If our triple-digit heat would go away, I'll order! I've got my wish list full on their website. The plants that I bought from them in April are doing great (except one where a vole went underneath, but that's a different story).

If anyone wants to see how their plants look in and out of a box when shipped, I wrote a review with photos on the order that I bought in April.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: perfectly packaged plants

They do package beautifully!

I splurged earlier in the season and bought just one plant, so shipping was a fortune (12 dollars!, but the plant is doing beautifully and I can't wait to see it take off next year.

cameron, YOU are a very good person.

listen, i'm sending them an email with the link to your piece, suggesting that they include the photos on their website. If you then send them jpegs, and permission (one less thing for them to put on their 'to do' list) that might get them to add them to the website -which would be a boon for all concerned!
Chapeaux! ('Hats off!"in French) to you, Cam,
best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/

Wow. 40 dollars is a lot of money for shipping. It totally ruins the deal in my opinion. Are the plants worth what they are even charging for shipping?

I'm with Ech on this one - $40 for shipping?!?

I have to agree. I just can't bring myself to spend $40. on shipping. I'm also never on board with a promotion or sale where you have to buy a certain amount in order to get a discount. If I have to buy 16 plants, most of them are on average $10-$12. a piece. That's up to $192. down to $134. with the discount, plus shipping. So, if shipping is $40. and I saved $60. with the 30% off, then I barely saved $20.

I guess I can't get too excited about that. Plus I really don't want to have 16 plants arriving in this heat and having to plant them all. Nope, I'm waiting for the fall for any more plants. :-)

Subtotal: $111.14
Shipping & Handling:$37.60 Total: $148.74
for 16 plants not available elsewhere.$9 plant. I'm (obviously) fine with that. $38 shipping for 16 plants v.s.$12 for a2zmom's one plant. And there is no other kind of sale they do, so this is the one way to get discounted plants from them.Try to remember, the shipping cost has to do with the Postal Service (hello???upcoming 50cent letter stamps anyone?), Anyway,how much $ do you spend on gas to sale-cruise? I'm not intending to attack here, just wanting to introduce some food for thought.

Now here's my rant:
Plus, if we do not support our especially great nurseries, they will go the way of all the ones we lost just this past year. I really think that serious gardeners need to recognize their part in this whole big world of gardening. When you seriously think about these nurseries, do you really think the owners are driving BMWs and readily sending their kids, WITHOUT scholarships, to college? They and their staffs make very low wages, I can assure you. I do wish it were otherwise.
All these WICKED hard working nursery owners have my greatest appreciation for enriching my life and hence, those of all the visitors to our gardens and thousands of others gardens and their visitors.
There. end of rant.

best of intentions,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/
a teaching website

Subtotal: $111.14
Shipping & Handling:$37.60 Total: $148.74
for 16 plants not available elsewhere.$9 plant. I'm (obviously) fine with that. $38 shipping for 16 plants v.s.$12 for a2zmom's one plant. And there is no other kind of sale they do, so this is the one way to get discounted plants from them.Try to remember, the shipping cost has to do with the Postal Service (hello???upcoming 50cent letter stamps anyone?), Anyway,how much $ do you spend on gas to sale-cruise? I'm not intending to attack here, just wanting to introduce some food for thought.

Now here's my rant:
Plus, if we do not support our especially great nurseries, they will go the way of all the ones we lost just this past year. I really think that serious gardeners need to recognize their part in this whole big world of gardening. When you seriously think about these nurseries, do you really think the owners are driving BMWs and readily sending their kids, WITHOUT scholarships, to college? They and their staffs make very low wages, I can assure you. I do wish it were otherwise.
All these WICKED hard working nursery owners have my greatest appreciation for enriching my life and hence, those of all the visitors to our gardens and thousands of others gardens and their visitors.
There. end of rant.

best of intentions,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/
a teaching website

I see your actual order was a little less than my 'guesstimate'. Yes, if the nursery fits for you and you find things there you really want and they send healthy plant material in good condition that's great. I'm just not feeling it...lol. There's actually very little that I need right now. I will keep them in mind to check out again though. I'm sure I will be in a more receptive mood at some point. When they don't have a sale, I'm sure. I did think the photo of the plants Cameron posted looked very good.

Yes, postage continues to go up, but in comparison to other nurseries, they seem to be higher.

