Question regarding commercial advertising

I've been purchasing plants and bulbs for about 35 years now. I'm
fortunate to live in Clackamas County, Oregon, which has more nurseries
than any other US county, so "local" can mean anything from a daphne at
the farmers' market to a viburnum from the big Monrovia fields on the
other side of the river. I buy some unusual cultivars and rooted
cuttings for cutflowers by mail order, mostly from specialty nurseries.
Most years I obtain some commercial bulbs for planting out in front of
the house -- daffodils to distract the bulb fly from the good ones in
back, anemones and crocuses for the bulb lawn, etc. Almost all of my
bulb "collection" has been grown from seed.

I agree with Robin that there's false advertising by large commercial
nurseries, but small ones do so as well, especially in exaggerating
cold-hardiness. They may not mean to, but if you're growing plants on an
island you don't have the same conditions as most of your customers who
live 150 km or more inland. Conversely, nurseries in colder areas who
keep all their stock in greenhouses may produce plants that are hard to
acclimate to outdoor conditions anywhere. Growing your own from seed is
likely to result in losses, but the survivors will be easier to keep,
and much cheaper.

Two years ago I had the experience Ellen mentions of buying a shrub that
had been bulked up by keeping two cuttings in one pot, but I got it at
the farmers' market and the grower told me about it. It's a hybrid
daphne; I was able to disentangle the root systems, potted them
separately for a couple of months before planting out, and now have two
very fine shrubs. This spring I went on a spending spree on Dianthus
cultivars. One nursery sent me excellent plants, but another's plants
had been in their pots far too long (I repotted them and waited until
they recovered to plant them out). I almost never put a purchased plant
into the garden the day after I get it. For one thing, you have to watch
them for disease.

As for bulbs that fail, it helps to understand the growth cycles,
natural habitats, and structure of the particular species and genera.
Bulbs with strong tunics, such as tulips, can stand dry storage much
better than those without tunics, such as most Fritillaria. A species
native to rocky desert will survive storage better than one native to
river meadows. A species native to the alpine zone may not flourish
without a long winter dormancy (hence the plants "hardy in Denver" that
can't be grown in lowland gardens). It is also instructive to learn how
commercial bulbs are grown and processed in the Netherlands, where they
can be grown in sand, heavily fertilized, protected from predators,
lifted and kept in warehouses controlled for temperature and humidity,
and exported in advantageous condition. After a month at Home Depot and
transfer to a home garden, they'll likely perform for a year but that
may be the limit of their adaptability. Moreover, controlled conditions
can suppress the activity of viruses, which may resurface in the home
garden; that's why all my tulips are grown from seed, and I buy lily
bulbs only from The Lily Garden, which I trust to provide clean stock.

So read, read, read, and be prepared to lose some plants anyway. You can
identify an experienced gardener by their possession of a big bag of
plantless labels.

Jane McGary

Portland, Oregon, USA

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