What kinds of plants to do you sell? click here
Do you have lots of $7.97 varieties, or is that just a door-buster gimmick? No gimmick! Of the 300+ varieties of trees, shrubs and perennials we carry, roughly 3/4 of them are priced at $7.97, or have multiple sizes available starting at $7.97. We have larger sizes of many varieties at $9.97, and large and specialty trees at $24.97.
What size are your $7.97 plants? Depends on the plant. Most of the perennials are in 3qt pots, some have to go into larger pots. Most shrubs are in 1gallon pots. If you drop by late April, many varieties will look small - because they are just emerging from their winter nap. But by mid-May, most are overflowing their containers. Spring planted items should fill out tremendously by summer's end. Meanwhile, many of the $19.97 trees are 4' in 5 gallon 'sand bags.' Our customers are much more likely to comment on how large the plants are, rather than how small. Just the way we like it!
How do you keep your prices so low? Now that's a great question! Several way. 1) We are growers. the majority of our plants are grown right here, so there's no middle-man markup. 2) We grow the old fashioned way. No expensive greenhouses and other infrastructure like that. Seeds are grown in the basement in winter, then moved outside when it warms up. Shrubs are grown from cuttings in the summer. Babies are often grown out for a year or more right in our back yard. 3) We recycle pots. You'd be surprised how expensive new pots can be! Bring us your old pots; we'll reuse them. Helps the environment, empties your garage, keeps our costs down, keeps your price down!
Is it really a family business? Absolutely! When you stop in, you'll probably be attacked by several children, eager to help you find the right plant. And you'll quickly discover they know their stuff! That's because they are involved in nearly every step of growing and selling the plants. We're a homeschooling family, and the business furnishes countless hands-on lessons in science, math, English, and so on!
Is now a good time to plant? Yes. Just about any time of year can be good for planting. The second best time is spring. Just as everything is waking up from winter. The air is cool, and plenty of rain. Spring planting is easy and rewarding. Summer is a good time to plant. Just be certain to keep them watered every day for the first 2 weeks! The hot sun is the enemy in summer, quickly drying out plants until they have about 2 weeks to get established. The best time to plant? Autumn. Yup. The time when leaves are falling and the plants don't look so great. Still, the combination of cool air and warm soil allows the roots to develop without much threat of drying out. They'll keep growing till about the time the ground freezes. Then they'll be ready to burst out super strong come spring. Winter? The plants will be dormant. Sleeping. Like anesthesia for a surgery, the plants don't know what's going on, and they won't get stressed out being planted. Really, the biggest problem with winter planting is you... its cold and you may need a pick-axe if the ground is frozen!
Do you offer wholesale pricing? Sure. Always happy to deal with landscapers and resellers. Wholesale is only available to professionals in the business, and who have full PA Dept of Ag certification and tax exempt forms.
Where in the world is Wapwallopen? Hah! Drive to the middle of nowhere, turn left, and go another 2 miles. Seriously, we're near the Susquehanna River, in the shadow of the Salem power plant. About 10 mins north of the rts80/93 interchange, and 10 mins from ex159Nuangola on 81. Check out the map on the home page. It's a beautiful country drive from any direction.
Will your plants grow in this area? You betcha! They were born here, afterall! We do our best to carry only the hardiest varieties. Long before we were nurseryfolk, we were gardeners. If we can't get them to grow in our gardens, we don't sell them. No wimpy plants allowed!
I have a BLACK thumb. Why do my plants keep dying? Chances are, the problem is not your thumb at all. Many retailers carry plants that don't do well in our area. And even if they do, they've often sat on a hot shelf, burning up in the sun, while their caretakers grab a cigarette. Plus, they were produced using greenhouse techniques and soils. The result is often a plant already stressed out and unable to handle the stress of being planted in the real world. Our plants were grown here, and are potted in garden-quality compost. We'll help you select the right plant for the right place. You keep it watered for 2 weeks after planting. Then we'll see what color your thumb is!
Do your plants come with a warranty? Sorta. We don't put anything in writing. But we stand behind our plants. If you take the plant home, plant it, keep it watered for 2 weeks, and it still dies -- come on back, we'll replace it. If its our fault, we'll make it right. We are most interested in happy customers. You don't even need to return the dead plant. Just let us know. All we ask is that if your spouse runs it over with the lawnmower, your dog eats it, or you leave it in the pot on your hot driveway for 3 weeks without any water... well, we'd appreciate it if you take responsibility for that. :) The big box stores would refund your money in those instances. But they also understand that while you are there at their store you'll likely pick up a few more items, more than offsetting the cost of the refund. Dead plants are cheap advertising for them, getting you back in their store. We don't think that's right. We stand behind our plants, but to offer multi-year, no questions asked warranties would require us to drastically raise our prices. Just be careful with that weed-whacker, and we'll all be happy!
