Review of local nurseries for annuals or perennials
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (22)
diggingthedirt
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Perennial Lovers- how do you feel about annuals?
Comments (71)Here's Western-y poetics for ya..... Snakeweed, Shindagger, Horsecrippler, Dogweed, Cowblinder, Rattlesnake Master, Flameflower, Scullcap, Starvation Cactus, Antelope Horns, Mosquito Grass (or Skeeter Grass if you're a real hick), Barometer Bush, Rabbitbush, Winterfat, Mormon Tea, Indian Blanket, Mexican Hats, Scrambled Eggs, Texas Yellow Star, Locoweed, Bitterweed, Scorpion Flower, Devil's Claw, Navajo Tea, Prince's Plume, Leadplant, Indian Tobacco, Desert Spoon, Beargrass, Soap Tree Yucca, Buckwheat, Firewheel, Deergrass. Beargrass and of course Sitting Bull Falls Cardinal Flower. Its not really poetry but its a bit of brief story telling. I'm not in the horticulture or nursery business so unless I need to specify or pin a species down for some reason I use the vernacular, some people frown on this. I do look them up when necessary. Semi-arid, wide skies & flat windy landscapes sounds like it would be perfect for many of the natives around here. What kind of soil, I'm interpreting that you are saying there is a lot of natural peat? BTW, wantanamara is in a primo-de-la-primo spot for native plants-- the Texas Hill Country-- the place is famous for their natives. They've got the Lady Bird Johnson Native Plant Demonstration Gardens and everything. Lady Bird did more for stirring up interest in natives than anyone else I know of. Our highway wildflower plantings, among other things, show her influence. Each year I collect gobs of seeds stored in several ziploc bulk sized baggies with various SW & prairie natives to keep my populations in check since I have more limited space than some lucky people I could mention. If I lived on an acreage, I'd just let them fall. I'd be glad to to send them later in the year for fall sowing, I try to pass them along to anyone really interested in naturalizing natives. Most are easy, low growing & long blooming making them good for naturalizing with reliable color. This post was edited by TexasRanger10 on Thu, May 8, 14 at 18:20...See MoreNursery suggestions for annuals
Comments (12)Welcome Transplant! Try For Garden's Sake in Durham 484-9879. My other favorites places are in the area, but not in Durham -- but worth the trip even with high gas prices! Mecca in my mind is Logan Trading Company in Raleigh 828-5337. The have a great selection of annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees (although most trees are on the small size)and they seem to scoop up every top horticulture student from NC State to staff the place. The close runner's up listed in order of my usual shopping trips: Buchanan's Nursery 5108 Western Blvd. Raleigh 851-3212, The Potting Shed at Fearington Village Pittsboro, Dickinson Garden Center Chapel Hill 942-4458. Also The Garden Supply Co in Cary - but pricey! If you start thinking bigger and need a tree find Architectural Trees in Bahama (it's ba-hay-ma down here) 620-0779 -- the MOST wonderful trees and knowledgeable folks. I loved Reba and Roses in Hillsborough the one time I could find it - 644-2677. I am also a transplant and not the best at directions, but if I hadn't had my cell phone and kept calling them, I never would have found their place. But it was worth the trip. There's a wonderful lady in Chapel Hill with a perennial business that she runs from her home ( and lots of plant houses behind her home) = The Unique Plant 402-0117. I've heard lots of good things about Mich Gardens in Apex (387-0402) but I've never made it out there. I recently purchased a GPS system just so I could find some of these nurseries that are hidden away! Call ahead - there are lots of weird hours out there and I don't think any are open on Sundays....See Moresupport your local independent nurseries
Comments (44)Nancy, I have an availability list sitting here in front of me. Like I said somewhere else, I have a tough time with latin names. I know them by other things like Columbine, not Aquilegia. And I certainly don't know a lot of the varieties. But I do know that people are tired of seeing the same trailing phlox year after year. They're tired of being offered May Night Salvia every spring. I heard it from two regular customers today. "Why don't they ever have anything new?" Tomorrow I will be placing my first order. I've decided to bring in some early coreopsis and a few other things I marked on the list while browsing google. I would buy these plants if they were available to me. Why? Because they're pretty. They are covered in blooms and will hold up to the summer heat. I'm also stocking up on perennial grasses, which always seem to sell out just when it's time to have something in the garden that provides interest and can handle the heat. Our store has not sold zinnias either. I plan to order a rack of them when they are available. Why not? They're bigger than marigolds and can make a bigger punch. The manager has told me that he's going to let me choose. He knows very little about the plants, and he's happy to give me an opportunity to see if I can do better than the previous LNS. I'll still order Boston Ferns. We sold 294 from Friday at 5pm til today at 6pm. We had 6 left in the store when I clocked out. We will get another shipment tomorrow. Lots of people are buying edibles this year too. Trees, plants, everything. Tomatoes are a hot item right now. I don't order those, but I have to make sure they're tended for until they sell. Tropicals will start arriving next week. Mandevilla is a hot item right now. We got in 48 last year and they were gone in a single day. 8" pots for $6.95 each. I'm ordering 144 this year. He doesn't know it yet. But I remember being asked over and over the next day what happened to them. People were buying them in twos and threes. All my plants will be delivered by local independent shippers and grown locally. Metrolina is the largest supplier of ours. They employ hundreds of people. I wish they had more selection, but they can only grow so many varieties. Another nursery is Layman in SC. It's not really local, but it isn't too far away. A few hours. If we had a good local nursery that sold more than trees or sad little hollies, I would want to work there instead. But we don't. It's either this or Wal-Mart, and they don't have anyone on their staff that has a clue about plants from what I can tell. They hardly water anything. We have a system set up to make sure every table gets attention at least 4 times a week, usually more. We turn over a lot of plants each week. My budget for this week, a transition period between cool annuals and summer annuals/perennials, is in the mid 5 digit range. That's one store and I'm talking wholesale costs. And like Cameron pointed out, Lowe's is a NC based company started in North Wilkesboro and now headquartered in Moorseville, NC....See MoreLocal nursery visits