I did notice on their website that their business and land are for sale.

oh noooooooo. you didn't mean to but you just ruined my day.no matter the reson, i get so upset when unusually good people go down.
best,
mindy

Now isn't a good time to be mail ordering plants. The temps here are right at 100Ë. If they change the sale to be 50% off and no minimum amount of plants required, I'd consider it though. They do have a nice selection on their site.

Confessions of a Plantaholic

I have on more than one occasion bought plants from LazyS in the summer time. As a matter of fact one year my order that was shipped via UPS did not arrive when expected. LazyS tracked the order and reshipped a second order. A few days later the original order arrived and all of the plants with the exception of one variety were in good shape (a testament to their good packaging). I called an asked if they wanted me to refuse the second order and their response no keep all of the plants as they wanted them all to have a good home.
I am fortunate enough to have five excellent independent nurseries within a twenty minute drive of my home and yet I still find mail ordering hard to find/propagate plants helps me to create a diverse garden. For example LazyS sells the hard to find but true jewel for the hot dry location Eryingium yuccifolium (Oh my goodness this just reminded me of an Eryingium rant I but I will save that for another day) which I may just buy sixteen of these gems.

Mindy, have no fear!

Lazy S' is selling off their walk in retail business. Their mail order business is fine and what they plan to concentrate on.

a2z, i KNEW I liked you!! Thank you!
and Yay! KT to the serious gardener rescue!(uh oh, i'm gonna get shot down for that one!!)
Quackin' Grass in Ct. is doing the same as Lazy S; retail just not worth it. Think Charlie Brown:
"I love mankind. It's people I can't stand"!!
best,
mindy

"I love mankind. It's people I can't stand"!!
----------------------------

Love it, Reminds me of;

Lord protect me from my friends, the enemies I can manage by myself.

Mindy, glad to be of service!

I too worry about big box stores pushing out specialty nurseries. There are hardly any gardeners in my neighborhood. I see a lot of meatball shrubs (ugh), a few scraggly annuals around the mailbox (at least they tried) and worst of all, red mulch with a few widely spaced plants - makes me think I am looking at a gas station, not someone's home!

What a beautiful list! Prices are very reasonable, considering how unusual many of their plants are, and that's before you work in the discount.
I wish they shipped to Canada.

a2z, yes, i see alot of those too. And you would be surprised how proud those homeowners are of their "pot 'n dot with red mulch" yards. But then again, that's what makes America great- diversity. I don't think a day goes by when I don't think about Paul Simon and his "One man's ceiling is another man's floor."

But then again, wouldn't it be great to live where, as in alot of non-urban England, it seems EVERYONE has a beautiful garden?!
best,
mindy

Mindy, nothing brings a smile to my face faster than when I do see that someone has a beautiful garden. It just makes me feel good.

And I am always pleased when someone stops in front of my house and tells me how much they appreciate my efforts. It's always nice to know that my gardens raise the spirits of others.

do you think i could become a millionaire by printing and selling "I Brake for Gardens" bumper sticker?!!
mindy

ninamarie, i don't know if you are close to the u.s. border, but maybe you could make a GW appeal in a thread, whereby you order and pay for the shipment (from Lazy Ss or any other nursery)but you have it mailed to
a GW U.S. person 'near' you. and then you drive down and pick it up and whatever is entailed beyond that. You never know who might be willing to help you.
best,
mindy

In late spring they offered first time buyers a good discount and free shipping over a hundred buck order. If you don't want to order now, it might be worth waiting till next year. I figured out that my plants averaged about 5.75 for quart size...just about the same as here, if you can even find quarts anymore. It takes real searching to find anything less than gallons (which are usually just three of the same plants together in a big pot)I find it irritating

ninamarie, i don't know if you are close to the u.s. border, but maybe you could make a GW appeal in a thread, whereby you order and pay for the shipment (from Lazy Ss or any other nursery)but you have it mailed to a GW U.S. person 'near' you. and then you drive down and pick it up and do whatever is entailed beyond that. You never know who might be willing to help you.
best,
mindy

(this is why I wish GW posters would put something more specific than, for instance,'Ontario' in their I.D. I mean, isn't Ontario an awfully big place?!! So if you listed, for instance, Northern Ontario, I would know not to even make the suggestion that I did above!(Hey, you're still doing better than tiffy. She lists CANADA for her location !!!gee, that really narrows it down, eh??!)

$40 shipping seems kind of steep to me too. I am sure that the packaging is great, and if you're buying 16 plants it's not that expensive. I guess I just wish they'd have a sale that offered a discount on individual plants, instead of being locked into buying 16.

I've never bought from them, but they're on my list to try.

YES, connie!