So what are you growing new in 2008?

I had planned to never order plants on line again until I found "the list" in Garden Gate magazine. When I saw other like complaints I realized it wasn't my bad gardening skills. You are lucky to live nearby and choose which plants you want, that's the advantage here. We have a Wayside Garden center and it's a delight to go there, not to mention many other nurseries.
I have found so many unusual plants since joining DG. Hellebors Whoknew.
ordered some the other day based on a picture from a forum members yard.
Jo Ann

My local nurseries can't come close to online ones in terms of variety. Been buying primarily online for many years now and have no major complaints. The local nurseries are expensive, limited in selection and sizes, and there is usually only one truly knowledgeable person working there.

Yep!!!! Talked with Dave at Der Resistant plants and am happy to report he is delightfull real and sweet. I have three hellebor foetitus comming. He mailed to say he was just starting to dig. I feel a more personal attachment to someone who sounds like they just stepped in from the garden.
Thanks for your recomendation.
Jo Ann

You're welcome, Jo Ann!

The only bad mail order I ever received was from a very low ball price firm that really should not have been permited to use the term nursery. I then remembered the truths at issue....If it looks to good to be true it most likely isn't.

I used to take pride in at least knowing the proud owners of the firms I ordered from. I am now down to two still family owned with family pride built into their businesses. They are Territorial on the West Coast and Millers Nursery in New York. I have spent time on the grounds of both yet mail order is still the best way to work with them. I try my best to stay with the ones I know best over the years. Neither are heavy into flowers.

The references members of this web site give have helped me try other services this spring.

dogipe: I live near Miller Nurseries and they are good. I bought Hops for the patio pergola and they now have to be cut back severly ,it's someone elses problem now but if anyone wants a good dense cover this is a plant for the job. Hops grow over 30 feet, mine went up the post and across the grid and onto the garage roof, lovely shade.
This past month is my first time dealing with DG recomended mail order. I check out some I had been dissapointed with and sure enough there were as many negatives as positives.Van Bourgundian in particular. This isn't the place for gripping I justpassed over them for the past three years. my pergola

another view

Miller Nursery in NY is really good in my book. Nearly every thing they sell is grown on their plantings. I just ordered a Mountain Ash to replace one a neighbor just took the axe to. The birds love the fruit that hangs on the Mountain Ash long into the early winter. Again in the spring it is soft mast for more birds. They are the source of my peaches, Asian pears, apples and blueberrys. With the exception of one cherry I failed with their stock has otherwise been excellent. They gladly replaced that order. That single item failed twice so I feel it was my mycro climate working against us. This was a plant the beetle loved beyond my ability to be constantly spraying. I axed them out with disgruntled wisdom. The crab apples I followed them with from Millers are doing fine.

This message was edited Apr 1, 2008 11:06 AM

The Finger Lakes region is great for grapes ( wine tours abound) and fruit along the shores of Lake Ontario there used to be apple orchards for 20 miles. Big growers put an end to that.
Millers is in a prime spot, the property at Canandaigua Lake is as expensive as Lake Taho, we made the New York Times.

boy, ge, the hops vine sure can grow! its amazing to think it dies to the ground every year.

It's a crazy grower. Had to rip mine out. It would literally grow inches in a day.

It's almost a nuicence. I had to search our shoots and tie them to thepost. The vine grows fast, by the third year it was at the top of the post and there were many shoots. The picture was taken after 10 years of growth. I took away some of the dead shoots but left others to give that seasons shoots something to climb on.
Jo Ann

Under this mass of hops is actually a copper arch arbor!

I think I want to plant some American Holly trees this year. It's pretty funny, too, because when I went to Arlene's last year, I dug up a hosta under a holly bush. I remember promising myself not to get hollies! They were too prickery! Ah, well. They're good for the birds. I want to plant them between my driveway and my neighbor's property. I like the neighbors somewhat, but I want to keep their kids from crossing over into my yard in that area. Prickers should do it. Any body know of some that grow quickly and no higher than 40 feet?

They don't grow very fast at all, Harp.

I have a thirty year old or older two holly planting that is just now reaching for six feet . I trimmed them pretty close several times a year to make them go wide. They are easily six feet wide. I have two more some twenty years old made from cuttings. They are about three feet tall and two feet wide due to close trimming. The birds love them. Go with local nursery advise for variety.

Come on out and dig to your heart's content, Harper. We have a few old hollies that I've trimmed back but I'd love to have them out of here. They're all about 6" circumference.

Barberry would keep them out and grow quickly, but they are invasive.

