No way!!!!!!!!!! Why doesn't my HD ever had the Good Stuff??? lol
That's a great price. You got a DEAL. "Real" garden centers sell it for $18 to $25. As a professional gardener, I've bought it wholesale at $8 for my work. Marblehead Garden Center nearby was selling it for $8.50 retail for a gallon pot.

I saw 'All Gold' last week at the Nashua HD too. I think it was a very full 2 gal pot. If I didn't have plenty already, I would have considered it.

And variegata and All Gold don't grow as slowly as macra aureola. not quite as graceful too as H. m.a. but fine plants.

I never, ever learned my "volumes" in 4th grade. But two gallons is mighty big. Nevertheless, yes, they are very,very full pots.

yeah, but what they call '2 gal' is not real gallons.. 'nursery' gallons are quite smaller than 'milk' gallons :-)

Jeez, that makes me feel ill. :(

We have planted 36 hakone grasses (1 ga.) for our hedge. They're expensive so it took us 3 years to complete the process with the last dozen going in April '07. The first year, we paid $19.95/each. The second year, it had gone up to $21.95; and this year $22.95.

Yep, I feel ill.

Tricia

But Tricia probably not the same thing. You probably got Hakonechloa macra aureola which HD did not have. That is the classic desirable one, with that awesome arching habit.

Although $22/gal is still pretty high even for the real deal.

Yes, Wendy. Ours are Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' & they do arch beautifully (all in one direction).

I didn't know there was much difference between 'Aureola' & 'All Gold'. Thought it was the same plant just without it's stripes?

Here's the ones like we planted...

Tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Hakone grass hedge...

I have 'Variegata' and it is nice, but grows more upright. A mature clump might get to 3' tall. I think Aureola won't get more than a foot tall. The texture of the two is different somehow also . 'All Gold' looked similar to 'Variegata' to me with just different coloring.

Also fwiw 'Variegata' is another name for 'albo striata'. They are both the same thing. I went googling for images, but they all appear to have a strong arching quality to them which I think is not really representative.

I looked again at the plants and think the form and the differences are just as you describe,wendyb. However the tags say the height will be about 12". Not that I believe that, now that you added your observations. Time will tell.

Tricae, I wouldn't know if the price you paid was more than average, however, I believe your hedge's form and beauty will prove to be worth every penny. Ever since you described your design, it was on my mind. If imitation is flattery, I hope you will be flattered that I took your idea (and the less expensive, less lovely grass) and hope to use it on a very short path between two gardens. I just hope there is not too much sun and that the plants don't burn.

Maybe you will see my garden someday, and I, yours.
Marie/Idabean

This is my H. 'albo striata' a few years old. I looked at the form closely too and it looks like the leafless stems are pretty upright then where the foliage starts is where it arches. But, on 'aureola' the stems themselves arch.

As far as 'Aureola' prices, I lost an established one last year for some unknown reason. This year I got some more to replace it. I paid $10 for 1/2 gal at an average-to-pricey garden center. So I guess that is consistent with Tricae's gallon price, sadly.

Wendy, your H. 'albo-striata' IS more upright than 'Aureola' before the arching begins. Now that I see your plant the difference is actually quite considerable. When I Googled...the two looked almost identical except for coloration. Yours also appears to be taller. I'll be back in a minute...I'm going out to measure...

OK, I stuck the measure stick directly through the foliage to the ground. EXACTLY 12" tall. We planted 18-20" on center & the hedge's foliage is completely filled-in although the roots remain about a foot apart. Last fall, about 1/3 of my plants bloomed for the first time. The inflorescences were buff-colored & only about 6-8" above the foliage. I wouldn't call the inflorescences striking but they were a nice fall accent to the hedge. It also remains attractive all winter since we only get 12" of snow or more once every few years.

Some prices at our garden centers were down this year compared to '06; but, alas...not h. "Aureola'.

/T

Okay, I am cured. I went to Lowe's today to take a look around. I hadn't been there since late spring. I was so totally unimpressed with their plant material and shocked at how high some of their prices are now. They won't be on my list of places to look any more. On the other hand, I was at Lexington Gardens and they have some quart size perennials that are orignially $4.29 each and were 25% off. So for $6. and change, I brought home a Joe Pye Weed 'Gateway' and an Aster 'Alert'. Good looking plants that didn't look all 'end of the season', either.

:-)

I think I could have phrased that last post a little better. Sorry, Marie, I didn't mean to throw cold water on your recent 'find'. I haven't been to HD so I don't know if they are any better than Lowe's. I used to pick up a few things at the box stores, so I was surprised the other day that the plants looked so bad and I remember the prices being a real bargain, but not so the other day.

I also read a post somewhere on GW last week about hostas and a diseased plant someone bought at one of the box stores. She described it and said it could be mistaken for dry leaves, but that she had seen the very small insects with a magnifying glass when she got home. Sure enough when I looked at the hostas at Lowe's the other day, some of them, looked like she described them. I didn't have a magniflying glass, so I am not saying they were, but that I wouldn't want to take the chance.

Sorry again...

Hi Prairiemoon,
It didn't even occur to me, so don't worry! That's why I wrote "You Know Where" because Home Depot is pretty despised on this and other plant forums. (If you're keeping up with Harry Potter you'll recognize this as a play on "You Know Who" which is the way all the magical types refer to the arch-demon Voldemort)

I purchase the vast majority of trees, shrubs and plants locally, driving a lot further than Mahoney's to buy from private owners. My conscience is clear about buying an occassional 'bargain' from BigBox. Maybe they won't live, but hey, that's gardening.

I don't want this to turn into a BigBoxBash, but I went to another HD to look for more, and I was struck by how less well tended their plants were than Waltham's. I'm sure there's not a lot of rhyme or reason.

Hi back :-)

Glad I didn't squelch your enthusiasm. As for finding different conditions at different locations, I have seen that too. Maybe it is just a question of the people working there caring more at one place over another..or a better manager? Hope it works out fine. :-)

No, after the first Harry Potter, I haven't really been keeping up. Guess I am a little out of sync with that series. Quite popular I see though.