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Index : Miscellaneous Gardening Topics
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- 51. The Best Place To Buy Plants - Top
- It's spring planting season here in Tucson! Warm temperatures and warming soils provide ideal conditions to establish new garden and landscape plantings. One of the keys to gardening success is purchasing quality plants from a quality garden center. But what should you look for when selecting a quality garden center?
First, find out how long the retail garden outlet has been established in the area. If they have been around for many years, it indicates a certain level of customer satisfaction. Garden stores with poor products or questionable business practices seldom last long. That's not to say that a new garden store can't be of high quality. It's just that they don't have a long-standing reputation. It also doesn't mean that long-standing establishments are right for you!
Next, talk to friends, neighbors and work associates. Get their opinions about the best places around town to buy plants and garden supplies. They will also tell you where they've had bad experiences. Anyone can have an isolated problem with a plant or service, regardless of where it was purchased. However, if you hear repeated stories of bad experiences at a certain business, it's wise to shop elsewhere.
When visiting a garden center, get a general impression of the place. Does it have a neat and orderly appearance? Are the blocks of plants well stocked, or are there lots of gaps where plants used to be. This could indicate a shortage of employees. It may not be all that important to reorganize plants and keep things spotless. But if help is lacking it could be that plants are in poor condition from a lack of care.
Are blocks of plants of the same type and container size all about the same size? For instance, if a number Arizona ash trees, all in 15 gallon containers, vary noticeably in trunk size, branching and overall height, the larger ones may be pot-bound. Unsold plants held too long in small containers can permanently stunt their growth! Look for large roots or root stubs protruding from the containers drainage holes. Also look at the proportionate size between plant and pot. If a plant looks too big for it's pot, it probably is pot-bound. This applies to all plants, not just trees.
Plants should be in good health. Branch die back, yellowing leaves, and sparse growth are all signs of plant problems. Trees should be standing without support from a stake. Trees that require support from staking are often weak-wooded, with a trunk that will not stand up on it's own. Trees should also have some branching on the lower half of the trunk. Low branching on young trees helps to develop trunk size and strength.
Find out if the garden center stands by their plant sales with a guarantee. Some may only guarantee plants to live for a certain time period, say a year, if they do the planting. Others may provide a guarantee, regardless of who plants. Still others offer nothing in terms of replacing failed plants. There may also be special terms and conditions, such as requiring that a prescribed watering and care program be followed. If for no apparent reason a plant fails soon after purchase, most reputable garden centers or nurseries are willing to mitigate the loss, regardless of their stated policy.
Finally, the quality of a plant and garden supply retailer can also be determined by the knowledge of their employees. Are employees able to answer questions about the plants and products being sold? Do they know the plant names, general characteristics and needs of each? Are they familiar with the fertilizers and pest controls being offered, and what they are best used for? It's always a good sign if employees are courteous and helpful. A good attitude towards people can reflect a good attitude about the work of selecting, maintaining, and selling quality plants.
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Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on March 05, 2000
- Updated: March 05, 2000
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