For it to dwindle away but then come back means there was some variable circumstance present, that later changed. Something like a pest, pathogen, mycorrhizal association, soil mineral, or weather cycle, and not a constantly present factor like the overall climate.

twrosz, you bought 3 I was choking over what one costs. nevertheless that is one gorgeous plant.
I have a clump of native trilliums I dug from a place that was about to be bulldozed, with permission of course, dug it with it's surrounding soil, slowly the clump has increased over the years.

Trying to think of what individual perennials I have bought over the years that costalot :), nothing is sticking out at the moment but I know there have been a few, I only paid $18 for my first cardiocrinum at a botanical garden sale, this same cardiocrinum was at the time being offered elsewhere for $99. When the bill was finally added up for the asters I imported from the UK it was over $400. Gardening is what it's all about for me, there are worse things I could be spending my money on.

With gardening Rouge, I think deep pockets often accompany dedication.

Just generally (and as you well know): more expensive perennials are often better perennials for gardens than those that are cheaper to purchase. Cheaper to grow means cheaper to sell.

The crux of the matter is the relationship between cheaper to grow and bad behaviour when the plants are put into gardens. Too vigorous means invasive and invasives are not good buys for mixed perennial beds. Personally, I'd rank them one step up from weeds.

The flip side is that well behaved plants can be so well behaved that they're not vigorous enough to stay alive.

My caveat is: don't buy expensive perennials on the cheap. There's presumably a reason for a big price reduction.

Most recently I burned myself on a half price fern-leaf peony purchased in early spring. After planting, it disappeared.

Re double bloodroot, Rouge, I can thank David for giving me mine. I do find it slow growing but it's immensely more attractive than single bloodroot.

Hellebores. Saw my DIL's plants in bloom a number of years ago and decided they were necessary additions to my garden beds. I have a half dozen or so and love them more as each season passes.

Fast forward to this year, when my daughter happened to stop in and see mine in bloom. She was stunned/blown away but when I told her how expensive they are, she just shrugged--she was between jobs at the time. So I ordered several for her from Bluestone and delivered them to her.

Are they worth the effort and expense?

There's no question in my mind long-term delight seeing something blooming in New England when March rolls around justifies both.

Mr Campanula drove 70 miles (a mere hop for Americans but practically a pilgrimage with suitcase packing for us Brits)...to buy a single yellow hellebore (in bloom) for me. In general though, I tend to not buy expensive perennials....or at least, I rarely go for nursery exclusives...but will go down the seed route, even if it takes years.

I did pay an eye-watering amount for a tiny bulb of tulipa spengeri...but after a 5 year wait, I will have my first woodland colony this spring, having saved the seed for the last few years from my single bulb,

I am waiting on some rare lilies (those expensive martagons and LDuchartrei)....although I should eventually have hundreds of them planted throughout the woods....in another 2-3 years.

Mr Campanula drove 70 miles to buy a single yellow hellebore (in bloom) for me.

A gardener's dreams ie a yellow hellebore and a partner like Mr. C :).

Trillium 'Snow Bunting', I won't even mention what I had paid for the three plants I received via mail order.

I see this quite pricey trillium shown in the on-line catalogue for my 'go to' nursery. If you want twrosz I could pick it up for you, pack it accordingly and send it out to your neck of the woods! (I guess it would be wise to insure such a package :)).

Here is a link that might be useful: Expensive Trillium

I have paid a couple hundred dollars for Japanese maples, so those would be the most expensive single items in the garden.

I can't think of any one perennial that cost an exorbitant amount. I don't bat an eye at spending 15 or 25 dollars or even a bit more on nice big healthy specimens, so if you think about the garden as a whole...I don't even want to think about the $$$ that's buried out there in the dirt...

I think the two most expensive plants I've bought - per unit size - were both at Asiatica's going out of business sale. Yes, even with discounts for liquidation, he was still extremely pricey. Which is certainly his prerogative...I'm not being critical. He's been one of the most significant American horticulturalists of the past half-century and we owe him our appreciation for the various plants he brought to this country.

