North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

If you haven't tried HIdden Springs nursery in Tennessee, you are missing
one of the best.  Hector Black, and now his daughter, have been very
scrupulous about not offering things until they have tested them well. 
    For V. ovatum,  try ForestFarm nursery in Williams, OR. That's actually
enough address to get to them (plus zip code)  The catalog is about $4.00,
but with all the material and information in it, it's worth it.  The owners
are  "Ray & Peg Prag" <ForestFarm@AONEPRO.NET>
    I have been collecting Cornus mas, and part of it is that you have to
pick them at just the right stage.  With some, that's when they have fallen
and 'mature" off the tree for a day or so.  I have a collection of varieties
from a breeder in Turkey, plus some from other places (none from OGW) and
they are worth growing, definitely.  
    The biggest strengths of OGW and Raintree are advertising.  The owner of
OGW especially writes a great sounding catalog, but if you notice something,
nothing in the catalog seems to have any flaws.  That's always an alarm bell
with me - when everything is written in glowing terms, with no mention of
flaws.
    Anyway, I have found sources for every plant in their catalogs and
almost always at better prices, as well as better quality.
    -Lon  
----------
>From: Ginda Fisher <ginda@concentric.net>
>To: "Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>
>Subject: Re: [nafex] Western Huckleberry:  Vaccinium Ovatum
>Date: Sat, Mar 24, 2001, 8:07 PM
>

>That's a shame.  They offer (or claim to offer) lots of stuff I haven't
>found anywhere else.  The interesting catalogs I've found on the east
>coast sound more wholesome (just from the catalog text) but are geared
>toward the cold-climate grower, and don't offer much that isn't hardy to
>zone 4 or 5.  Others come from the south, and don't have much that IS
>hardy in zone 6.  Basically, I live in a very non-agricultural area, and
>while we are favored with some excellent landscaping nurseries, we have
>a shortage of fruit-nurseries.
>
>Wish me luck with the cornus mas! (already ordered - I chose OGW because
>they claimed to have cultivars selected for fruit.  With descriptions
>ranging from "similar to pie cherries" to "tastes like sour cardboard" I
>thought some of the difference might be cultivar.)