The Case for Buying Younger, Smaller Plants
Less mature plants are more economical, are easier to plant and often grow more quickly
Benjamin Vogt
April 21, 2018
Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our urban lives -- only 1% remains, making it more threatened than the Amazon rainforest yet also as effective at sequestering CO2. I own Monarch Gardens LLC, a prairie garden design firm based in Nebraska and working with clients across the Midwest. I also speak nationally on native plants, sustainable design, and landscape ethics while hosting online classes. I'm the author of A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. In the coming years we want to restore a 40+ acre prairie and host an artist residency program.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our... More
If you’ve been to a plant nursery lately, you’ve probably seen plenty of grasses and flowers growing in 1-gallon containers. It’s the most commonly available size for containerized perennials at most nurseries.
But before you pick up a bunch of gallon containers for your garden this year, consider starting with younger, smaller plants — either in 3-inch pots or as plugs in a tray. You’ll quickly see benefits in your garden, including quicker establishment, healthier specimens and a maximized budget. Read on to learn why young plants can be key to a successful garden.
But before you pick up a bunch of gallon containers for your garden this year, consider starting with younger, smaller plants — either in 3-inch pots or as plugs in a tray. You’ll quickly see benefits in your garden, including quicker establishment, healthier specimens and a maximized budget. Read on to learn why young plants can be key to a successful garden.
1. They’re more affordable. The majority of nurseries sell perennials in 1-gallon pots. These plants have incurred significant expense being grown to a larger size, with heavy investments in time, water, nutrients and storage. And you’ll pay for that.
For the price of one larger plant, you can often get anywhere from three to 15 smaller plants — either in 3-inch pots or as plugs in a tray (young plants, only a few months old at most). Plugs are where the savings are, and a growing number of retailers and wholesalers are making available to homeowners what once was offered only to professional landscapers.
Plugs often come in trays of 32, 50 or 72 plants. Their small size makes them easier to plant, especially if you have clay soil, as you only need to dig a small hole. Researching smaller, local nurseries as well as mail-order growers should be your first step in maximizing your budget.
For the price of one larger plant, you can often get anywhere from three to 15 smaller plants — either in 3-inch pots or as plugs in a tray (young plants, only a few months old at most). Plugs are where the savings are, and a growing number of retailers and wholesalers are making available to homeowners what once was offered only to professional landscapers.
Plugs often come in trays of 32, 50 or 72 plants. Their small size makes them easier to plant, especially if you have clay soil, as you only need to dig a small hole. Researching smaller, local nurseries as well as mail-order growers should be your first step in maximizing your budget.
2. They’ll compete against weeds better. If you go the route of purchasing more plugs or small pots instead of one or two larger plants, you can plant the garden more thickly, as you’d see in nature. This tight-knit community of young plants will establish in the space more quickly than more mature plants, competing against weeds sooner while shading the soil and conserving moisture within it.
Think how this strategy is especially important if you just ripped out your lawn to make way for a garden. Another benefit to having more plants? An even more stunning garden.
Think how this strategy is especially important if you just ripped out your lawn to make way for a garden. Another benefit to having more plants? An even more stunning garden.
3. They’ll establish quickly. Younger plants are in an aggressive stage of growth, putting out as many roots as they can. This means they will generally grow up sooner than a larger, older plant, which has already put on that root growth in a pot — this is why you often see so much root circling in those larger pots.
Since the plants are growing quickly underground, you can expect that in the same season or next they’ll put on a healthy amount of top growth — further covering the soil and helping the garden look more established sooner.
Tip: If you are planting a flower that takes longer to mature, you might want to buy a year-old specimen in a larger container so it keeps pace with your other younger, newer plants.
Since the plants are growing quickly underground, you can expect that in the same season or next they’ll put on a healthy amount of top growth — further covering the soil and helping the garden look more established sooner.
Tip: If you are planting a flower that takes longer to mature, you might want to buy a year-old specimen in a larger container so it keeps pace with your other younger, newer plants.
4. This works for woody plants too. While this article has mostly been about grasses, sedges and flowers, the same rule often applies to shrubs and trees. Smaller plants benefit from getting accustomed to your soil and site sooner than those in larger pots. Imagine how helpful that would be for a tree that commonly comes in a 10- to 20-gallon pot, root bound and pampered.
I once bought a $200 tree with a 1½-inch-caliper trunk (trunk diameter) and a $10 sapling that was about 2 to 3 feet tall at the same time. It’s been about seven years, and both trees have the same height and trunk caliper.
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I once bought a $200 tree with a 1½-inch-caliper trunk (trunk diameter) and a $10 sapling that was about 2 to 3 feet tall at the same time. It’s been about seven years, and both trees have the same height and trunk caliper.
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Celestina...Thanks for the update on daylilies! Mine are next to each other, so should mate faster, right? Ha! I found out Liarope or Lilyturf are about the same. I bought one to pot when I moved here 7 years ago, and have 50-60 now. They are ready to divide again, but they are great! Not much care, not fussy, great border and fill in plant. We do have Master Garders/AgriLife here as well. They have been great to help out with the birding sites, especially after Harvey hit us.
@cookic: been thinking about you and Harvey from time to time. You were really in shock which is understandable. Glad to see your humor has returned! Hope things are getting better. One of my friends who lost everything including her apt has moved to near Ft Worth. She just couldn't take it anymore. I understand and wished her well. Another friend (a couple) are still working through all the problems and shoddy workmanship. Their insurance company is great and really came down hard on the contractors. Plus are redoing what was messed up - and paying for it. Still, Christa is hating the living in hotel rooms. When she comes up to see her folks, she brings her stuff and lounges at my home, taking a very long leisurely bath or shower. I supply the wine and comfort! I went down to her place (Channelview) a few weeks ago and spent the day with her doing gardening and planting some things I dug up from my place. She went through a very bad period of depression, but with help is now on the mend. Good to see her laugh and smile again even if their house isn't yet rebuilt. That will come.
Take care - eventually the rebuilds will be completed.
Thanks, Celestina, I guess everyone was affected by Harvey one way or another. I think my only crankiness was regarding the Red Cross. Rockport was a direct hit from Harvey and the RC was no where in sight! They had plenty of ads out, asking for our money but we didn't even get a cup of coffee, much less a shelter set up or other help. The religious groups were the most help and still are. The Samaritan's Purse, Mennonites and many others have helped with volunteering. The Scientology Church sent in over $250,000 worth of lumber, etc. to help patch and build, so people could get back into their homes, many just to have a roof over their heads. Anyway, we are coming along and settling into life here. Many buildings have been cleared and carted away, including the courthouse. We started a register program for contractors here right after Harvey and it will be permanent. We warn people to ask if the contractors are registered, so if they're bad, they can be dealt with. Too bad more towns didn't do that. We needed the help as all the areas affected did, but desperation sometimes brings the bad as well as good. Glad you're able to help some that are affected in your area. Takes the sadness away for awhile.