There are SO MANY sales going on now on upper Cape Cod that my head is spinning. I'm almost afraid to go to the nurseries, because the things I really want are trees and shrubs, and I've got way too many already.

Pondscapes on Rt 28A in Cataumet has 25% off trees and shrubs (sigh!) and Flower Garden Nursery on Sandwich Rd (just off 151) has just about everything marked down.

I'm looking for a large firepit, either cast iron or copper, with sides that are high enough that I can occasionally burn brush in it. These are usually $300 or more, so if you spot something like this on sale, please let me know.

SO many great plants, so little space...

Hi DtD :-)

Thanks for the info. I have been so good this year, I am giving myself permission to pick up a few plants at a good sale. I think Lexington Gardens in Lexington Mass has 25% off their 1qt perennials right now. McCues has buy one get on free on their hanging baskets.

DtD/..I just got an email that Smith and Hawkins is having a sale. I know that included a firepit or two, but I didn't look at the prices.

Happy hunting :-)

I stopped by Lexington Gardens and they have a lot of sales on annuals, perennials, tropicals. For instance, named dwarf cannas in many colors for $9.99 each many with 2 or 3 growing stems in the pots. Supposedly with any purchase you get a 6 pack of tomatoes.

Prairiemoon - excellent suggestion stopping by JoAnn Fabrics - I got a neat wire topiary tea cup and saucer to match my watering can for $3.

Linens N things has plant shelves and stands for 50% off original prices.

Sears 40% off on many large and interesting fiberglass pots.

Sue

Sounds like some good deals out there. I was thinking of going to Lexington Gardens this morning but thought better of it, with the heat today. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler. Glad you found something at JoAnn Fabrics. Someone on here told ME about it..lol. I was glad to discover that they have a pretty large garden knick knack and pots department. I bought a cute windchime for $5.

Thanks Sue :-)

I finally made it over to Lexington Gardens. I was very restrained, I was looking for two plants and they had one,but it was Phlox and it was in such horrible shape I left it. Another was a certain variety of astilbe, but they didn't have it, but I did find two perennials in qt size that I could really use and one annual lantana that was just a gorgeous shade of pink and still looked in pretty good shape. I am amazed, I had a helper today and got them right into the ground when I got home. That's a first!

I was very annoyed though that none of their Proven Winner or even their regular 6packs of annuals were on sale. What is the sense at almost the end of July, to have a lot of annuals still left and charge people the same price as the beginning of the season when you had the whole growing season ahead and they were all fresh as a daisy?

They did have Burpee Seeds 50% off. A limited selection but decent.

:-)

Mahoney nurseries are now having a 50% off sale on perennials and roses if you are on their email list and receive a coupon and bring it with you. Be forewarned, they do not have quarts of perennials that I could see, their small containers are about $9-12 and they have some in gallons..echinaceas for $25. Maybe some other gallons that I didn't notice. On sale until July 31st.

deep woods off -- 2 for 1 at my local stop & shop.

skeeter spray is nearly $5 a bottle & i live between two marshes, so i grabbed 6 bottles.

yay!

I have heard there are a few sales going on at the nurseries right now, but I haven't been out shopping at all. Has anyone any news about who is having sales?

Lexington Gardens has a 20% off coupon in local papers for purchases made in September. Bird food is on sale at 20% off. Perennials are now on sale, buy one get one free. Rose, hydrangeas and clematis are also on sale.

They have ornamental kale at $2.79 for small sizes and $3.99 for large sizes. Mums are similarly priced and pretty much their buds are not open yet.

McCues in Woburn has been closed since July 4th weekend I believe but are preparing to open for fall sales this weekend.

Anyone else have any news for what is on sale where? See any great plants anywhere?

Mahoney's sent around an email about a sale. 50% of summer furniture, had very little left. One wooden table, was $1,000 marked down from $2,000 and the chairs were $75 from $150 each. Statuary, bird baths, concrete planters, 33% off. I must have missed that. Selected Perennials and Nursery Stock 33% off. Had a small area of perennials for sale all looking about typical of this time of year. Bought one perennial and didn't go into the nursery stock area. Roses buy one get one free. Didn't buy any. Came home with one perennial for $8.

McCues, didn't open this weekend, but told us they will be opening next weekend.

