Classic Pacific NW: We’re revisiting a few of our favourite tales from a few of our favourite former journal contributors. Test again every week for timeless classics specializing in meals, health, gardening and extra.

Initially revealed March 22, 2009
By Valerie Easton, former Pure Gardener author

A SMART STRATEGY for grocery purchasing is to stay to the fresh-food perimeter of the shop, shunning inside cabinets laden with processed items. Shops are so enormous and stuffed with temptation that such techniques not solely save time, cash and sanity, however additionally they assist guarantee we return dwelling with meals that’s truly good to eat.

For many people, nurseries are much more seductive, particularly in springtime, when plant fever burns brightest. Too usually, we find yourself spending greater than we intend on crops that trigger issues extra long-term than any package deal of potato chips or Oreos. How usually have you ever unloaded your automobile after a nursery jaunt, solely to marvel what possessed you to purchase six flats of candy-pink begonias or that candy little tree certain to shoot up like Jack’s beanstalk? We’ve all finished it. Sadly, the delight of amassing crops is greater than outweighed by the grief of tending an overplanted backyard.

So learn how to safely strategy a well-stocked nursery on a sunny spring morning?

Give your self loads of time. Don’t drink an excessive amount of espresso earlier than you go; a buzz can get you in hassle. Loosen up, breathe deeply, don’t run by means of and seize. It’s not the primary day of the Nordstrom sale — there are many crops to go round, and if you happen to miss one thing, you in all probability didn’t actually need it, anyway. (I do know: What’s want acquired to do with it?)

Begin together with your record. Not in contrast to a Netflix queue or a life record of birds to see, most gardeners have a tendency an ongoing roster of sought-after crops. Such lists maintain us from aimless nursery wandering, and once we truly discover that salvia or heuchera, we will verify it’s actually the type we’ve been looking for. However don’t be so intent in your record that you simply miss no matter is new, particular or uncommon that day.

Research how the place is organized. Tables in entrance often carry seasonal crops in bloom. I at all times begin there, only for the enjoyable of it. Most nurseries prepare crops not simply by sort (bushes, shrubs, perennials), but in addition by circumstances. You’ll discover tables of water crops, drought-tolerant crops, these appropriate for shade, crops beloved by butterflies. By no means assume that simply since you discover a 4-inch artemisia in a single place, they don’t carry a gallon measurement some place else. Nurseries may be complicated. All the time ask if you happen to don’t discover what you’re on the lookout for.

Learn the indicators. Positive, it’s advertising, however they include dependable data. If, after studying indicators and tags, you’re nonetheless unconvinced of a plant’s hardiness or suitability, hunt down the reply desk, which often has reference books in addition to knowledgeable employees.

Draw inspiration. Research the professional container plantings and demonstration beds. There’s no disgrace in copying mixtures you see on show — in actual fact, nurseries make use of proficient designers within the hope you’ll.

Get to know the plant patrons. At good nurseries, they know when a plant shall be out there, can order particular crops for you, and are pleased to take your identify and name you when what you’re looking for is available in. Usually they’ll counsel different potentialities or steer you away from drawback decisions. Good nurseries are gateways to the large world of crops; you by no means must accept what you discover in inventory on any given day.

Take into account greater than the worth tag. It’s value it to pay extra for a plant with a beautiful form, wholesome foliage, a well-developed root system. Within the case of crops nonetheless new in the marketplace, you would possibly wish to wait, if you happen to can bear to, till subsequent 12 months, when the worth absolutely will come down a bit. Nurseries supply a lot greater than purchasing; consider them as each a bookstore and a library. Typically we run right into a bookstore to choose up {a magazine} or a best-seller, however on different days, we go to a library to essentially examine a topic or bask within the wealth of books and data. Let your nursery expertise be each bookstore and library, and your way of thinking, checking account and backyard will prosper for it.