Many gardeners do not start their own annual vegetables and flowers at home. Instead, they rely on nursery stock for everything from petunias to perennial flowers, shrubs and trees. One of the keys to growing successful plants is to start with good nursery stock.
For the more expensive perennial flowers, shrubs and trees, stick with a reputable nursery that will guarantee what they sell to you. Many nurseries stand behind their perennial plants, even mail-order nurseries.
A good nursery should also have personnel that can answer your planting questions. If the plants don’t come with detailed information about proper planting zones and other growing requirements, ask! If your questions can’t be answered, don’t buy the plant.
Many gardeners I know have purchased a beautiful and expensive perennial plant without knowing that the plants needed to be dug up in the fall or that the “perennial” plant was not actually a perennial plant that particular zone. Just because similar plants be sold on the same shelf doesn’t mean they all have the same growing requirements.
Annual flowers and vegetables are much less expensive to purchase, but finding good stock is still important. If you’re going to take the time to plant something in your garden, you want it to survive.
While a larger plant might seem better, that’s not always the case. More important is the root and leaf growth of the plant. Make sure the root ball is not tightly wound with thick, dark, old root fibers. This indicates a very old plant that may struggle to survive due to its root bound condition.
If roots are coming out the pot are dried out, this also indicates that the plant is slightly root bound. Instead, the root ball should have lots of loosely wound white root hairs.
Tug gently on the plant plug to see the roots, looking especially for these fine, lightly colored roots. If the plant starts to pull out of the soil, there is not enough root growth, and the plant is not ready for the garden.
Check for signs of new leaf growth. New leaf growth indicates a healthy, thriving plant. Although everyone wants to purchase plants that are already blossoming, the blossoms will always come later on a healthy annual. Remember, too, that due to the nature of annual plants, blossoms today will fade away tomorrow.
The quality of plants varies from nursery to nursery, mostly due to the personnel that are caring for the plants. Seek out places with qualified gardening specialists that take good care of their rootstock and can answer your questions about the plants before you even take them home.
Joleen Durham is a Texas County resident and a University of Missouri master gardener. For questions or comments related to gardening, email her at missourigardener@hotmail.com.
