Recent Reviews in the Green Pages

First, a little background: Brushwood Nursery was started in 1998 by Dan Long. Dan is quite knowledgeable about his trade, and spends time giving lectures and teaching about various aspects of vines and gardening. His passion and expertise are in vines and climbing plants. He's also a really nice and honest guy! Brushwood stocks both long-term favorites and just released varieties. They grow their own plants out, and do most of their own propagation as well. Their website has more information on Dan, Brushwood Nursery, and their plants.

Visiting Brushwood's website, you might find yourself overwhelmed with choices. I found myself wanting one of each! Plants are categorized by type, then listed alphabetically. By clicking on individual plants, you'll see more detailed instructions. If you are looking for a plant with a particular height or growing condition, Brushwood does have a "Plant Finder" located at the top of every page. However, I found that it didn't work nearly as well as our own database, particularly for the clematis and roses searches. On the right hand side of the site, the terms and conditions, shipping policy, and ordering process are found with clear and easy to understand information. Note that if you are looking for a catalog, they do not print one.You'll have to drool on your keyboard instead.



The plant that we are excited to feature for Brushwood is the Eden Rose, one of the most popular climbing roses most likely due to its ease of growing. Even a novice rose grower can feel confident in a rose that is robust, quick growing, and disease resistant. The classic bloom is cabbage-like and brings a "wow" to every garden. Eden was named "The World's Best Rose" in 2006 by the World Federation of Rose Societies. I only found this reblooming rose at 3 nurseries online, and Brushwood had the best price (although to be fair, one of the other company's plants was in a larger container).

After my order was placed, I immediately received confirmation. One feature that I really appreciated was the ability to chose a later shipping date (with no additional fee), as well as my choice of UPS or USPS shipping. Both are a very nice and welcome choice for their customers! For best shipping, my order was held at their facility over the weekend and shipped out on Monday. I received a confirmation email, although there was no tracking number. My order was shipped via USPS. I asked Dan if it was typical to have orders ship out so quickly, and he assured me that it was. He did say that in late April and early May there may be some delay due to volume.

Sure enough, my order came in the same week, and with great anticipation, I opened the box. It was immediately clear why Brushwood has earned their reputation.

One of my favorite things about gardening is trying out new plants. One of my favorite things about homesteading is finding new ways to produce for ourselves the things that we use. For several years now, one of my favorite drinks is green tea. I love it when my favorite things collide!

A year or two ago, I discovered that I could indeed grow my own green tea. I was so excited! My excitement was short lived, however, when I couldn't find a single nursery in my surrounding area who carried the Camellia sinensis var sinensis shrub. I didn't fare a whole lot better online - I could purchase seeds, and a handful of vendors sell the plants, but I was unfamiliar with any of them.

I was thrilled when Camellia Forest Nursery wanted to do a review! I received two plants from Camellia Forest Nursery: a Camellia sinensis and Camellia x 'Crimson Candies'.

Brie (who is one of 4 workers at the nursery) told me that the Tea Plant is their best seller. I can see why! Who wouldn't want to purchase their own tea, after all.

Camellia Forest Nursery is a physical nursery located in North Carolina. I believe the majority of their business is likely in person, as at least part of their website is not kept completely current. The plants they do show are available, and they have great information on how to grow your camellias as well as how to harvest and dry the tea leaves. They do frequently post on Facebook, especially a huge collection of blooms, which they generously allowed us to use in our own database.

My order was placed, and shipped out within the week. My order went through the same process as any other customer's- no special treatment. I let Brie know when I had received my order, and she noted that one of the other workers must have packed it up since she hadn't seen my order, but had looked for it.

When I received my order, I was quite pleased with the packaging. The box was the perfect size and shape, and I always appreciate when companies use recycled packing material. Camellia Forest does not ship the plants in their pots, but it is clear that both bushes were taken out of a 4" pot, bagged, and shipped.  They have a clever way of tying the root ball to the box with the string taped on the outside. This keeps the plants from tossing around inside the box. It certainly didn't look like they had moved at all during delivery.



The plants themselves were healthy. The leaves were shiny green and perky. As for the roots, one of the plants clearly had a much better root system than the other one. The roots appeared rather weak on the tea plant, and I made a mental note to pot it up and baby it a bit more. That said, I've had these plants several weeks now, and I haven't seen any sign of distress.




