I second that as a great nursery but I've also found that planting (most) seeds on May Day are just as good as transplants from any nursery AND the bonus is that you get a huge variety to choose from. My DH and I (he's the veggie guy, I'm the heirloom tom's and flowerlady) did a test last season. Took plain ol' Roma tomatoes - some 4" tall plants from seeds planted indoors in flats under lights in March which had been potted up twice, some 6" tall transplants from the nursery, and some seeds planted in a cold frame outside on Tax Day. All were set out on May Day along with some seeds sown that day on freshly cultivated soil. When harvest time arrived we could not tell which were which without our notes! The transplants were taller but had the same amount of fruit while the cold frame plants were thicker stalked and bore longer as did the early sown plants and the fresh seeds. Patience is the key here. The result was that cultivating on May Day and sowing seeds was the least expensive and the most reliable (since you can oversow just in case) with the same or better results than the more labor intensive other methods. Besides, a whole packet of seeds cost less than a six pack of babies and left over seeds can be traded on the Exchanges page or kept for sowing in the next several years. It is also much less work planting seeds than it is planting transplants. These seedlings seem to grow stronger in native soil from the beginning while transplants get 'set back shock' adjusting to soil that is not like what it was grown in and that has to be hand watered until they get settled in with a greater risk of losing some to inattentiveness. We were both amazed and decided that we could get the best result in the old fashioned way - sowing seeds in the open ground at the right time. Besides that, the grandchildren thought it was a miracle watching us sow and then checking the progress every weekend, while we must admit we liked it too. You might consider doing a test like we did. Buy a few plants and a packet of the same variety seed. Plant side by side and see what happens. You might end up being a seed collector like I am. Tomato seeds, stored properly, are viable for at least 10 years, as are lots of other seeds. Nancy the nancedar

I forgot about this thread. Mersi, no, my vanilla orchid never bloomed..I wish. I had two, green and variegated..the var went to plant heaven. I could blame it on the seller, but it was my fault..except I still don't know where I went wrong..lol The green is once again a small plant..It grew huge, over 10'..Somehow, the stems tangled..it was like unraveling Christmas lights that have been tossed in a box w/o organizing. It got a haircut about a year ago. Cuttings never rooted..boohoo. Marcsi, you've never heard of Gardenwatchdog? Wow..It's too bad everyone who grows/buys plants wasn't aware of this site. It's great for two reasons..The first is if someone wants to order from 'x' nursery, they check GWD, and read feedback. The second is, it's a good way finding a nursery. BUT, there is a negative side, too. Over the years I've talked to a few nursery owners. They're very nice people, have to take lots of cr*p when it comes to the public. One woman ordered 2 plants from 'x' nusery. One was a backorder so when she opened the box, found one plant missing, she went balistic. She phoned the owner at midnight, again 4am..she admitted, on GWD, calling his home at midnight. She hesitated mentioning the 4am call though.. To top it off, she left negative feedback. If someone doesn't get exactly what they think they're going to get, instead of contacting the owner they run to GWD, rant and rave what a terrible nursery they ordered from, warn people away. I've ordered from nurseries some complained about and never had any problems. One man ships bare-root plants..it's written in plain English..still some complain the print isn't large enough, or it doesn't offer a good-enough description. The seller even displays pics/sizes of what to expect..lol How much more can anyone do? So, all it takes is one person to get the ball rolling, and others tend to follow. But I do enjoy reading GWD and have found several decent nurseries. Perhaps Logees has improved their stock. If they haven't, the only reason they could be getting positive feedback, and I dread saying this is, people who have been shopping with them for years may feel dedicated, or ppl who just starting buying plants, who never shopped elsewhere, have nothing to compare to, perhaps feel a 3" plant is sufficient, especially if they believe it rare. I feel bad talking down about Logees, but after paying high costs to receive dead or tiny plants, if someone asked where to shop, I c/wouldn't refer them. Toni

I got mine from Walmart garden the last time I planted them. They worked just as good as the high dollar ones I got from the seed companies. The varieties are limited but I think they had both of those. They are usually in the bulb display. They also have onion sets I didn't get much in the ground this fall. I spent 3 weeks in the hospital and had major surgery due to pneumonia early November. I'm just getting back to functional, so I haven't been haunting the garden departments, but its worth a looky. I did get some onions in in December when SWIMBO wasn't looking. Sitting around watch sports reruns is just horribly boring. The onion sets (sweets and yellow) came from Ace hardware.

Moses, what's the flip side of Ragosa? I'm curious now..lol I actually have 3 and they all came back with a vengeance! By the way, thanks for the fertilizer technique. I really appreciate it. I went and bought the fertilizer scratched away the mulch and fed l\all of mine...Did you say once again in July? Now that I am getting 2 inches of rain, the reason why a put the fertilizer down before it rained, I have a warm cozy feeling for them... Rabainz..What do you mean "showbiz"? Is there such a rose? Thanks to every everyone for your input. I can't believe how fast this thread fell to the bottom..lol I am guessing this is one happy busy forum! I will take pics of my new growth once the sun comes out. They are betting a good soaking for the first time in months, well since two years ago.