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Plant Purchasing Guidelines

Before you put that one in your cart...

Buying plants locally means you know precisely what you’re getting—if you know what to look for. My suggestions:

» Labels.

Make sure plants in pots are clearly labeled. A good label tells you the plant's name, its size when mature, and tips on preferred soil, sun exposure, feeding, and pruning.

» Health.

Mildew or yellowing leaves might indicate a vitamin deficiency or illness. Don’t be shy about upending the pot to have a look at the roots.

» Roots.

If the pot is cracked or roots are coming out the top or bottom, the plant is rootbound and might not grow well once planted in the garden. Girdled roots will keep growing in circles and eventually strangle the plant. If you buy a rootbound plant, spread out the tangled roots when you place the plant in the hole. Don’t be put off if the rootball completely fills the pot, though. If it doesn’t, you’re paying for soil instead of plant.

» Weeds.

A few weeds in the pot (along with the plant) are okay, but a nest of them could mean the plant was starved by competing growth. The weeds could also be a sign of neglect.

» Insects.

Other things feed on plants besides weeds—aphids, grubs, and spider mites. Closely examine the plant’s leaves (undersides, too) for signs of trouble. Don’t buy a plant with gauzy webs attached to its stems, or chewed or discolored leaves.

» Shape.

Choose the bushy plant over the leggy, straggly one (even if the latter seems larger). As for flowering plants, check out a budding plant of the same type to make sure you like the flower color, but take the plant with the unopened buds to the checkout counter. That way you’ll know its bloom period is in the future, not the past.

—Bonnie Blodgett

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