Barberry also is host to a mean case of rust. They are not to be planted in Pennsylvania yet they are commonly seen in the catalogs.

Never seen rust on them around here. They are all over the park where I hike.

Just walked around and saw lots of deer damage. Sprayed the entire garden. Not only feeding damage, but trampling as well.

Barberry does not get the rust. It hosts the cause of rust. Much the same as native filberts hosting the spore that attacks and kills other nursery quality filberts and Harry Lauder's Walking Stick a non fruiting filbert.

Jo Ann and Robin - Thanks for your thoughts on WFF. It sounds like our experiences have been similar. Since I have the gift certificate I will likely try them again with the Pinky Winky, but I may try to go there instead of ordering it mail order. It is always a pretty spot to walk around, and you can see the plants up close and personal that way.

I love your pergola, Jo Ann. We have collected antique ladders from our own farm and from the farms of several friends in NH and I want to construct a pergola with them in front of my potting shed. What is the plant that you have growing up and over the pergola?

Victor - I also love your hops arbor. That is a very inviting spot!

Harper - I love holly too. Down here we have Dahoon Holly (different leaf) and I now have 2 thriving cuttings in my "stick garden". When I was growing up here, we would always put some of these holly berries/greens on our mantel at Christmas.

Actually Millers has received some poor reviews in garden watchdog, so I hesitated to order from them again, although the raspberries I ordered from them are doing great.
I like Grow Moore farms in Henrietta, small, family run, may not have the greatest variety, but I have no problem turning my paycheck over to them!!

I love Millers and have had nothing but good plants from them. I had so many pears last year from a pear tree I purchased from them, I had no room for them all to ripen in the house.

Woo Hoo!! I think I'm gonna go for it Arlene!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's a great excuse to come see you... of course, I don't need a reason!

Do deer eat holly? They would be going right where the deer cross into my yard.

Good morning Donniebrook
Hops are growing over my pergola, takes about three seasons for them to build theirown climbing sticks( dead stems from previous season) The ladders sound unique for a pergo;a, will you treat them somehow so they don't rot? I would love to see the end product.
Jo Ann

OK, Harper. I think the deer prefer rose buds, hosta, daylilies, tulips - anything that doesn't have the sharp edges of hollies. Even if they ate the tender new growth, the old growth should work for you.

Yes, even holly and they seem to eat anything and everything that is young, so I cage most things until they are older and tougher like me. Patti

Let me know when you come to WFF, DonnieBrook--holly is very slow growing, Harper, & when you rake the dead leaves, it's a challenge--how about a fence with climbing roses? Hard to keep kids out of anywhere, though. Victor, lovely arbor & GE, those hops would mask anything after awhile!

Robindog: They do keep the hot afternoon sun off the patio. That area is quite shady in fact my neighbor let a silver maple grow and it has shaded that corner so much my Goats Beard petered out.
jo ann

Thanks again Arlene!

Yeah, slow growing hollies... can't do roses, although that would be gorgeous, it's a mostly shady area.

Hollies do better in sun.

Luckily, these hollies have grown too well in this northwest spot for years.

They'd be getting afternoon sun.

I am always surprised that my hollies have survived, every leave is the deer's dinner, never have seen a berry on them after they take their fill on them

Here's the area that I want to cover up. I'm standing in the foot of my driveway, looking at my neighbor's house. My house is to my right. The maple tree right there fills in and creates dense shade, but only in the late morning. I want to cover the entire view to the neighbors, if I could, but right along the driveway, is where I want the hollies. Anyone have any suggestions?

Harper

I know that if a deer herd is hungry that they will eat just about ANYTHING. So far..........deer have not attacked our holly shrubs. Knock on wood or something for me. Junipers are another plant they have not attacked where I live. There are lists out there in cyber land showing some plants that are inclined to be less attacked by deer. Our hosta has been left alone. These same deer will eat "ANYTHING" if they are over populated and hungry. I believe they might eat a green shirt off the clothes line.

Our Lowe's has very nice upright juniper this spring in five foot ball and burlap presentation. To hide that house in a few years upright juniper may be one of your choices. They can be planted four feet on center to close that view in five to ten years. They once established will grow about two feet a year and need little if any care. Thirty feet is about the finished height. Mature diameter is about four to six feet at the base. Cost at this size is $29.95. That is really good for our area. I grabbed up seven of them for a similar project with the same problem to solve.

About 7 years ago I planted 6 Cypresses 5' tall , The ar now about 25 feet tall with a circumference of abaut the same of the lowest branches, IThe are perfct now to hide the cable pole and the drive of my neighbors house across the street, wish now I had planted more in different places for more privacy