With tens of thousands of plants to choose from, finding new plants for your garden can be a challenge. Instead of using the trial and error method, use these strategies and become a savvy buyer.
1. Buy locally
Make friends in a local nursery, because local producers are valuable sources of information about plants gardening centers and issues specific to your area.
- The best nurseries not only provide plants but also good advice from experts whose subsistence depends on the cultivation of quality plants developing under local conditions.
2. Get up early
Find out when the nursery receives its plants from wholesalers; It is often Thursday or Friday, in preparation for the influx of the weekend.
- Shop these special days to have a better selection of plants.
3. Buy Wholesale
Reductions are often available on certain quantities of the same plant.
- If you are planning a large installation, such as a hedge, buy all plants at once and not as you go.
- You can get a discount and you will be assured that all plants will match.
4. Use specialists
In addition to the large-scale general nurseries that store everything from magnolias to magnets, shop at specialty producers who restrict their activity to a few types of plants, such as daylilies, roses or fruit trees.
- They are more likely to grow exceptional and rare varieties that you will not find elsewhere.
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5. Special services
Many nurseries offer landscaping services with their plants.
- For example, you can buy a large tree, but need help to plant it.
- Many nurseries have the special equipment needed to make your big planting projects a success.
6. Check the warranties
Plant replacement policies do not survive depending on the nursery, so inquire before buying.
- Some producers will replace a plant free, while others will charge a percentage of the cost of the plant.
- There is usually a time limit; this can vary from six months to a year.
- Always keep receipts to validate your purchases, especially when buying expensive plants.
7. Inspect plants and ask questions
- Examine the plants carefully to detect any signs of parasites, diseases or weaknesses.
- Ask growers how the plants have been sown and grown and what conditions they will need.
- If the height and seed are not shown on a label, ask about the size of the plant maturity. A nice little shrub pruned in the window of a nursery can turn into a real monster.
8. Buy your flowers before they bloom
The lilies in flowerpots are beautiful, but they will finish their flowering in a few weeks, and you will have to wait a year to see again its flowers.
- It is best to buy perennial flowering shrubs and even orchids in the bud before they bloom.
9. Check roots
The roots of a plant are a good indicator of the health and age of the plant.
- Gently pull out the pot and inspect the roots; they must be healthy, vigorous and evenly distributed throughout the earth.
- If they are wrapped dense at the bottom of the pot or they come out of the drainage hole, it means that the plant is cramped in the pot and has remained there too long. These roots usually have difficulty growing when they are integrated into the garden soil.
10. Release them
When you return home with your new purchases, unpack the plants quickly and put them at ease.
- Place them in the shade and let them take to the air; Water them if necessary.
- If you cannot plant them right away, place them in a sheltered place and keep them moist.
- Bury the largest potted plants in the soil, with the pot and everything. The roots will remain fresh and the plants will need less water.
- On cool nights, place sensitive plants warm in your basement or garage.
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