Oooh, lupines! Sadly, I am not able to get them to survive here.

All I've ordered on-line so far is seeds and seed-starting supplies. Oh, and bare-root fruit trees, but I placed those orders in late 2023 for spring arrival.

@mxk3 z5b_MI: which fruit trees did you buy?

re-lupines: I have grown them from seed, and they perform really well in my garden, which is why I’m now comfortable spending more to buy fancy varieties. :)

I grew a few Russell lupines from seed a few years ago and loved seeing them but they don't survive the hot summers here. It is envy inspiring that you can grow them and the delphiniums but I will have to settle for seeing pictures of them if you'll post some.

I have ordered some roses I didn't really need, and some clematis. I discovered Garden Crossings just last week and ordered some things from them after hearing their reputation is pretty good. Am trying Florida Sieboldii for the fourth time, Stand By Me clematis, Azurri Blue Satin althea, and Pugster Blue dwarf buddliea. I saw the Blue Satin in a store last summer and thought the color was as stunning as in pictures. In past years I ordered two Florida Sieboldii plants that were mislabelled, got a replacement that didn't make it, then got one from Brushwood that died in heat on arrival on my porch. Garden Crossings seems to be the only nursery that has it right now. I would really like to find a Viennetta clematis but don't think anyone in the US is selling it. I have a bunch of seeds I'm going to start indoors pretty soon.

@erasmus_gw: so many plants under perform in my zone 3, clay soil that when I do find something that works, I go all in! lol!

Wildwood Express (based in Canada) ships to the US and has Florida Sieboldi

https://wildwood.express/products/clematis-sieboldii?variant=29232572039210&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&stkn=f66a9fe1505c&utm_campaign=Vines&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2KitBhCIARIsAPPMEhI37I5BvW_DYw2lMMlsOX22XSb5qEl1AsQpxvK-8oHk6RUan0dvxgEaAjUFEALw_wcB

I checked and unfortunately they do not have Viennetta. I’ve never ordered from them so I can’t vouch.

"which fruit trees did you buy?"

Pears: Forelle, Seckel, Harrow Delight

Apples: Rubinette, Early Pink Lady (whether it's early enough to ripen here we shall see...)

Apricot: Chinese Mormon

There's another peach and cherry I want to get but I held off -- the above was enough of an expense for now...

@mxk3 z5b_MI: I don’t recognize the varieties, they’re probably not hardy in my zone. You must have a lot of space, to be ordering all these trees!

Do you know already where they will go?

I have to say, I love pear trees. The one I have does not have to be sprayed, has beautiful blooms and looks wonderful in Fall.

Thank you for the link to Wildwood Express, Mazerolm. I can see the florida sieboldii listing you linked to, but when I go to their website and click on clematis a page comes up that says there are no offerings. Same with bare root roses. Yet it says you can pre order now. The price on florida s is good. Would like to see what all they offer.

@erasmus_gw: that is very odd, maybe try with a different browser? I’m currently looking at their clematis viticellas.

edit: maybe it’s only their seeds that they ship to the States. In that case, I’m sorry I got your hopes up! :(

"Do you know already where they will go? "

Yes. I have a small orchard behind my barn that I'm adding to.

I love pears, too. My favorite is Forelle, but dang they're expensive when I can even find them. I've been wanting a Forelle tree for quite some time, so I finally treated myself. The only reason I got the Harrow is because I needed a pollinizer, and I chose that one specifically because it's a summer pear, the Forelle and the Seckel should ripen around the same time in the fall here, so the Harrow will extend the season.

Yes, I looked on their shipping policy and here's what it says:

" Only seeds are available for US shipping. "

But thanks . At least I was able to order a florida sieboldii from Garden Crossings.

I love pears, too. My favorite is Forelle

Its funny you mention this as I generally dont like eating pears EXCEPT I so look forward to eating the variety known as FLEMISH BEAUTY. It is so delicious and does not easily bruise. I have only seen it as a locally grown pear ie Ontario. The fruit must mature late as I see it in the stores from about October 1 till often into December. (Maybe it is hard to grow as I dont see it at many stores?)

