"Jim Lewis" wrote:

The distributor may well sell lesser plamts to the discount
chains.

Most national chains get excellent plants from national and foreign
large scale growers. The day the plants are delivered, they are in
excellent condition. How they fare from then is up to the quality of
the staff at the chain store. Some times they are well taken care of
and sometimes they aren't. The sooner you can get your after they are
delivered, the better luck you will have.

You are almost always better off going to a local nursery that
has been around for a while. You _may_ pay a bit more, but you
can get expert help, some kind of a guarantee (doesn't cover
stupidity), and better plants.

Nurseries vary considerably. Some sell beautiful plants that are not
hardy because they know people will come back and buy more when they
die. One of the "best" local nurseries in our area has this philosophy.
Other local nurseries use kids to take care of their stock and have the
same problem as the national chains. Not every local nursery better
than every chain store.

If you are lucky enough, it is best to buy from a local nursery that has
field grown plants. They are a little more difficult to transplant, but
will do the best in the long run.

--
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