What is the best on line link to buying berry plants: Black, blue, Raspberry and Boysenberry?

Question

Thanks Gardener: one more thingy on the NW NewMex./SoWest Colo. query. I used to live in Durango. I've always contended that for the tourist coming into this area, the best trip is to take the LOOP, and the best months to do it are Sept and early Oct.

Along the way, you will find a dozen or so side trips you will want to make.

The Loop: Starting in Durango, go north toward Silverton, then further North on the old Million dollar hwy. to Ouray (pronounced Your ray) elev. 9000 ft. Don't miss the 1000 ft. falls just West of downtown. Then head West toward Telluride: great little mining town. The last time I was there, it had about 900 people.

Now head South toward Cortez, taking time to stop in Rico - gorgous views. Go So. and tour Mesa Verde, A MUST, then head back East to Durango. Plenty there to keep you busy for weeks. Plan to spend at least 8 days making the Loop. Hope this helps.

Good points on zone buying by both of you. One of the tricks to transferring plants and min. shock is to paint a ref. pt on the tree (facing north), so that when you move it from the pot to your ground, the ref point will again face north. Short of that, buy what fits the zone.

On the Loop run - You will love the train ride. It takes you over the canyon movie set location to "ButchCassidy and the Sundance Kid". An old Newman and Redford classic. I lived about ten miles south of this area. The best kept secret in Durango, is a stay between seasons for the best rates. Around Oct. 10th +/- you can book a suite (full kitchen and the works) at Cascade Village for a song and have practically the entire place to your selves. Take some groceries with you and plenty of movies.

The same great deal can be had at Mesa Verde, if you pay attention to the season's date of Winter closings.

On the last day of the season, there was one other couple and us. We went behind the ropes. Neat.

Gardener's right on the bareroot idea, as the preferred way to go. Also, a whole bunch cheaper. All but my nut trees were purchased this way.

Another way to insure the longevity of your trees is use of the water rings. WATERRING.com

I don't plant a tree in the ground without one of these around it. Far healthier for the tree in that they vastly improve the root structure of the plant at the outset.

Answer 1

My favorite place to buy fruiting plants is from Burntridge Nursery, here's the link to their fruiting plant section:

http://www.burntridgenursery.com/fruitingPlants/index.asp?dept=2

Blackberry, Raspberry, and Boysenberry are found under the Cane Fruit listing, and the Blueberries are found under the fruiting bushes section.

My second favorite place to purchase fruiting plants is from Raintree Nursery, their main web page is as follows:

http://www.raintreenursery.com

I've purchased extensively from both of these places and have found them to be very reputable.

RE: SW COLORADO AND NW NEW MEXICO

Hi again,
Oh yes! My husband and I went on our trip in October, and are going back again in May for another vacation. We stayed in a wonderful cabin just 2 miles from the entrance to Mesa Verde and we did much hiking there and it was wonderful. I've been on that loop you've listed, but it was about 10 years ago before I was married, so I'm going to take my husband on it in May, and we're going to go back to Mesa Verde again, and do the REALLY touristy thing by going on the Durango/Silverton train and when we're in Silverton we'll go to the Old One Hundred Silver Mine. What a great area that is, eh! Thanks for the tips, it helped me remember to make our reservations for that same cabin again...it really was the best cabin ever. It has a clear view of the La Plata mountains where Durango and Silverton are, and in the other direction there's The Sleeping Ute mountain range, also clearly visible, and then to the South there's Mesa Verde bigger than life itself. Thanks again!

Re: Omajust's response

Yes, I agree with Omajust's recommendation.....IF your local nursery has plants that have been proven for the area, then that would be best. However, I have 4 local nurseries within easy driving distance from me, and only one of them carries anywhere near the variety of fruiting plants that I would like to choose from (and they're frequently out). What's worse is that the local nurseries are selling basically what's easiest for the plant farms to produce, and NOT what's best for the area. They also sell items that have been proven to NOT grow well in our area, simply because they are well known varieties that consumers recognize and therefore buy them. (i.e. D'Anjou Pear trees which almost certainly fail by the second year). My point is that if you're an experienced gardener and have done your research, then purchasing bareroot from an online source can be a wonderful option because of the varieties offered. Sure, many of the plants online will be a year behind in growth due to the recovery time it takes for them to develope a good root system, but if you're in a house you own you may not mind taking the time to grow the plants to maturity. Our ranch teams with varieties of fruit that most people will never have. Just do your research before you buy, and choose only the best plants for your area.

Answer 2

Please do use a local nursery if you can, the plants will do better and have less shock.
If unable to get locally-- then order from a nursery in the same growing zone.
Otherwise, I have had good luck with Henry Field of Iowa, and I'm in Oklahoma-- they have a thornless blackberry that is very good. Each fall I would buy a bag of composted manure and pour it around that blackberry plant-- with a drip water set up in the early spring-- I had wonderful results with just one plant. The mockingbirds loved it! plus I had cobbler, jam and cereal goodies.
good luck