[Cross-posted at
My Left Wing]
Good morning, and may your wallet match your wants and needs. Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, shopping edition!
Looking out the window, I see the remains of Thursday's snow. Yes, finally, a storm that didn't miss us. Thanking the gods and goddesses for moisture. For weeks a storm would come into the Rockies, the forecasters would say Denver would get at least a couple of inches and then... nada. This week a storm came into the mountains, the forecasters said Denver would get, at best, a light dusting and then... we got about 5 inches at my house. As is usual here, the snow will only remain on the ground for a couple of days, as temperatures head back into the 50's. That's the wonderful thing about Denver -- you get the joy of snow, but then it goes away before it becomes an unwanted houseguest.
And now, on to the main event, recommendations for places to get plants, seeds, supplies and tools. Thanks to all who have sent e-mails for inclusion in today's garden blogging.
From mem from Somerville:
Tree Peonies
I became addicted to Tree Peonies long before I had a home to garden! In grad school one weekend we happened upon an open house for the Linwood Gardens, near Rochester NY. It is a lovely older manse, and they open for a couple of weekends during blooming to let visitors see the amazing and diverse tree peony collection.
If they could live so happily in Rochester, I figured they would be fine in my Boston area home. When I finally had a place for them, I began to collect. The first ones were from a local garden store (Mahoney's). Here is my white one--my hand is there for scale; these flowers are as big as my head, simply amazing to look at. This beauty, in my front yard, garners praise from passers-by every year. To give you a sense of the plant size, see my pink one below. This is now 4 years since my purchase and planting, and it is about 2 1/2 feet tall.
You buy tree peonies as several-year-old plants already. Seeds are really not practical, as they take years (I have read 7 years) before you might hope to get a flower. They are woody, and are not cut back to the ground each year. They can grow to 4 to 6 feet tall--and be just as wide, and can be covered with dozens of really large blooms. Blooming dates can vary by type. The white and pink ones bloom for me in mid-May, the others are supposed to be later than that, but I'll have to see this year what "mid" really means (the supplier calls them early, mid, and late--but doesn't define that). Need full to partial sun, and good drainage. In colder zones you may need to wrap them in some burlap over winter; so far I haven't had to. But my yard is kind of protected. More details from the Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the suppliers have good info as well.
Tree Peony Providers
I have purchased from Klehm's Song Sparrow , and the two I got (Alhambra, my yellow one shown here, first year in my yard), and Burgundy Wine (not shown, I don't have a good shot of this dark flower) were terrific--well packaged and healthy. Someone also recommended Cricket Hill Garden to me, but I have not purchased from them personally. The Linwood site also has some other suppliers listed.
These are not cheap, but keep in mind that you will enjoy them year after year after year. They require very little care.
Hi from chantedor!
I figured I'd better do this right away or I'm going to forget about it, as I have a couple of six-day work weeks in front of me (including today, once I get cracking).
Here are my favorite seed companies, plus a couple other garden-related companies whose products I've used and loved for about a decade now. I won't list Pinetree, as you posted that one a couple weeks ago and I'm sure you're going to include it.
Territorial Seed Company
One of my favorites for a wide variety of great flowers and vegetables. Has an organic section. Territorial Seed
Thompson & Morgan
This company has some really interesting and exotic flowers that no one else carries, as well as veggies and other plants. Thompson & Morgan
Cook's Garden
Great culinary vegetables and herbs, with a wide variety of mesclun mixes; berries and grapes; and some flowers. Organic section. Cook's Garden
Gardens Alive!
