10 LANDSCAPE GARDEN SERIES 



WHERE AND WHEN TO PURCHASE PLANT MATERIALS 



To get particular varieties or specialties one naturally has to secure 

 them where available. If shipping problems were never encountered, 

 one could order where the best goods and best prices were offered. 

 Distance means increased cost in transportation and liability of delay 

 in shipment. Large orders in car load lots are much more satisfactory 

 for long shipments than small orders. Material is less apt to dry out 

 on the road if received from a nearby point. Stock grown in nurseries 

 in the same latitude or north of where it will be planted is claimed by 

 some to be hardier. ' Local nurserymen may in some cases charge more 

 for material but in return give special service in handling, protecting, 

 and delivering the plants. Determining the place to order seems thus 

 to be largely a matter of judgment based on individual needs. 



As to the time to order there is always one good rule to follow. 

 Order early and in advance to the planting season. Ofttimes orders 

 are filled in the order they are received. Early ordering means better 

 service and better plants. Although many reliable nursery firms have 

 men on the road selling goods, there are occasional instances of mis- 

 representation ; the home owner should be quite sure that the salesman 

 has good credentials and represents a reputable firm if payments are 

 made in advance. The writer knows of actual cases where people have 

 purchased and paid for goods in advance and never received them. 

 Agents of this type are generally offering special inducements and 

 questionable creations and although an "Independence Plant" having 

 red, white and blue blossoms on the Fourth of July might appeal in a 

 picture, yet it is certain that such a novelty will be a disappointment. 



