"First grade loose roots"

WeAreGhosts

I assume the above actually means "bare roots", but if I buy these types now (in spring) will they grow this year or will they be dormant until next year?
Only asking because a Google search seems to imply that you buy bare roots in winter when they establish and emerge in spring.

peter_the_piper

Anything in particular?

madjackslam

I agree with peter_the_piper. You don't say where you are, but spring is coming in pretty slowly in Yorkshire, so you would be OK around here for a couple more weeks. Clock's ticking, though.

Davesnave

It's just a poncey way of describing bare root plants, and yes, it's still fine to plant these now.

Looks like Parkers are the place that uses this description. They get 'mixed' reviews...

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.jparkers.co.uk

WeAreGhosts

Yes, I'm in Yorkshire where it's still freezing.
I was looking at the wholesale section of Parkers.
I know they get mixed reviews, but they're the only wholesalers I can find who supply to public and you don't have to buy hundreds. If anyone knows of another, I'd be grateful for the tip.

Lorian

Now is a really good time to generally plant bare roots - but as others said not for much longer.

Davesnave

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

Yes, I'm in Yorkshire where it's still freezing.
I was looking at the wholesale section of Parkers.
I know they get mixed reviews, but they're the only wholesalers I can find who supply to public and you don't have to buy hundreds. If anyone knows of another, I'd be grateful for the tip.

What are you after and how many? It's hard to advise without knowing what you might want.

WeAreGhosts

Davesnave wrote: »

What are you after and how many? It's hard to advise without knowing what you might want.

Probably about 150 plants in total.
Mostly perennials (delphiniums, echinacea, astrantia, peonies etc), but some for shade (ferns), shrubs (buddleia).

Farway

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

Probably about 150 plants in total.
Mostly perennials (delphiniums, echinacea, astrantia, peonies etc), but some for shade (ferns), shrubs (buddleia).

Depending how quickly you want them to grow, buddlia take very easily from hard cuttings so you could only buy a few and spend the rest of the dosh on the others

Just treat the buddlia prunings as hard wood cuttings, they only need pushing into the soil

Davesnave

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

Probably about 150 plants in total.
Mostly perennials (delphiniums, echinacea, astrantia, peonies etc), but some for shade (ferns), shrubs (buddleia).

There's loads of mail order nurseries.

For shade plants, my default response is:

https://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/

but there are other nurseries with more limited selections of the more bog-standard perennials:

http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/index.html

Claire Austin has bare root peonies:
https://www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk/t/plants/peonies

as do the go-to firm for those:

https://www.kelways.co.uk/category/peonies/1/

Prices may well be higher in these nurseries, but bear in mind that plants come in different sizes and stages of maturity. Also, although bare root is fine for some plants, for others it can be better to get a small plant in a 9cm pot.

I agree with Farway about buddleia. Buy three, get 15!

rosy10

I've used Parkers wholesale. I find they're good for bulbs/corms/tubers; bit pricey on shrubs given the size of the plant, (I have a very good independent plant nursery nearby - always worth checking out independents); Parkers perennials are v. small and I've had some failures (though I've never had a problem with getting replacements). The prices shown are ex VAT so 20% needs to be factored in on anything not classified as an edible. Another approach on perennials could be to buy a good size plant from a decent nursery with a view to splitting. Happy planting!