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How-to Buy Plants From A Nursery

5/29/2014

 
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We live in an image obsessed world. Looks do matter regardless of what anyone says.




And this is especially true when selecting plants! Appearance is everything. 

If you’re not happy with how the plants look or the selection of plants that you see at the local nursery, ask if and when they will be getting a new shipment of plants in. This will save you the frustration of buying picked over, wilty and sad looking plants. Or buying none at all if they’re sold out of the type you were looking for. 
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I was shopping for plants this past week only to discover one nursery where I typically shop was out of cherry tomato plants. Disaster! 

So I asked. And yes, they were able to pinpoint a date and time when a new shipment would be arriving. And you can bet I’ll be there. 
This time, I walked out empty-handed. Why? The plants looked scruffy and picked over. After all, I’m going to pay the same price whether I buy the sad looking plants (don’t worry, I still do feel sorry for them and hope they all find a good home) or get to select from the new shipment arriving momentarily. And just because plants were grown in a nursery doesn’t mean that were well-cared for. Look over the plants carefully! 
So I made a mental list of everything I consider when buying plants:

  • Have the plants been watered recently, is the soil wet to the touch? Look for a gap between the soil and the sides of the pot or plastic container [as seen below], it’s a red flag for infrequent watering! Uneven watering takes a huge toll on young plants. 
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  • Are the plants standing straight up or drooped over? Are the plants broken? Do they they look tangled, slouched over and unkempt? Are the stems broken?
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  • A rack of plants displayed in direct sunlight or sitting on hot concrete doesn’t exactly showcase signs of care when the business is open. Just imagine how they treat their plants when the business is closed!
  • Don’t ever settle. Look for the healthiest plants in a group. Sure, it’s easiest to just grab the plants just in front but do take the time to look over all the plants on the shelf and pick the ones that look the healthiest. 
  • Check to see that there is only one seedling per cell in the tray. At first glance double seedlings may seem like you’re getting a bonus spin, but it's really a negative, as both plants are competing for nutrients and water to survive in that small space.
  • Look for signs of disease, like yellow leaves, black spots or stem rot.  
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  • Do you see bugs or any insect presence? Run away. Are there any weeds growing in the pot? Walk away. 
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  • Compare the size of the plant to the size of the pot. A large plant in a small pot could be root-bound and is in desperate need of being transplanted.
  • Look for plants with dark green leaves and compact growth. This is more important than height, buds or blossoms.
  • A few dead and/or scrappy plants at a nursery, okay, I can work with that. But if the majority of plants look bad, I would shop elsewhere. 
What do you look for when shopping for plants?  Do you always shop at the same nursery year after year or do you shop at several? I stop at them all! 
22 Comments
Rhi
5/29/2014 01:02:28 am

Laura I've Got A Mushroom Explosion In My Flower Bed! So Gross!!! Any Remedies??

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Laura
5/29/2014 03:21:07 am

Yes. Eat them! Just kidding. Just read about a couple who did that and got super sick. They seemed surprised by this too! Anyhow, all this rain we've been having is making mushrooms quite a nuisance this year! They love dark, damp, shady environments. They especially love old and/or rotting mulch, old tree stumps and the like...which might just describe your flower beds if you have old mulch in there. Those stinkin' fungus! Basically, they thrive in any organic matter. If you beds are really wet, good drainage is your best option. You can also add a fertilizer with nitrogen, this will help break down the mushrooms quicker. Or, you can have an old fashion stop out with the kids! I love stomping on mushrooms, brings out the kid in me. And I gotta feeling it's going to be a wet-ish summer which is just going to bring on the mushrooms and mosquitos!

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Rhi
5/29/2014 05:07:55 am

They actually came with the new mulch we got last year from Krantz's place. Rob heard that if you get mushrooms it's a sign that your soil is good?? All I know is we never had them before we unloaded the new soil and mulch. They were there a little bit last year in clusters, but this year they are taking over! I hate mushrooms!!!! I'll have to look into that nitrogen thing, thanks. And yes, that side of the yard is very moist and shady. :/

Amanda @ .running with spoons. link
5/29/2014 02:31:10 am

You're going to yell at me but... I don't usually take many of these things into consideration during the oddball time that I buy a plant. BUT! In my defense, I'm horrible with plants, so I'm really doing them a service by staying away from them :lol: I only have one plant in my home... It's a peace lily and I can't for the life of me figure out why the tips of his leaves are always turning dry and brown. See what I mean? Bad with plants.

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Laura
5/29/2014 03:07:26 am

hehe, I can't very well yell at you when half the time, my indoor plants are dying from lack of water! Oops!!! I just love the aura plants give to your indoor space, kind of relaxing those plant friends.

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Isadora @ She Likes Food link
5/29/2014 03:32:22 am

That is a great list! I always look to see if there are dead leaves or really obvious things like that, but I probably don't do enough of the other things on the list. I usually just do my shopping at Home Depot, but lately I've been thinking that I need to find a plant nursery with many more options. I don't have much garden bed space, so I think I need to buy some more big pots this weekend :)

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Laura
5/29/2014 06:26:16 am

I love container gardening! Sometimes I think having a smaller space would actually help me prioritize better.

