walking into a nursery knowing you want to buy some ‘moonbeam’ coreopsis is easy. but do you want the short, full plant or the tall, thin one? another is loaded with flowers; it must be the one to take. but the one next to it has many more stems. plant selection can be so confusing!
buying plants doesn’t have to be a daunting task! before buying, evaluate the nursery or garden center; check the leaves, branches, trunks, and roots of plants; and ask questions!
evaluate the seller
not every enterprise selling plants is truly a nursery, which is a place where plants are grown. many garden centers, for example, are really merchandisers. they buy the plants from growers and resell them to you. both nurseries and garden centers can vary greatly in quality, so before evaluating the plants, consider evaluating the places selling them.
appearance is the first thing you notice about a garden center or nursery, and it is the first indication of quality. proprietors meticulous about their nursery are probably meticulous about their plants as well. are the blocks of plants neatly laid out? are the aisles clear of debris with few plants lying down or doing poorly? are the planting pots free of weeds? some disorder is inevitable, but an untidy appearance overall indicates inattention. when visiting a garden center or nursery, do judge, in part, by its appearance. it is telling.
after appearance, look at prices. but keep in mind that it is not necessarily low prices that you want to see. if prices are low across the board, buying practices may be based on cost alone. your evaluation of plants is then particularly important.
among the most valuable attributes of plant providers are their knowledge and experience, which you learn about only by asking questions. often, a nursery or garden center is run by a horticulturist and staffed by knowledgeable personnel. find out if anyone on staff is state-certified or has attended horticultural school, and find out what experience they have. if the nursery provides planting services, they most likely purchase quality material and care about the plants they sell.
most of us frequent the nursery or garden center nearest our homes, unaware of others not much farther away. yet they can differ so greatly that we owe it to ourselves to find those that have gone the distance to provide quality and variety. it is a wonderful thing to have a long-term relationship with a nursery you value and with the people who work there. it becomes part of the whole gardening experience, and really, an invaluable part.
start with the sturdiest specimens
even at the best nurseries and garden centers, plant quality will vary. plants of the same species may come from different growers, have been handled or cared for differently, and have individual characteristics…so careful evaluation is important.
first, look for full form and even development. check for insect damage and disease, avoiding those with infested, mottled, spotted, or otherwise damaged leaves. look for abundant foliage with good, rich color. with flowering plants, select those with plenty of well-distributed buds or blossoms. and if plants are already blooming, select those with the clearest, richest hues.
unless it’s late in the season, check for new growth—the surest indication of inner vitality. a plant out of proportion to its container may be root bound. feel the pot to see if roots are hard and compacted. all else being equal, select plants in containers free of weeds, as weeds compete with plants for nutrients in the soil.
roots count most in buying annuals
growers know that color sells, and often dose flats of annuals with high phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to bring out the bloom in immature plants. we tend to grab the flat showing the most color, but it’s best to look past the blooms and scan the plants for even size and good foliage color.
also, check how well each plant fills its allotted space. the best annuals are well developed and firmly, but lightly, rooted. pop a plant from its cell. ideally, you should see a mix of roots and soil. if you see a solid mass of white, fibrous roots, the plant is too heavily rooted. some of these roots will need to be cut away before planting, which could set the plant back a bit. if the plant doesn’t pop from the cell and soil spills out, or if the plant seems small in its cell and is completely surrounded by soil, it is probably not sufficiently rooted.
select shrubs with compact growth
when evaluating a group of shrubs, look for plants that are heavily branched on all sides. be sure you are comparing plants of the same genus. for instance, a viburnum will carry many more branches than, say, a mop-head hydrangea. generally, the shrub that is more compact is the better grown and has received the most light.
however, size is not always the best indicator of health. it’s important to ask how old the shrub is and where it was grown. a year-old rhododendron grown in the chilly northeast may be smaller than a year-old rhododendron grown in southern california. a locally grown shrub will most likely be the best adapted for your area.
often shrubs are picked up by the branches and may show some leaf loss from handling. don’t worry about a few lost leaves as long as the branches are not also split and broken. some yellowing in the center of a shrub or on the larger leaves is normal. even broad-leaved evergreens, such as mountain laurel, rhododendron, and the like, do drop leaves. but if it is also close to bloom time and the buds seem very tight, there may be a problem with the plant.
look for evenly developed trees
in selecting trees, form is particularly important. the canopy should be attractive and evenly developed, indicating the tree was grown out in the open with ample room. trees grown too close together show one side with dead branches, fewer branches, or no branches at all. problems in the roots often show up as tip dieback, usually caused by a lack of watering.
if the tree is balled and burlapped, make sure roots have not been damaged by rough handling. if you pull gently on the trunk and the tree moves easily, but the root ball doesn’t, or if the root ball is broken, select another tree. avoid trees with oozing sap, broken branches, recent wounds to the trunk, dull foliage, and fissures in the bark. as with broadleaved plants, some browning and dropped foliage will occur in needled trees. as long as the dropped leaves are accompanied by new shoots, there is no problem.
perennials should show new growth
the most important quality to seek in perennials and grasses is an abundance of new growth, which is assurance of a robust plant. dieback in the center or around the edges of the plant indicates root loss, so look for a plant that’s growing evenly with fresh tips and new shoots.
perennials and grasses are priced by the container size, usually indicative of root growth. since perennials regrow each year from their roots, this is key. garden centers sell the plants they buy without repotting them. nurseries will repot a plant to a larger container when its roots have developed sufficiently and will raise the price accordingly. if the plant seems small for the container, ask the nursery owner if it was transplanted recently.
you might as well pay the smaller container price if you are getting a smaller root system!
