[Raj Venugopal]

We run a small operation, so we've always bought our green goods from local retailer at discounts ranging from 20% to 30% of the ticketed price.

As we grow, looking to buy direct from the growers is something we're considering.

What do you folks do, and for those of you in Canada, who are the reputable nurseries (Ontario and eastwards) with good stock?

Thanks.

[TrickyDick]

We get all of our plants from growers/ wholesale distributors except things like tropicals houseplants that we usually get at home depot. Retailers in my experience mark up anywhere from 1.6ish (for larger trees) to 5 times wholesale (for a lot of perennials) so even with a 30% dsicount you're getting hosed even in the best case scenario.

Around here there of lot's of wholesalers/ growers to work with. I imagine in more rural areas they are a lot tougher to find.

[GLAN]

I have a local nursery that treats us pretty well.......then there is a wholesaler where we dump our refuse and get lawn supplies....they man handle the nursery stock more than I care for, but I can get decent deals from them if and when I need.

I deal with my local nursery mostly........better specimens, quality and handling

[Cochran]

I use whosale growers for my plant needs. In my area, there is only one wholesale grower, so many times I am driving 2-3 hours to get plant material, but the price and the quality make the trip worth it and I am usually able to pick up 2-3 jobs worth of material in one trip.

For those items I can't get from a wholesaler, I use a local nursery--sometimes they do discounts, sometimes not, depends on who is working the counter.

Every once in awhile I visit Lowe's--many times I can get some really nice material for a good price. At a box store, though, I ALWAYS inspect the plant and the plant roots for any signs of disease and/or insect infestation. We know how big boxes treat most of their plants......

[NCSULandscaper]

We buy direct from the grower at 50-60% off retail price, and we are now growing our own material that will be ready in a year