Stark's Nursery...ever ordered from them?

[Limner]

How was the experience? Good, bad, so-so??? My folks did alot of mail ordering from nursery catalogs, with sometimes not-so good results. But Stark's has more of the stuff we want.

[Summerthyme]

Once or twice. The service was fine. They've taken over a northern nursery, Millers of Canandaigua, NY, so they now have a lot more "northern" and cold hardy varieties. I don't THINK, though, that they have actually consolidated the businesses. If you guys get the weather I think you do, you might want to look more at Millers than Starks.

Summerthyme

[Limner]

I'll look at them, too. We want Persimmons and pawpaws...and those are both specialty items.

[Limner]

Looks like they joined up with Stark's....

http://www.starkbros.com/our-company/miller-nurseries

I do like that Stark's has the tool where you type in your zip code and they check mark the items that will do well in your area.

[Summerthyme]

Yes, I knew that Starks had bought out Millers. What I didn't know was whether they were actually joining into one company, with just one catalog, etc. It's a darned shame Millers didn't have any family interested in taking over- that nursery was *at least* three generations family owned.

Just follow the zone recommendations (although if possible, I suggest choosing plants that will survive at least one zone colder than what you have now) and you should be fine.

Of course, my 5 year old Reliance peach tree from Millers, which is supposed to be "hardy down to -25" pretty well died out after last winter's bitter cold (although I don't remember it breaking -25 in actual temperature). It finally leafed out about 1/3 of the tree in June and July. I was hoping this winter wasn't going to be as brutal... looks like that didn't work out too well.

We'll probably be yanking the peach tree out (already had to give up on two "hardy" apricots) and stick to plums...

Summerthyme

[Limner]

Yeah, stick with the plums, lol! Our "hardy apricots" didn't make it past the first winter.....and our peach trees are just clinging on by their little toenails. We got one poor deformed fruit last summer, and I picked it off before it got ripe 'cause I felt sorry for the tree.......! The plums are much more hardy.

[farmermom]

St Lawrence Nursery is closing down its retail operation as of April 10th. They're in Potsdam. Colder than we are. No persimmons, peaches, or paw paws, though. Indian Creek Nursery is a local nursery here. It was connected to the Geneva Experiment Station, so they have a variety of cold-hardy fruit.

[LC]

I have ordered several times from Stark and had good service and good plants.