Plus, the three packs made it easier to share an order with a friend.

I took a look at their website before answering, and I think my orders from now on will be much smaller. Sigh - I remember the "good ol days" when you could get a three-pack for $7 to $9. Now that's what they are charging for one - and it's really not all that much bigger.

Well, I guess things change. I'm sure this won't stop me from ordering from Bluestone altogether, though... :)

Dee

Dee--I remember those $7-9 days on the three packs too, and it wasn't that long ago. Their prices jumped high really fast in only a few years, most likely due to the rise in gas prices, but their no questions asked guarantee probably didn't help either. Gotta make up the cost somewhere. Maybe the plants will be bigger in those pots, and maybe healthier, but I got some this year in "bigger" pots, and they weren't much bigger than the ones in the three packs, and the three pack babies are growing faster.

But, that's my two cents.

Karen

I was just looking at their new pricing for shrubs. Wow, $12.95 for an Abelia in a 3 1/2 inch pot? Sorry, that's way too much money for that size plant. I have purchased many shrubs from them in their usual small size pot. It really does take many seasons for these shrubs to mature. I enjoy watching them grow from small plants to larger ones, but four seasons later most are just getting to a fairly good size.

I also appreciate that they are trying to reduce plastic and if the coir pots allow for good pot culture, that would be fine, but I would not ever plant anything in the ground, still in the pot. Peat never worked and I can't see how coir would do any better. I would expect it to slow down the time it took for the plant to establish.

I ordered from their last sale and was pretty disappointed with my order. I have always found most plants recover by the next season, but I did find myself wondering if it was worth it to order off the sale. Their spring orders are usually in much better shape.

I see from their site, that this will be a permanent change. I will be looking for a nursery that still offers the three pack and small sizes of shrubs for a reasonable price.

I probably do 95% of my plant-buying from Bluestone, but with these higher prices and single pots, I will most likely cut back by quite a bit. Yes, $12.95 for a tiny shrub is way too much when you can get a much bigger one locally for $25 - perhaps it's twice as much, but the shrub is much, much bigger.

PM2, please let us know if you find someplace that sells 3-packs. I don't think I have ever come across another place that does, so it would be great to find another source, although to find one with such high quality plants and great customer service will probably be difficult.

By the way, why is everything on their site (at least that I noticed) not available till spring 2012, I wonder?

Dee

I am really glad I planted my new bed this year. Using Bluestone saved me hundreds of dollars.

Also I have a couple 3-packs on back order. I wonder how they will ship those and replace the plants that seem to have died for me - 2 out of 3 Phlox Blue Paradise and 1 out of 3 of the Agastache 'Black Adder'.

Unsure how much buying I will do in the future.

I won't be looking for a replacement for Bluestone for awhile. I rarely make purchases in the summer months. But there is one that I'm aware of that I've almost ordered from but haven't yet. Sandy Mush Herbs, was a company I read about in an article in one of the larger gardening magazines. They don't exactly offer 3 packs, but they do offer small sizes for good prices. For instance, they have Buxus for $6. each. They don't offer a full line of shrubs, but they have some interesting offerings. You might want to check the Gardener's Watchdog to see what people's experiences have been.

As for why Bluestone is only offering plants for Spring of 2012, that is odd. I assume they don't ship plants in the hot months, but I would think they would be shipping again in the Fall. Maybe it has to do with their changing over to the new pots.

Terrene, I was thinking that too, that the smaller pots are more difficult to keep watered.

I did like the 3 pots, but I have a lot of area to fill in. Going to the single pots and higher pricing makes them no longer stand out as a good online bargain.

With perennials, I don't think the size matters too much-- they grow within a yr pretty well. Now, I ordered shrubs from Bluestone and would never do that again. Not that cheap and you wait forever for them to mature. What's the point?

Hope they go back to the old way. All of my plants have arrived in great condition.