Nah, Autumn is my buying season. I won't be buying anything, from anywhere for the next few months...but inevitably, once plants are blooming away, greed and lust will overthrow my rational planning and planting schemes. Come June, July, I will be helplessly tempted and probably find myself spending £££...and if I do any garden/nursery visits, I will certainly come home with plants. Which will spend summer in pots until the furious autumn sowing, planting and bareroot season starts over again. Just as well cos I have various family birthdays and am always broke after. Xmas.

@rosaprimula: I wish I could buy plants in Autumn, but most nurseries stop selling plants in early September. And it’s better for my wallet this way! :)

'its better for my wallet this way' - how so, mazerolm? Are you buying small plug plants and growing them on? Many nurseries do exactly this and there is a huge trade in tender bedding plants and vegetable starts.

I mostly buy/save seeds and bare-roots, I am not a big buyer of plants anyway because for me, gardening is mostly about raising my own. I am less keen on the digging, pruning and weeding. Obviously though, there are limits to what I can propagate and it is in summer when the gaps in my gardens allow me to indulge in some novel plants.

@rosaprimula: I meant that I would just buy more plants in Autumn, in addition to what I already purchased in Spring and Summer.

I think gardening is such a wonderful hobby, we all enjoy it for a variety of reasons: you like to grow, some enjoy the design process and draw elaborate plans, as for myself, it’s weeding, digging, pruning, etc.

Agreed, mazerolm. Not only is it fantastically diverse, it is also one of the most egalitarian hobbies since you can practice it almost anywhere - from acreage to a pot on the windowsill without it costing hardly anything.

Oddly, I do actually enjoy weeding. Digging and clear-up...less so.

I wish I could buy plants in Autumn, but most nurseries stop selling plants in early September.

Funny you mention this @mazerolm_3a as I have seen this "Charlie Brown" specimen of a hibiscus, just inside our local grocery store since it was brought inside...probably sometime this past October/November!

@rouge: I think this hibiscus is crying for help! 😆

@rouge: lol!!!

I've purchased a few things from Bamboo Plants, my first purchase with them. They offer alstroemeria 'Majestic Henri' so I couldn't resist. I've also ordered a few lily bulbs from Botanus and of course once the Canning Perennials catalog went online I did my annual order with them. I think I have everything I need now, but that won't stop all the trips to the garden centres this spring.

At this point, I am editing. So sadly, no. I haven't bought any new perennials. I still grow the annuals, but those are all seeds. I actually put down grass seed last month for a garden I will be taking all the plants out of by the end of this year. I'm moving towards selling my house, and I want it look manicured-for them. When it's my garden, look out! Wild colors and flowers. I will miss this garden. I wish I could grow delphiniums and lupine, but nope. They do sulk and die off in my very humid home. I do grow some gorgeous larkspur ("annual delphinium") if that counts.

My wild garden

My pretty larkspur

I've purchased a few things from Bamboo Plants, my first purchase with them.

I ordered for the first time from "Bamboo" last Fall and I was impressed with what I got and the shipping cost was reasonable.

Great picture @rob333 (zone 7b) of that swathe of colour.

(Do you foresee being able to do lots of gardening in your future home?)

I doubt I will get to do much gardening outside of containers. I aim to move to a condo that's within downtown Nashville, rather than on the lake on the outskirts :( Makes me sad, but I am already having trouble keeping up with my current garden at 57.

@chouchou: I’ve been ordering from Bamboo for 4 years now, and I’ve always been very happy with everything they sent. The plants look great and are well rooted!

Good to hear about Bamboo and yes, I found their shipping rates to be fairly reasonable. Starting to get the usual angst waiting for spring now!

I've more or less given up on online buying. A few reasons - the pandemic forced up prices phenomenally, and a lot of online retailers had to up the shipping prices so much as well - it's off-putting. I found a few good retailers prior to the pandemic, but they were often inconsistent - when I'd go back to them the following year they'd have all sorts of issues which they never had the year before, and things would end up a mess (some even just went out of business as a result). On the other hand, I've made up for it by discovering several wholesale retailers that are local - and buying directly from them. Particularly for fall bulbs. Oddly enough, fall '23 I didn't order any this way - but the previous year I completely added a load of bulbs to my garden this way.