I'm preparing my front garden in the house I just moved into so that I can plant shrubs and other perennials and annuals. What I've chosen for the foundation shrubs is Flaming Silver Pieris japonica Japanese Andromeda Shrub....though it apparently is also called a variety of other names....or so the internet tells me. I've gone to or called every nursery around where I live, and no-one stocks them. I spoke to a lovely lady from the nursery closest to me, who is the buyer there, and she told me for her personal needs, separate from buying for the nursery she works for, that she often orders her plants online to plant in her own garden, that she's had very good success with doing it that way when she can't find what she's looking for locally. Though I routinely order things online, and once I started this garden project I've used the net extensively for research, but I honestly never thought of ordering plants through the net! The closest I've ever come to that is a flower or live plant delivery as a gift. Do you all sometimes order your plants online? How does that work out?
I order all my fruit trees online/mailorder. I ordered paw paws last fall and just got them yesterday. I have never had my trees come dead/damaged.
Oh, OK. Well that makes me feel better. If even one of you do it with success, then I know it can be done! I just had the boxwood shrubs removed from the front of my house that I moved to just before Christmas. Pretty sure they were planted when the house was originally built about 17 years ago, and it doesn't look like whoever lived here before me was much of a gardener so I don't think they took very good care of the soil. Not that I'm much of a gardener either, I'm very new at this! But I'm trying. A friend whose garden is absolutely gorgeous....lush and verdant with many flower and shrub varieties all of which look fabulously healthy, told me what she uses to condition her soil....equal parts garden or potting soil, Black cow manure, and humus. She mixes it all together and then digs it in. She uses this mixture for all her deck pots (her deck looks like a plant shop by the time she's done!) and also for the annuals she plants every year. Anyway, she suggested I amend my soil the same way after having the boxwoods removed. Knowing nothing about the subject, I have no way of knowing if it's a good plan, other than seeing the obviously wonderful results in her garden. What do you all think?
I think her amendment plan is a good one... and if you've seen the results... then go with her suggestions. As far as ordering plants online, I've ordered a few things. I was worried at first too about them being all mangled by the post office tossing them about... but they came perfectly packed and looked just as good as if you bought them in the nursery. But... you are going to want to order from a reputable place. I posted here asking if anyone had suggestions on who to use and more importantly, on who NOT to use. Here's the link to that discussion. http://www.gardenstew.com/viewtopic.php ... ing+online Good luck on finding your plant!
Well, I've thoroughly confused myself. I managed to post about soil help on this thread, and also started a new thread about it! I have so many threads going I'm not sure which end is up anymore! Sorry y'all, I just have SO many questions! And you wonderful people seem to have all the answers! Cherylad, thanks for the response, and your reassurances about ordering online set my mind at rest too. I especially appreciate the link, which I will devour in great detail once I get more coffee.
Ronni, the mix for improving your soil is a good one. Composted cow manure won't/can't burn plants so it is the perfect fertilizer for new gardeners to use. The humus will add "tilth" to your soil, making it lighter and easier for roots to penetrate. And compost is the best thing you can do for soil--there just isn't anything bad about it! You may want to start your own compost pile. Sounds as if you are going about improving your yard in a very logical, well-thought-out way. Congratulations!
I order online most often for Fall delivery. Fall is the best time of the year to get new plants in the ground. If you get plants in the ground 4-6 weeks before first frost the roots have time to get established, they continue to grow through the winter and come back like 'gang busters' in the Spring. (Anyone remember that old TV program ) When I order for Spring planting I have to make sure their delivery date for my area is reasonable. Our heat sets in usually in early May so if plants don't get established at least 4 weeks before the heat hits then they aren't likely to make it much past the middle of June. A few places don't ship to my area until late April/mid May because they have me in zone 7...haven't been zone 7 for many years I am zone 8a and it makes a big difference in delivery times. If you order seeds, pay close attention to their postage charges. I had a wish list all ready to order from one company last Fall until I realized that for 6 packets of seeds (that would fit into a small brown envelope and cost no more than $1.00 in stamps) they were going to charge almost $10.00 for postage.....ain't happening!! Last year I found a new online site to order from... http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com. The plants come securely packaged, they have a great replacement policy if it's ever needed, they will let you know if a substitute needs to be made for a plant because the quality of the one you ordered wasn't up to standards, the shipping rate is reasonable and most of the plants are all $5.99. The plants I got this spring are beautifully healthy and large and getting well established in the garden. High Country Gardens, one of my favorites, has had financial problems because of the drought that has affected their nursery 6 of the last 10 years and had to sell out to American Meadow. I don't know about their reputation yet.
