Ok this what I've come up with.

Centaurea montana Gold Bullion
Achillea Summerwine
Agastache Acapulco Orange
Grass Hakonechloa macra Beni Kaze

Before Shipping & Tax - Subtotal: $53.80

Baptisia Twilite Prairieblues $16.95

Hosta plantaginea Venus $29.95

Subtotal: $46.90

Claire

Rodgersia pinnata Chocolate Wing, $16.95

Hakonechloa macra Albo Striata, $19.95

And, if you have any damp areas, or irrigation you can count on, Darmera peltata, $14.95

I didn't get a gift certificate, but I might just go order these and wish myself a merry Christmas.

This is not a plant, but I have always thought that the "Swoe" looked like a neat cultivator, and White Flower Farm sells them.

I just checked their website and they sell for $89.95!! I swear that they were only 59.95 the last time I checked. Their prices seems a bit high.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swoe

Lisa...

I just couldn't bring myself to visit the WFF website. Too tempting..lol. I love the Prairie Blues Baptisia. Actually, chose my screen name from two of my current favorite plants at the time and one was that particular plant and the second was Harvest Moon Echinacea. :-)

I would also love the Agastache mentioned in the hopes it would attract hummers. The most golden Hakonechloa grass would fit into some plans I have for a shady location and I would add to that clump forming epimediums that are carefree and just about indestructible if they have them and a fragrant hosta.

Have fun! :-) pm2

Oh, I love these ideas!

I also have a Merchandise Credit from White Flower for $25.

Just another reason to look forward to spring...

sooey

I love WFF! I look at their catalogue just to get a fix of eye candy sometimes. $50 won't buy you much but here's what I would choose:

That uses up my $50 I think.

Thank you for that short respite from 7 degrees, 18" of solid snow and a frozen water trough with a heater that has decided to break on the coldest week of the year :-(

The orange agastaches tend to be short lived, and that's being optimistic! So although I love growing them, I buy the least expensive ones I can find; it's not something I'd splurge on at WFF. They ARE beautiful and they're hummer magnets, so I can see why you'd want it. Kind of pricey for what might well be called a temperennial.

Like Ellen I am adding Tiarellas to my garden too. I don't have that Neon Lights yet. The Hosta Venus has a very pretty flower..but wow, their prices are so high!

Thanks dtd about that info on the orange agastaches. I wonder if they can be started from seed? That would make them cost effective to treat as an annual for me. Has anyone tried growing those from seeds?

What about another recommendation for a plant for hummingbirds that does come back dependably every year?

pm2

Green Mountain Transplants has these; not sure if GMT is worth usin g for mail order, since they've had some serious complaints against them in recent years. These prices are based on an order of between 32 and 72 plants (mix and match plants from their list, at the link below)

*Sprite (A. scrophulariaefolia) Zone 6 55¢ ea.
Stunning spikes of apricot on 18 in. mint-scented stems. Long blooming.

Apricot Sunrise - Zone 6 $1.50 ea.
Similar except orange-apricot flowers, 18 in. to 2 ft. Blooms all summer.

Rupestris - Zone 5 $1.50 ea.
Taller, 3-4 ft., with rosy orange flowers. Long bloom period from early summer to heavy frost. Scented silver-gray foliage. Very hardy.

*Frutti Tutti - Zone 6 $1.50 ea.
Seemingly endless blooming foot long, deep magenta-pink flower spikes. Also useful as annual for containers since it blooms profusely the first season.

Here is a link that might be useful: GMT

Thanks dtd...

I have used GMT once a few years ago and had a number of issues with them. Basically their plant material is pretty good and I love their varieties and prices, but they just don't do mail order very well. They are up in Maine now and I would be happy ...more than happy to buy a ton of things from them every year, if they were near me and I could go and select just what I wanted. Every year, I hope to get up there and choose my own but I haven't gotten there yet.

Thanks for pointing those out to me. I wonder though...if they can produce plugs every spring, then why couldn't I do it myself? Either they are starting them from seed or taking cuttings, right?

