If you dont mind the drive, try Flower World in Maltby area. This nursery just seems to continue to improve over the years & has good selection & prices.

Note that you are both saying "seems". Work up a list of what particular items you want, then phone around and see how these specific items are priced at specific locations--paying attention to what SIZES (and later, quality if you start visiting and comparing) of each kind each place has.

I was at Flower World for hte first time this weekend; thought their prices were good; especially for trees and shrubs. The did have a good selection, definitly more then the big boxes. I was hoping they'd have some more uncommon annuals but really didn't see anything too unusual.
Better prices then Molbanks and really not much further out.

Cathie

It's an old, trite but nonetheless true concept that you get what you pay for.

As a buyer for a local retail nursery, I comparison shop constantly - how do my prices compare with my competition? I think you will find that most of the larger, better retail nurseries in the area (Swanson's, Sky, Wells Medina, Emery's, Molbak's) will have relatively similar pricing. We all buy from a similar selection of growers with similar costs, ergo differences in prices should be minimal, given the vagaries of profit margins, delivery and fuel surcharges, etc. I will say that wholesale plant costs this season have an across the board increase over last season that is rather significant - in some cases, as much as $.25 for a 3.5" pot upto $20 or more for larger trees. And without exception, wholesale suppliers have attached significant fuel surcharges to their orders which must be accounted for in some fashion by retailers, typically through higher pricing.

The seemingly higher costs of the plants offered by the better independents come with additional advantages that are not always available through the box stores and other mass marketers and are less tangible - higher quality plants that are better cared for, less common selections, more knowledgeable staffing, etc. There was a long thread on the Professional Gardening forum that addressed this very issue.

That being said, I often shop FlowerWorld myself. They do have a growing operation that most of the other independents do not have, which can and often does result in a lower cost plant, but no single nursery can offer the full range of plant selection through an in-house growing operation, so it tends to be just the basics. And they have a rather remarkable lack of staffing and customer service which doesn't bother me so much but can be off-putting for customers that do have questions or need help with selection.

I'd caution the suggestion to phone around for prices for a list of plants - at this time of year, nursery staff is incredibly busy and don't have the time to respond promptly (or even cordially) to a long list of plants you are price shopping. One or two is fine, but please limit your questions.

Thanks gardengal for that honest evaluation. Its nice to have the viewpoint of people who work within the industry. I think all of us plant nuts are a bit reluctant to say that any individual nursery is necessarily the "best" place to shop for plants. All nurseries have their strengths, and prices alone should not be the determining factor for where we shop. Quality, selection, customer service (and I include knowledge & expertise in this) are equally important. Beyond that, browsing & shopping at different nurseries is a singularly enjoyable pursuit for me, one which often informs as well as delights. See you at the nursery!

>I'd caution the suggestion to phone around for prices for a list of plants - at this time of year, nursery staff is incredibly busy and don't have the time to respond promptly (or even cordially) to a long list of plants you are price shopping. One or two is fine, but please limit your questions.Call at a slower time, like Monday morning, to avoid such difficulties. Otherwise: Are you kidding? What's next, a dress code?

If you don't stop wearing those pastel, polyester leisure suits, that might be necessary.

I just did a quick run through of a bunch of east King County Nurseries. I haven't been to Flower World, but I may make a trip up there sometime (I'm in the very southern tip of Issaquah). Molbak's, Grey Barn, Squak Mt. Nursery, and Hayes Nursery all had very similar prices and healthy stock. Wells Medina had the best tree selection by a lot. Some of their trees were very expensive, but they were a lot larger trees than the other four offered. I also hit the Issaquah Lowe's and Home Depot. The Home Depot stock was pretty lousy. Lowe's had just stocked for the Memorial Day weekend and their stock was in good shape. I went to McLendon's Hardware yesterday for grass seed and swung through the plants on the way out. I ended up buying a large cart full of herbs and shrubs. They had really healthy plants and a decent selection considering it's a hardware store.

I have a 1/2 acre to landscape and a tight budget, so I've come up with the following game plan. Anything really long term I purchase at an independent nursery. I bought five Japanese Maples from Molbak's. I got some beautiful shrubs at Squak Mt. Nursery. I bought some "can't go wrong" plants from McLendon's and Lowe's. I just ordered a bunch of perennials from bluestoneperennials.com for 50% off during their "end-of-the-season" sale. I've ordered from them in the past and had good luck. They don't have anything incredibly exciting, but sometimes it's easier to have the stuff come to your door than have to slog up and down the nursery aisles with your kids disappearing every few minutes!

The main problem I'm having is finding shrubs in smaller sizes. I can't afford single shrubs in the $20-40 range, but the 1 gal. sizes are very limited. Either they're snapped up immediately or the independents just don't bother to stock very many of them. I think the key is to be patient and make frequent trips to your favorite nurseries. Eventually, you'll get everything you need.

Once you have a general idea on how much you'll end up spending you should ask the nursery if they will give you a discount. I know that Molbak's used to give a discount on $1000. It might be higher now that the plants cost more.

Ron, it's obvious you haven't worked at a retail nursery recently, or at least one in a relatively urban environment. Staffing is very tight at most and experienced staff even more limited. Seasonal staff is relegated to more menial tasks as they typically aren't even knowledgeable enough to know a tree from a perennial, let alone look them up in a computerized inventory. It's hard enough to even get to a ringing phone in season, never mind answer an obviously general inquiry as to the cost of a long list of plants being price shopped for the cheapest deal. Experienced staff are working with those customers who are serious shoppers and took the time and effort to get off their butts and actually put in an appearance. The days of letting your finger to do the walking are long gone!