Along with the plants, I received a catalog, and growing instructions, as well as instructions for harvesting, drying, and preparing the tea. I like it when companies send information, especially the special growing instructions instead of forcing the customer to go back to the website to find their own instructions.

Camellia Forest has an extensive line of camellias that they offer, along with their own introductions. They are a small nursery, but seem to have earned a solid reputation. I do not hesitate to recomend them to you, and I will be glad to order from them again to expand my own collection!

I have purchased plants from SMG since the late 1990s. I have always been very happy with the plants I received and with the way they are packaged.
I believe SMG has the largest list of sempervivum available in the U.S.

Here is one of my favorite purchases from SMG, J. hueffelii 'Jade'



One of my favorite sempervivums, S. 'Fuego,' came from SMG



Each year I add to my collection by purchasing from the new varieties that are offered.
I just received an order for 10 new varieties from SMG this week. All were healthy and ready to take off growing.
I also appreciate that Don Mylin has been creating some of his very own hybrid semps, adding to the enjoyment of collecting these amazing plants.

Here are two threads with postings from ATP members who have purchased from this nursery:
The thread "Nursery: Squaw Mountain" in Sempervivum forum
The thread "New Plants from SMG 2012 July" in Sempervivum forum

I asked our own succulent enthusiasts for their recommendations on mail order nurseries from which to order, and Young's Garden came highly recommended. I was pleased to be able to see for myself why they have earned their reputation.
Young's Garden is a family owned business located in Oregon. They are a full fledged retail nursery, and have quite a selection at their brick and mortar store. Online, they carry pond plants, deer resistant plants, and what we came for: succulents.

My order was for 2 semps, 2 sedums, and 2 tender succulents. I wanted to get a real good feel for a cross section of the kinds of plants they offer. My order was placed and shipped out via USPS within a few days. I received my tracking number, and waited with bated breath. Unfortunately, the USPS was not kind to my package. The day of delivery came and went, as did the next day, and the day after. There was no update to the status on USPS's site, so I became a little concerned and emailed Young's. The owner promptly responded that they would ship out another box, but I volunteered to wait it out another day or so and see what happens. The next day, a very damaged box showed up in my mailbox.

This was my first clue that Young's has been around the mail order industry for awhile. Despite the fact that the box was damaged, and that the package was very overdue, the plants were in great shape, and not dried out or damaged!

The sedums were clearly grown in a 4" pot full of roots before being shipped. There was a hand-written paper inside each bag stating the cultivar.

Each Sempervivum had a great root system, a larger mother plant, and 2 small (but not tiny) pups. The plants came bare-root in separate, labeled paper bags.


Like the sedums, the tender succulants were obviously grown in pots. The roots were wrapped in paper towels, which is probably what saved them when the package wasn't delivered on time.


I was impressed with Young's  Garden, and give my 2 green thumbs up. They clearly know their plants, and they have great customer service. The price and selection is on par with their competitors, and their website is easy to navigate.

You might as well jump in with the rest of us who have become obsessed with these little beauties! If you can't decide what to order, just grab their assortment to get you started.

If you've never been to the Simply Succulents website, you are in for a treat! The photo and video gallery is bursting with inspiration, ideas, and drool-worthy succulents to whet your appetite before you shop. As you enter the online store section, you'll note that they sell a variety of garden art items, including those enticing topiary forms to plant your succulents in. Personally, I'm in love with the mushroom and the turtle!

Where was I? Oh, yes...I did warn you that you'd be in for a visual treat! Simply Succulents has an impressive selection of hardy and tender succulents, sempervivums, and sedums.They are also one of the few places online that offer plants specifically for "miniature gardens". Another one of my current passions is terrariums, and it is hard to find small plants! This section is also handy if you are looking for fairy garden plantings.



Clicking on any of the main categories will give you page after page of options. Simply Succulents lists their best sellers, and jumbo semps separately in case you have no idea what you want. Also, for those just getting started, there are the plant collections and sempervivum kits to help you along your way. My only complaint is the lack of a search function. I couldn't easily see if they had a specific species that I may be looking for, nor could I browse by any feature such as size or color (with the exception of "jumbo" as I mentioned above). With such a vast selection, a search would be a very handy feature, especially for the collector.

