BUY LOCAL?

I like to go to local retailers near me just to see what plants are available and their prices. I am always shocked at the selection of plants offered. Yes, the price is always  cheap for the size of the plant when you go to  Wal-Mart, Lowes and Home Depot. And if you go to an actual garden center they are really high. Of course I am always judging them on what they are, how rare they are and how they compare to my prices. On my latest trip to visit my local retailers, I saw lots of really nice plants, most with beautiful displays of flowers! Numerous people were filling their carts with the  wonderful choices of flowering plants, surely to add long lasting beauty to their landscapes! Unfortunately, the majority of their choices  were based on flower display at that moment and were in fact destined to die with the next winters’ onslaught. Yes, it is a fact that what your local retailers sell may not be suited for your area at all! Retailers rely on visiting salesmen to SELL them the plants they have to offer you, the customer. Usually this choice is based on how many the salesman have and what low price they can offer the retailer.  Often they sell the same plants to every store in the retail chain. The point of this post is simple, their choice is not always based on THE BEST PLANTS FOR YOUR AREA! Remember that  is not  always a consideration for the choices they make, when they buy plants to offer you. And  add to this  the fact that WHERE THE PLANT WAS GROWN BEFORE YOU BOUGHT IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH HOW HARDY IT IS. If it came from a temperate state and you are in the north, watch out this winter! That is why I am proud to offer the plant varieties I do, selected for their hardy adaptability, propagated here from cuttings or local native seed, grown at 6300 foot elevation and shipped directly to you. Gary