Cindy, how big are the plants that they are selling? Are they old enough to flower?
Mary

They are in 3 1/2" pots, so not very big. This isn't a concern for me...I am building a new house and I am collecting plants for that yard. It will have time to grow before I actually plant them anyway.

I received three orientalis about three weeks ago. They were about 8-10" tall with new growth coming on. Since these were my first, I have no idea how old they might be, but I thought they looked great. I can't wait to see them bloom. Heck, I'll just be thrilled if they live in my clay soil.

The guys at the nursury said the leaves burn in the summer. I planted them in part sun/afternoon shade in front of hostas. Did I get it right? Does anybody grow them near me (northeast Arkansas, near Memphis)?

I grow hellebores in deep shade, light shade and bright shade - no direct sun. they like moist, fertile soil

how do i sign up for waydide garden

Here's a link to Wayside Gardens web site.

cindy

Here is a link that might be useful: Wayside Gardens

Sorry to be an "unhappy" customer, but they are the worst nursery I have ever ordered from. Their plants all died almost immediately and their seed is horrible! They argued with me about the plants and the fact that they overcharged me to begin with! Their hellebore they sent to me was only 2 years old (tiny) and very unhealthy. I ended up shipping everything back to them and never did get a credit as promised. Another arguement I would rather not deal with! I just know to never go back to them again. Worst plants, shipping, seeds and customer service!!! I'm glad you are happy with them Cindy, but I certainly have to send out my warning! :)

Cindy,

I think that you may possibly have Wayside Gardens confused with some other mail order nursery as they do not offer seed for sale, as you have suggested you purchased. Even though the general consensus here is that they are expensive, they have had a great reputation for customer service satisfaction and very healthy plant material. As far as myself personally, they have never asked for any plant in question to be returned to them and have always sent a replacement promptly... with never more than just one phone call to very courteous and helpful representative.

I could be wrong, of course, but I do think that you may be referring to another mail order company and not Wayside?

Good gardening to you,
Lily

Lily, I did not purchase seed, I purchased plants in 4" containers. The hellebores that I purchased were very healthy and thrived. The REST of my order was terrible! And it took over 4 months to get any satisifaction. I won;t order from them again, just because of the quality of the dormate bare rooted perennials that I was sent. They were molded and in terrible condition. They did finally make good on the plants, and I got a refund, but it took a long time. The hellebores were the only part of the order that I was satisified with.

cindy

Wayside and Parks are the same. I have experienced bad germination with Parks seed and have also gotten some crappy perennials from them. IMO the only redeeming thing is they have fabulous sales on roses....like $3-$5 each at times and may be work taking the risk.

I am very happy with all the plants I've ordered from Wayside and from Parks. They are all beautifully growing in my garden and the customer service has been great. Part of my spring order was 1 Gaillardia 'Burgundy' and 1 Gaillardia 'Tokajer' and when they bloomed they were both 'Tokajer,' so Wayside is sending me a free 'Burgundy' this fall.
I just ordered a 'Pine Knot Strain' hellebore from them for this fall. I can't wait to grow it. It'll be my very first hellebore.

I've had mixed results with Parks & Wayside. Usually I've had good luck with Parks seeds and both Parks & Wayside bulbs. I've had mixed results with larger plants (such as shrubs) from Parks & Wayside. Some were big and healthy and some left a lot to be desired, and some have been mislabelled. I ordered the "White by the Gate" camellia from them twice and received "Red by the Shed," and "Pink by the Porch." I've had uniformly bad results with potted perennials from both. The perennials have arrived almost or totally leafless, and sometimes slimey. Occasionally I've gotten nothing but what appeared to be a 3" pot of soil. I've given up ordering anything but seeds or bulbs from either unless there is NO alternative. Thanks goodness there's almost always an alternative.

I guess the best thing about Wayside/Parks is that they occasionally have plants that no one else offers for the USA. Quality can be variable, I think they rely too much on big coolers to hold their perennial and bulbs and if you make the mistake of ordering very late in the season, you may be disappointed. I try to order just as soon as the catalog arrives or the online sale email arrives.

I wonder if Wayside works better for those in zones 6 or less? I believe it's located outside of Rochester NY which is zone 5. Perhaps that has a bearing on how the plants survive in warmer climates (since the plants are used to cooler ones)?

Actually Parks and Wayside are the same company and both "divisions" are located in Greenwood/Hodges, SC which is Zone 7 or 8 depending on which map you're going by now. I know that very well since I was born in Greenwood while my parents were actually renting an apartment from old Mrs. Park (the one whose picture is in the catalogue.) I was born in March 1953 and she brought my mother a big bouquet of jonquils. There was no Wayside then, just Park's Seed.

"I guess the best thing about Wayside/Parks is that they occasionally have plants that no one else offers for the USA."

That may be true for areas of the country that don't have access to very many wholesale growers or specialty nurseries, but it certainly isn't true about anywhere on the west coast. There is nothing that Wayside offers that isn't available from any good-sized quality garden center here, plus we have a wonderful selection of excellent regional mail order nurseries if the drive is too far. In fact, I'd rate their selection as rather commonplace compared to a bunch of other mail order nurseries in various parts of the country.

As an outsider with no axe to grind, and no possibility of ever ordering from these places.

Looking at the website on A-Z of perennials, it seems funny to list hardy Begonias under H and Hellebores under L (lenten rose). Call me picky but????

Their rare plant list, reads as a 15 item list of micropropagated factory grown plants, expensive too.

Their general list reads like a wholesale clearing house, rather than a nursery where things are developed, propagated and grown on by them.

I would suggest they buy in by the truckload and their sale is prompted by trying to clear out stock that wasn't sold this year. If these hellebores flowered and weren't sold, are they worth buying at half price??

On the other hand, this is a good time to plant hellebores, let them get their roots down while there is still a lot of warmth in the soil. If the pine knot strain has the plants as shown in the pictures, they are certainly worth the $9.95 in the sale, good clean colours, not the 15 variations on a muddy red spotted mix that the others look like!

Cheers Greenmanplants

Yes, I'd agee that their online catalog listing jumps rather confusedly from botanical to common names - hard to find the exact plant you may be looking for. And I fail to see what is the slightest bit rare or uncommon about their rare or "collector's" plant list - these are all plants that have been in the trade for sometime and are readily offered by most retail garden centers (at larger sizes and better prices), at least in this area.

I just received my Hellebore (Pine Knot Strain) plant from Parks/Wayside and it looks great. It's in a 3" pot and is a nice small "bush" of healthy leaves. I am going to try to plant it today, if I can figure out where!!

Last day for their Super 5 Day Sale, Listed are x hybridus, Pine Knot Strain & Royal Heritage Strain. Mostly 60% off.