Bluestone is always reliable. And you can check nurseries with Garden Watchdog.

https://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/ 

I agree with Cecily -- buy from a local nursery if you can. At least check out the local selection first to see what's available; if there's something in particular you really want and can't find it locally, then go the mail-order route.

MXK3 - But don't you find that more often than not, local nurseries are bringing in plants from a national grower and they're not really "locally grown"?

Depends on the nursery -- many in my area do sell stock that they propagate themselves and/or purchase from regional/state growers. Regardless, you can get a LOT more plant for your money when buying locally than thru mail-order -- I get get quart or gallon-size perennials for the same money as a one or two tiny 4" pots, and I can choose my own plants. Shrubs? Why would I pay $$$ for something that amounts to a stick with a couple branches when I can get a huge, full, well-rooted specimen locally for a similar price? Not to mention, it's vitally important to support local independents, or else they won't be around.

That said, not everything is available locally. I'm blessed to live in an area where I can find most things I'm looking for if I know where to look and am willing to do a bit of driving -- we have some terrific independent nurseries here in Michigan. Even so, there are times I need to mail-order things -- but that's pretty rare.

Even so, there are times I need to mail-order things -- but that's pretty rare.

==>>> thats the key ... if you just want common fillers.. buy them local.. if you want the rare.. smack you upside the head stuff ... pay for it ... but then.. a lot of that stuff just dies... lol.. thats why its rare ... either propagation is low odds ... or wintering over is low odds ...

can you even define at this point what you want??? .. tall.. to offset the lower hosta.. ground cover.. etc .... that might be a better starting point ...

ken

"But don't you find that more often than not, local nurseries are bringing in plants from a national grower and they're not really "locally grown"?"

Rarely can you find a "national" grower of perennials!! In fact, it is rare to find a national grower/supplier of trees and shrubs. Monrovia is the only wholesale grower I am aware of that can service the entire country, but even they do that from several regional bases across the country. And they focus on woodies although do offer a limited perennial selection as well.

In a former life I was a buyer for a couple of nurseries and I sourced all my perennials locally. Sometimes the grower was within a few miles....other times a state or two away. For another short while I was a sales rep for local wholesale grower and our sales territory was limited to within the state or immediately bordering communities.

Whether the plants are 'locally grown' or not is really not the issue.....but the shopping is :-) Shopping locally provides you with larger plants than you can get from mail order for a similar price, you can confirm they are in good condition and you will support local independent garden centers, which are on the edge of becoming extinct in some parts of the country.

And you always have the option of mail order in reserve for anything less common or not carried locally.

Here are some perennials I grew with my hosta:

Fragrant Solomon's seal, Polygonatum odoratum
False forget-me-not, which is also called Brunnera or sometimes bugloss, Brunnera macrophylla
Heuchera in many colorful iterations.
Tiarella, which is also called foamflower
Lily of the valley
Sweet woodruff
Ajuga, comes in several flower shades and leaf colors
Bleeding hearts, which are exceptional with hosta because the hosta leaves when in full flush can hide the dying out leaves of the bleeding heart, and they pop up in spring over the hostas and look stunning
Columbine--I prefer the native red ones

There are other options but these are the ones that have worked most consistently for me. Oh yes, and some ferns if you like those . . . I've never had much luck getting them established, but that is a case of needing to have the right conditions. One fern I have never tried but always wanted to is Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum.

Oops I forgot to add the "wild" geraniums of which there are plenty of types, but they are the single-flowered perennial version of the plant. I've ordered ones from Bluestone before, they were very nice.

"...if you just want common fillers.. buy them local."

What is your definition of "common"? To me "common" = readily available at big boxes, can find at any nursery and pretty much every house in the area has it.

I have all sorts of easily locate-able locally plants that are not "common" by the above definition -- no need to spend $$$ on mail-order.

The local nurseries usually stock items that will be successful in your area - they want your repeat business. So that would be my number one also. Do inspect carefully the health of the plant. That being said, I often can't wait for the stock to come in and so I order early. Blue Stone has sent the wrong plant one to many times for me so I now stick to places like In the Country where I have always gotten small but nice plants that do well for me. They are zone 5 and I am 4 so I have to do my research and make sure I am buying a plant hardy to zone 4. I also order for specialty nurseries - for that collector in me. This year it was epimediums from Garden Vision Epimediums. Again, I have to do my research to make sure what I am buying has a chance.

