I don't think the Burpees/Heronswood situation is as much an occasion for mourning as some others appear to feel it is. (When the initial sale was made, incidentally, the joke going around was that after the merger, the new entity would be called Herpees Nursery.) It is true that Heronswood's display garden and upscale location made it a popular destination for plant-lovers, especially those with big budgets. However, the mail-order plants were not always sent in satisfactory condition, and some of them had devilish weeds included (thanks for the spurge). Moreover, the catalogs featured, in cringe-inducing prose, some excessive praise of mediocre garden subjects (no thanks for the Heptacodium) and seriously exaggerated hardiness ratings. By this time the more garden-worthy introductions from Heronswood have made it into other nurseries, where they can still be bought no matter whether Burpees kills them off. Just in my local area there are many such growers -- though admittedly, "just in my local area" happens to be the county with the most ornamental plant nurseries in the United States. I was just at Collectors Nursery, for instance, and was quite impressed not only by what was for sale but also by the many interesting plants in development, such as some remarkable Roscoea species and hybrids. Another remarkable list, with new introductions from Europe, is offered by Edelweiss Perennials of Canby, Oregon. Both these growers have websites and mail order. (Be sure you Google Edelweiss PERENNIALS, not Edelweiss Nursery, which is a bedding plant outfit in Minnesota, I think.) Even with Heronswood closed, it's still possible to make a productive plant pilgrimage through the Pacific Northwest, north to south, ending up at the California border with a pickup truck load of plants new to you. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA 08:58 AM 6/8/2006 -0400, you wrote: > > >In a message dated 6/7/2006 7:08:17 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, >wpoulsen@pacbell.net writes: > >--this is the same promise we were made about >Heronswood Nursery 6 years ago), and now this, I don't much like what >it sometimes does to things that were functioning perfectly well as >they were. In fact, it irks me a lot. > > >Today's column by Anne Raver in the NY TImes sheds a bit more light on the >Heronswood saga. Among the quotes cited in the column: > >Dan Hinkley said: he and Mr Jones spent "six years waiting for the crash you >know is coming." Apparently it was evident less than 6 months after the >Burpee purchase that it would not work out. > >George Ball said: "It wasn't profitable a profitable business when we bought >it" > >Business was so bad, Mr. Ball said, he asked the former owners to buy >Heronswood back for $2,000,000. "They took a day to think about it, and >said no." >Burpee bought the business for $4,500,000. > >The most striking quote, and I admire Mr. Hinkley for being forthright and >blaming himself for being naive: " Mea culpa," he said "This entire set of >circumstances comes down to me, and my decision was wrong." > >Mark Mazer >Intarsia Ltd. >PO Box 142 >Gaylordsville, CT 06755 > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php