I too am in search of a source for this plant. It boggles the mind that it is no where to be found in our retail nursery catalogs and garden centers. I grew up in Illinois where my mom had it growing in her little "woods" garden. We were poor, so all her plants came from neighbors and friends as trades or pass-alongs. It also boggles the mind that the creepy crawly variety is so available and this neat, tidy and well behaved ranunculus acris 'flore pleno' goes virtually unknown to many and as elusive as hen's teeth. I have started contacting every mail order nursery I can think of and am pestering for it. Maybe if all of us who are interested in bringing this precious plant back to our cottage gardens contact our garden centers and plant sources we will eventually be heard. The squeaky wheel just may get the buttercups.

I don't think you could do this other than with overnight mail. They grow special florist roses in Ecuador and other places that keep their petals quite a long time after cutting, and then they fill the boxes with inert gas to slow down the wilting process. And with special florist roses and that process they last a week or so. But I don't think it's practical to try something like that for the occasional gift. But overnight mail (i.e. FedEx) and a couple of lunchbox sealed ice paks should be fine. Or just call 1-800-flowers, even easier.

well.. something you have to remember about your local "professional supply house" is that they deal with the contractors that do irrigation and plumbing for a living. Me and my dad did about $50,000 a year in parts at our local Rainbird store. And thats a good bit of money. So when I walked in the store for materials, it wasn't uncommon for me to get service before the regular joe who had come there just to ask a couple questions. Is it fair? not really. But they are just trying to keep their contactors happy, because that is where they make their money at. But, to tell the truth, even if they didn't treat me well, i would still buy from them.. even at a higher price. It helps to have the connections and experience at a local place. Because it is about damn near impossible to get good advice over the phone anymore...

Well, tomorrow Naylor is shipping some I got from their auction, including a Golden Meadows. A few of the northerly hosta shippers are having 45 degree weather, so if you are in zone 4, perhaps the hosta will stay on the cooler side all the way to you. I got some really nice plants from Mason Hollow first of June, and had some shipped from NH to around Albany NY as a present, and they arrived looking very sweet indeed. Another one to check into that is up north that way is Green Mountain Hosta in Vermont. I agree that Hallsons has prime quality, but so many are out of stock that I was wanting. With our heat AND humidity, it is a blessing to get things sent quickly via Priority Mail headed out on a Monday or a Tuesday, so the box does not languish in some hot mail depot where they essential get steam cooked. The order I got on 6/13 from Savory's up in Minnesota was mostly small hosta, and they didn't skip a beat were as fresh as the moment they came out of the field. Three even had blooms on them--which I looked at with a magnifying glass!!!! :) The big tall plants have a more difficult time withstanding the heat due to the huge leaf area, I'm thinking.