One was a Pyrrosia sheareri, and one was an incredible veriegated Daphniphyllum. The fern died its first winter and I'm skeptical of reports of it being zn 7 hardy. Alas, the latter died last winter in the big freeze, as did one belonging to Ron Rabideau of Rarefind. It's clearly much more tender than the species because they were all OK at the UDel arboretum, including the seedlings. Some of the PNW wholesalers probably still have this plant but it must be slow to propagate because I never see it for sale. I cannot remember the exact prices but I think the fern was something like $75 (marked down from over $100) and the Daphniphyllum something like $125. (marked down from $200) In retrospect I think the Daphniphyllum was worth it, the fern certainly not. (particularly as several places now list it for more reasonable prices)

I'm not a gambler, so generally don't like to pay a lot for plants (particularly iffy ones in this zone). Having seen a good deal of wholesaler cost sheets I also tend to have an idea when a plant is marked-up too much.

I think the most I've ever spent for a perennial was $30 with tax for a 'Hadspen Cream' Brunnera (which was new at the time).

There were several glorious $100+ Polygonatum at Asiatica nursery I was sorely tempted by (some variegates in particular!), but never pulled the trigger! Kind of regret it now, considering how there aren't many sources for rare ones like those anymore.
CMK

Rouge, I probably wouldn't hesitate tooo much to purchase more of these beautiful trilliiums if I had plenty more nickels to rub together :)

A plant that I would gladly dish out a hefty price for is one of the new hardy BLUE waterliles, something that is no longer a fable, though has become reality by the hands of several hybridizers.

Campanula, a renowned martagon hybridizer resides only two kilometers from my home. His collection contains tens of thousands of martagons and other lilies, most of which are of his own breeding work and many being true and utter gems that I await upon their increase so as I might possibly purchase a few.

This post was edited by twrosz on Wed, Nov 26, 14 at 12:26

There were several glorious $100+ Polygonatum at Asiatica nursery I was sorely tempted by (some variegates in particular!), but never pulled the trigger!

You are such an enabler CMK! It was you who encouraged me a couple of seasons ago to go for the pricey polygonatums...I did buy a couple. And this does remind that these two were some of my pricier perennials!

.much like rouge21....driven hundreds of miles for particular plants....
...however, now it's all on the net, just a few clicks and it's in the post...even from Europe being in the EU... it's all so easy..
...perhaps it's not as much fun though, as getting in the car and heading across country... the anticipation... hoping no one else has snapped it up before you get there...

...I first saw a plant in Nebraska that I wanted so much...I was amazed to find it in a nursery back here... just had to have it....(Schizachyrium scoparium)....

I went a bit nuts this year - got badly bitten by the gardening bug - and spent many more dollars than I care to think about on the garden this season. I think I must have added at least a couple dozen new plants. Some I managed to grow from seed, but most were nursery buys. The sheer amount of baby plants in combination with not really knowing much about what I'm doing yet will basically guarantee that a few (perhaps more than a few) will probably be lost this winter. The most expensive specimen I purchased was probably a quart sized Cimicifuga racemosa which already had a bit of leaf scorch when it went in the ground and never really recovered.

-Doug, LOL! I spread the sickness without realizing ;-)

I remember that fabulous bold variegated one you posted a pic of awhile back. I forget, did you purchase it locally or mail-order?
CMK

I recall fairly early in my gardening career overspending at a plant auction :-) But it was for a good cause and auctions always suck me in like a siren anyway. Don't even remember the plant now but I'm pretty sure it was an unusual perennial of some kind and the tab was around $50.......25 years ago that would have been a bundle in my gardening budget!

I can't remember forking out big bucks for any plants recently but then I do get the benefit of a nursery discount so I can easily convince myself I'm getting a bargain! LOL! And since I grow all my Japanese maples in containers and I start small, I can't even claim to paying much for any of them.

I find I pay more for garden accoutrements than I do for actual plants these days - containers, iron trellises, sculpture and other yard art...........

