Yes, I keep on buying African violets just to see them stop blooming. Again, lazy bloomers. I will post the other one again when it starts blooming again

I rarely go plant shopping on purpose because I usually don't find anything I want to buy... more depressing than uplifting. BUT rarely pass by a store where they sell plants if I'm driving by for other reasons. Then whatever I find is a nice bonus.

When I lived in OH, I definitely went plant shopping! My fav time to do it was on a rainy Saturday morning.

Have to admit that I seldom actually shop for plants.
For the most part I'd say over 90% of what I have started from cuttings that didn't cost a thing. Now if I were to tag along with someone else who was prepared to spend actual money on a houseplant I would be only TOO happy to advise said company on what to purchase(naturally it will be something I've yet to acquire and I will get a small piece of it!).

I'm cheap! :D

Having several friends who are as plant-crazy as I am, we often go on road trips in the Spring to visit the many great nurseries we have within a couple hours drive. I like to buy plants I've never tried before... then it becomes an "educational expense" and therefore a little more justifiable, right? Also when shopping with others, we sometimes buy a larger plant (such as a new sedum), and divide it.

Oh yes!...the benefit of "hunting in packs". lol

Purple,
You are correct, that happens to me a lot too. But when you do find something, it sure does make you happy!

Asleep,
I wish I could have done that. I can't fathom how much money I've spent on plants... Don't want to know either lol.

Greybird,
Hehe. Too bad I don't have a friend like that. No wait, maybe that's a good thing lol.

Planto

Where there's a will and money...
Well, i have the will, but not enough money.
Though there's an inventory of plants I want to buy, I often end up in nurseries when I need to purchase stuff such as plant food. Then again, I always end up going home with an empty wallet and plants I never though I'd purchase.

If there's a local horticultural show, I'd without a doubt send myself in haste. it'd be like a flea market then with cheaper and rarer plants in general.
Once upon a time, I bought a sansevieria cylindrica 'boncel' in the show. (though i have a miscellaneous list already in my head and this succulent is not one of the numbered plants)
Well, I saw a mature specimen that's so huge and jaw-dropping, and I happened to decide that I have to get one.

Hi
Have always found "shopping" one of the most difficult parts of the gardening hobby. First I'm a collector as well as an impulse buyer second I'm surrounded by "ornamental" plant nurseries so the choice is almost limitless. Over time ended up with well over 500 plants in pots lol .
Obviously there is no way to adequetly take care of that many plants so over the last 5 years have been in "downsize " mode interestingly have found this MUCH more difficult because I want to keep them all.
Down to under 200 and actually have a rigid landscape plan in place . I can now see a bit of order in my collection
but still have a LONG way to go lol gary

Ha ha, I do it for a job!

Every other Monday I send an email to Holland for a minimum of $2,000 worth of stock, the record is probably about $10,000.

I have a template list of all the normal stuff with a box at the bottom for the wierd stuff. Always looking for something different.

Because of this forum I am expecting a delivery of a tray of Aglaonema Valentines today (Thursday is delivery day) which I didn't previously know existed.

Otherwise this week's delivery is all pretty boring, some variegated Neoregelia Tricoloeur will be nice, also some giant $40.00 white Anthuriums should be worth seeing.

I have been surching for a stapelia spp. but cant manage to find one

Gary,
Oh don't get me started on landscaping hehe. We are space limited so everything is in pots... I don't have that much room or else I think I'd have more. I plan to have a nice size garden one day. :)

Jon,
Yes, GW has that effect on people. I've seen plants on here before and i just had to find one.

Teen,
I think in all the years I've beenl looking locally, I've only found a stapelia once... or was it a huernia, I don't know. But either way, I've only found one... once. Unfortunately some of us have more to look at locally and like you and I, apparently what we can look at is limited (maybe that's another good thing lol).

Planto

I rarely go plant shopping on purpose. I never have a plan. I do, however, always try to stop by garden centers - especially to check the clearance racks.

