My rambling... I first tried gardening (on a very narrow balcony) a few years ago and was delighted to find that I lived dangerously close to the city's oldest nursery. It was great--a huge place with a good variety of well-tended plants, their own branded fertilizers, and so on. Well, about a year later, they closed, and I'm still mourning it, especially as I've recently been working on my balcony again (after I left it largely ungardened during that time). I can still picture that store...sigh. So I've been stuck with the big boxes, our garden-only equivalent of a big box (even bigger than the independent that closed but a chain), and a small independent that had very little but at least had the plants I wanted (but wasn't otherwise overwhelming, even though the owner was friendly)...I'm not sure what else is good yet. My trouble is that I want certain specific plants, and the big boxes are hopeless for things like that (well, unless I actually want what they sell). I don't want to drive all over. I definitely think it's good if independents specialize, so if I want a [genus] [species], I know I can go to the store that sells all of that genus. I will absolutely pay the price for that, too. I mean, of course, I'm not going to blow $100 on something I may very well kill, but I'm not a "$2/4-pack or GTFO" sort of person, either. One of my big boxes (I forget which is which, as they're basically the same store in most respects) has a knowledgeable employee. I've not spoken to her myself, but I've overheard her answering people's questions, and I think when people overhear her, they come over to ask her things themselves. They both seem to use consignments, too--one of the representatives was actually greeting customers the other day when he passed them--and while they occasionally have iffy plants, most of the stock is fine. It's just that again, when you're wanting [genus] [species], unless it's a common petunia or what-have-you, no dice. The big boxes aren't always cheap, by the way. That big chain center has no-name plumerias for a show-stopping $90. Admittedly, they're about 6 feet and pink, where a no-name potted plumeria will often be 3 or 4 feet and white or yellow, but still...$90?

The first time I saw this plant ever was in a UK women's weekly magazine - there was an article with pics of families and their 'mystery' plant, because at this time - 70s/80s - can't exactly remember, this hadn't been identified. It was considered as one of the family by all the families in the article, and there were various plants illustrated - if I remember rightly one was very very tall. I loved the stories about how each family had acquired their plant. At the end of the article they asked anyone who knew what it was to contact the magazine. I think not too long afterwards it flowered at Kew Gardens, and thus was identified as a pilea. It was considered very lucky by all the owners. Most said they had shared it around all their friends and relations. I bought mine for a very reasonable price from a UK seller only a couple of years ago. I think the big attraction is that it has enormous personality.

true I only skimmed through replies so far but will digest what was said after . thanks As Babs said, from that point on the tree must be cloned in order to be reproduced -- a more expensive method of propagation ok i get that with grafting etc too. and property tax of a nursery who may also even import some plants from other states - where I'm at tax is high as hell, I dunno if nurseries/ 'farms' get a discout but probably not by much and so figure if they were to sell 6 ft trees for only $30, they'd need space for 1,000 trees just to Gross 30K before property tax, before labor, cost of machinery which adds up to much higher than one would expect, water, and so on. local nurseries do have good prices for small shrubs and flowering plants etc but it just seems trees are in a league of their own. I guess from grafting and from taking years to raise. I mean yea I propigated arbovite cuttings this early spring, 4" tall cuttings with root hormone and 6-7 months later they are THE SAME SIZE still. Next year will probably barely grow. I do have 6' arbovites which cost like $30 each when 4' and they grew about a foot a year but the propigated cuttings take forever. can get a decent sized small arbovite for ~$30 from home depot or a nursery though but yea if want it 8ft to start off means it had been stored and tended to for years on property. Some may also die/damage from heavy snow ice breaking limbs off I'm seeign is quite common with arbovites. the yahoo answers thing I linked, true some places in the middle of no where have much lower property tax so they can sell plants so cheaply but you still only get a tiny tree. " I see maple and oak samplings all the time about 18" tall that I'm assuming are from only 5 months ago they sprouted." The maples you are looking at are likely grafted which requires both rootstock and time and are far older than five months. An 18" whip is likely a second year plant. what I meant is I see wild samplings start under maples and oaks that I can just dig up and plant. I was going to do that with a maple recently but decided to get an oak instead since we already have almost all maples in thie neighborhood. Not all that many homeowners/gardeners are willing to wait 20 years after buying a sapling via mail order for it to look like an actual 'tree'. I guess it depends largely on the tree type because I can cut a 30 ft maple down to a stump and it will send up suckers that reach 8 ft the same season. (not that I'd do that because those trunks aren't strong) but I guess some trees grow much slower. Yea I know though that 8ft in a year is only for the initial boom, then it will focus on roots and thick trunk and limbs and height slows down while thickness increases. I just see it kind of hard to pitch planting trees if they cost $300+ each, I think people are expecting maybe $50 a tree cost but I see your points and I will learn more about this. Let alone it seems most people just want trees and shrubs cut down for no actual reason like for a full sun garden. still sort of baffling how a pine 2x12 cost so little though. I guess another example of cheap land with low taxes in the middle of nowhere, minimal tending, and probably cheap, fast-acting synthetic fertilziers too. Many, many more than 4 broad boards will come out of a ready-to-harvest pine. I beg to differ, I see your other points and read them after I wrote the same points but from the few vids I watched on 'pine lumber harvest' they don't get super fat trunks. Yea can get probably Two 20 footers from the tree's height but I don't think more than about 3 or 4 2x12s per trunk diamater (then the smaller outer lumber can be 2x10 or 2x8s) but yea when planted close like that, they grow tall and canopy at the top and make for long lengths instead of like a big mushroom if grown alone in a field. So plant thousands of those on cheap land and it becomes profitable. I'm still baffled though, the processing plants alone have millions and millions of dollars worth of just equipment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvbgwdTGoyo

60” is expensive, no matter what. BlueStar isn’t all that expensive actually, in the scheme of things. But if you want a 60” range, you need a 72” vent. 27” deep, minimum. BlueStar only seem expensive because you’re not comparing apples to apples in quality and performance. Price out a Ventahood. Or a RangeCraft. You’re looking at 10K to get the hood, blower, and all the rest. Island cooking is absolutely the most expensive choice, with the worst consequences for added expense for function and cost. If you want to cut costs, and increase functionality, put the range against a wall. Cooking is 10% of kitchen time. Prep is 70%. Islands should be set up to be great prep zones. Not cramped and dangerous cooking zones. A 60” range leaves no room for a proper prep zone, so hot, cramped, and dangerous is exactly what it will be. And you still need a separate makeup air system added to this as well. Not optional. Your ventilation needs will easily equal the cost of the range.