Pants from WI much better offerings at least appearance wise.

I like you selections from OH. Pinus Koreansis 'Anna' is the only decent one out of the bunch that doesn't look like its been run over. Bet you don't order from them again.

Picea pungens 'Gebelle's Golden Spring'
-" Top growth D, major crook in main stem, a lateral was used as the leader." Yep, when that is the case it takes a little longer to get them headed the right way.

Dave

Even if you didn't give the states, I could immediately tell which companies your plants are from: Girard's and Klehm's Song Sparrow.

I always am very pleased with my purchases from Klehm's Song Sparrow. They send large, robust plants that are very inexpensive for what you get. You would pay double their price at a local garden center.
On the other hand, I am done ordering from Girard's. In my experience they send very poor quality plants with deformed top growth and small root systems. It's as if they are grown in a tiny dark box- not out in the open.

I'm very excited to get my Klehm's order next week!
-Matt

Not bad looking orders really. I know the second source offers quite rare and sometimes exclusive conifers. To this you usually pay a premium but also they offer nice sized 2-4 year old specimens.

The first order is from a company that offers cheaper prices and thus you get less 'care' to each conifer then the usual $30-40 a plant.

As to whether or not you use mail-order, it basically comes down to your accessible plants and what you *want*. If you want the rarest and newest finds, you're usually required to buy them online. Personally I wouldn't be too disappointed, as long as they are healthy. Most little conifers can be straightened out in time and small branching issues may fix themselves as well. Thanks for taking the time, Will.

The dog looks extremely concerned about your obsession with tiny pine trees.

Thanks for posting these. It's good to see what one can expect from Song Sparrow, as I might buy some stuff for fall planting from them later in the year. The Blue Magoo and the Daisy White look exceptionally nice. As far as the Gebelle's Golden Spring goes, I noticed that's one of their best sellers, wonder if maybe they've already moved their better stock on that one.

Later in the week I'll have some packages from Bloom River, Eastfork, and an auction site vendor to show everyone.

You've made some great choices. It's going to be fun watching this all come together for you this year.
Cher

All, thanks for the comments so far!

davidrt28 says...
The dog looks extremely concerned about your obsession with tiny pine trees.

Lol, she has been my gardening buddy for the last four years (she chases down ground hogs, cats, deers and rabbits!). She is concerned at how root bound this little guy was!

Looks like your dog thinks your nuts for taking pictures of some roots! I wonder what he thinks about this weather? 43F yesterday for a high!

Where in Wisconsin was that nursery? Did you think about driving there?

I'm over on the west side of the state (LaCrosse) and I drive to Jungs in Madison, but that is more for my fruit trees.

Hey Frank,
Klehm's is in Avalon, WI and is not open to the public. It is only a mail order company.

OH nursery was quick to resolve the issue and already shipped replacement plants yesterday with no questions asked. I'll post pics when receieved.

Waiting on a response from the WI nursery regarding the Gebelle's Golden Spring.

There's mail order and then there's mail order...I must say that the plants I received from Porterhowse Farms, Coenosium Gardens and Fantastic Plants all looked good and were healthy when they arrived; they were well packed and there was no damage in shipping. None of them were root bound, either.

I'm sorry Girard's didn't do as well for you - I can't believe they actually chose an already damaged Ginkgo biloba and then shipped it to you!- but at least they are going to replace the trees, hopefully with better specimens.

Like Matt, I am happy to see that your trees from Klehm's (except for the Picea pungens,) look quite nice, as I am expecting an order from them, too. I hope that they will replace your 'Gebelle's Golden Spring' without any fuss.

Holly

Klehm's does open it's doors for one or two plant society trips. A master gardener in my garden club is excited to go up there every year through either being an Olbrich member or the Hardy Plant Society. I can't remember which.

I'm hoping to get one or two of their conifers this weekend at the Olbrich Plant Sale. Last year I picked up a Picea glauca 'Elf' there. The prices were a few dollars more than their website but it is worth it because there is no shipping cost.

How were the replacements from Ohio? I might order Pinus strobus 'Torulosa' from them + a few other ground covers. I'm just afraid I might get something that's at a 90 degree angle as well. They are cheaper though, which is nice. None of them looks like they are staked unless you took the stakes out.

As far as being pot bound, I think nearly everything is now-a-days. I think the only time I didn't get a root bound plant was when I ordered from a particular ebay merchant.

Perfect, the Pinus densiflora 'Golden Ghost' was a little pot bound but at least it had nice top growth.
Its tough to ignore them as they have top notch pricing and free shipping. I'm going to see how this order goes...I have 8 plants on order.

I also have 6 plants on order from an ebay merchant. Dirt cheap...I'm very curious to see what I get. They had great feedback.

ebay guy might have great feedback on his site..

but i recall a lot of complaints on GW about his stuff.. mostly.. if i recall properly .. wrongly named ... mislabeled ...

ken

Sounds good, since they sent replacements it sounds like a reputable place. A lot of mail order nurseries I'm finding (especially on ebay) are wanting you to send the $15 damadged plant back and they will send a replacement. By the time you pay to send the plant back you'll be out the $15 anyhow.

The ebay merchant, is it ebay merchant Michxxx? I'll be placing my order with him in the next few weeks. They are just liners which is why he's so cheap. He does have a couple plants I cant find anywhere else, so I'll give it a shot.

There are quite a few on ebay...I don't know of the one you mentioned above.

This particular one's feedback is ebay feedback. If they drop the ball I could leave 6 negatives. They can then say good bye to their ID and start all over again.

Yes they ship replacments quite promptly. They actually didn't respond to my email. The plants just arrived a few days later. I felt pretty confident they wouldn't push back with the pics I had.

Glad to hear, keep us posted on the new arivals. I'm always fasinated in seeing the new ones before they spend years in the ground. Plus I'm always looking for new places to purchase from without spending a fortune.

I've never seen a small 'Blue Magoo', only a picture of the larger one that you've probably seen posted everywhere online.

Thats hilarous that you mention that of 'Blue Magoo' because I was just searching for mature specimans so I could see how they look. I have a spot I'm eyeing up for its new home. There is only that one pic that is everywhere, nothing else except for babies like mine.

Right now all my baby mail order plants are planted in one bed together waiting for permanent homes in spring.