we have a local nursery in my little town of 1800; it is only open from april to july; every year they have an end of season sell out....everything is a buck; NOW, don't want to seem greedy....but also don't want to seem stupid; what should i get??; it is basically a one day kinda sale and everything goes....; i don't really like the mentality of 'grabby sales' but i also don't want to leave out my yard of getting plants that i can use for next year....so here is a list of what they have:
petunias
impatiens
geraniums
coleus
herbs
a few perennials (so few i can't even list here, but won't that be wise to get?? 5 or 10 different kinds)
no shrubs
tomato plants
pepper plants
dianthus
swedish ivy
wandering jew
what would be the smart thing to get?
(keep in mind that i already have tons of coleus, caldium, geraniums, polka dot plants.....petunias, etc; i don't wanna grab stuff i am not gonna use...last year this one lady got a million geraniums....i saw her yard and she had basically piled them up on each other and let them die...; i also got a small green house this year plus i have a sunroom.....so what is the smart thing to buy??)
Can you help me figure out what to buy??
I would buy the perennials and the herbs.
Josephine.
Same here, there is no reason to have annuals that are going to die anyway when their life cycle is over.
Ditto here. Perennials will give you enjoyment for years. Herbs because you can winter some over in the sunroom and others will return from root stock. Have a large time! pod
I love the color contrast of wandering jew (purple queen) but many people find it invasive. You can totally ignore it, give it no water and poor soil and it won't die. If you have it in a bed, you have to be diligent about keeping it cut back or it will flower and seed and then you'll really be in trouble. But I have some planted with light coral verbena and it's a very pretty contrast. Good luck!
they do have some of that....and i was thinking about snatching some of it up....thanks for that reminder, you can't have too full of a yard right?? (grin)
That is totally my philosophy!! =) Just keep your pruners handy, you'll need them. The pink flowers they produce are pretty but I try to chop them off before they go to seed.
Hi Sticks,
I'm with everyone else, get as many perennials as you can find. The season is too short to bother with the annuals, unless you want to baby them in pots in a bright window over winter or make cuttings from them to start lots of plants. I've had great success with impatiens, coleus and geraniums. If you start now, and have room inside, you can have a full bed to plant come spring time.
Kristi
I second the comments about perennials and herbs, especially if they are hardy herbs like Oregano, thyme, rosemary...
You might get the swedish Ivy if you like house plants. You can put it outside spring and summer and bring it inside when it cools down. Or you can just use it for a houseplant year round.
Many people try to get a fall crop out of tomatoes, so you could try a couple of them if you are up for it.
I agree with everyone that perennials and herbs would be the best bet. I love Swedish Ivy whether inside or outside so I would probably get some of that too. It roots easily too if you want more for next year.
Wait a minute.......I'd go with the annuals too, the geraniums and the coleus for the instant gratification, you know it takes a while for the perennials to get established. The Bf's like the herbs, get some of those.
If anything, you can buy the annuals and before they start looking bad, start cuttings for next spring. Just cut 'em all to pieces and start yourself a whole bunch.
fly_girl what are bf's??
Butterflies:)
for the life of me i couldn't figure it out:)
We need a key, someone asked me if I was a FA. I tried for hours to figure that one out....it's flight attendant.
Duh, pod. I am slow too. A key would be swell for us beginners. pod
yeah, i get confused too. Everyone refers to their husband as DH. I figured out they're talking about their spouses but I have no idea what it actually stands for. Or I think it's a spousal abbreviation....
Could it be Dear Husband ... or maybe Dumb Husband or maybe Dead Husband or maybe...
LOL...I already thought of all of those so that's really funny!! Or Dumber Half??
Hey that could work... either spouse. I like it!
wanted to update all of you so far this is what i have bought.....the thing that is different this sale from the other is that it is disgused with a buy one get one free....and they reduced the plants.....making each 6 inch perennial 1.25 ea....DUH; it took me a couple of trips to the nursery to figure out that i WAS getting stuff for a buck and some change.....they just advertised it differently...which is not attracting the masses it did last year when they advertised $1.00 SALE.....it got all these people last year and it was see what you could grab....i didn't go cause i hate that mentality....; anyway, i bought:
some coleus(whoops)
6 polka dot plants
3 doz caladiums fully grown
2 purple majesty
2 tobacco plants (may get some more)
3 bee balm
2 mexican heather
1 wishbone hanging basket
1 HUGE mexican sage
got several today and for the life of me i can't remember their names.....
i am going everyday and getting names, coming home reasearching to see if they are perennials and then going back the next day and buying....i am so excited cause i can fill a bed with perennials for dirt cheap and in 2 years the bed hopefully will look great!!!!
