If you’ve never received mail order perennials (or other plants for that matter) it is kind of shocking to receive them the first time as they are smaller than what you find at your local nursery. But you can purchase some unique or new varieties that you may not find locally. I have ordered from many online nurseries and my favorite is Bluestone Perennials. The plants are mature for the size of pot that is shipped (3 1/2 in I believe) and well rooted. Their packaging is is phenomenal - better than any other online nursery as well. BTW - they have a new sale every Friday in February.

I have bought a lot of perennials from an ebay seller..dogwooderitternet. He sells a very reasonable price and combines shipping and has great feedback. They are starter size plants but so are the ones from most mail order places. This year I have got several butterfly bushes and clematis, salvia etc. He/she has some nice hydrangeas that Im gonna try (obviously not for a rose bed lol but maybe for a back drop depending on size)

I love Annie's Annuals, Joy Creek Nursery & Far Reaches Farm.

I have ordered from all of the above except Far Reaches (not for lack of desire!). Every one of them has something to recommend them. I will say that dogwoodritternet has a great selection, but what he offers varies greatly from week to week, so you need to check back. Otherwise you might miss something you reallllly need, lol. I've bought many hydrangeas, salvias and azaleas from him that are rarely available elsewhere. Annie's has an incredible selection. I just got the new catalog yesterday; it's already drool-spotted, lol. The only drawback is the shipping is a bit high, since they're West coast. Joycreek even sells many roses, as well as perennials to go with them. You have to go to the "R" listing for "rosa...". Santa Rosa has a great late season sale, usually a minimum of 25% off, then later, specific items go for even less. If you want a LOT of one thing, Santa Rosa sells whole flats of starter plants of many of their perennials...or you can buy just one. Like Dave mentioned, Bluestone has a sale every Friday in February (50% of of 50 different items), so today is the last chance for that. But their late season sale, usually in April, has many items for 50% off once again. For some more esoteric offerings, I also recommend Lazy S's Farms. They badly need a webmaster to remake their website, lol, but they have things you won't find anywhere else, at quite reasonable prices. I'm never sure how to spell it or if it has one s or two, so here's the link:
Lazy S Farm

Fig........I love Far Reaches, they visit Heronswood ( a lovely garden owned by a local tribe & Dan Hinkley is the director) a couple of times a year & bring some gorgeous plants. Some of their plant descriptions in the online catalogue are hilarious. Joy Creek visits sometimes but not as often.

Smithdale, I love Far Reaches' website. The only reason I've never ordered is that the things I want most are the most rare, and therefore the most ex$pen$ive, lol. The shipping is pretty high to the east coast, as well. I agree that the plant descriptions are gold. The only one who can compare for wit is Tony Avent at Plant Delights, and I think Tony actually wins, lol.

I ordered a LOT from Heronswood back in the day, and still use their old catalogs (they were BOOKS) as a resource. Back when Dan lived there, and owned Heronswood, I dreamed of visiting someday. Even though I know the tribe is attempting to rescue/resurrect the garden, I doubt it will ever be the same :( I do try to keep up with Dan. He writes for Horticulture magazine, and works with Monrovia, curating the "Dan Hinkley Collection" of new introductions. I suspect most of them come from Dan's private garden, lol.

John

EDIT: I meant to put in a plug for Plant Delights. A great EAST coast nursery full of rarities.

Sun2shinie,

Whenever possible buy locally. Contrary to popular opinion I have been seeing more and more, excellently grown, cutting edge, new/newer variety perennials at the big box stores: Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.... I find they have the healthiest stock, at the most reasonable prices. Just beware of stock that has been on the sales floor for a while because the care given the perennials by the employees can be scanty. You want to get your perennials as soon as they comes off the truck and are put on the tables.

Often, you have to pay several repeated visits during spring to these stores, since they do not get all the different species of perennials in at once. One visit a week ought to do it. Make it an outing.

Special/rarer varieties that are not carried locally must be purchased from mail order/online sources. Expect small plants, mislabeled plants, and prepare to pay high prices.

One of the best of the best mail order nurseries is Well-Sweep Herb Farm, Port Murray, New Jersey. They're my favorite. Their stock is by no means limited to herbs. I know of no nursery that stocks so many varieties of Lavender. Every plant I have ever gotten from them thrived.

