Fun (successful!) shopping expedition today :-)

9 years ago

DH and I went to a wholesale nursery that also sells retail ($5.99 for 1 gal. pots). It's out in the country so lots of weed seeds blowing around - you usually have to remove a weed or two from the pots! Also, since they propagate the plants there, depending on the plant and the time of year, some of them are not well rooted yet, so you need to pay attention to what you're buying. For instance, they had just brought the mums out from the potting shed this morning so the plants are still very small as they have just been transplanted from the rooted cutting stage. I'm debating whether to grow them on for a bit in the pots or plant them in the ground now. I'm leaning towards planting them as we had almost 1" of rain last night and the weather is supposed to be relatively cool for the next few days with a chance of rain each day. Since all the mums will be going into the driveway borders, it should be easy to keep them watered.

In the cart are:
- 'Magnum' heuchera (see other thread)
- 2 'Blackout' heucheras
- 'Red October' hosta - very cute red stems!
- 'Gray Cole' hosta - our little poodle is named Cole and his coat is black with some areas of gray mixed in - I couldn't resist this hosta!
-'Dark Pink Mammoth mum
- 2 'Dreamweaver' mums
- 'Tigertail' mum
- Red Mammoth mum

The non-Mammoth mums appear to be bred in Manitoba and are supposed to be very hardy. Looking at images of the Mammoth ones on the Internet made me unsure if I'd like the dense-dome effect that appears in quite a few of the pictures. So I decided to just try a few to see how they compare to the more usual look of the mums. The color of the Red Mammoth also varies a lot in pictures and the size of the year 2 plant worries me a bit re placement. So I thought I'd pot that one up, overwinter it in the garage, and wait until next year to asses were it should be placed.

Now I need the weather to cooperate for the next few days....

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Comments (11)

lilsprout
9 years ago
I shopped today too but didn't have nearly as much fun as you lol. Looks like you did good!

I'd be planting away with that weather.....
green_go (Canada, Ontario, z 5a)
9 years ago
Good for you!
I had fun shopping too today: got 4 clematises in Canadian Tire for $3.99 each.
Bought 2 Ã¢ÂÂArabellaÃ¢ÂÂ (after reading all rave reviews decided I need two), 1 Ã¢ÂÂThe PresidentÃ¢ÂÂ and 1 Ã¢ÂÂJackmanii SuperbaÃ¢ÂÂ.
May go again tomorrow and pick Ã¢ÂÂPolish SpiritÃ¢ÂÂ - I was not sure about it, but after reading reviews, decided I probably need one. And Ã¢ÂÂRamonaÃ¢ÂÂ too :)
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a2zmom_Z6_NJ
9 years ago
5.99 for gallon pots. Man, I am jealous.

I'm done planting for the year. Everything I want is on the list for next year.
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
Original Author
9 years ago
We planted everything this morning - and it rained for three hours, beginning around noon, so they're well watered in! After planting everything, I realized I need another couple of dark heucheras to fill in under the Chinese wisteria tree. It's not worth another trip up to that nursery so I'll probably look for them locally - although they'll likely cost 2-3x as much, and probably be smaller too!

green go - I've been disappointed at what Canadian Tire has stocked this year - although I've noticed that they've had a generally good selection of clematises in the past couple of years! They must have a buyer with a clematis obsession:-) but the rest of their stock has been disappointing - they used to be good at carrying a nice selection of perennials in smaller pots. I'll have to have another look around the local stores to see what clematises are left... Thanks for the 'heads up' on that.
FrozeBudd_z3/4
9 years ago
'Tigertail' mum is very nice and indeed hardy and very early flowering, mine is already budding up.
pam_whitbyon
9 years ago
Is that nursery Van der Meer, in Ajax? It sort of looks like that. One of my favourite places but too far away for me now.
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
Original Author
9 years ago
No, it's Northland Nursery north of Hamilton on Hwy 6 - see link. What are your favorite nurseries/garden centres in Niagara? We go down the Vineland Nursery every now and then.

Here is a link that might be useful: Northland Nursery
mxk3 z5b_MI
9 years ago
Nice haul!
pam_whitbyon
9 years ago
Woody, I;m embarrassed to say I haven't properly explored all the nurseries in this area since I moved here. Initially I found the prices so much higher here in Fort Erie, that I decided to stick to just buying plants at Vandermeer each time I went back to visit family. I'd come back with $200 with at a time, a van stuffed full of plants and I calculated the same stuff down here would have cost me well over $500.

My gardening budget has been much smaller since moving and doing less work - so I do a lot more plant swapping with neighbours and propagating my own. Ironic really, since this is the biggest yard I've ever had. I haven't quite progressed to that vision in my head when we bought the place. lol. Not even close.
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
Original Author
9 years ago
Pam - I'm sure there must be some less expensive places down there - any avid gardeners in your neighbourhood who could tell you where they are? That's how I heard about Northland years ago. How much space do you have there? Niagara is an attractive area to consider moving to - but I worry about water quality given the relatively high use of agricultural chemicals on fruit trees and grape vines. Are you on a well? If so, did you test for water quality? I'd do that before buying any property there. I really like the little town of Jordan. If we ever considered Niagara as a place to live, that's probably where I'd start looking.
pam_whitbyon
9 years ago
Woody, I drool whenever I go to Jordan. Jordan Station is where you can see the salmon jumping around. It's a gorgeous area. We're way down in Fort Erie just across from Buffalo. I had the water tested (for drinking) and it passed with flying colours..

Yes I'll certainly try and make the effort to look at the local greenhouses. I know they're also suppliers for a lot of S. Ont nurseries so it only makes sense. I should be doing nothing but drinking wine, eating peaches and growing vast amounts of flowers...