First spring plant catalogue and burnt fingers

Welcome, Robin! Gasping is what many of us are doing with WFF and other catalogs!

Welcome Robin.

Hello Robin and welcome to the NE gasping thread. I just opened the Dutch Gardens catalogue and the perennial prices are definitely gasp worthy. They have twilight prarieblues baptisia for 18.95 which I thankfully already ordered from High Country Gardens for 9.95. I might have to spend some more time in the propagation forum!!

Wow! I may be following you there, Weeze! These merchants better realize that they can't raise prices by so much. People will just not buy.

Let's all go propagate!

Welcome Robin! Another CT person.

I was one of the critical people re WFF but I admit there stuff is good. Just way more expensive. Must cover catalogue printing costs. ;^)

Thank you for the "welcomes". Gardening has been a hobby (OK, life) for many years. About 3 years ago, took up botanical watercolor painting, so now I am ordering things I'd like to paint--plus everything else in those too tempting catalogues. But prices will definately be a constraint this year. Dave, I am a CT gardener, but not on the coast! We are high on a windy hill in Thomaston, & a zone colder--but my gardens are raised with stone walls surrounding, & that makes it more hospitable--sometimes.

You're not far at all from Torrington. I recall a house with many, many Christmas lights on the main drag there.

Sounds great Robin. Please post some photos of your work!

...and photos of those stone walls.

Yes - I love stone walls too! I was fortunate enough to take a class on wildlife and gardening at the NYBG a few years back, and one of the other students was the director of the botanical illustration department there. I saw some of her work and was it ever beautiful!

Well thanks everyone! After hearing about the increase in the cost of plants, I feel totally justified in the money we spent buying stuff to propogate stuff (and I have tons of seeds for annuals and perennials, thanks to DG members). Why, the cost of buying twilight prarieblues baptisia for 18.95 (I hope that's for three - not one!) I can justify buying heat pads (maybe two!)

Heating pads last SO long that it's worth it, Seandor.

(I bought the Prairie Blue Eyes from Dutch Gardens and that price was for one, not three!)

Yikes - well that does it - for the price of three of those plants, I could buy a 48" by 20" heating pad from Parks seeds.

And you can use the heating pad after you spend hours working in the garden. Double duty!!

Can you really? I didn't think they would get that warm.

I have no idea - just joking. I am not big into seed starting so I never had one.

ah . . this can be the upbeat note! (trying to clear off all the threads!) Well, I am pretty excited about started plants.

Hey pirl, when do you start your plants?

I'm off to a neighbours New Year's Eve open house, then later we will order pizza and watch the Ball in Times Square drop,

Happy New Year everyone!

Same to you, David and the girls. Keep David healthy in '08!

Jack starts the seeds at the very end of March into early April. I have started the dahlias at the same time but I'll try to be more patient in 2008.

Happy New Year (and healthy) to all and a happy birthday to someone special.

Dave, what do you mean by "let's all go propagate"? Don't expect any of us to come to CT for any hanky-panky! LOL!

Regarding WFF, Dutch Gardens, and others - if they didn't send out a million catalogs a year, they could keep their prices down some I'm sure. I wonder what they heat their greenhouses with? Cash?

I love Dutch Gardens, but have noticed the past year or so their prices have risen dramatically. I wonder if they're trying to compete with Brecks and others? Plus, now that they offer perennials I'm sure that doesn't help.

Everyone enjoy the last night of the year! I'm relaxing with Chinese, Sam Adams Light, and DG right now! Later on it will be a family movie and hanging out with the 10-yr-old so she can see the ball drop - the new one celebrating the ball's 100 year anniversary!

Boo - picture didn't come through! It was a Happy New Year graphics.

My WFF catalog back page came in the mail today minus the rest of the catalog, DH said to call them, I said not to worry - they send out a bunch! And I won't be oredering from them anyway.

Why do they waste so much $ on a print catalog anyway?? Just have the website - it's way cheaper.

Maybe cause when they shove it right in our hands we immediately covet and then possibly BUY:~) I am going to try some dahlias from Dutch Gardens. Although I am NOT good about digging stuff up in the fall. But at least they're (3) for 10.95.

If you get a mixed bag they are not labeled. I bought the waterlily collection a few years ago and not one bloom came up to match the garden where it was planted. They did bloom beautifully though.

I don't buy mixed bags for just that reason! But there were a few varieties that caught my eye as well as some Japanese Iris that I'd like to order.

I ordered two of the JI's, also, and lilies, perennials...

You're already into the ordering season, Pirl?! I received my Scheepers catalog today. I see they have a seed mixture of dahlias. Anyone try that yet? These are supposed to be all singles, which I prefer.

Singles are about the truest of the forms from seed. I've grown the Unwins mix just fine.

I think I placed my Dutch Garden order in early December, Victor. I'm not fond of the very tall single dahlias at all - just too tall and not full at all (for me). The Unwins I love - they just keep on going like the Energizer Bunny.

That reminds me: I better check my dahlias.

Sue, I was surprised that my comment hadn't drawn any remarks until yours. I think its Victor's New Year's resolution.

I believe the Scheepers mix was short.

Dave - only in the garden! Two is enough for me.

Two wives?

I would love to post pics, but I'm not a techie--maybe my son or his wife could do it for me. Pirl--you remember correctly about the house on East Main in Torrington--it's near my eye dr. & is also decorated for Valentine's, St. Pat's , 4th of July, & Halloween. Some kook I guess--he makes the paper occasionally by fighting with his neighbor. It's snowing--again! I'm sorry we're not headed for FL this year, but I can start some seeds--instead of a heating pad, I put a block of wood on top of my furnace, & put seeds on the wood--just warm enough, & no extra cost. Does anyone raise orchids? I have a few, but am not too successful, & can use some hints.

Only if someone got me CZJ for my birthday, Pirl!

I tried but she said she prefers older men, Victor.

Please send her the old gardeners link!

Didn't you know that she's been lurking and knows about your bad knees?

Happy New Year everybody!

So this is where everybody was last night, this place as dead! I spent the night going thru seed catalogs and contemplating getting another heat mat I only have one right now, holds two trays but for all of the lantana seed I want to start this year I may need a couple more, won't be ordering a lot of plants this year prices are just getting too high and if the plants aren't too high the shipping costs are keeping me from it. I enjoy seeing the seeds grow to bloom anyway.

Happy New Year Pirl!

Welcome Robin, hope to see you around here a lot in the future! Do you have pictures some where of stone walls? I love stone walls! Aw I guess you don't, that's a shame :)

PrimroseSue, I want to welcome you to our family too, although you are almost a year old subscriber now I haven't seen you around :)

It's 18 out right now and going down instead of up! The wind is blowing like crazy too and I need to go feed the neighbors cats that are starving so they can do their business in my new gardens lol They are watching the birds at the feeder way too much too, having to make a choice on my part to feed the cats so they don’t get my birds lol Plus I hate seeing animals not being fed in the winter!

Where were all of the colors they were talking about in that ball last night all I saw was red and yellow but I did have to try and wake my dad up to ring the old school bell so I may have missed some of it. He just rolled over and went back to sleep anyway lol

I haven't even hear of half of these sites and catalogs you all are talking about how about some links :^) to any reasonable ones anyway?

Hi Bug. Happy New Year to you! I wasn't too impressed with the new ball either. It was bright but it did not live up to the hype. I didn't like the led lights on the Rocky tree either.