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  • From: "Gene Bush" <genebush@otherside.com>
  • To: "gardenwriters-on-gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [gwl-g] Early plant deliveries
  • Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 07:27:58 -0500

Hello Nancy,
My preference would be to put the plants under lights in the basement until weather breaks. Second choice would be the attached garage where it is cool, but not freezing. Pot them up, keep moist but not wet. Should not be long now before spring weather arrives.
There is some information missing here such as what species of perennials did the gardener receive?
A couple of comment here, if I may.
One... I do not care for the word "vendor" in association with plants. The word gives me visions of candy bars from a machine or widgets from a shelf... plants are alive and do not come from shelves. Most nurseries are not big outfits that can take wholesale possession, or grow perennials to maturity in the filed, wash and store in big cold lockers until shipping. Most will have to ship when the plants are ready locally.
Please stop and think before blaming the "vendor" for all ills. Example of what I am going through now... I have trilliums for sale. It is strongly recommend in the catalog on the web site that they be shipped while dormant. Fall transplanting is best. Almost no one orders the rhizomes in the fall as recommended. They want the plants while there are in bloom, or coming into bloom. If shipped while in foliage they will probably be damaged in shipment... stem broken from the rhizome. Guess what the customer will then want... you got it... plants replaced.
I spend a lot of my time writing cards and email on requested shipping dates. Do you have a cold frame or greenhouse... can you take trillium while they are still dormant or wait until fall..?? I often split orders and ship the trilliums one date, remainder later date... at my time and expense.
Lets do some thinking after initial reactions to the bad old vendor who does not care. Lets educate the gardener about mail ordering plants for their gardens.
OK. I feel a bit better now.

Gene E. Bush
Munchkin Nursery & Gardens, llc
www.munchkinnursery.com
genebush@munchkinnursery.com
Zone 6/5 Southern Indiana

----- Original Message ----- From: "nancy szerlag" <szerlag@earthlink.net>
What do you recommend gardeners do with bare root perennials that arrive in
the mail when the ground is frozen solid. Some have broken dormancy and are
sporting green shoots. Pot them up and stick them in an attached garage?
Pot them up and stick them under lights in the basement? Some folks don't
have garages or light setups - what then? I'd like to give my distraught
reader some options.

I would pot them up and put them under lights in a cool basement.

Nancy Szerlag






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