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Laura
5/29/2014 06:28:25 am

Hey Rhi,

I think it's a really good sign that you have mushrooms in your soil since mushrooms really thrive in organic matter, probably means your soil is loaded with all sorts of great compost. We bought our topsoil from Krantz's too, except it came with a super weed! Other than that, we are really happy with it.

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Heidi @ Pint Size Farm link
5/29/2014 08:54:52 am

Great tips, thanks!

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helen@scrummylane.com link
5/29/2014 08:43:00 pm

This reminds me of trying to buy herbs from the supermarket. I always seem to get there when there's only one little pack of basil left which has almost gone off already. As you say, you still pay the same price! I'm going to remember these tips even when I buy a pot of herbs or a plant to give to a friend as a gift, Laura. Thank you!

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Allison link
5/30/2014 12:49:41 am

Laura, this is just perfect timing! The one thing I try to grow each year from "scratch" is tomatoes -well, not seeds scratch but baby plant scratch :) Now I know what to look for! I should definitely ask about a new shipment and when the fresh plants are coming in -great idea! Looking forward to reading more tips so my tomatoes don't bite the dust this summer!

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Laura
5/30/2014 03:05:37 am

Hi Allison! Probably like you our growing season just isn't long enough to plant tomatoes seeds outside, we get that frost too soon. Well, at least for me the growing season isn't long enough! And I end up with all these green tomatoes. Got any recipes for me?

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Olivia
5/30/2014 12:57:55 am

Laura, I don't really spend a lot of time differentiating between good/bad plants. With your quick tip list I will not be making that same mistake again! I many times wondered why some plants flourished and others withered (same soil, same sun and rain).

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Laura
5/30/2014 03:19:38 am

Hi Olivia!

Thanks for stopping by. I guess we all try to buy the best plants and get our fingers crossed =)

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Pamela link
5/30/2014 12:09:21 pm

We grow all our veggies from seeds but I have had some bad luck buying some potted bushy flower plants lately. Last year we bought 2 beautiful plants and they both died from what seems to be a disease that came with them. It was heart breaking!

Awesome list that I'll be sharing!

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Laura
5/30/2014 12:36:11 pm

I know the feeling. I bought some perennials (phlox) from a big box store that I won't name here, they lasted one year and died. Expensive and frustrating! So hey, I'm going to grow some perennials, I'm thinking lupines specifically from seed. Can't wait to see how they work out. My azalea bushes all died too! Too cold of a winter. Major bummer.

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Donna link
5/30/2014 01:34:51 pm

Hi Laura. My gosh we are all but neighbors in this huge world of blogging. It is funny I never heard of your blog before and amazed you found mine. I write on gardening and Buffalo a lot. Heck, Buffalo really is the Garden Walk capital is it not? Anyway, good to see another blogger with a passion for gardening. I am a design professional so am not considered a "gardener" by many of the gardening blogs since my advice differs quite a bit from most garden blogs. Cute title to your post. I was sure it was going to be on garden photographs and was pleasantly surprised. Garden on girl!

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Laura
5/31/2014 03:49:02 am

Hi Donna! I'm just a casual, everyday gardener, definitely NOT the expert. Just a fun hobby. I love your blog because it's not too hmmm, what's the right word? "Stuffy" like garden blogs can be. So down to earth. Real. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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Tim Kessler link
6/1/2014 05:22:51 am

Hi Laura some great tips on buying your plants. It takes me hours to shop for plants because I really pick through them using many of the techniques you mentioned. I also like to feel the stalk of the plant, if it's "squishy" and not dense then there's usually a problem. I sort of dig around in the pot too, checking to make sure the soil is not moldy, some places overwater the plants. I always get strange looks when shopping for plants because I always sniff the soil. If it smells like a stagnant pool it's no good, but if it smells like wet earth then I'm happy. I also like to buy the smaller, younger plants. If you buy larger full grown plants you miss out on the fun of watching them grow. The smaller younger plants are usually healthier because there hasn't been enough time for the nursery to mess them up. Besides that the smaller plants are usually cheaper.

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Laura
6/1/2014 09:30:06 am

Hi Tim!

Thanks for checking out my blog. Thanks for sharing a few extra wonderful tips with our readers. I forgot about the smell test! I always like they to smell, hmmmm, what's the right word here, plant-ish as well?! Smaller plants are cheaper, you're right! They can add up to be very pricy so quickly! I blink and have 50 bucks worth of plants in my cart, yikes!

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Tandy | Lavender and Lime link
6/1/2014 07:47:14 pm

What great advice. I live in a small community and shop at the local nursery. I always look for healthy plants and if they don't have something I need, they will order it in for me :)

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Laura
6/2/2014 01:00:31 am

I think it's wonderful that your local nursery will order something that they don't have! How nice.

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    Hi, I'm Laura and hail from Western New York. I consider myself a lifelong learner who loves gardening with a 360 degree view. Thanks for stopping by!
    Laura Sproull

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