Check the label when buying plants

By Ron Dieter, Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Gardens

You can tell spring is here. Garden plants are popping up everywhere- from garden centers to grocery stores, drug stores, discount stores, even some gas stations. Stacked on crates and concrete blocks, the various plants, trees, and shrubs are placed strategically near the store entrances. The hope is that your springtime urges to get down and dirty into the soil will cause you to part with a few hard-earned dollars. I have a couple pointers to help make your plant procurement efforts more successful and save you the extra work of replanting later.

If you’re in the market for a tree or a few shrubs, there’s a little known factor that can have a big influence on your planting success. That factor is provenance. The dictionary says that provenance means origin or source. Its horticultural importance is best explained by way of example, and the redbud tree is a good one.

The Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis, occurs naturally from New Jersey to Florida, and west through Missouri, Texas, and northern Mexico. The books rate its cold hardiness to Zone 4, well north of our area. It is easy to infer that all eastern redbuds will be hardy through Zone 4, but because of provenance, that is not the case. Redbuds grown from the seeds of trees of southern parentage will not have the genetics to survive northern winters. That’s why experienced nurserymen collect local seed to produce trees for their immediate area.

Commercial nurseries in the southern areas have longer growing seasons and can produce a shrub or tree much quicker than northern growers. As in all businesses, time is money. That means southern-grown stock can be offered at lower prices. Inevitably, some southern stock finds its way to stores in northern areas like ours.

Before you part with your money, check the tag to see where the tree was grown. Some stores use their own tags and the source may not be apparent. In that case, ask where the stock comes from. If they can’t tell you, chances are the tree is no bargain in the long run and will become kindling after the next severe Midwest winter passes through.

In the perennial area, there is an emerging industry trend that is causing considerable controversy among growers and plantsmen. Stores have learned that color sells. That’s why you find their petunias, salvias, marigolds, and other annual bedding plants all forced into early bloom. Since annuals flower all season long, there’s little harm done and the customer will get what she expects.

But now the stores want perennials in full bloom too, and commercial growers have found ways to do it. By controlling light and temperature, they can force a spring bloom from perennials that normally flower in summer or fall. Looking at these plants, a new gardener would rightly expect them to bloom all summer long, just like the annuals. Imagine the disappointment when the plant ceases flowering after a couple weeks, and stays green for the rest of the year.

What does all this mean to you? Be careful buying plants that are unfamiliar to you. Ideally, the tag will tell you if a plant is an annual, or, if a perennial, when it naturally flowers. Unfortunately, some tags are made for general use across the country and what is a perennial in Georgia or Missouri may be an annual here.

Buying plants is no different than buying anything else. The best advice is to buy from people who know what they’re selling, who can answer your questions, and who can help you select the right plants for your garden.

The bitter taste of a disappointing purchase lingers long after the sweet taste of low price has faded. I saw a sign once at a local printer that read: " Quality, Service, Low Price. Choose any two."