Gardenimport Trials for Bulbs & Shrubs

Dugald:
Thanks for including me in the trial and for the gentle reminder to report back. I hadn't forgotten; I was just concerned about providing negative feedback after such a wonderful offer. But now that I 've seen that others have had similar problems, I can be open about what worked and what didn't.

First the positive:
1. your packaging is excellent -- best I've ever seen from mail order -- everything arrived last June in wonderful condition.
2. the Buddleias bloomed their little hearts out the first summer and so did the Hibiscus 'Blue Chiffon', both while still in the pots
3. the 'Bloomerang' lilacs bloomed sporadically the first summer and seemed quite healthy.

Now the bad news:
1. the Buddleias, Hydrangeas and Hibiscus did not survive the winter, which was colder than usual here and was followed by a nasty spring. Surprisingly, one Buddleia is still green when I scratch the bark, but has not leafed out.
2. the 'Bloomerang' lilacs, which were planted in two different gardens, have survived the winter and did have one bloom on each, but have not grown appreciably from last year. I'll watch them through the summer to see if they take off when the weather gets warmer here.

Thanks for organizing this.

Dan