Largest purchase this year was a bit over $100 for three different canna lilies, including shipping charges. Well worth it. Canna Intrigue is destined to become a major foundation plant for the color border. I'm feeling all tropical.
MBWD

Twrosz, I believe you posted a picture of your trillium this spring and it's still etched in my memory lol!
I was lucky enough to have the double bloodroot given to me this spring, but bulbs are my weakness. $70 for a nickle sized bulb is extravagant IMHO and it's not something I'm proud of but it is something I gloat over and admire excessively. My fingers are crossed each spring waiting for it to return and I may keel over if it multiplies.
Generally I'm pretty frugal though. My normal options of seed, gifts and trades are working out well but I decided I deserved a bit of a midlife crisis. A few dollars for some bulbs is pretty tame compared to a sports car or trashy mistress. I should be over it before my bank account really takes a hit.
Come to think of it a nice new canna wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me.... MBWD- which ones did you get?

Wow, I am glad that I find this post. At least I can find some understanding and sympathy from you guys. I am still shocked over the amount of money I spent on my weakness, the peony this past fall. I spent just under $250 for 3 new to the market itoh peony plants which were only available and sold by a Canadian nursery. It comes to about $83 a plant including shipping and fees. Arrgh!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Great stories....great plant ideas. Thanks all...keep'em coming.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Thu, Nov 27, 14 at 10:08

kato_b, here's the photo I posted. These blooms are very long lasting, probably close to six weeks for me.

"$70 for a nickel sized bulb is extravagant IMHO and it's not something I'm proud of but it is something I gloat over and admire excessively" ... "Generally I'm pretty frugal though"

I'm much the same way, so I save those nickels and dimes and budget carefully and it's amazing how much can be saved while doing just a bit of sacrificing in our daily lives, tighten our belts for the stuff that matters, our plants, lol.

aftermidnight, that hellebore photo is sooo nice! I really should give a few a try despite my cold winter climate, as I've heard of some folks having good success with particular types. Besides, I could always provide a deep mulch and hope upon the generally heavy snowfalls that often prevent much frost from penetrating the ground.

That is some photo 'twrosz'.

(I had thought that helleborus were extra hardy but now I see looking more closely that I generally see z5.)

Here's my Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tasman Ruffles' with purple Verbena bonariensis growing next to it.

I've blocked out how much I paid for the pitt...but I love it!

I've blocked out how much I paid for the pitt...but I love it!

Then money well spent 'catkin'!

That is a wonderful picture.

(I see that 'pitt' is hardy only to z7...too bad for some of us).

It might be worth trying a Hellebore or two in colder climes, last year our temps dropped below 0F for a week. I thought I had lost some but once it warmed up they lifted their hanging limp leaves, shook themselves off and kept on trucking, they really are tough little suckers :).
In the colder weather one could always throw a container over them for a bit of extra protection. As far as the foliage goes it all gets cut off late february here so if it gets a little ratty looking it doesn't matter.

Annette

catkin, I bought the same pitt this season! I am a serious pitt lover and that was the third to my collection (after 'Marjorie Channon' and 'County Park Dwarf'). The cost of mine was quite reasonable even before my nursery discount so I hope you didn't pay excessively. Actually, anything around $30 for a decent sized, less common shrub I consider to be a very acceptable cost.and I am willing to pay more if something I really want. But that's me :-)

..I love that Pittosporum with the Verbena... I've got 3 Pitto's here... 'Collaig Silver' which I adore....'Elizabeth' - which cost rather too much..and the dwarf 'Tom Thumb'... I've had a few cut down in the winters, but these so far seem o.k.... I find they mix well with roses of all kinds...

here's 'Collaig'....I think you'd need to be in at least zone 8 for this to survive...

I put in my first 4 Hellobores in August of 2013 and they experienced temperatures as low as negative 25 C (about -13 F) and they all survived the winter.

Now I know "twrosz" experiences colder than this but it does seem it is worth an experiment or 2.

Marlorena,, that looks very similar to my Marjorie Channon

{{gwi:280736}}

and this is the County Park Dwarf, which changes to a deep purple in winter then flushes with bright lime green new growth in spring. Gorgeous little plant!

{{gwi:280738}}

..gardengal...those are gorgeous....I just looked up County Park Dwarf and note it's hardier than Tom Thumb, so I'm going to get one...or two....lol... it's funny,...I live here... I've been to the County Park nursery, met the owner, (a long time ago mind), yet until now didn't realise they bred one of these.... so thank you for that...

rouge, yes! I was taken in by this plant and look forward to seeing it grow up! Thank you for your encouragement regarding picture taking--I'm afraid I might have to rein myself in!