I have found that (with some exceptions), East Coast and Southern mail order/on line nurseries sell at lower prices, except for NYC and New England, and Plant Delights Nursery, Raleigh, NC, who charges through the roof. Bluestone, OH is too high also.

As you go West, the prices increase until you reach the West Coast where prices hit the roof. I suppose more affluent people are charged more, which isn't fair, but that's life.

Moses

Even though I know the tribe is attempting to rescue/resurrect the garden, I doubt it will ever be the same

I'm a member, get the e-mailed reports from Dan. Who talks in these about how things are progressing nicely. I do know that when I go out there new additions to the collections are visible - he even has some young plants of that black-flowered cloud forest lily from Vietnam he wrote about in the print media somewhere coming along in the Garden. And a major expansion of the size of the woodland garden appears to be underway. (Or they have cleared to the west of it for some other purpose).

And a recent one of these e-bulletins said that they had actually hired a taxonomist, who among other things will be working on their database - I hope they develop a file that can be accessed from the web.

I too am a member & it's astonishing how quickly it's returning, I visit about once a month & for some of their special events. Dan gives great talks, we were supposed to have one tomorrow but it's been cancelled due to the threat of bad weather. It was going to be on hellebores with a plant sale afterwards, it's been re-scheduled. You should go Embothrium, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

Fig... thanks for what I'm sure will be a new addiction(there's always room for more), Plant Delights, here I come. My old Heronswood catalogues are in pieces, loved to death. I think you would love it if you visited, the work they have done is incredible.

Mail order: Bluestone and Santa Rosa. Locally there is a nursery with a great selection. I’ve had better luck at Lowe’s than Home Depot.

You should go Embothrium, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks, I was there several times last year. Hence my previously posted observations.

The helleborus event cancellation notice makes it sound like only the hellebores that were to be offered today are going to carry over to next weekend, with sales of other kinds of plants, as well as the talk that were supposed to happen today being no longer in the picture.

Sun2shinie,

My three top pick perennial Genera are: Salvia, Phlox, and Coreopsis.

Salvia because of the blues/purples, vertical growth, and in the case of Salvia, 'May Night,' which will send up fresh flowering growth from its crown, if faithfully dead headed, fertilized, and watered, from spring to fall. Its stems are extremely stiff, never flopping. Other newer Salvia introductions are far better garden plants than old 'East Friesland,' and 'Blue Hill,' which can flop over.

Coreopsis verticillata is invaluable in its many named varieties, starting with 'Moonbeam.' Make sure to choose winter hardy C. verticillata....some are not winter hardy in my zone 5/6, but you should be able to grow the more tender pink, bicolor, and burgundy ones with full winter hardiness in zone 7. They act like a yellow baby's breath (and other colors too, as refered to above), in the garden, softening any planting, with their abundant, but airy flowers.

Phlox paniculata are available from 4' giants to 18" shorties. 'David' and 'Shortwood,' should be in every garden. 'Red Riding Hood,' is the best red. Nothing says summertime like Phlox paniculata.

Moses

Dogwoodriiternet has awesome starter plants. Thank you to whoever recommended them. I ordered 11 different things from him, and even though most were dormant, they were so well rooted, I will be ordering more! I'm glad I took the chance, and ordered so many and so glad y'all recommended them!

That's great Alana ! I see he had lots of lilacs and butterfly bushes, I'm very interested! I'm going to the Nashville garden show tomorrow and if I have any money left over I'll be ordering some too. Lots of great variety he has

Alana, I've been ordering from dogwoodritternet for several years. Never been disappointed. The only things I ever got that didn't thrive were the ones that I *knew* weren't quite hardy here. But I ordered them as an experiment because they were so affordable. I discovered a couple of things that DID survive my winters when I didn't think they would, so it has worked out well, lol.

John

I started buying butterfly bushes from dogwoodritternet then got some other stuff. He has so many pretty hydrangeas. Too bad lilacs don't do well here he has so many nice varieties! I wish he had more varieties of salvias.

Yea John I almost ordered a lilac but it said they were only to zone 7 but I almost got one to experiment. I can grow gallicas...I may still order one just to try.

I did order one salvia sultry :)