Walkin' In Memphis

Good morning! It's about 1:45 a.m. on Friday the 13th and I'm blogging to you live from Memphis, TN! I spoke to the Hosta Society here tonight and promised that I would post a list of sources for some of the plants that were included in my talk. I figured that while I'm doing that, now is as good a time as any to remind everyone that spring is just around the corner and if you haven't gotten those spring plant orders placed, you'd better hurry up! The good stuff will be gone before you know it.

So where are some of my favorite places to shop? Here's a list. Mind you, it's not all-inclusive or in any particular order. And first and foremost, don't forget to shop your local nurseries, greenhouses and garden centers! Lots of cool new stuff will be hitting the shelves over the next few weeks.

Raising Rarities--Hybrid Hardy Lady's Slipper Orchids, one of the few nurseries in the country specializing in these plants. www.raisingrarities.com

Seneca Hill Perennials--Lots of GREAT perennials, new as well as tried and true varieties and some really hard to find things. www.senecahillperennials.com

Plant Delights Nursery--The weird and unusual, and Tony has great plants, too. www.plantdelights.com

Forest Farm Nursery--Amazing selection in all categories, but particularly phenomenal in the woody plant category. www.forestfarm.com

Cistus Nursery--Lots of west coast things, but some really cool tropicals, succulents and other plants that will thrive in the south. www.cistus.com

Rare Plants Nursery--This used to be "Paul Christian Rare Plants", but I've noticed of late that they are now referring to it just as "Rare Plants". They DO ship to the states, if you're willing to pay the phytosanitary fees, etc. It's expensive, but they have plants that almost no one else in the world has. The array is mindboggling, to say the least. www.rareplants.co.uk

Yucca Do Nursery--For those of you into succulent and dry garden plants, this is your source. They really know what they're doing. www.yuccado.com

This list doesn't even scratch the surface, but includes a very small handful of my personal favorites. There are many others. Also, while you're at it, go ahead and check out the websites for some of the wholesale places, such as Terra Nova Nurseries www.terranovanurseries.com, North Creek Nurseries www.northcreeknurseries.com , Shady Oaks Nursery www.shadyoaks.com, and others. These are just a FEW of the folks who are introducing new plants to the market and supply the growers, who then supply your local greenhouses and garden centers, so a LOT of their plants can be purchased through your regular retailers.

And don't blame me when your garden budget suddenly dwindles! (And again, a special thanks to the Memphis Hosta Society for hosting me this evening.) Happy Gardening!