A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat Free is GOOD!

There is a nursery just over the border into NJ that has very friendly and down-to-earth owners. Their prices are a bit high, but every now and then I find something there that no other nusery has, or a color I want. Recently I bought 2 small dwarf papyruses for my pond - have not seen those for sale anywhere around here ever! So yesterday I went back to buy 2 more because they are so darn cute!!!

For the past few years, this nursery has had a cart with free plants on it if one makes a purchase of $20 or more. They did not have it out the other day, so I figured that even though I wasn't spending the $20 then, it added up and I would take a plant. When I paid, even though it only came to $8 and change, the young girl said "go ahead and help yourself to a free plant".

Now mind you... the sign on the cart explicitly says... "ONE free 6 pack with a purchase of $20 or more". Got that? So I went over and saw several flats of agertaum 6 packs, 1 flat of red impatiens 6 packs, and a few very very leggy non stop begonias. I took 2 of the begonias because they were so pitiful looking that they probably would be in the trash at the end of the day if no one else took them - and it was near the end of the day.

When I put them in my car, I saw that the woman next to me had grabbed the ENTIRE FLAT of impatiens and put it in her car. Not satisfied with that, she went back and grabbed an ENTIRE FLAT of ageratums too!!!!! And then I saw another woman taking an ENTIRE FLAT of ageratums! HUH???

No one said anything and that young cashier was looking right at them!
Sooooooo I figured if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me! I went back over and took a flat of ageratums and I also grabbed another begonia. I did feel a bit badly about taking all that, but as I was turning around in the parking lot I saw the other 2 women going back and taking MORE flats! Since no employee said anything, I guess it was ok???

Here is the flat of ageratum


And here is the yellow begonia all potted up into a deeper pot and staked -
hopefully it will survive this.


a blury close-up of the flower



more pictures in next post

And here is one of the other two begonias in a slightly larger pot than the 4 inch they came in, and staked. They are white with a thin line of pink around the petal edges - very fresh and feminine looking. The third is the same kind.



In the background is another non stop begonia that I bought the other day - more pictures of that in a begonia thread in plants and flowers.

great pictures, they are very nice looking flowers. That is one nice nursery. There is nothing like that at any nursery around here.

I agree free is good--and well free is fantastic!!!

maybe that's why their prices are a bit high. They feel like they make up the money for people taking more than they want them too. That is a great way to get people into the store - free 6 pack after $20.00. I'd shop there. They look healthy too. The only thing ever on sale around here is stuff that is almost totally dead. I've bought it before and once in a while it can be saved but mostly it's too dead for CPR to work.

I don't think that is why their prices are a bit higher, Sheri - as a matter of fact I just remembered that they had built a new HUGE double greenhouse to grow their plants in - it came from Holland the owner told me a few years ago. Next time I go over there I will try and take some pictures of the greenhouses.

I would never have paid for these begonias, but since they were free I'm giving them a try. I've not had a lot of success with begonias before, but now I have a shady place under our white birch tree for them this time around.

As for the ageratum flats - I was wondering if they might have grown them just for this purpose? You know... to give away? Not many people that I know buy or grow them?

I used to plant ageratums every year at my other house. The can get pretty big. did you see the picture of Diane's begonia? They can be beautiful.