I love nurseries, but there is another kind that I have always frequented most. I'm talking about growers, who either propogate their own plants from cuttings and seeds, or buy small starts (liners?) and grow them out. Shopping at places like Colvos Creek and Cold Springs Nursery I am often buying plants that are not available in most retail nurseries. Many of the plants are in 1 gallon containers and do not have immediate street appeal. For $10-15 I may be getting a small but rare tree or woody shrub.

With patience they will become something significant, rare, and valuable in a few years. I've started many specimens tucking them away in a corner (in ground) for a few years until they were big enough to move to a permanent spot without being at risk for getting stepped on.

I'd rather have a small cheaper plant that is rare and special than a big common one. It's often surprising how quickly some plants grow. I have a 15 ft. tall Chilean Firebush in full bloom now that was a puny start in a 1 gallon pot. Also, a Firmiana Simplex (Chinese Parasol Tree) that is now about 7 ft. tall.

Even shopping at a regular retail reseller, you can save money by buying a 1 gallon plant instead of a 5 gallon size. The one gallon plant will often be 5 gallon size or bigger in one growing season.

I feel good about spending money at places where the staff are knowledgable and friendly, and stay away from Home Depot and the like.

You could try Angelo's Garden Center in Redmond. It's kind of a weird place--I have a feeling that they buy close-outs or odd lots or something. The selection is not very deep. They don't have many new cultivars and a lot of plants are tagged only as "Nandina" or "Boxwood" so it pays to be VERY knowledgeable or not very picky. The plants are often grown out of shape and the pots haven't been groomed. On the other hand, they have common plants in lots of sizes, so you can elect to buy the 1 , 2, or 5 gallon plant. Something is always on sale for a steep discount.

If you take your time and pull out a lot of plants to inspect and compare, I think you can find some decent plants at pretty good discounts. It's kind of like buying from the back of a truck.

Thanks for all the replies (I guess the Heronswood bad news got people to the boards...).

For the record, I took Gardengal48's advice (thanks for the detailed post) and did some limited calling around yesterday and got responses from the three places I called: Flower World, Molbak's, and Wells-Medina. I asked about their stock and prices on two basics: Vine maple and purple smoke bush. It's a little hard to compare over the phone b/c sizes are not well known, but as Eric notes, smaller plants become bigger ones in a season. The best prices seemed to be Flower World (vine maples starting at $39 and smoke bushes at $29, if my memory is correct - notes are at work).

I hadn't heard of Angelo's - sounds like a good adventure.

Thanks all for the replies!

sea_jen,

For Vine maple in particular, it is sometimes worth looking at individual specimens for outstanding form. Also, fall color tends to be variable, so fall is probably the optimal time for both selection and planting.

>>no single nursery can offer the full range of plant selection through an in-house growing operation, so it tends to be just the basics.

As fuel prices continue to increase and gardeners budgets get tighter, I think this is going to be the future of retail nurseries who hope to compete against the big box stores.

South Seattle Community College Garden Center.

Molbak's and Wells Medina I would classify in the upper end price range myself and look elsewhere first for the same plants at more affordable prices. Flower World is a bit more affordable but good plants can be found in the outlying areas much less costly.

Not that this helps you any, but I found a small nursery in Tillamook that has his trees way underpriced.
It pays to look around and poke your nose into small out of the way places.

I am a Flower World fan due to the consistent plant quality and comparatively reasonable prices. The selection is good but you won't find many unusual plants there (and sometimes they're sold out of things, last year it was blue fescue and smoke tree). It's also kind of on my way home from work, and my car just seems to go there sometimes.... Every once in a blue moon, I can find a non-root bound plant at a local big box store (!).

I belong to Molbak's E-club. I get 30% off a single item several times a year and even 20% off the entire purchase from time to time. They send you an email with a coupon to print.

I will probably get flamed mercilously, but I love Angelo's. It's like going to a garage sale. You never know what you'll find and the prices are great.

I picked up a very overgrown 1 gal wooly thyme from their "clearance" rack for $3 last year. After dividing and taking cuttings, it has turned into over 100 starts for my non-lawn.

A couple months ago, they had 2 gal Leyland Cypress for $20 each. I would have gotten more than two, but that's all I could get in the Miata (with the top down).

Another hit-or-miss place is Rosso's at the north end of Boeing Field/Georgetown. The place is pretty scruffy, the plants might look a little disheveled, but everything I've gotten there has been healthy and done well. If it's a slow day, the might even be open to haggling on prices if you are buying lots of plants.

Eric is also right: watch for the South Seattle Comm College plant sale. Bargains galore.

I have a Miata, too. Contrary to popular belief, you can get a lot of stuff in one! If you see a red one (top down, of course) with 8' 2x4s, etc., that's me. :-)

Keep track of your local garden club sales too. I got three barely sprouted Acer palmatum this spring for 75 cents, as they were all in the same pot. I also got two Stryax japonica for 75 cents each, less than six inches tall; but they'll grow. Perennial seeds are often easier to sprout than you'd think and are good if you have a tight budget. I have a bed of clove carnations I just planted out. I'm trying alstroemeria again this year, I think I planted them out a little too young last year, none made it through the winter. My dahlias are resprouting now, and are easy as pie to raise from seed.

Angelo's is kind of fun but it is tricky. I just had two begonias die for no apparent reason.
Still, it is so hard to resist their prices but after I lost the 6.00 plus dollars on the begonias, I wonder if this was such a good deal. No question. You get what you pay for.
One place I love is City People on Madison Av. I drive all the way from Bellevue to Seattle just to stop at my favorite nursery. They stock unusual stock (annual and perennials), plants are healthy and their staff is helful and well informed. Prices? No worse than any other nursery in the area. Hope it helps.