Often enough, a full price plant (or two) will tempt me, but I do pretty good at sticking with my clearance (or throwaway-freebies) finds.

~

Gary, how on earth did you implement a rigid garden plan? I keep telling myself that I need to organize my plants - but I keep acquiring more, and those acquisitions simply push my organization plans back and back and back.

I usually go shopping for the purpose of looking, not necessarily to buy. As Purple stated, sometimes you don't find anything and that can be a downer. More often than not I don't... but I still keep going back in the hopes that they'll get some new plants in. Yesterday I was lucky, found a Euphorbia and two cacti... found a Pothos the day earlier (not that Pothos aren't a dime a dozen but I liked the growth habit of this one... wow that sounds odd). But my desire to find something and not worry about the price (not that I've ever spent more than say $15 on a plant though) is higher when I've had a rough day.

I think my plant searching as rubbed off on my Mother, she went to a local BBS earlier today and purchased 6 hydrangeas for $1.50 a piece, a lantana, and a lavendar that were also clearanced (I don't think they were more than $2-3 a piece). Boy...

Planto

TG, I actually feel guilty about finding that Stapelia at WM - of all things. Trays of succulents/cacti seemed to hit the 3 stores close enough to me to visit at the same time. I wasn't the only one raiding them and it only took about 2-3 weeks for them to be gone from all 3 stores. They were not only unusual (for WM,) but they were inexpensive, too. $2.50-$4. What's so frustrating is that now the selection is back to the usual Sans, Pothos, parlor palms, the most common and constant plants they always have. Doesn't anybody notice that the more unusual plants fly out the door while these others continue sitting where they've always been? Not that there's anything wrong with common plants, but most people already have these, and they charge way too much for the hanging ones especially. Why do they tease us like this?

Jon, your job sounds like a blast!! I had to look up what Neoregelia Tricoloeur was - now I want one. Just paying the enabling forward, aren't you?

Gary, I got in the same predicament when I lived in close proximity to too many plant stores too, and that was "only" in OH. Can't imagine how insane I would be in FL.

Planto, my space is basically unlimited but we're renting here so I try not to spend $ on ground plants, but do have moments of weakness... a jasmine and fragrant olive shrub come to mind. If you think about it though, if I buy a $20 plant, about the cost of a single nice bouquet of flowers, and enjoy that plant for several years before it's time to move somewhere else, I think I've gotten my $$'s worth. I also plan to propagate these and put copies in my Mom's yard, and DH's Mom's yard. Even if one owns, ground gardening is largely an exercise in preparing something for future generations to enjoy.

When ya' buy plants that have nowhere to go, I think that's the biggest mistake of unbridled enthusiasm. Whether house plants or ground plants, an unintended pot ghetto is hard to maintain, as Gary and Planto describe. A spot where you just dug up grass yesterday rarely grows good plants. Having the patience and foresight to prepare new areas BEFORE shopping would be ideal... but how often does anybody actually do that?

I've been pairing, tripling, quadrupling plants as I repot this spring. There MUST be less pots in this house this winter, way out of control this past year. I still want all of the plants, but it's the number of pots that caused the cramming issues. Mentally group them by light preference, then look at who would fit under/next to/dangling below...

Well, this subject no longer applies to me as of???

But, when it did, I'd go plant shopping whenever possible.
In other words, everytime we shopped, the first place I stopped was the plant section.

There's only one actual, tropical/succulent green house left here, but I'd make a point to visit once a year.
Ted's is a fairly long drive, but there's so much to see and buy. lol.

Most of my plant shopping was done via online nurseries.
Very few interesting plants are sold here, so in order to find a rarer specimen, all it took was a click of a few buttons.

As for moods, well, guess I just wanted a new plant/s whatever mood I was feeling.
Although, there's something about adding a plant in Jan and Feb.
Of course, money is a factor too.

Purple,
Hehe, I think the same way. I asked Hubby for a plant for Valentine's Day. I didn't want chocolates or flowers, something I can look at years from now and think of him. :) Not to mention, it threw out its own flowers for me.

