Kay Easton12/4/04 2:48
In article , Sacha
writes
I think that's on a par with the sort of nursery customers who buy anything
if it's in flower. But if they ask for suggestions for a shrub for a
particular spot and what you suggest is perfect but in its dormant phase,
they will reject it. Even showing them pictures and RHS Encyclopedia
descriptions doesn't help. It's a combination of not knowing enough to
plan forward and wanting 'instant gratification'. ;-)
There may be a bit of that, but there's also the wanting to see the
thing in the flesh to be sure you're going to like it. If seen things in
books which look good, and which have wonderful descriptions, but I
don't like them at all when I see them in RL.
That means that if I know a plant well, I will buy it in the autumn, or
whenever I see it if it's a thing which isn't so readily available. But
if I'm not sure about it, I want to see it in bloom (or in autumn
colour, or in winter bark, or whatever I'm buying it for) before buying.
I can see that but often these are people who have been gardening for quite
a long time and are not considering unusual or out of the ordinary plants.
Even Forsythia will 'walk out' of the nursery when they're in flower but not
when they're not. I'm not criticising people for buying only or mainly when
things are in flower but am observing that for many people the lure of
something already blooming is greater than buying it dormant and waiting.
Even with Primulas, some people will buy those in full bloom while others
are aware that buying the ones with buds on means a longer flowering period
once they get it into their own garden.
--
Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)