I love looking through Bluestone's catalog. I will be placing an order myself. I was very pleased with what received from them last year.

Sophia

Ok , you can't just tell us that you ordered- you need to tell us what you ordered! Spill the beans - or did you order so much that you're embarrassed?
;-)

Rose

Well...I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed. My borders are so messed up by neglect and one Plop Hound that I feel like I'm starting from scratch. I got about $257 worth of "plant material". I put that in quotes because I hate the term :) But really--most of the stuff I got was 3/8.60. You can't beat that.

I got: Agastache 'Apache Sunset'
Anchusa 'Dropmore'
Anthemis 'Moonlight'
Columbine 'McKana Hybrids'
Aster 'Wonder of Staffa'
Azalea 'Northern Lights'
Campanula Glomerata
C. persicifolia 'Chettle Charm'
Dianthus 'Jan Louis'
Echinops 'Platinum Blue'
Gaillardia 'Summer's Kiss'
Malva 'Purple Satin'
Salvia 'May Night'
Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'

and a few other things.

They sound great, I was kidding you about the embarrassment, we always joke about how carried away we get ordering!
Sounds like you made some good picks & my curiosity is quenched, thanks. :-)

Rose

Since we made Julia fess up, maybe the rest of us should too. Then we can hold a poll on who *really* ought to be ashamed of themselves, and hand out the 'No Self Control in the Face of Catalogs' award.

Suja

Every year I think -- ok, I've got all the perennials I want. Then the Bluestone Perennials catalog comes. Then I think, well, if I were Cynthia, I would start it from seed. Then I order stuff from them anyway.

Oh, I knew you were kidding about my being embarrassed.

I ended up getting a bunch of plants that I had planned to start from seed. But when the plants are so cheap, it seems just easier to buy them.

Anyone coming to the swap please bring any 'extra' catalogues for me. I haven't ordered from a catalogue for so long that I don't get any anymore. This was a financially imposed moratorium not my normal operation. I am about to break the mold.

Thanks
Jan

"One Plop Hound"

I know what you mean there. I am always standing at a local nursery looking at some impulse buy perennial thinking "I know that I am supposed to plant at least 3 of these" but looking at the $8 price tag.

You have a nice looking list of plants there. I have been going back and forth about ordering some shrubs from Bluestone (or Musser Forests). I am just not sure if I want to wait a few years to get decent sized shrubs. The prices are sure tempting!

- Brent

Has anyone done business with Lazy S here in Virginia? Their list looks fantastic, and I was actually considering going there come warm weather. The prices seem decent for what they have, tho' it's not as low as Bluestone. (Anybody want to join the expedition?)

Robin

Here is a link that might be useful: Lazy S Farm

Robin,
YES!!! Have gone to Lazy S in 2004 and 2003. Really enjoyed it. You will find offbeat perennials and small shrubs and trees. Got some really cute mini hostas and a beautiful mock orange. It's a medium sized nursery and within a half hour drive of two other favorite places. Be sure to check their schedule, not always open and recommend you call before heading out. I am in Prince William and without stopping it takes about an hour to get there. Suz

Sandy's Plants near Richmond (combine this with a trip to Maymont or Lewis Ginter Gardens) is better than Lazy SS. She has 23 acres of plants for reasonable prices, and supplies golf carts and maps for you to get around.

LynnT

I second Sandy's Plants! It's an amazing place and nowhere near as expensive as some. If you're in the business, she'll give you a wholesale price (which is so good as to be sinful!) but she's strict about being in the "green business."

Sandy (no relation to Sandy's!)

Oh, WOW!!!! Just love to find new places. Thanks for the lead, just checked out Sandy's website and will definitely add it to my list. I also try to make a day trip to the Pottery Factory in Williamsburg each spring. Not so much for the plants (which they do have REAL cheap), but for the cement garden. Sounds like fun. Suz

I checked out Sandy's Plants, and they do have a good list. I'd personally probably give preference to Lazy S, though I certainly wouldn't turn down an opportunity to browse at Sandy's.
The advantage of Lazy S for me would be 1) a particularly good list of Echinaceas (which is how I found them in the first place), and 2) lower prices. For either very sturdy plants, or ones that were an experiment, I'd rather buy a smaller plant for less money, and let it grow in my garden. (The other advantage of LS would be the opportunity to hit Edible Landscaping on the same trip, if I were prepared to make it a LONG day.)
I can see that if I had a plan that called for 3 or 4 specimens of a variety, it would be cheaper and faster to buy a 3-4 qt. pot of something at Sandy's and split it, either initially or after a year of growth.