Planto

I head for the plants whenever I get a chance, nothing here so the 30 min drive (or more, depending on where I want to go) into town has to be worth it, I useally go when I am doing something else. I hardly ever go just for plants, tho there has been times..

But I need to "curb" my wanting them for a while, need to figure out what to do with the ones i have before getting anymore.. gonna need help with that one! lol

but if i find something intresting and i dont have it? maybe, like i said, i need to control this impulse buying of plants..

Marjie

Sorry if i made you feel guilty about the stapelia. You are right about the hanging baskets. They charge too much for cheap production and easy to grow plants. and nobody buys these. I usually wait until they nearly kill the plants thenm buy them under super cheap prices to heal them. I at one point bought some type of 4 foot palm not overly ba dfor 2.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet i have found 9 inch tall chamaedora elegans palms with scale insects for 9.99!!!!!!!! Sometimes they charge too much!

Sorry if i made you feel guilty about the stapelia. You are right about the hanging baskets. They charge too much for cheap production and easy to grow plants. and nobody buys these. I usually wait until they nearly kill the plants thenm buy them under super cheap prices to heal them. I at one point bought some type of 4 foot palm not overly ba dfor 2.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet i have found 9 inch tall chamaedora elegans palms with scale insects for 9.99!!!!!!!! Sometimes they charge too much!

Aharriedmom
As to a "rigidgarden plan " What worked for me is to get old and sickly followed by being unable to pass through the shadehouse or to walk from the back door to the property line without "jungle" gear lol Really bad was the orchids and palms,particularly those I grow on other peoples property lol
i divided my property into zones such as ferns/palms/orchids/ triopical flowering/ fruit trees/water gardens etc. Used "similar care as a guideline on what goes where . have disposed of all large trees/ tall/fast growing palms and those that need frequent pruning.
all plants in the front yard were reduced to easy care shrub border and grass and hired a lawn co. for maintenence . gave me a special price since there's nothing to mow around . Still have a long way to go but can see much progress as a form is emerging best of all have reduced maintenence by half and the plants went to people
who appreciate their beauty
As to "temptation" lol DONOT attend the Fairchild ramble
they had 1300 vendors and over 13000 specimens at the last show . Another is the World Orchid Conference . 80,000 orchids in full flower !! lol had cutting offset tables over 20 feet long!! Had over 500 vendors from at least 20 countries with prices from two bucks to 1500. lol
gary

Gary:
Ah, I don't even have a shade house yet. :(

I guess I'm still in the danger zone of impulse-plant-collecting.

~~

purpleinopp said: When ya' buy plants that have nowhere to go, I think that's the biggest mistake of unbridled enthusiasm. Whether house plants or ground plants, an unintended pot ghetto is hard to maintain, as Gary and Planto describe. A spot where you just dug up grass yesterday rarely grows good plants. Having the patience and foresight to prepare new areas BEFORE shopping would be ideal... but how often does anybody actually do that?

I can't hear you! *sticks fingers in ears*

Actually, I'm so bad that I will actually tell the people in the garden center/checkout that I have an addiction problem and need an intervention. So far, not a one has refused to sell me a plant. (I don't tell my husband that I have an addiction, though I imagine he may suspect)
~~

hopefulauthor: What happened? When I was here last summer, you still had plants.

Gary,
I'll avoid those plant conventions (makes thorough notes)!

Planto

"Actually, I'm so bad that I will actually tell the people in the garden center/checkout that I have an addiction problem and need an intervention. So far, not a one has refused to sell me a plant."

Hey, I never thought about it that way. "They" just look at you with that greedy smile, especially the owner at the mom'n'pop. Who's really at fault here? The pusher or the addict? ...although it's not like they set-up shop within 500 yards of my garden...

I am going out today....tough week at work. And I better find something good!
Or else mommy's not going to be happy.

All the time! I just went out and got me a ponytail palm, actually. Early birthday treat after a looong, bad day.

Ok, I found a moth orchid today for $1.50. Looks good so far. :D

Planto