:-)

Also New England Nurseries in Bedford MA has some coupons in the local papers. Coupons for 40% off any tree, shrub, or evergreen. 20% off any single item. Mums 8" or 10" size for $3.29 each. All non-fall perennials are 30 or 40% off and don't require a coupon. I picked up some heathers and rock garden plants. They still had a great selection of trough or rock garden plants. Also Roses are 50% off. I noticed they had 'The Fairy' rose.

Linens N Things has the last of their summer and gardening stuff on clearance at prices 75% to 80% off original prices. I picked up three fiberglass pots for $15 total.

Check it out.

BTW Tower Hill Botanical Garden is having a fall sale this Saturday September 9th. From BostonGardens.com:

Tower Hill Botanic Garden presents the third annual Gardeners' Emporium, a Fall Plant and Garden Accessory Sale.

The Emporium will feature non-profit, regional plant societies, specialty nurseries, and purveyors of distinctive garden ornaments. Societies represented include the Begonia, Daylily, Daffodil, Epimedium, Heather, Lilac, Miniature Plant, and Rock Garden. Each of these groups offers expertise on their plant specialites, as well as hard-to-find specimen plants for sale. In addition, niche nurseries and garden accessory companies will offer their unique products for sale.

Tower Hill will also sell plant divisions from its own collections.

Tower Hill's Gift Shop will provide all kinds of unique gardening supplies and books, and Twigs Cafwill offer delightful meals, served cafeteria-style.

Fall is an excellent time for planting, and the Gardeners' Emporium is a perfect opportunity to find just the right plant, or garden statue, to fill in an empty spot in the garden.

The cooler days of September and October, and more plentiful rains, give new plants a chance to establish themselves before the onset of winter.

September is also a great time to visit Tower Hill, as many of the annuals and perennials are still putting on a fantastic show. A portion of the proceeds from the sale support the ongoing development and maintenance of the Garden. There is no charge for parking.

Sponsor: Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Time(s): 9am-3pm
Cost: Free admission
Phone: 508-869-6111
Fax: 508-869-0314
thbg@towerhillbg.org
http://www.towerhillbg.org

Stonegate in Lincoln (?) is offering 40% off 5 pint perennials and 20% off all others. They really have a very nice selection, and very knowledgable (tho not numerous) staff. I got about 10 plants for $60 yesterday....
Avant Gardens in...North Dartmouth?...will have a sale the end of September. They have SO much that I want!

Mayalena,
I thought I liked you until I realised it was you who I would be elbowing out of my way at Avant Gardens in a few weeks. kt

Sounds like a road trip - anyone know when the sale will be? I haven't been there in a few years, they open late in the season and I'm usually already seriously overstocked (and feeling guilty) by then. But September ...

I've emailed Avant to ask for details. Maybe we should join forces and trample other shoppers who are eyeing our finds? Maybe we should throw in a trip to Haskell's too? I think it's 30 minutes from Avant?

I was reading a little too fast, and thought you said "throw in a trip to Hawaii."

Either one of those sounds good to me. I've been told that it's a 30 minute drive, but I've gotten lost every time, so it takes me about an hour. That was before mapquest; now I won't get lost but it'll take an hour and 10 minutes.

Dtd -- LOL! Mapquest got me lost going to Avant last weekend. With their help, we may, indeed, end up in Hawaii (or the local landfill).

LOL I got the last time I went and I have a navigation system!!! kt

Churchill Gardens in Lanesboro is having a sale this weekend, September 9 & 10 and next weekend September 16 & 17. Everything is 15-50% off.

Here is Avant Garden's Sale Info:

This sale will only be for on site purchases, as the mail order section has its own specials right now.

The sale starts Sept 20th and continues to Sat Sept 30th.Except for plants that we need to keep for stock purposes, all The Perennials will be half off and the trees and shrubs will be between 25 and 50 % off.

Nursery hours will be Wed Sat 9:30-4:30 through Sept. In October we will be open by appointment only.

Thanks, Mayalena. I may try to go "early" on Saturday. I saw some really unusual plants last weekend on the vineyard, but *BOY* were they expensive. Anyway, now I've got a list of new must-have plants. Let's hope they don't have any of these left.

Just thought I'd post a link to the mail order sale at avant gardens in case anyone wants to check the list.

Here is a link that might be useful: avant gardens mail order sale

Lake Street Garden center in Salem NH has a lot great sales (and of course no NH sales tax).