Just make sure that anything you buy has not been treated with neonicontinoids (neonics). You will need to ask and possibly research the growers to be sure.

Why do you have to watch for that, Cyn, is that common, that plants are treated with that? I do try to buy organically grown seedlings, but this year I bought a few plants. I will have to ask those companies I ordered from. This year I"m starting a lot of things from seed.

Thanks to everyone for all the information. The reason I am looking to buy online is I am wanting specific plants, for instance Heuchera Fire Alarm or one of the Lime Heucheras.......as I am trying to compliment specific areas of my hosta groupings. I have no idea whether the local nursery or Lowe’s is going to have what I am looking for. So I thought online assures me the plant I am looking for and also, I think the plant has a better choice of being healthy. That’s where I am at.

debra

"So I thought online assures me the plant I am looking for and also, I think the plant has a better choice of being healthy."

On-line gives you no guarantee of a plant being healthy. I would argue you're better off buying in person to ensure what you're buying is free from pests and diseases and is well-rooted, healthy stock -- you get to inspect it before you buy it. Any reputable nursery will stand behind its stock but still -- assuming you have a better chance at getting a healthy plant from an on-line source is false thinking.

Re: lime heucheras: I've always loved "Citronelle". Here they are in a bed at my old house:

Prairiemoon, this is from Beyond Pesticides. Of note is that many growers treat seed with neonics and the poison transfer to the pollen and nectar, that one treated seed can kill a songbird, and that, like so many other pesticides, they treaten our waterways. Recent bans in Europe attest to the growing concerns surrounding pesticide use and honeybee decline. EPA had identified over 70 pesticides that are highly toxic to bees. Here are the main classes of pesticides that have been linked with bee losses and pollinator decline. Many nurseries use seeds or buy plants from treated seeds to sell us for our gardens and then we unknowingly kill our pollinators. Here is part of the article. I will link the webpage.

"Neonicotinoids
Neonicotinoids (neonics) are a class of insecticides that share a common mode of action that affects the central nervous system of insects, resulting in paralysis and death. Studies show that neonicotinoid residues accumulate in pollen and nectar of treated plants and represent a potential risk to pollinators. AS a result of this and their pervasive use, there is a major concern that neonics play a major contributing role in pollinator declines.

Neonicotinoids are also persistent in the environment, and when used as seed treatments, translocate to residues in pollen and nectar of treated plants. A little as one seed is enough to kill a songbird. These pesticides also contaminate waterways and are highly toxic to aquatic organisms.

The case of the neonicotinoids exemplifies two critical problems with current registration procedures and risk assessment methods for pesticides: the reliance on industry-funded science that contradicts peer-reviewed studies and the insufficiency of current risk assessment procedures to account for sublethal effects of pesticides"

Beyond Pesticides.org

Cyn, thanks for the link and the explanation. So, if I am buying seed from organic sources, then I should be okay, right? FEDCO, Baker Heirloom Seeds, Seed Savers, etc. It's when you buy from nurseries who provide 6 packs of plants in the spring that you have to be concerned, right? Well, I have at least a half dozen nurseries that I sometimes buy 6 packs from, one that offers organic, and I'm going to call them all this week and ask them if they are certain they are not buying seed from suppliers that use this. Thanks!

Debra- Minor’s carries Fire Alarm as well as Lime Marmalade and Twist of Lime. You may also want to check with Shady Acres in New Berlin (open only seasonally so may not answer the phone now) and if you go there also check out Prospect Hill Garden Center.

tj

I don't know where you live, but if you are within 100 miles, it is well worth a pilgrimage to Well Sweep Herb Farm in New Jersey. They do some mail order and have many varieties of heucheras. That's where I used to get mine when I lived in nearby PA. The show gardens are lovely!
https://wellsweep.com/catalog/

I just remembered two others that are stunning. Native goat's beard, which is way more lovely than it sounds . . . the species is tall but they also breed small dwarf varieties. Only color of flowers is white though. And similarly, astilbe, which has any number of beautiful colors. It's one of the few things that looks spectacular in dry shade. Both perennial flowers are feathery plumes of color. Goat's beard does OK in dry shade but it prefers moist soil, even occasionally wet. If it's really dry, it won't shine like astilbe will in those conditions.

Bee balm and some of the other plants in the mint family can tolerate partial shade and still bloom a bit. In full shade they will grow but not put on the spectacular flower show they are known for.