I found both the Nerine and Hymenocallis bulbs at Meijer's... they had a spring bulb display, and these were among the choices... the Nerine was just a single bulb in a bag with a photo of the bright pink flower, and the description/name said "Nerine Bowdenii". I've got it potted since it's just a single bulb... I'd have to dig it from the garden in fall, anyway. Other display choices included things like Glads, Dahlias, Cannas... mostly tender bulbs and rhizomes. I chose the two types above, plus a bag of 25 little Oxalis corms. We also grabbed a few packages of the green and white flowered Glads. Those should be very pretty! The Oxalis will be potted up in groups of 5 in hanging baskets, and at least one of those baskets will be a houseplant! We'll probably sell the others. I just wish they would have had "garden amaryllis" among the display choices, but Sam's Club is the only place I've seen those... and I don't want an entire package of 14 bulbs, or whatever the box count was. Can't wait to see what your Nerine looks like! They are probably identical to mine, but you never know! Yours will most likely show a bit different due to the difference in environments.

I had the same mission for a nature center where I used to work. We displayed freshwater animals native to NY State. The outdoor stuff was relatively easy but the installations were over a long period of time. Indoor displays were another story. I ended up using quite a bit of moss and various small ferns in the displays. Some grasses and sedges did well also. Pocket plantings where the animals (mostly turtles) couldn't trample or disturb the plantings worked well. We made fiberglass inserts that looked naturalistic. We worked in concert with the NYSDEC and were able to field collect native specimens. In addition I used things that would peeter out after a season and then be replaced or more often moved outside to recover. Good wide spectrum lighting for the displays helps. A year after I left a big donor had a garden installed in his own honor... Inoki cypress and some crazy junipers.

Thanks Judith, I really wanted to find cabbages to use on a wreath and on the ledge more like the one inspiration photo you shared--but Michael's little cabbages were $4.99 each, and I didn't get a chance to get to Kirklands to see if they had bigger ones. Maybe for next year. The greenery in the middle and two of these bunnies reside in this window allot of the time--I have most of my bunnies out somewhere in the house all year. I have been partial to white ones, but after seeing the gorgeous brown one you and Tam have--I may change my mind! ;o) Luvs

As others have mentioned, look at the actual stock, not just the boards. In fact, I like to buy from warehouses where they stock. I urge them to walk me through to the pallets and pick out the stone myself. Here is a crazy idea but it is common in other countries. Lets say you want to buy marble tiles. You negotiate a price (usually higher) where you get to choose each tile from the boxes they have. If the store does it for you, it is called Select. Or you do the selection yourself. Another strategy is to ask how much restocking cost is. Then buy double of what you need, keep the best pieces. Return the rest for the small penalty of restocking. In other words, never go by board samples :)