-1 QT and 2 QT perennials 50% off
-Select 1 Gallon perennials 50% off
-Trees and Shrubs 25% off in Sept, 30% off in October
-Ceramic pots and containers (a lot of really nice and unusual ones!) 50% off NOTE: except regular terra cotta pots
-Rose sale buy 2 roses, get 2 free

Here is a link that might be useful: Lake St Current Advertizement

Also this weekend Sept 16 and 17th at Tower Hill any Begonia lovers both Saturday and Sunday, they are having a special Begonia sale. See the link below. A chance to get some nice cultivars perhaps?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tower Hill Begonia Show and Sale

An update to my earlier post....

Churchill Gardens is not having a sale this weekend. It has been rescheduled for the last weekend of the month and I believe the discounts will be even greater.

What: Middlesex Conservation District Fall Bulb and Perennial Sale

Where: 4H Fairgrounds, South Chelmsford Rd, Westford, MA

When: Friday Sept 22 (3-6 pm), Saturday Sept 23(8am - 12noon)

Featuring great prices on fall bulbs, perennials, and garden items (fertilizers, deer repellent, etc).
All proceeds benefit their environmental programs. See www.middlesexconservation.org for more information!

Just noticed the Arnold Arboretum is having their annual plant sale this Sunday the 17th of September.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arnold Arboretum Plant Sale

Weston Nurseries is having a sale also. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Weston Nurseries Sale

Thanks, prairiemoon - I just took a look at their woody plant list, and it's *very* tempting. Tomorrow will be a good day to stay out of the car and try to stay out of trouble.

Yes, I looked at it too, dtd. I think you could be right, lots of sales out there this weekend..lol.

Just picked up a nice Japanese Stewartia (S. pseudocamellia) for under $40 at R.F. Morse. They also had nice redbuds. These are all small enough to handle, but big enough that they look like trees, not perennials.

I also saw Hydrangea serrata preziosa for $10 at Mahoneys, and convinced a complete stranger to buy 2 of them despite the fact that they looked terrible.

Nice bargain shopping dtd! I can just picture you talking someone into that hydrangea. [g] I think I remember you had seedlings of that particular one at the swap and it was very pretty.

I love trees but don't have enough room for them. I love visiting the AArboretum so I can get my fill of looking at great trees. The Stewartia is a beauty. That was a great price. I like the smaller size tree as well. I think they do better when you plant them small any way. Isn't there a redbud named 'Pansy', that the Victory Garden used in their Garden? Another pretty tree. Good luck with those. :-)

Well I will be spending a good part of tomorrow 9/20 at the Social Security Office in Falmouth trying to convince them that I have been married for the last twenty seven years. We were married on the Mary E out of New London by the captain and I don't have what ever official paper work that the SSA requires.........ahh....I wonder why three children and having paid taxes all these years under my married name doesnt count! Well as a reward for tolerating bueacracy I am planning on heading over to Avant Gardens and check out what goodies are left. If anyone would like a report on specific plants, for me to purchase and have them hold a specific plant for you, or in the case of Nan purchase and drop off let me know. kt

Oh, thanks for the offer! I had been hoping to get to AG this fall, but I missed my chance. I'll be on the 5 AM bus to Boston for a conference tomorrow (yikes, I should be in bed already!), then pretty much gone until the end of October except for a day here and there. Anything I plant now will be at the mercy of my non-gardening husband. I guess this means the 2006 plant shopping season is officially over for me. Oh heck, that went by fast.

Have fun, and good luck with the SSA - last time I was there they tried to tell me they couldn't do what I wanted them to do. I had to insist ... I was out of there in a matter of minutes, but would have been leaving empty-handed (so to speak) if I hadn't been a pest.

Nan,
Bon voyage. kt

KT -- if you haven't left yet, I am wishing for a beautiful Rose of Sharon -- deep wine red. Don't buy it for me (I'll try to zip down Saturday) -- just let me know if they still have it! Good luck with the SSA. Maybe you are a "common law" wife...?

Mayalena,
Sorry I didn't see your post before I left but the good news is even after I drove home with a car full the nursery is still well stocked with enough healthy and interesting plants to make the trip well worth the effort. I was not looking for Rose of Sharon so I can't recall if there were any available. I did see a beautiful wine red hibiscus so perhaps...! Have fun and leave the savings passbook at home. kt

Wishing I was on my way to Avant Gardens this morning instead of working on getting a new heating system. :-( Would love to hear what you found at Avant Gardens kt. Did you come home with shrubs/perennials to put in or did you bring home tenders to winter over? What was your most exciting purchase? Are the sale prices good?
Still keeping my fingers crossed I will make it to a sale or two this fall.

