store, or in an existing one? I will go tomorrow, wish it was open tonight! Hope it is open Sundays. Can you tell I'm excited! LoL

Ok echoes I will get the seeds in the dirt tonight!
I traded for some Formosa Lily seeds - research says no pre- treatment needed... do you agree? Thanks Joelle

Harden & Huyse? They have an outlet in Saskatoon too, I think. Belgian chocolate.....YUM!

Corrected spelling and yep that's it Shannon. The dark Belgian chocolate is to die for and it can be found at Evans Florist Joelle.

The main office is in Saskatoon and they also manufacture all the chocolate there as well.

http://www.ir.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=2968,2965,2936,Documents&key=Company&mode=search&cmpid=9540


This message was edited Feb 6, 2005 11:39 AM

Morning Joelle,
Yep, plant away with both types of your seeds. Give them bottom heat,, unless you have a warm 75 - 80F place (top of water heater?)
or older gas stove with a pilot light. Don't let them dry out but don't flood them either. Put clear plastic over them to keep condensation in and so that you can see them sprouting. Enjoy -
Hope you'll send some of that choc. down the wire. Here in YWG both Ginny & Echoes are choc. addicts.

Ginny