IntheCountryGarden Anyone???

[boops]

Anyone use them and do they test their Hostas there? I found Remember me on their site and wanted to at least try and grow it. Thanks

[Chris_W]

They do a good job with their plants, and I believe that they test them. Remember Me is out of Walters Gardens (wholesale) and they test all of their plants and keep a clean operation there and I'm pretty sure that's where they would get their starts of that one.

You should be able to feel confident buying from them, though I still don't really recommend Hosta Remember Me personally

[boops]

Hi Chris-thanks for the info on the Inthecountrygarden, I'll get High Society instead. Look very much alike. Your out of stock on it or I would buy it from you.

[bkay2000]

I could be wrong here. I've been buying mostly classic hosta and haven't bought many that are new. That said, If I had a choice, I would choose another grower. I received some plants from them this spring. I thought they were overpriced for the size I received. (Feel free to correct me if you feel like I'm wrong. I would hate to say something negative that was not warranted.) They were Frangrant Queen and Lakeside Paisley Print. One was $22. and one was $20. One had been in about 1 1/2 inch pot, and the other was about a 2 1/2 inch pot. The plants were nice, though as you can see and they are doing fine. Photos below.

bkay

[boops]

Well only ordered 1 plant was $18.00, so we'll see what I get. I've gotten smaller than the ones shown in your pics from other growers.

[boops]

I think we are all spoiled by Hallsons plants. they arrive Huge but maybe they are a year or so older than the other company offers. As long as it comes in 1 piece and is healthy I can't complain. I would have rather purchased from Hallson, but it is out of stock and I am not familiar with any other reputable companies that have it and ship larger plants.

[jgh]

Those plants both came from Walters in Michigan... the tags are Walters tags. They are a quality wholesaler, but the measure is how long the retailer keeps them in the ground or pots before sending them out. These were probably recieved from Walters last year, grown on one year, then sold.

I've visited Hallson and checked out their practices. Chris tends to put things in the ground for an additional year or more to get larger, more developed plants. And surprisingly, he doesn't up his prices a bunch to adjust for that extra growing time. I never buy retail - but if I did, it would be from Chris '-)

[thy]

Fragrant Queeen and L. pasley Print is new'er more expencive hostas. Price is OK compared to my price.. mostly prices are very close between the good EU and US nurseries.
Hallsons field grow theit hostas an extra year, so they are special, but I am as sure as I can be, you will find good plants at "In the country....

[bkay2000]

I guess I'll quit griping then.

bkay

[thy]

Then if I could just find the Parsley Print, I know I planted it somewhere special
I still have hostas popping up, today I found one starting to look like a hosta, a few days ago it looked like two tiny pieces of green maceroni laying on the ground - one of several, what a weird spring, still difficult to weed, you do not know what you grab or step on

[boops]

don't feel bad, I lost Baby Bunting someplace and don't remember the names of some of the ones I have.

[Chris_W]

Hi Bkay,

As was mentioned, both Lakeside Paisley Print and Fragrant Queen are newer, and both are actually really slow growing plants. That Paisley Print is nearly identical to what we were selling with a year in the ground. Our Fragrant Queen were overwintered twice and were still not big, but had more maturity to them and some had two eyes. Fragrant Queen does seem a bit young but the Paisley Print looks very nice to me

[jgh]

Chris... I agree... They do both seem to have good healthy root systems - and they look a lot better than many of the wholesale plants I've received over the years... but it appears to me they were being grown in artificial planting medium in cells, not in the ground... so even if healthy, they are a year behind those that you've grown in the ground and have experienced an in-the-ground growing season and winter dormancy...

[eastwood2007]

I agree with Pia and Chris. I ALWAYS get nice plants from In the Country. They are a reputable supplier. I got Paisley Print from them, too, and it is doing nicely. As said, one of the newer varieties. The price you pay for the latest and greatest is that they may be a little smaller to start.

Chris' are just always exceptional...when compared to ANYONE else...

[bkay2000]

I really didn't know they were that new or slow growers. The DH is color blind. He saw a photo of Fragrant Queen, promply declared it red and said it was the prettiest hosta he's ever seen (first time he noticed a hosta). All my preferred growers were out. Of course, I couldn't order just one, so LS Paisley Print was an impulse buy. I guess I should have chosen LS Shoremaster for the second one, which is on my want list.

Thanks for the information. I won't gripe publicly anymore.

bkay

[rockNhostas]

I have ordered from In the Country too, and the plants I got from them have done very well. I don't have any concerns ordering from them.
I ordered Lakeside Paisley Print from them last year, quite late in the growing season and it is doing great.

When Chris has a hosta I want, I definitely order from him.
With umpteen thousand varieties, it is difficult for a place to offer every one.

I have only a few trusted sellers I order from. Getting robust looking plants in an order is a perk. My main concern is that they are virus free.
A plant can look healthy and have HVX. That is why I do not even entertain the notion of picking up a healthy 'looking' plant at home improvement or department store greenhouse.

[jgh]

I wouldn't want to leave any suggestion that I was being critical of In the Country - I think those are very nice plants and I'd be happy to receive them. I was really making a comparison on nurture in general... though I know that some plants ordered will look like those pictured (and most will look worse!) after shipping... I think plants are stronger after they've actually been in the ground for a year in regular soil, taking the slings and arrows of nature.

I compliment Chris for how well he does this - with no criticism of In the Country implied. ITC is the retail business of Josh Speece and his family. Many will know Josh for his fine work on the online AHS Journal and great contributions to both the hosta and the water gardening communities. I have purchased stuff from Josh at conventions and was pleased with the quality and care. This is a real plantsman and I'd put him near the top of places I'd look if I was going to order anything retail.

And don't second guess your choice of Lakeside Paisley Print. It has been very popular as people seem to really like the color combination. That feathery light center is very attractive and will become, I think, a striking specimen. As much as I like Lakeside Shore Master, many (maybe most) garden visitors can't distinguish it from Paul's Glory or St. Paul or Paradise Glory...

as far as slow growing goes... I'm not surprised when a light-centered plant is slow... but considering the fast growth of other Fragrant Bouquet sports... Guacamole and the bunch... I'm surprised Fragrant Queen is slow. Maybe its those wide margins with no chlorophyll. I do know this bunch not only tolerates more sun than most hostas, they actually require a lot of light to develop well...

[thy]

New hosta intro is equal to

High price
Small plant
..and the worst, - will it actually grow well in the garden
Chris's way to grow them for an extra year, do not only give you an extra test for HVX, better roots, normally a bigger plant but most of all, he have allready taken the change with the ones who can not grow well in the garden.

Wish I could bye from Hallsons

[boops]

If he was to ship overseas, by the time you got the plant after all the health inspections and customs the plant would be dead.

[thy]

After the Danish post controle... YES....... have been there and ,if it was not for a box send to Sweden with the same flight.. they would all have been dead.. still have them LOL Kiwi Full Monthy and my bonus El Nino are still top favorites

They wanted an extra toll... $ 2 so they put it on a shelter and went for a 5 days Easter break before they wrote me a letter.. You have to pay with in 14 days or...
Got them the Saturday in Easter.. with a lot of trats and preasure... next time I got them via sweden

Chris moved the nusery a few years back, getting a new permission to sell to other countries are extremly expencive and very few US nurseries do
Out of my soap box