Where has this little gem been all my gardening life? Bachman’s is a florist and nursery in Minnesota. They have created a whole slew of caresheets on just about every gardening topic imaginable, aimed at helping the Minnesotan gardener succeed. Since all of MN is hardiness zone 4 or colder, any cold climate gardener should find helpful advice. And this is not generic advice, but specific recommendations based on fingers-in-the-dirt experience. “Marginally Hardy Blooming Shrubs” answered some long-standing questions of mine about butterfly bush and caryopteris. “Hardy Hydrangeas in Minnesota” told me something I hadn’t even expected: that with the proper treatment and a little bit of luck, you can get Hydrangea ‘Nikko Blue’ to bloom in a zone 4 climate–most years, at least. I can’t think of any cold climate gardener who won’t pick up at least one tip browsing through these caresheets, unless it’s Mary Henry or Margaret Purcell, the authors of all the sheets I read through. Would that my town had such a knowledgeable nursery!
About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children
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As I understand it (and I could be wrong) a fair amount of Bachmans’ stock is raised from plugs purchased in other states. There are specialty greenhouses around the Twin Cities that do not do this; instead they grow everything natively. This allows these “Local Growers” to specialize in plants designed specifically for Minnesota conditions.
I’m no purist. I’m also a beginning gardener. Take my comments with a grain of salt.
And for the record: I live in a Northern Suburb of the Twin Cities, on the banks of the Mississippi. I *LOVE* Bachmans. They are a great chain.
Are you saying that Bachman’s doesn’t grow its own stuff? Or just that it’s not local to you?
I like Bachmans a lot. While the Renegade Gardener chastises us to patronize local growers, it’s still a lot of fun to visit the big greenhouses here in the Twin Cities. And Bachmans is the premiere Twin Cities greenhouse chain, as far as I’m concerned. They have beautiful stuff. And their Christmas displays are excellent.
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