Comments (13)Hi Deanna - I grow from seed when I can. It does take some experience to work the kinks out. I had trouble in the beginning. What I did learn from that was that potting soil is important. I tried the cheapest one and that was a disaster. A light set up is great - but you do have to check the seedlings a couple of times a day to make sure nothing is drying out. You also can't water too much either. You let the top dry out just a little before you water again. The third thing that made a big difference for me, was setting up an oscillating fan on the seedlings. This kept disease at bay, helps them dry out and it helps to strengthen the stems of the seedlings. But, the problem I am still working on is timing. If you start the seeds too soon and then the weather doesn't cooperate, you can't put them out yet. So you're holding them. If you keep them in the six packs too long, they're signaled to slow down growth, which you don't want, so then ideally you would repot them up to the next size pot. That is way too much work for me, so I try to start seeds later. This year that didn't even help. [g] . It was still too cold too long. But I imagine if you plan on growing from seed every year, then you get it settled and figure out which seeds work best for you and what the timing needs to be. Winter sowing was great, but, for any warm season plants, it wasn't worth it. Like tomatoes and peppers which are my main crop in summer. And finding the containers and prepping them was fun the first two times we did it, but that wore off. [g] Plus we don't really drink much milk. Self seeding annuals - I like some of those. I have Oriental Poppies, those reseed a little. Lunaria - Honesty - my favorite, reseeds every year gently. I've never had to reseed and I have a good patch of them every year. Columbine reseeds well, but I find you don't maintain any of the hybrids you try, they all revert, but I still like them. Alyssum has been great for me. I buy about 4 packs of them and I can sow them in place, either early spring or in the previous fall too. I don't have to prepare anything I can just sprinkle them where I want them and in the spring I just water religiously until they sprout. Or leave them over winter and get what I get. Portulaca is another one I can sprinkle where I want them in the fall and get a fairly good result. Dill and cilantro, and parsley like Donna - I get a lot from these without any effort from me. I just let them go to seed, which requires leaving them in place when their bloom is past, long enough for them to drop seed. Cleome is another one that reseeds well. I bought seeds once and every year I have a good amount of them and I just pull them from where I don't want them. Cosmos - always reseeds without any effort from me. I buy Pentas, Calibrachoas, Wave petunias once in awhile, cupheas for hummers, begonias, impatiens, verbenas and lantana sometimes. I bought fuschias this year, which I don't usually. Once in awhile a coleus or a hybrid caladium for a shade pot. That's about it....See Morediggingthedirt
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agospedigrees z4VT
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoginny12
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodefrost49
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodiggingthedirt
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyonlysunshine
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agosiennact
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agopixie_lou
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agowispfox
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMarie Tulin
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodoxiechon
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agozahzeen
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPersimmons
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPersimmons
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodefrost49
6 years agoAndy Haus
5 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
5 years agodefrost49
5 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESSuperstar Annuals for Containers and Baskets
High performing, low maintenance and all-around gorgeous, these container plants go the distance while you sit back and relax
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES7 Enticing, Little-Known Annuals of the Plant World
Give these underutilized garden wonders a chance by discovering their draws
Full StorySUMMER GARDENING10 Perennials to Extend Your Garden's Summer Color
Revive summer-weary gardens with outstanding late bloomers such as toad lily, Russian sage, blanket flower and more
Full StoryPLANTING IDEASWant a More Colorful, Natural Garden? Try a Perennial Meadow
Spend less time tending and more time taking in the sights by improving on Victorian and prairie garden designs
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGet a Head Start on Planning Your Garden Even if It’s Snowing
Reviewing what you grew last year now will pay off when it’s time to head outside
Full StoryFALL GARDENINGBe Your Own Wildflower Nursery
Gather seeds from your garden in fall, and you'll have a selection of plants for next year — without spending a dime
Full StoryFALL GARDENINGWhy Fall Is the Best Time for Planting
Spring is overrated for planting. Starting plants in autumn has advantages for both garden and gardener
Full StorySUMMER GARDENINGHow to Grow Basil
Bright color, quick growth and endless uses for cooking make this summer annual a winner in the garden or a pot
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESField Trip: Gather Ideas on a DIY Garden Tour
Get inspired by one gardener's local tour, then check out her suggestions for unofficial tours of your own
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Gaura Lindheimeri
Delicate, butterfly-shaped flowers ‘float’ above the foliage of this lovely, drought-tolerant perennial
Full StoryColumbus Design-Build, Kitchen & Bath Remodeling, Historic Renovations
asarum