This message was edited Jun 28, 2006 6:19 PM
Of course it will look great and you will have extras to spread around in more beds and with friends. I admire the researching too, that helps me most of all. I usually don't do so till after the purchase. What color "polka dot" plants? I got a pot of green/white ones this year only I only knew them by hypoestes. pod
Great choices, sticks!! What an awesome deal!
pod...it is my understanding that there are 4 colors....red/green hot pink/green pink/green white/green.........here are the 3 colors i got
as for filling other flower beds....right now i am mainly filling one flowerbed due to the adlib way that i am having to buy....this is a really small nursery....i would say at the most they only have 20 to 30 perennials....but i don't want to be obvious and go in there and say, 'i need to make a list of all your perennials so i can go home and research'....so like i say, i am doing this gradually....PLUS i noticed that the plants that i pic on one day and buy.....WELL the next day they are gone.....(the rest of the stock....); these people are also novices that run this nursery so i think they may be taking note of my research.....maybe i am paranoid...but i have gone back 2 times to replenish stock i had gotten the day befor and it is GONE.....; also this is only my second year gardening and it has never been perennials so i am such a novice.....anyway, it is FUN!!!!
Pretty colors Sticks, I love the way the green/white jumps out. I mixed a pot of them and in moonlight they really stand out. I really haven't read up on these. Just got them cause I liked them. These aren't a perennial are they? If your nursery folks ARE observant, they may be deciding what to stock next year. I have a friend who will gladly ask his suppliers for any specific plant I want. Can't always find it but worth a try. They may do the same for you next spring.
pod...these polka dot plants are not perennials...BUT can be grown indoors...and/or be called house plants....so i am buying lots of those to bring indoors till after the winter and put them back out ....suppossedly they root really well from cuttings...i have tried 2 rounds and they didn't do well for me....but also suppossedly they reseed well....but if they can grow indoors mine are staying in containers and then i will have them next year...till i can do well with stuff in flower beds...my flowerbed skills are still lacking...don't know why, but they are...
I have not improved my flowerbeds and keep alot of plants in pots. I only plant the hardiest of plants in flowerbeds as I don't water much. I wait till a good rain and mulch with pine straw. I will try protecting these for the winter and see what happens. Thanks pod
i think yours might be safe....do yall freeze??
OH yeah, we freeze. Some years more than others. That is another reason I keep lots in pots. I can protect them better. Of course, they are replaceable. Take care, pod
this is an update on the bed i was trying to fill on 1.00 plants...ended up filling it will mostly perennials and supplemented with abelia shrub.....(the bed is planted in caladiums, salvia, shasta daisies, purple lady (which i think is a annual that can be brought in and will grow indoors....crysanthemums, lariope, coneflower and one other that i cant remember the name)which of course will not look fabulous till year 3....so this year is sleep, next creep, year 3 LEAP!!!
thanks for your help!!!
This message was edited Jul 14, 2006 4:03 PM
Wow! Sticks it looks great! You've done a lot. I love your white picket fence. I plan to purchase some Abelia shrubs this fall to put in.
do you have a sutherlands by you?? they have 3 gallon pots of them (abelia...about 3 or 4 feet high) for 12.99 here....i still need to photo them for you.....they are much prettier in person....my goal is cottage garden look and to me they go quite nicely in that atmosphere
Hey SnS, you have been ambitious since this thread began. Your bed looks great and so does the white picket fence. We will expect photos next year and the following. Please tell me what the 'purple lady' is? That intrigues me. I love purple in general, must be an old lady thing.... pod
Great job SnS, love the mix of plants and the picket fence!
pod it is used for ground cover:... Iresine 'Purple Lady' but....i am missing another name of that purple thing standing up....i hate it when that happens....i don't think it is going to bloom....it is just purple foliage...will try to find the name of the tall purple thing
Thanks I'd love to know. Am always on the lookout for things purple.
pod...the other purple is called purple knight alternanthera....i read on one site that it does flower...but the other sites i researched mentioned no flowers....again this one is an annual that is easy to take cuttings(yeah right)...but i currently am trying one cutting to make sure.....but it sez it grows in the house great too.....if i can grow the branch then i will not dig these up come fall...
i just read that that purple knight is a tropical perennial....so i am assuming that if it doesn't get to cold in your area it will come back....it does get cold here so i will probably have to do cuttings if i can
I've been following this discussion and finding so much great information, I thought I'd throw my two cents in. The polka dot plants will probably be annual in your zone, but might make it outside if they're mulched. I've got several that have stayed in ground for 3 years now. They did freeze back, but when it warmed up, I cut them back and all have survived and flourished. In fact, probably too much so as they are taking over the bed they're in. They've reached a height of 3 feet and almost as wide. I think they must be in too much sun, because the color has darkened and they're no longer the soft pink with green veining as when I bought them. I had them in ground at my previous home for over 5 years before we moved, and never lost one to a freeze. Also, on the abelia, don't go by what they look like in the pots at the nursery. They always look scrappy in pots, but they are wonderful, low care plants. The blooms are small, but smell very good and the bloom period is quite long. Do any of you have any experience with the variegated abelia? If so, I'd like to know if it's as tough as the regular variety and if the blooms are as prolific. I'm running out of room in the garden, so I'm getting a little more picky with what I give space to now. Guess I could always fill in the swimming pool! LOL