"Jenny" wrote in message
...
This year it seems that just about every one of the local nurseries is
selling branded plants that come from maybe three big growers. This is
true of both annuals and perennials.

I'm also seeing a trend where instead of selling six packs of annuals
for $2 -$3 they're selling one plant (not all that better looking than
one in a healthy six pack) for $3.50 or more.

Who are these companies who seem to have taken over the nursery
business? Where are they? What's going on here?

I'm finding it VERY hard to find locally grown plants, which bums me
out. The other thing that really bothers me is the uniformity of the
offerings. Since I'm seeing the same nursery stock everywhere, I'm also
seeing the same cultivars everywhere, which is making it tougher to find
interesting things to plant.

What's the story here?

Are you talking about brands like "Proven Winners?" If so, I am also
irritated by this. That said, we have a huge nursery that produces all
their own plants and offers everything in 3-4 inch pots for $3+. None of
that "PW" rip-off stuff. They have no flats of cell packs. Too bad if you
want small plants or aren't related to Rockefellers. This winter they had
huge pots of poinsettias for $250.00! The same plants in the same size pots
at another nursery were going for $60.