Environmentally responsible pest control, plant and soil care (fertilizers, etc.). I've had excellent results from many of their products. Garden's Alive [Frankenoid's note: I love Gardens Alive. If you have bug problems, I highly recommend trying the beneficial nematodes. They attack the grub stage of many nasty pests -- last year's application seems to have gone a long way in eliminating my narcissus fly problem]
Gardener's Supply Company
My favorite all-around company for garden supplies. Their APS system gave me amazing results, with seedlings way more vigorous, huge, lush, and sturdy than the ones I tested against them in regular flats. Good bird stuff too. Gardener's Supply Company
Victory Seeds
They offer open-pollinated and heirloom varieties. Also have good, inexpensive wildflower mixes for different regions of the country. Victory Seeds
From GW Chimpzilla:
My favorite is Forest Farm. They specialize in Western native plants and trees, thought they do have a big selection of crepe myrtles. Forest Farm
From mirrim:
I've only got one favorite site/catalog for gardening: Gardener's Supply
Company, in Vermont: Gardener's Supply Company. They're mostly for equipment and supplies, but they're a great source for everything in that list, especially if you're gardening organically (or trying): compost starters, biological pest controls, fertilizers, seed starting mix and potting soil. They always have an eclectic collection of "stuff" for decorating a garden. They have things like clogs, and pruners that fit my itty-bitty hands. And their "hold music" when you call them is bird songs!
Reminds me...I've got to get organized and order starter flats for seeds this year...
From Milly Watt
I'm a fan of local and independent businesses, so I love Niche Gardens. But you don't have to be local -- they have a mail-order catalog and a website: Niche Gardens
It's a nursery that specializes in native perennials, trees, shrubs, and hard-to-find plants. They are very good at classifying plants (e.g. native, fragrant, drought-tolerant). If one can physically go there (outside of Chapel Hill, NC), they have separate areas for sun and shade plants. I have to buy all shade-loving plants for our place, but I enjoy wistfully walking through the sunny plants to appreciate all the colorful stuff I can't grow. They also have a great display garden with fun "yard art".
From Mnemosyne
Here's a nomination: Fedco Seeds
Trees, tubers, bulbs as well as seeds, all very cold-hardy.
And, now, from me (who can spend hundreds, nay, thousands of dollars on gardening stuff if I don't watch it):
For tools and the like, I like Lee Valley. Often you'll find gardening tools there before anywhere else, and at a better price; some are innovative and unique to Lee Valley. I particularly love my Water Powered Weeder. Also has cooking supplies, woodworking tools, and general hardware. It's like a huge hardware store where you can pick up a little bit of everything.
For flower seeds, my first stop is always Select Seeds. Wonderful collection of antique garden varieties (perfect for Our Old House). I particularly like the organization of the catalog: you can browse by category, so if you're looking for vines, or fragrant flowers, they're easy to find.
Next stop for flower seed is Renee's Garden. When Shepherd's Garden Seed sold to Whiteflower Farms (and, IMO, went straight to shit -- we used to buy all our vegetable seed from Shepherd's; I note that Whiteflower Farms isn't offering veggie seed anymore). I've not ordered veggie seeds from Renee's; just flower seed.
For veggie seed, I usually go first to Pinetree Garden Seeds. Why, you may ask? Because they stock Sugar Lace snap peas, zucchetta, and Lancelot bi-color sweet corn, all standards in our garden.
There are three places I go for bulbs and tubers. For fall-planted bulbs, which I plant in huge quantities, I get the most bang-for-the-buck from Van Engelen. They sell in large lots -- so you have to buy 25 hyacinth, or 100 narcissus, bulbs at a time. They are also where I found super-huge hyacinth bulbs for forcing; if you want to try it next year, order early, because they sold out quickly.
For smaller lots of bulbs, Van Engelen's retail branch, John Scheeper's is good. Also carries flower and vegetable seed.
I usually order dahlias from Dutch Gardens; also a good source for smaller lots of fall-planted bulbs. The quality of their plants is consistently superb -- last year I ordered the etain viola, and they were stunning. This year I'm going to try fragrant begonias.
For local shopping, I go three places: Paulino Gardens, City Floral (sorry, no on-line ordering), and for weird tools and garden totchkes, Birdsall & Co. (going to drag Mr. Frankenoid down there to look at the water features they have. I want one. Bad).
So there we have it folks -- are you ready to go shopping?