Peter Hoh says:

May 4th, 2007 at 12:28 pm

I was at the U of M Horticulture Club sale yesterday, and I’m embarrassed to say how much I spent. Problem was, I had my checkbook with me.

I guess I need to take a page from the gamblers. That is, one shouldn’t go into a casino with a checkbook, credit card, or ATM card. Take only the cash you are comfortable losing. I should use that rule at plant sales — even though spending money on plants isn’t really a losing proposition.

Oh yeah, one other rule. NEVER buy a tree on impulse.

Connie Nelson says:

May 4th, 2007 at 3:44 pm

Oooooh, I love making lists. If you never do it, you should try it, Robyn. You get to haul out the catalogs and think about all the plants that you want and where they’d go. And then you have to come up with your favorites. Having a list gives me such a sense of purpose. If I went to a garden center without a list, I’d probably never come out!

Connie Nelson says:

May 4th, 2007 at 3:47 pm

Hey Ranty,
Nice bargain shopping tips. You must do a lot of digging up of spreaders, tho. How do you share the wealth? Do you transplant seedlings in your garden or give them away to friends and really nice bloggers???

Connie Nelson says:

May 4th, 2007 at 4:26 pm

Rebecca,
Thanks for the reminder. The farmers markets prolly have plants closer to the time we’re supposed to be planting them! I saw people buying tomatoes at the garden centers last weekend. . . Sure seems early to me.

Peter Hoh says:

May 4th, 2007 at 11:09 pm

Connie, I’m a fan of the Hort Club sale, but I don’t think I’d drive a long distance to get to it. There are always some interesting plants, but only about 100 or so varieties in all.

Best thing about the sale — it isn’t crowded like some other plant sales.

The Hort. Club students know their own plants pretty well, but they are not experts in everything else. Bring your own reference guide. There’s often something that has a handwritten Latin name and no other info, but most of the plants have the commercial labels with a photo and plenty of info.

Perennials were in 6 inch pots, priced at $8 or $12 per pot, with only a wisteria priced more — $16, if I recall correctly. I picked up some interesting coral bells, toad lily, some grasses, red columbine, lungwort, and deep red loosestrife.

The tomato selection was interesting, but not wide. I loaded up. Will tell you in August how they turned out. I think the only variety I recognized was the Black Zebra (or was it Green?).

There’s a smattering of annuals. More some years than others. I picked up some ornamental peppers (Black Pearl) in 2 inch pots for $3.

Best deal was the failures. I got a stunted fern and a sickly looking barrenwort for a buck each. On Thursday, they were offering a good price on tomato seedlings.

There’s always an element of surprise, as different people from the University may show up at any minute with trays of something to add to the sale. Some years there have been trees and shrubs from the nursery department. There were no trees or shrubs when I stopped by Thursday, and the Hort. Club had no idea if there would be any arriving later.

Sunday is bargain day.

Peter Hoh says:

May 7th, 2007 at 10:30 am

Well, the Mother of All Plant Sales beckons, and much as I love the selection, I’m feeling a financial pinch this year and really think I ought to skip it.

So I’ll be going midday on Friday, hoping to avoid the lines at the beginning of the day, and carrying only cash.

Unless I can get a sponsor to talk me through staying away. “My name is Peter, and this is the fourth day I’ve kept myself from buying plants that I can’t fit into my garden.”