GG I think it was around 30 or so....LOL those are gorgeous Pitts you posted! I've been jonesing for a variegated one...

That's lovely Marlorena!

GG! I envy that you live where you do! Friends and I toured Heronswood twice back in the 90s! I still have some plants from my visits! I see the Natives have bought it and Dan has helped in the restoration (Youtube video)! Do you know if they'll be opening a nursery there again? I would secure a ride if so! Such an incredible place! As you know, the Tasman Ruffles Pitt is one of Dan's finds for Monrovia. I cannot, for the life of me, though, find a pic that shows it in flower!

Aftermidnight and rouge, I did some checking and there's a few hellobores hardy to zone 3 and many rated to zone 4. I have no trouble growing zone 4 perennials, so I guess I'll be ordering myself up a few hellobores!

Those Pittosporums are very attractive !!

catkin, Heronswood is literally a 10 minute drive from me. I visited so often in the old Dan Hinkley days that I called my old north Seattle garden 'Heronswood East' because that was the source of so many of the plants. LOL!

The tribe is attempting to restore the garden to its former glory after the rape and pillage done by Burpees, but a lot of the cornerstone plants are now gone. It will never be a nursery again but will be a learning center and a destination garden. They do have open days periodically and local specialty nurseries do attend and offer plants for sale. Including Dan, who has a tiny nursery on his new property just up the hill from me. He actually grows the County Park pitt there among a bunch of other cool things he trials for Monrovia as well as starts from his own plants.

Some plants are so expensive in the USA! I bought a Trillium grandiflorum Snowbunting from Paul Christian Rare Plants in the UK for around 25.00 British Pounds. He now offers it for GBP 29.50 which is around $ 46,00. It flowered in its second year after planting. Unfortunately, it was not in a good place and moved it. I haven't seen it since.

Arisaema sikokianum is also a plant many people pay a lot of cash for. It usually disappears after its first year. The bulbs rot easily. Don't leave them in the ground but dig them up in early autumn and overwinter them in a dry, cool and frost free place.

The most I paid for a single plant is ⬠50,00 (= about $ 62,00) for a Cornus 'Venus' . I wouldn't do it again because in our climate it is not that good (too much nuttalii genes).

Interesting about Arisaema sikokianum, Gardenprince. I've had one for years, but it is near the base of a huge Ilex opaca. Our winters can be very rainy (but not in the North European way of constant drizzle, but rather nor'easters that dump 1-2 inches of rain or snow equivalent in a day) but it has not rotted. Maybe the holly tree sucks a lot of moisture out of the soil, even in winter, because the top is constantly transpiring from our low dewpoints. At a renown garden in SE PA, the death of a huge oak caused various dry-summer climate plants that had been in the root zone to drown because it was no longer drawing water up during the summer. I actually think the same thing could have happened to my Cyclamen coums which were under a conifer that died.

Gardengal, good to know plant guru extraordinaire Dan Hinkley is still selling at least locally in the PNW. I look forward to seeing a restored Heronswood one day.

"(I see that 'pitt' is hardy only to z7...too bad for some of us)."
I skimmed through this thread again...FWIW, these pittosporums discussed in this thread are not zn 7 hardy at all. Even the very hardiest Asian species are barely hardy in zn 7 and in a cold zone 7 winter, I lost the supposedly hardiest one.

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sun, Dec 7, 14 at 17:51

GG that is beyond awesome! Does the nursery nearby and Dan's nursery offer plants grown at Heronswood?

Did you know a worker at the nursery named Kellie? She was great!

I want those Pitts! LOL!

I had forgotten I went through an arisaema phase. As I recall, that was probably a Heronswood influence as well.......seems like.many of my fleeting plant obsessions have been.:-) They were on the pricey end to be sure but that was back in the DINK days and I didn't often hesitate much if it was a plant I wanted. And they weren't outrageous - I've spent more on an unusual species of epimedium. Or a pair of shoes! LOL!