My order had a variety of plants to give a good sampling of each type of plant that they offer. My box was shipped quickly and when it arrived I noted the efficient way it was packed. There wasn't any spare space in the box at all. Every succulent company that I ordered from this year did things a little bit differently in their shipping. Simply Succulents ships their plants in 3" pots, even the semps. Each planted pot was then wrapped in newspaper. On top, and around each plant, was shredded newspaper to ensure that nothing moved during shipment. Because they are packed in the pot, the grit and gravel did spill out, but that's not a problem.

The plants all came with their own tag which is always handy! You can see that the semps, sedums, and tender succulents were well rooted. The Jovibarbas had little roots, as is typical of that plant, little cuties that they are. I was impressed with the health and vigor of each plant. You can also see the mother plants sending off the pups. Some of the pups were larger, some smaller.





With the phenomenal selection, and good quality plants, my opinion is that Simply Succulents is a very good value for the slightly higher cost. I give two green thumbs up, and will certainly purchase from them again!

The late Luc Vannoorbeeck started this company with his wife Carol, who now runs this small specialized Plumeria nursery (they have Adeniums too) with Kay and Tex Norwood; they are always happy to welcome you to their nursery, and they take time to chat with you when you have a question by phone. They have many varieties that are not available via their website, so call if you're looking for something special. They specialize in grafted plants and they have many seedlings that are unique to their nursery, many of which are registered with the PSA.
Their prices are very competitive and the shipping charge is always just that - no excessive handling fees, etc.

I've been ordering from Jere and company for more than 10 years and have always received good and consistent product from him. They always ship in that yellow padded envelope and they always include a free packet of seeds. It has happened at times in the past that if they are out of a variety, they include a couple of dollars (cash!) in the envelope.

The best thing about Baker Creek is their excellent selection of heirloom vegetables. I have always especially loved their selection of winter squashes and pumpkins.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Mary's Garden Patch. Mary's specializes in bulbs, corms, and rhizomes for both spring and fall. I am impressed by both the variety and the selection of different cultivars that are offered. There is a great selection from which to choose, and very good descriptions and pictures of all of their plants to help you with your order.

Mary's Garden Patch tells me that they are committed to great customer service and that their goal is that their customers have the highest quality products from them which will produce beautiful plants and flowers to enjoy in our gardens for years to come. There is a good deal of information on the website on how to grow the plants that they offer, as well as a newsletter with helpful tips.

Another feature of Mary's Garden Patch is the bulk order. They offer bulbs by the half and full bushel on their website. If you want even more than that at one time, you can call for further discounts on even larger orders. Daylilies, some hostas, and some Japanese irises are also offered in clump quantities of 10-15 fans per clump at a discount.

I asked Mary if they ever run sales, and she replied that they do occasionally run specials. In addition, I note that their prices are reasonably low already. The shipping prices are based on product price, and are listed on the site.

Another thing that you should note is the shipping times. They only ship between 3/10-6/15 for their spring bulbs, and 9/15-1/15 for their fall bulbs. Fall bulbs can be ordered at any time, but will not ship until the earliest date for your zone.

My order was for one upright elephant ear, one crinum lily, and one clump of daylilies. Each plant was shipped in its own bag (paper for the bulbs, plastic for the daylilies), with the name of the plant on each bag.



Both of the bulbs are a nice large size and firm with good roots. Neither had new growth from this year.



The dayliles were a huge clump with lots of corms and roots. The top growth was obviously starved for sunlight and a very pale yellow/green. However, daylilies are tough little plants, and they looked in good health, so I wasn't worried.



As of the writing of this article, my plants have been in the ground for 7 days. The daylilies are nicely green and beginning to show new growth. The crinum stalk has greened up and is doing just fine. We're still waiting on the alocasia, but elephant ears are usually pretty pokey to come up so that's no cause for concern. Keep in mind as well that I am at the very end of my planting season, so it is a bit harder on my plants to get going right now. We are already in the mid 90s during the afternoons.

Mary's Garden Patch has generously offered our ATP members a discount code of 10% off of your order! The code is: ATP10 and is good through 7/31/2012. Remember that spring bulb shipping ends on 6/15, so if you are planning to order spring bulbs, get your order in quickly!! Also, you can order those fall bulbs with this code, and they will ship after 9/15. Mary also tells me that they want to offer our wonderful gardeners an extra special code for the fall, so stay tuned for that!!