Anyone for a road trip in the spring? [g]
pm2

PM2, I grew orange Agastache from seed last year (I think it was Apricot Sprite?). They didn't really take off blooming until August (similar to blue Salvia) but they were really pretty and did attract the hummers. I grew them in a large pot on the patio - they like very good drainage. I'm actually experimenting with overwintering the pot in an unheated workshop - we'll see how that goes.

Other hardy hummer plants - white or purple agastache (Korean Mint or Anise Hyssop) are popular here, as are Bee Balm and Jewelweed. What they really love though are the annuals (zinnia, cosmos, foxglove, cleome, and red salvia, to name a few off the top of my head).

I have a $100 certificate and a lot of ambivalence towards WFF. I have gotten a certificate for several years now and while I always find things I want, the many items that are higher priced at WFF do irritate me since the quality of plant does not seem better than what you can get more reasonably elsewhere. Therefore I tend to only use my certificate towards items that don't seem way over price. Last year one item I got was helianthus Lemon Queen. The price was reasonable and it is a great plant for the back of the border that blooms for a considerable period.

Ellen, that is great to know about the Apricot Sprite Agastache. I have had the Blue Fortune Agastache that was not hardy enough here and Honey Bee Blue Agastache which reseeded a little too much for me. Love the fragrance of the leaves!

I have some seed to try this year of Lady in Red Salvia. I also saw an online herbal grower that had some of the salvias that are not hardy here for about $4.50 for a 4" plant and I may try getting a few of those in the spring. I usually have cosmos, zinnia [mine were so late blooming last year], but the foxglove died out last winter [more started]. I haven't tried cleome or red salvia yet.

I will be interested to hear if your Apricot Sprite makes it through to spring.

Asarum, good advice. With such high prices, I would also tend to select plants that I would have a hard time finding other places.

pm2

PM2 I also WSed some Apricot Sprite. I also had mine in pots on the patio. It did well... not great, but well... and that may be due to my neglect not necessarily anything with the plant.

I also am trying to overwinter them in the unheated garage this year. We'll see. I do plan on sowing some more this winter JUST in case....

:)
Dee

I think if I had $50 to spend at WWF, I would look for things that I like that aren't easily available elsewhere. Their prices are rather high, and so I'd be inclined to try to find things that I could only get a pricier places - then the cost wouldn't be something I'd be comparing to a lower-priced supplier. My memory is that, in their catalog at least, they tell you what things are exclusive to them. Also, things like the double hosta are unusual, and I've only seen at higher-price vendors.

Thanks Dee...I will look for your posts about whether it survives the winter. :-) Good luck!

My experience with the prarie blues baptizia is that it is not as robust as the species. And the flowers were more of a brownish color than purple/blue, kind of a disappointment I gave it away. But mine didn't come from WWF. The hosta venus is gorgeous but blooms very late in the summer/early fall and an early frost took mine out 2 years in a row, I'm much further north though. However, the venus flower was huge, and the parentage of platanginea is obvious with its scent. The flower reminded of the night blooming cerus, about 1/2 the size though! It opens it's flowers late in the day and closes them at morning, each lasting about 15 hours or so.
Other than that info I like lschibley's list sans the achellia which is a bit to spready for me! LOL

Last time I had one I purchased Hellebores. I lost them last year after the odd winter though. This time I may try their hardy fuschias.

I picked up a hardy fuschia at one of their tent sales years ago. The first winter I brought it in, the second I left it out and it died. It's a tricky plant in that it likes a lot of moisture during the growing season, but dry during the winter.

Great advice everyone about the high prices at WFF. Where are you looking this year for your purchases?

From WFF I would purchase 2 Hydrangea macrophylla Endless SummerÂ... I haven't seen them else where...

I have been searching for Buck rose Distant Drums, to replace 2 I lost last year.

Here is a link that might be useful: macrophylla Endless Summer

Rodgersia podophylla Rotlaub $15.95

Cimicifuga simplex Hillside Black Beauty $21.95

Amsonia WFF Selection $11.95