The arisaemas overwintered fine in my climate in the ground, even with our considerable winter rains. They are pretty hardy plants, most listed to zone 6 with a few even lower. As long as they receive good drainage (like most other bulbs/tubers) they should be fine. And a rather unique addition to shady, woodland garden.

catkin, it's hard to know what is a 'Heronsood grown' plant is anymore. Burpees took over the place in 2000 and didn't waste much time transplanting stuff to PA (!) before they declared Chpt 11 and promptly closed the place They also purchased the rights to the Heronswood name and marketed a number of HW plants although you might not have known they were Heronswood in origin unless you were already familiar with them. And a couple of trees are routinely sold, at least in the PNW - 'Heronswood Globe' katsura and 'Puget Pink' sycamore maple.

But the current Heronswood is not a nursery at all. They do not grow any plants for sale although there is talk that this may happen some day. Dan may have a few plants that he moved to the new property and is currently growing (as well as stuff he is trialing for Monrovia) but he doesn't make his stuff widely available for sale. And it is an entirely different palette of plants as well.

I know a bunch of former Heronswood docents and one former employee quite well, but the rest of the staff - other than Dan - are just a blur in my memory now :-)

Harry Lauder Walking Stick!

Many years ago, I spent $60 for one that was 24" tall and it died two years later. At least I got some interesting branches out of it for a sculpture. Autopsy: Unknown causes (at that time).

The following year, I discussed it with my nursery people and they agreed to share the expense of a $300 ( 40" tall) walking stick replacement. Two years later it died. More sculpture parts.... Autopsy: Not enough sunlight.

Just last year I was invited to clean out an estate garden of a master gardener extraordinaire. She had sold the house and the next owners were planning to bull-doze it all under and plant grass. Along with 35 choice plants, I discovered another HLWS and it was almost 6' tall ! I did the work to extract, move, and replant in a sun glorious location prime spot in my garden. Although it received quite a bit of wind damage and I had to move it in in the August, it seemed to survive. I will post a follow up pic next summer.

I wonder how much that would cost had I wanted to purchase one.

GG, I know about those blurs...like for instance the 70s...LOL

Too bad the business was sold in the first place. I'm content having some of those blue tags floating around my garden, though.

I'd have to dig for this tag but it's a slender tree I bought from the nursery with fun, creamy white curly-q blooms and matte, flattish holly like evergreen foliage. It's about 10 ft. tall.

If anyone can ID it, that'd be great!

Trees are perennials, too.

Al

LOL Al. Wonder how much shipping is?

Bonsai trees in Japan are often owned by patrons who never touch the trees, which are worked on by bonsai masters. When the trees move from one owner to the next, it's not at all unusual for more than a million dollars to be moving in the opposite direction.

Take care.

Al

Ever hear of "The Dutch Tulip Bubble of 1637" in Holland? Bulbs, although eventually never left the flower beds, were being sold for what today would the be value of a medium sized condo. The government had to step in to stop the buying/selling frenzy.

Check it out.....
http://www.damninteresting.com/the-dutch-tulip-bubble-of-1637/

catkin, that's Gevuina avellana, a Chilean relative of the macadamia that produces a (purportedly) tasty nut.

tapla wrote:

Trees are perennials, too.

For sure Al but as I had written in my OP I was trying to stick to herbaceous perennials just to keep it more focussed but some of those trees are outrageously priced!

Then I'll beg a thousand pardons for such a flagrant oversight and leave you in firm command of your thread.

Take care.

Al

Trillium grandiflorum 'Flore plenum' was my most expensive perennial. I've lost track of how much I've spent on various hellebore and epimedium. I can't seem to stop myself when it comes to shade plants in general. I got VERY lucky early in my gardening days that a local nursery was selling double bloodroot for about eight bucks per plant. Everyone in my family was given one. That was way too good a deal to pass up!

I'm one of those gardeners that just can't stick to a budget. It's a terrible affliction when I'm in a nursery surrounded by great plant material and I just can't say NO!

Time to check out Garden Vision Epimediums to place an order for Christmas. Who knows, maybe after today that trillium won't be my most expensive purchase! LOL!

Thanks, david.

Wow Al. You did come back with guns blazin'; didnt mean to offend; would enjoy hearing more of re your Bonsai but I bet you can be found in the Bonsai subforum?