Your All Things Plants weekly news

Social (Media) Call! All the cool kids are on allthingsplants.com, of course, but there are other websites where you can connect to us, too. All Things Plants is doing a social media drive lately, and we want to make sure YOU are connected with us.

Like our Facebook page and enjoy interesting garden-related posts every day.

Subscribe to our awesome Youtube channel for gardening videos you'll like.

See Trish's cool pins by following us on Pinterest.

And if you use twitter, well, we have that, too.

Thank you for staying connected with us!

I haven't ordered seeds in years. I went to Renee's on the recommendation of someone else. I was VERY happy. I am especially thrilled with the Persian pickles as I was looking for cucumbers grown just for this reason: to pickle and to resemble the pickles labeled "Persian." I have already pickled a few jars and waited all of 2 weeks to try them, and success! Not only are they "close"; they are a match! Keep in mind that Renee's sells heirlooms and non-GM seeds, so keep an eye out for disease vectors. I also purchased heirloom runner beans and hyacinth beans that have (along with some morning glories) completely covered the front porch, far exceeding expected growth. The purple pods are amazing, beautiful. Highly recommend!!!!!

I recently ordered two of the "White Butterfly" ginger plants, during the "dog days of summer" promotion where everything was discounted by 25%. Normally when I find plants for an end-of-season sale price, I pretty much expect them to look like the bargains they are, but that was definitely not true in this case! These plants arrived in perfect condition, carefully packed, and I received not only the two plants that I had ordered, but also an extra huge piece of rhizome and a Canna Lily, as well as a page of helpful information about how to plant and grow them. I was happy to have a tracking number so I knew exactly when they would be arriving, as our rural mail carrier has been known to leave packages in some strange places (including delivering to the wrong house altogether). I truly could not be happier with this transaction -- thanks, DrDawg!

RareFind Nursery is an excellent source of rhododendron cultivars that are not available at local garden centers. They also offer on-site seminars at their Jackson NJ nursery. Several years ago I traveled two and a half hours to RareFind Nursery to purchase Rhododendron 'Solidarity' (their signature rhododendron cultivar), attend a seminar on camellias for northern gardens, and purchase some additional rhododendrons that would grow in my drought-prone, windy, hilltop garden, exactly the conditions that most rhododendrons hate. Ron Rabideau, a rhododendron expert, rhododendron hybridizer, and plant explorer on staff at RareFind, helped me choose several tough cultivars that have been thriving ever since on my rhododendron-hostile hilltop. The very interesting camellia seminar that I attended had an aura of community celebration that added a special touch to my visit. I have no experience with the mail-order end of RareFind, but I can enthusiastically recommend this nursery on the basis of its staff members' expertise and willingness to help customers select plants that will do well in their gardens.

After many years of reading Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery's beautiful catalog, I ordered several peonies in fall, 2014 ('Do Tell', 'Moon River', 'Mrs. F.D.R.', and 'Pink HawaiIan Coral') and three shrubs in spring, 2015 (Syringa vulgaris 'Nadezhda' and Little Boy Blue = 'Wonderblue' and Magnolia 'Lois'). None of these cultivars were available locally. This was the only source of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden's yellow Magnolia 'Lois' that I found. Everything arrived in excellent condition and has done well in my garden.I have been extremely pleased with everything I have ordered from Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery and with reading and re-reading their outstanding annual print catalog; it is a work of art!