There's nothing quite like a picture-perfect summer day with a gift card burning a hole in your pocket and your favorite local garden center calling your name. Today we're taking you along on one of our regular shopping trips to Faddegon's, our beloved local nursery, to show you how we approach garden center visits with both purpose and spontaneity.

Why Regular Garden Center Visits Matter

We can't stress this enough: visit your local garden center at least once a month. For us, it's honestly more like once a week! Garden centers are constantly receiving new shipments, different plants come into bloom throughout the season, and you'll discover inspiring color combinations you might never have considered.

Local garden centers also give you the chance to see how plants actually perform in your specific climate, rather than relying solely on online photos or catalog descriptions. Plus, there's something magical about wandering through rows of thriving plants that sparks creativity for your own garden projects.

Shopping with Purpose: Our Mission Today

While we always love to browse and see what catches our eye, we had two specific goals for this trip:

Goal #1: Container ReplacementSome plants in one of our containers weren't performing well, so we needed suitable replacements that would work with the existing design.

Goal #2: Boxwood HuntWe wanted to source some Winter Gem boxwoods for a formal touch we're planning to add to our hydrangea room.

Having specific goals helps focus your shopping trip, but always leave room for serendipitous discoveries—some of our best garden additions have been complete surprises.

Navigating the Perennial Section: Coneflower Revelations

Starting in the sun perennial area, we were immediately drawn to the incredible variety of coneflowers (Echinacea) on display. This was actually a revelation for us, since we've been "echinacealess" in our garden due to past rabbit damage and overly wet conditions.

Coneflower Varieties That Caught Our Eye:

Sombrero Granada Gold - Bold and beautiful, but perhaps too vibrant for our garden's color schemePrairie Splendor - A more garden-appropriate option with better color harmonyKismet Raspberry - Absolutely vibrant and stunningPow Wow Wild Berry - A tried-and-true variety we remembered fondly

The key breakthrough was realizing our new chicken wire cage system (which has been working brilliantly for our yarrow) could finally allow us to grow coneflowers successfully. Sometimes the solution to an old problem creates new opportunities!

The Art of Choosing Quality Specimens

When shopping for perennials, especially ones you're planning to bring home immediately, look for plants that haven't completely finished flowering. You want:

• One open bloom to confirm color and flower shape
• Multiple buds ready to open for continued blooming
• Healthy foliage that extends to the base of the plant
• Proportional root systems that aren't severely pot-bound

We found the perfect specimen in Sun Magic Vintage Lipstick coneflower—great size, healthy foliage, confirmed color, and plenty of buds coming. While we could have divided it to get two plants from one purchase, we opted for full impact since our other container plants were already mature-sized.

Evergreen Eye Candy: When Specimen Trees Call

The evergreen section always stops us in our tracks, and today was no exception. Faddegon's carries many of the Iseli introductions we've come to love, and we discovered some absolute stunners:

The Temptations:

Tiger Tail Spruce - Gorgeous but only hardy to zone 6 (we're borderline 5b/6a)Extra Blue Limber Pine - A blue version of Vanderwolf Pine that would be absolutely shimmeringBurke's Red Variegated Pine - Controversial but captivating with light needle variegationPooley Weeping European Larch - The weeping version of our beloved Diana larch

Garden center wisdom: When you see that higher price tag on specialty evergreens, remember you're paying for the years of cultivation it took to get that tree to you. Slow-growing, specialty varieties require significant time investment from the grower.

The "Do We Have Room?" Dilemma

Burke's Red Variegated Pine presented us with a classic garden center challenge—we absolutely loved it, the price was reasonable, but we had no immediate planting location. Sometimes the best garden additions require a leap of faith and creative problem-solving.

We discussed potential locations:

• Replacing existing plantings (probably not realistic)
• Creating a connection in our "green wall" on the east side
• Finding a spot near infrastructure that needs screening

Gift card psychology: Having a gift card definitely makes it easier to justify "investment" purchases for plants you don't have immediate homes for!

Rose Section Surprises: 50% Off Discoveries

The rose section offered some exciting finds, especially with a 50% off sale happening:

All Dressed Up - A Weeks rose we'd never tried, described as a grandiflora with 35-50 petals, mild tea to fresh apple fragrance, and vigorous upright growth. At 50% off ($37), it seemed like a perfect opportunity to try something new.