Which plants will survive our winters? Just about anywhere you buy a plant, it will come with a hardiness zone rating. Just match the plant to your hardiness zone, and they should do fine. Most of NEPA is in zone 6, meaning the average low temperature is -10*f. So, if the plant is rated for zone 6 or less/colder (ie z0-6) it should do just fine. Three caveats, however. First, zone ratings are not an exacting science. Its mostly based on "plant x has survived for many years as far north as zone y, so it must be zone y hardy". There's no lab somewhere that gives out these ratings. Second, long time gardeners might be surprised to hear that we are in z6. The USDA recently revised the maps and bumped us up from z5. Unfortunately, they didn't bother to tell the plants! If the plant didn't survive here 3 years ago when we were z5, its not going to survive here now that a bureaucrat has declared us to be z6 . Most of our plants are rated z5 and below. We are slowly and carefully experimenting and adding a few z6 items each year. Third, even if your plant is rated for your zone, other factors may kill it. Some plants drown if the soil is too wet in winter. Some can't handle a windy winter location, and so on. A quick search on google will often reveal any special needs of each plant. Oh, one last thing. If you ever find yourself at some plant seller and discover plants for z7 or higher, put them down, and run out of there as fast as you can! That tells you a lot about the seller, and sadly, we see it all too often.
What's the difference between an annual and a perennial? Annuals live for one year. They spring up from seeds, are really pretty for the warm season, make some seeds, and are dead after a good frost or freeze. Then you get to spend more money next year to replace them. And break your back re-planting each year. Perennials come back year after year. [Think: "perennial favorites"] Perennials get bigger and bloom better year after year, often spreading through the garden. We began as lazy gardeners. We don't want to keep doing all that work each year that annuals require! So, we sell 99% perennials, be they flowers, shrubs or trees. [we offer a few annual vegetables each year, just because our customers demanded it.]
Are you a real nursery or just some people selling plants by the road? Sure, we're the real deal. We're certified and inspected by the PA Department of agriculture. And... we have to collect sales tax. Sorry.
Do you have lots of $7.97 varieties, or is that just a door-buster gimmick? No gimmick! Of the 300+ varieties of trees, shrubs and perennials we carry, roughly 3/4 of them are priced at $7.97, or have multiple sizes available starting at $7.97. We have larger sizes of many varieties at $9.97, and large and specialty trees at $24.97.
What size are your $7.97 plants? Depends on the plant. Most of the perennials are in 3qt pots, some have to go into larger pots. Most shrubs are in 1gallon pots. If you drop by late April, many varieties will look small - because they are just emerging from their winter nap. But by mid-May, most are overflowing their containers. Spring planted items should fill out tremendously by summer's end. Meanwhile, many of the $19.97 trees are 4' in 5 gallon 'sand bags.' Our customers are much more likely to comment on how large the plants are, rather than how small. Just the way we like it!
How do you keep your prices so low? Now that's a great question! Several way. 1) We are growers. the majority of our plants are grown right here, so there's no middle-man markup. 2) We grow the old fashioned way. No expensive greenhouses and other infrastructure like that. Seeds are grown in the basement in winter, then moved outside when it warms up. Shrubs are grown from cuttings in the summer. Babies are often grown out for a year or more right in our back yard. 3) We recycle pots. You'd be surprised how expensive new pots can be! Bring us your old pots; we'll reuse them. Helps the environment, empties your garage, keeps our costs down, keeps your price down!
Is it really a family business? Absolutely! When you stop in, you'll probably be attacked by several children, eager to help you find the right plant. And you'll quickly discover they know their stuff! That's because they are involved in nearly every step of growing and selling the plants. We're a homeschooling family, and the business furnishes countless hands-on lessons in science, math, English, and so on!
Is now a good time to plant? Yes. Just about any time of year can be good for planting. The second best time is spring. Just as everything is waking up from winter. The air is cool, and plenty of rain. Spring planting is easy and rewarding. Summer is a good time to plant. Just be certain to keep them watered every day for the first 2 weeks! The hot sun is the enemy in summer, quickly drying out plants until they have about 2 weeks to get established. The best time to plant? Autumn. Yup. The time when leaves are falling and the plants don't look so great. Still, the combination of cool air and warm soil allows the roots to develop without much threat of drying out. They'll keep growing till about the time the ground freezes. Then they'll be ready to burst out super strong come spring. Winter? The plants will be dormant. Sleeping. Like anesthesia for a surgery, the plants don't know what's going on, and they won't get stressed out being planted. Really, the biggest problem with winter planting is you... its cold and you may need a pick-axe if the ground is frozen!