:-)

TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A PLANT AHOLIC

OK Prairiemoon2 here is a slightly abbreviated list of what I brought home yesterday from Avant Gardens.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Ceramic'
A miniature Golden Hinoki Cypress. aka Golden Ceramic, and Lynns Golden. Tight undulating golden evergreen fronds slowly form a darling miniature sculpture. New!

Chamaecyparis psifera 'Tsukumo'
A miniature bun-shaped evergreen with fine textured fern-like blue-green foliage.

Cryptomeria japonica 'Tansu'
This miniature evergreen reminds one of a sea urchin with its textural spiny green foliage. Slow-growing, it ultimately forms a 15' mound, and therefore is good in troughs.New!

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gold Fern'
A unique form of Hinoki Cypress displaying golden fern-like juvenile foliage on a mounding compact shrub. We found the foliage color is best in part shade. Growth rate is slow, only 3" or so a year. Ultimately a shrub of 4' x 4'

Ilex crenata 'Jersey Pinnacle'
Valuable for it's upright, dense, yet irregularly branched habit and it's glossy dark green evergreen foliage. 6-8'.

Magnolia grandiflora 'Edith Bogue'
Considered the most cold hardy of the evergreen magnolias, 'Edith Bogue' has survived -24° F albeit with some defoliation. It has a tight pyramidal form, reaching 40' or more with a width of 15' and narrow, lustrous dark green leaves with brown undersides. In June and July, the creamy 9-12" blossoms fill the air with a sweet, lemony fragrance.

Hydrangea anomeles petiolaris 'Miranda'
Description:
Hydrangea petiolaris 'Miranda' is a new variegated selection of the popular Climbing Hydrangea. Leaves have a gold margin in the spring that fades to creamy white as the season progresses. White Lace cap type flowers. Bark has an interesting exfoliating quality. Slower growing than the species.
Zone: 4
Code: hydapm
Exposure: sun/pt shade

Sedum telephium 'Bon Bon'
Pink flower clusters and chocolate colored fleshy foliage adorn tidy 16" clumps. Blooms Aug-Sept. Plant in poor soil and full sun for best results. New!

Sedum sieboldii
October Daphne. A tidy blue gray hardy succulent with rounded foliage on sprawling wiry stems. The leaves take on pink tones when the cold weather arrives, which compliment the clusters of rosy blossoms in Oct. Prefers lean well drained soil. 6"H x 12"W Regularly $6.95

Sedum cauticola 'Lidakense'
This Sedum forms compact mounds of rounded blue to bronzy-red foliage with terminal clusters of starry budded pink flowers in late summer.

Sedum telephium 'Red Cauli'
A compact sedum, smaller than Autumn Joy with bright red flower clusters above blue-grey, purple tinted fleshy foliage. 12"

Sedum platycdus zone 4 sun/pt shade A distinctive Sedumthat forms rosettes of fleshy-blue-gray foliage that has delicately notched edges. Pale yellow flowers in summer on 4" plants. Slowly forms colonies to 15".

Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae
Grow this Euphorbia in a protected site with well drained soil in sun or shade. It will reward you with handsome somewhat glossy evergreen daphne-like foliage and airy sprays of yellow green flowers in spring. Mulch in colder zones.

Cunninghamia unicanaliculata- Known as Chinese Fir. Leaves are steele blue. Huge triangle leaves to 2 ½ inches long. Can take shade or full sun. This tree is in question by taxonomist. They believe it to be just a variation on the species cunninghamia. Zone 6 height and spread in ten years 12ft 8 ft.

Acanthus spinosus
Tha hardiest of the "Bear's Breaches", this bold accent plant has large shiny green thistle like foliage and 3' flower spikes with soft mauve blossoms. We have found that siting it in a well-drained protected spot and a winter mulch encourages blooming.

Orostachys fimbriata
A curiosity for the rock garden or troughs having narrow gray quilled succulent leaves with a purple flush.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Treasure Island A yellow, miniature, globe of Port Orford Cedar. Found as a sport from Treasure Very tight little ball with yellow foliage. Found in Southern Holland by Wiel Linssen. Height and spread in ten years 1ft by 1 ft zone 5 part shade.

