I am a cheap and lazy gardener. My soilplay pretty much consists of planting, watering, weeding and keeping my fingers crossed. I have ordered plants with varying degrees of success through mail order, so I wanted to document my experiences here. "Not Recommended" means only that I do not recommend purchasing this shrub online, not that you shouldn't purchase at all.
Tantalized by the lush foliage and lovely blooms touted by these gardening catalogs, I eagerly awaited my first order. Prepare to be disappointed. Many "shrubs" resemble not so much saplings but leafless twigs with roots. Some perennials are merely root balls while others arrive in the tiniest of pots -- maybe slightly bigger than what you'll find populating a flat of annuals. Still others arrived moldy or DOA. In some cases you'll get more for your money shopping at a local nursery. But many of these perennials grew in nicely over the course of a year (or more). It's fun to experiment, especially with plants I haven't seen locally. I ordered exclusively through because they were the least expensive. They also offer the standard one year guarantee. If your plant doesn't survive they will send you a replacement if you request it within one year from date of purchase.
Year planted follows description in parenthesis.
For reference, these shrubs were planted in zone 6 in mostly sandy soil. Winter 2006 was warmer than usual; I had flowers until December, and then we hit a cold snap in February. I think this disturbed a lot of my perennials because many did not come back, or were damaged.
Updated 2/17/2008.
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| Plant |
Experience |
Conclusion |
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Purple Leaf Plum Hedge. Nothing survived. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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| Dwarf Flowering Cherry. This is not an attractive shrub, and I didn't get any fruit after two years. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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Forsythia. I was substituted mock orange instead because of crop failure. (2004). | Neutral |
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Fruit Cocktail Tree
| Fruit Cocktail Tree. Didn't do much, died second year. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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Rhododendron. Arrived too small to be useful -- only a few inches high. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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| Mountain Laurel. They all survived, but they're rather small. One first bloomed in 2006. (2004). | Neutral |
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| Hansen's Cherry Bush. No cherries from these, they didn't do much and didn't come back in 2007. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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Redbud. Not one survived. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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Dwarf Burning Bush
| Dwarf Burning Bush. Too small, slow growing. (2004). | Not Recommended |
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Potted Weeping Cherry. In three years this grew to many times its original size. However, I doubt it's a weeping cherry -- its branches are upright, which is why I'm giving it a neutral rating. One bloom in 2007. (2004). | Neutral |
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Royal Japanese Cherry Tree. Another fast growing tree, but did not bloom as of 2007. (2004). | Recommended |
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Mock Orange. Only one survived but it is doing very well in partial shade. First bloomed in 2006. Flowers aren't anything special. Not one of my favorites. (2004). | Neutral |
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| Bridal White Spirea
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Bridal White Spirea. It's growing well, started blooming after one year. (2004). | Recommended |
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Tree Hydrangea. Slow growing, but bloomed after one year. They are so cheap I will buy more. (2004). | Recommended |
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Red Twig Dogwood. They're doing OK, haven't bloomed yet, but one died in 2007. (2004). | Recommended |
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Variegated Weigela. An attractive shrub, most bloomed the first year. (2004). | Recommended |
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| Crape Myrtle
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Crape Myrtle. One died, one is doing well in full sun. It formed flowering buds in 2006, but they never opened fully. (2004). | Recommended |
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Pink Smoke Mist Tree
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Pink Smoke Mist Tree. I wasn't expecting much as this was a freebie, but it's sprouted leaves. I like the paddle-shaped foliage. (2006). | Recommended |
