Oooh, what did you get?? :)

I bought some tried and true perennials, like Cat’s Pajamas nepeta, with which I am replacing Cat’s Meow; Cat’s Meow has been disappointing for me.

But I also purchased a new-to-me perennial, Pow Wow white echinacea. I already have Pow Wow Wild Berry, which has returned for me after two winters so far, when other ”fancy” echinacea have disappeared. I’m excited about the white one and hope it performs as well as Wild Berry!

I was in Ann Arbor last weekend, didn't even know Willow existed or I would have stopped in.

I had PW White at my other house. It was nice enough and floriferous, at least the first year or two -- I don't remember if it petered out or I moved and just forgot about it.

Oh man, mxk3, I hope if you forgot about it it’s not because the plant stopped performing! I wanted to try something other than shasta daisies; I have Becky and Daisy May in my backyard and wanted something different for the front. I hope to get them planted tomorrow.

Lovely picks @lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan!

There's a hardware store close by that has a great nursery. They're supposed to get a very large shipment of perennials tomorrow, I'm hoping to get my hands on a few new ones!

mazerolm, I’ve taken to trolling my local Home Depot a couple of times a week; they’ve had some beautiful perennials in stock this year, with the actual named cultivars listed on the tag, for half the price of some of the nurseries. Usually when they have salvia or nepeta, that’s what it says on the tag - “perennial salvia - full sun”, and it’s a mystery as to what you’re actually getting.

Good luck with your perennial search!

lovemycorgi - may I ask how much the pow wow's were? I live < 10 miles from there but have only been there once a long time ago. I looked at their website when you posted this and it's not very informative. I did find a wholesale/retail price list and their retail prices looked high to me, and showed only annuals as I recall.

I'd be interested in any comments you have on their perennial selection, either for this year or next! Thanks.

@ruth_mi, they were $21.99 each (2.75qt container), and then 40% off of that. The 40% off sale is any day the temp is over 90 degrees. Right now they have 30% off shrubs and perennials until June 26, I *think*.

Like most nurseries, some of their prices are high and some are low, it just depends on what you’re purchasing. I like that it’s family owned.

They have a large selection of native perennials also, and in previous years I’ve been able to find some unique perennials there, such as Culver’s Root Fascination, which I couldn’t find anywhere else.

It’s definitely worth a trip. :-)

Whaaaaat??? @ruth_mi, that price is insane, three for $10???!!! I’ll be checking them out next week for sure, I could always use a few more plants, and for that price, I’ll start a brand new garden bed!!! Thank you!!

lovemycorgi - they don't have a huge selection of plants, especially now that we're well into the season, but they usually have a decent selection, especially for the price. If there's something you particularly want, you can call them and ask if they have it and will bring it for you.

At the market you'll find them north of the little building on the premises where the master gardeners hang out.

@ruth_mi, just picked up three more PowWow white for $10 total. Thank you so much, what a deal! They also had Veronica Royal Candles (which I’ve long admired), but I just couldn’t think of anywhere in my garden I could tuck it. Stahl‘s definitely had the best prices, though there were good deals to be had all over the market. THANK YOU!!

Great - i was there this morning and wondered if you'd check them out today. I picked up a couple lavenders and a Russian sage, which probably won't grow well in my yard, but at their prices it will be a fun experiment.

lovemycorgi: I'm so glad you mentioned this place. I had a "lazy day" today so decided to drive down there -- glad I did! I was impressed with their selection of natives and also that they grouped them together so could make a bee-line right for that section if you want to, and they had a nice selection of perennials.

I came home with three "Marietta" veronica -- not a native, but I saw those deep purple blooms and fell in love. I've never found veronica I like as much as the tall, graceful "Lavender Charm" (aka Blue Charm) but I haven't seen that for sale in oh maybe 15-20 years. The "Marietta" is only a 2-footer but that's probably the best I can do. Now to make room for them... :0p Oh, I got 40%, so it came out to about $10 per plant after tax - not bad!

@porkchop_z5b_MI, wonderful!!! So glad you were able to check it out and leave with some pretties as well. I took advantage of the sale and purchased a pair of spigelia “Little Redhead”. There were some other plants availabe that I’m interested in also, but I’ve got to think about it a bit more.

I saw the Little Redhead on the table, they had a couple left and they were really nice specimens. I have enough spigella, though, so I passed.