You should never have to submit a photo to prove that a rose you received was mislabeled ... is that what RVR is requiring nowadays? I hope this is just a misunderstanding because I have always received really good plants from them. A phone call to straighten out the situation may be the best thing to do. In the case of mislabeled plants, we never know when a tray or rack full of plants will get knocked over or dug through by a critter. We do what we can to put the labels back where they belong, but mistakes are inevitable. It's how we correct those mistakes and make them that matters. Here's a good story of a mislabeled plant: In 2010, I ordered 'Shower of Gold' from Vintage. This is a once-bloomer, and I wasn't going to see flowers on it till at least the next year. 2011 came, and deer ate every bud on the plant ... no flowers that year either. In 2012, I was anxiously awaiting flowers and I did what I could to deter the deer. The buds swelled and opened ... pink. Contacted Gregg at Vintage. He immediately promised to custom root a correct plant for me. It took a year and a half for that plant to be mature enough to ship ... I received it in late April of this year. No proof required, no time limit on the guarantee, just straightforward action. The moral is ... it's not the fact that mistakes are made. We are all human and no one is perfect. It's the way that the mistakes are handled and made right that is the measure of a business ... any kind of business.

can't remember if i sent this to you on another thread. best, Mindy THE COTTON-ARBO RETUM WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS AND FRIENDS FOR OUR PLANTS: New England: Mahoney's Rocky Ledge,Winchester,Ma. Stonegate Gardens,Lincoln Cavicchio Greenhouses, Sudbury Alan Haskell , New Bedford Katsura Gardens, Plymouth Seawright Gardens, Carlisle Tranquil Lake Nursery, Rehoboth Leo Blanchette, Carlisle Sylvan Nurseries, South Dartmouth Avant Gardens, South Dartmouth Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton Newbury Perennials, Newbury Russell's Garden Center, Sudbury Corliss Brothers Nursery, Ipswich Longhill , Ipswich The Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain New England Nursery, Bedford Northeast Nursery,Peabody Completely Clematis, Ipswich Lexington Gardens, Lexington Windy-Lo, Wayland New England Water Gardens, Peabody Betsy Ewing, Bonnie Brown, Judy Brain, Byron Getchell, Frank Vernelli, Molly Sharon Carolyn Ward, Mary MacIntosh, Thalia Avila,Susan Dumaine,Mrs.Stanford Durand, Vt.Skiers, George Lotkin, Wendy Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden,Ct. Oliver's, Fairfield,Ct. TwomblyÂs, Monroe Ct. Variegated Plants Nursery,Eastford,Ct. Perennials by Susan, Amherst,N.H. Rocky Dale Gardens, Bristol, Vt. Cady's Falls Nursery, Cady's Falls, Vt. Mail-Order: Heronswood Nursery , ForestFarm, Greer Gardens, Gossler's Plant Delights Nursery , Fairweather Gardens , Collector's Nursery, Ferncliff Gardens, Lazy S's, Donahue Clematis Kurt Bloemel ,Carroll Gardens, Roslyn Nursery, Big Dipper Nursery, Klehm's Karchovsky Cannas ,Avant Gardens, Garden Crossings, Joy Creek Nursery Bulbs: Scheeper's, Van Bourgondien, Van Engelen, Brent and BeckyÂs Bulbs

willie, I have never seen comparisons or rankings of hort schools and programs. However, most states have a decent program, and in a field where experience can count more than education, being in "the best" program doesn't mean what it would in law, engineering, or medicine. That being said, Cornell and UC Davis have highly regarded programs. But also, schools that have programs that are considered quite good: Iowa State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Purdue, Ohio State, Kansas State...and the list goes on and on. I'd even go so far as to say that the South Dakota State program is pretty good. My number one requirement for a program would be for it to require an internship. Goes back to that experience thing. If you want a better comprehension of the quality of the program, ask to talk to grad students or upper level students in other programs of the college (usually college of ag, although sometimes it has different names). Get a sense of the reputation of the kids that are in the hort program. I know a couple of schools (none mentioned so far in this thread) where the reputaion of the hort program is of pot smoking underacheivers...which I would assume is not what you are looking for if you are asking for the best program. Whatever school you go to, check to see if they participate in the regional meetings of the National Collegiate Hort. Society. Go to them, and present at these meetings. It looks really good on a resume. I attended a midwest school with a hort program, and when we went to the regional meetings (MACHS, Midwest Affiliate of the Collegiate Hort Society), only a very few people presented, either a poster or an oral presention. As in about two people in either category, or in a very competitive year, three. So the worst you could do would be to place third in a public presentation at a regional conference. Very impressive. What does it mean? Who cares, it's impressive. In the end, believe it or not, the quality of the program matters little. It's what you take with you that really matters. Passion, desire, and individual determination will make a much bigger impact upon what kind of education you take out than the quality of the program. Now if you want grad school, I'd go so far as to say UC Davis and Cornell and a stint at the Arnold Arboretum are going to be tops. Once, years ago, I did a little illustration using various trage journals. I went to the back section, the classifieds, and highlighted the words education in blue and experience in yellow. I found a ratio of over 8 to 3 experience to education, and every time education was sought, so was experience. My point is, don't forego experience in you rquest for education. Seek both simultaneously. And don't forget what is going to make you employably attractive in this field.

Westminister Nursery on Westminster Rd. in West Hempstead. They have lots of herbs, veggies, and a large collection of peppers every year. Most of their herbs are from Gilberties, which I find hardier than where other places source their transplants and seedlings (bought some from Hicks that didn't seem as hardy or large). It's open later hours during the growing season and they have half off sales once or twice a year. Hick's I'll only visit if I can't get it at Westminster. It's just okay. They seem to have not that much of selection of growing medium for orchids and the more exotic plants, definitely less than some years ago which is disappointing. They do half off on their veg and herbs in the summer but it just comes to nearly the same price at Westminster anyway. For more exotic veg and herbs, I have picked up Tulsi plant seedlings in Bellerose/Glen Oaks on Hillside Avenue at the small grocery stores. I saw small pots of Curry plants at the Maharaja supermarket near the corner of Hillside Avenue and New Hyde Park Rd. in New Hyde Park. Very rarely I will stop by the farm in Malverne to check out what they have. All the herbs and veg there are organic and most of them are grown in coconut coir. Nothing too unusual and the prices are higher there but I did pick up some nice lemon thyme. In the same vein, I sometimes stop by the Queens County Farm and see what they have for sale in their greenhouse, I picked up some regular English thyme there. I've had the most horrible customer experiences at the Walmart in Westbury, I will never return there (although I did pick up a terribly abused orchid from the clearance section for about $7). The Lowe's in Garden City is nothing special, they carry mostly "Bonnie" herbs and plants and they are pricer than Westminster's herb flats and don't look that hardy. This post was edited by PurpleLotus88 on Sun, Jun 30, 13 at 17:50