New Dawn - Sky Hamilton had just been telling us about this climbing roseElizabeth - Which we had planted this spring and could compare

Planting tip: Look at how roses are structured in their containers. Some have minimal branching at the base, which actually makes them easier to plant deeply (5+ inches below soil level) for better winter protection and stronger root development.

Shade Section Respite: Discovering Cool Specimens

Taking a break from the sun, we explored the shade area and found some fascinating plants:

Indian Rhubarb - Incredible large leaves that catch water, with unique spring blooming before foliage emergesMikawa Yatsubusa Japanese Maple - A slow-growing specialty with an accordingly high price tagVarious Hostas and Coral Bells - Always tempting for our limited but expanding shade areas

The shade section reminded us that as our garden matures and trees grow larger, we'll have more opportunities for shade plants in the future.

Grass Season: Timing Your Visits

August is prime grass season—plumes are just starting to emerge, making it the perfect time to see ornamental grasses at their best. Some standouts:

Over Dam Feather Reed Grass - Variegated version of the classic CalamagrostisNorth Wind Switchgrass - Reminded us of our own giant specimen that came from a tiny $25 plantPorcupine Grass - Which we'd grown before but lost to changing light conditions

Lesson learned: Sometimes plants fail not because they're wrong for your climate, but because your garden's conditions change as it matures.

The Final Haul: Balancing Needs and Wants

Our shopping cart ended up with:

• Sun Magic Vintage Lipstick Coneflower (immediate container replacement)
• All Dressed Up Rose (50% off opportunity)
• Burke's Red Variegated Pine (beautiful specimen we couldn't resist)
• Winter Gem Boxwoods (ordered for delivery due to quantity)

Strategic Shopping: Delivery vs. Take-Home

For the boxwoods, we chose delivery service since:

• We were buying multiple specimens
• They wouldn't fit in our vehicle
• We could set them up on temporary drip irrigation while planning the installation
• Fall planting (which we were planning anyway) is actually optimal timing

Zone 6A advantage: You can continue planting up to six weeks before the ground freezes, meaning October planting is perfectly viable and often preferable.

Making It Work: Garden Center Logistics

Getting everything home required some creative car-packing (thank goodness for waterproof dog seat covers that double as plant protection!), but the excitement of new garden additions makes the logistics worthwhile.

Back home, we were greeted by our delivered boxwood shipment—a reminder that seeing plants en masse really drives home the scope of a project. What seemed manageable as an idea became clearly visible as "a big project" when we saw all 20+ boxwoods lined up together.

The Ongoing Garden Center Relationship

Regular garden center visits serve multiple purposes:

• Inspiration from seeing new plant combinations
• Education about what grows well in your area
• Problem-solving when you need specific solutions
• Community connection with fellow gardeners and knowledgeable staff
• Seasonal timing awareness of what to plant when

Planning Ahead: The Hydrangea Room Project

Our boxwood purchase represents a larger vision for adding formal structure to our hydrangea room. While it's exciting to brainstorm and make purchases, seeing all the plants together reminded us that execution requires careful planning, proper site preparation, and realistic timeline expectations.

Project planning tip: It's perfectly fine to "baby" plants in their containers while you prepare proper planting sites. Good plants are worth waiting for the right moment and proper installation.

Garden Center Shopping Strategy Recap

Before you go:

• Have specific goals but remain open to discoveries
• Check what's in bloom or peak condition for the season
• Consider your vehicle capacity vs. delivery options

While shopping:

• Examine plant quality, not just appearance
• Think about timing (immediate vs. fall planting)
• Ask questions about hardiness and mature size
• Consider maintenance requirements

Making decisions:

• Balance needs vs. wants
• Factor in sale opportunities
• Think long-term about plant placement
• Don't be afraid to invest in quality specimens

Garden center shopping is part practical necessity, part treasure hunt, and part inspiration session. The key is finding the balance between purposeful shopping and allowing yourself to be surprised by new possibilities for your garden.

The best garden centers become partners in your gardening journey, offering not just plants but knowledge, seasonal guidance, and the kind of serendipitous discoveries that make gardening endlessly exciting.

Ready to see how these plants perform in our garden? Check out our July garden tour to see our established plantings at their peak summer performance.

Thanks for growing with us!