Do you offer wholesale pricing? Sure. Always happy to deal with landscapers and resellers. Wholesale is only available to professionals in the business, and who have full PA Dept of Ag certification and tax exempt forms.
Where in the world is Wapwallopen? Hah! Drive to the middle of nowhere, turn left, and go another 2 miles. Seriously, we're near the Susquehanna River, in the shadow of the Salem power plant. About 10 mins north of the rts80/93 interchange, and 10 mins from ex159Nuangola on 81. Check out the map on the home page. It's a beautiful country drive from any direction.
Will your plants grow in this area? You betcha! They were born here, afterall! We do our best to carry only the hardiest varieties. Long before we were nurseryfolk, we were gardeners. If we can't get them to grow in our gardens, we don't sell them. No wimpy plants allowed!
I have a BLACK thumb. Why do my plants keep dying? Chances are, the problem is not your thumb at all. Many retailers carry plants that don't do well in our area. And even if they do, they've often sat on a hot shelf, burning up in the sun, while their caretakers grab a cigarette. Plus, they were produced using greenhouse techniques and soils. The result is often a plant already stressed out and unable to handle the stress of being planted in the real world. Our plants were grown here, and are potted in garden-quality compost. We'll help you select the right plant for the right place. You keep it watered for 2 weeks after planting. Then we'll see what color your thumb is!
Do your plants come with a warranty? Sorta. We don't put anything in writing. But we stand behind our plants. If you take the plant home, plant it, keep it watered for 2 weeks, and it still dies -- come on back, we'll replace it. If its our fault, we'll make it right. We are most interested in happy customers. You don't even need to return the dead plant. Just let us know. All we ask is that if your spouse runs it over with the lawnmower, your dog eats it, or you leave it in the pot on your hot driveway for 3 weeks without any water... well, we'd appreciate it if you take responsibility for that. :) The big box stores would refund your money in those instances. But they also understand that while you are there at their store you'll likely pick up a few more items, more than offsetting the cost of the refund. Dead plants are cheap advertising for them, getting you back in their store. We don't think that's right. We stand behind our plants, but to offer multi-year, no questions asked warranties would require us to drastically raise our prices. Just be careful with that weed-whacker, and we'll all be happy!
Which plants will survive our winters? Just about anywhere you buy a plant, it will come with a hardiness zone rating. Just match the plant to your hardiness zone, and they should do fine. Most of NEPA is in zone 6, meaning the average low temperature is -10*f. So, if the plant is rated for zone 6 or less/colder (ie z0-6) it should do just fine. Three caveats, however. First, zone ratings are not an exacting science. Its mostly based on "plant x has survived for many years as far north as zone y, so it must be zone y hardy". There's no lab somewhere that gives out these ratings. Second, long time gardeners might be surprised to hear that we are in z6. The USDA recently revised the maps and bumped us up from z5. Unfortunately, they didn't bother to tell the plants! If the plant didn't survive here 3 years ago when we were z5, its not going to survive here now that a bureaucrat has declared us to be z6 . Most of our plants are rated z5 and below. We are slowly and carefully experimenting and adding a few z6 items each year. Third, even if your plant is rated for your zone, other factors may kill it. Some plants drown if the soil is too wet in winter. Some can't handle a windy winter location, and so on. A quick search on google will often reveal any special needs of each plant. Oh, one last thing. If you ever find yourself at some plant seller and discover plants for z7 or higher, put them down, and run out of there as fast as you can! That tells you a lot about the seller, and sadly, we see it all too often.
What's the difference between an annual and a perennial? Annuals live for one year. They spring up from seeds, are really pretty for the warm season, make some seeds, and are dead after a good frost or freeze. Then you get to spend more money next year to replace them. And break your back re-planting each year. Perennials come back year after year. [Think: "perennial favorites"] Perennials get bigger and bloom better year after year, often spreading through the garden. We began as lazy gardeners. We don't want to keep doing all that work each year that annuals require! So, we sell 99% perennials, be they flowers, shrubs or trees. [we offer a few annual vegetables each year, just because our customers demanded it.]
Are you a real nursery or just some people selling plants by the road? Sure, we're the real deal. We're certified and inspected by the PA Department of agriculture. And... we have to collect sales tax. Sorry.