Chamaecyparis obtuse Golden Sprite a miniature bun form of Hinoki Cypress with tiny golden yellow leaves on twisted stems. Height and spread in ten years 4" x 1

Chamaecyparis obtuse Emelie a miniature variety of Jap. Hinoki Cypress. Nice green foliage on a small bun shaped plant. Propogates well and looks great. Plant named in 2005 in loving memorie of Emelie Snyder, wife of Marvin Snyder ex-president of American Conifer Society. Height and spread in 10 years 10inches by 10 inches.

Chamaecyparis obtuse Leperchaun A miniature variety of Jap Hinoki. Leaves emerald green and very small. Plant is a squatty conical form. Leaves have a tuft appearance. Plant found and introduced by JW Spingarn of Long Island NY. Height and spread in 10 years 1ft x 14 inches zone 5

The beginnings of a tender succulent collection that I wont embarrass my self further by listing. kt

kt,

Well, I can see your recent trips have had their effect. :-) I was quite surprised that Avant Gardens had such a varied and unusual collection. I am sure you knew that already..lol. I haven't been there yet. Are you working on a project?

Thanks for sharing your list on this post. It was very generous of you to take the time to do it. I think it is a great addition to the shopping post, for people to know where they can find some of these very unusual plants.

I want to ask you more about your list, so I am going to start another post so we can talk more about it. Linked below.

:-)

Here is a link that might be useful: kt, questions on your plant list

Runktrun -- Wow great list of plants. Some interesting sedums on the list!

Just wanted to report on 2 nurseries I visited recently.

Mahoney's Chelmsford (old Laughton's Nursery) -- Overall I left there not overly impressed. I was disppointed there weren't more container displays. Mahoneys in Winchester always seems to have great displays to give you ideas. Also they only had large mum plants. They didn't have too many of the window box size. So if you want a container with several varieties you were out of luck. It seems like a mismash of stock, old Laughtons stuff and additions from other Mahoneys locations. May be next year when the sale goes through and they start fresh it will be better. Anyone who gets the Globe there was an article in Sunday's paper describing the fire and sale in the Northwest weekly section.

Lexington Gardens Lexington MA -- I was very happy they had the window box sized mums. They also had smaller cabbages which were an interesting size to see versus the large sized versions usually available. Also check out their excellent supply of loose bulbs. I can report that Fritallias really do smell! All bulbs are in open containers so you can choose the number you want. I thought the prices were great and I came away with some plants for my fall containers.

I think the 'sales' season will be over soon, so I thought I would just bump this up to the top of the page one more time. This Saturday is the sale at Russell's as was posted seperately. Other than that, feel free to post any more requests for where to find something or report any sales. When it gets to the second page this time, I am just going to leave it.

Thanks everyone for keeping us informed all season.

:-)

I had an excuse (trumped up, I admit) to take one last swing by Pondscapes in Catuamet on the Cape. They have a great sale going on, not many perennials left but a nice selection of relatively unusual woody plants, considering the season.

There were a couple of 'Pia' Hydrangeas with my name on them, at 75% off. I'd seen these at Katy's and really liked them, they stay very compact. The foliage on mine is badly spotted from being "sprinked" all season, but I expect they'll be fine next year. I also nabbed the last hellebore (a 'Heronswood') in the place, at 50% off, which brought it *barely* into my price range.

So many nurseries, so little time left ...

I didn't see this posted yet,but I might have missed it.Big Lots is having a sale on their outdoor garden items.It's all 90% off,I got four wrought iron decorations that I think I'm going to use on a path marked down from $25 apiece to $2.Better to spend $8 than $100!

Russells Garden center in Wayland, MA last week had a large variety of loose amaryllis bulbs many uncommon ones in the price range $10 to $20. Also if you are looking for special Christmas tree ornaments or decorations they are setting this stuff up now. Red Sox and Patriots, garden and nature, Star Wars, Beach and ocean type, jobs and careers etc. They still had some perennials I think marked 50% off. For people looking for hyacinth forcing glasses they had these in a variety of colors.

On the other extreme Lowes has common amaryllis bulbs like Minerva, Red lion, Appleblossum for $3.98 in boxes in the Westboro, MA store. No pot or soil in the boxes and it was hard to get a look at the size inside the box so you'll need to get your own planting supplies.