Sorry Gertrude Stein, but a rose is not a rose, is not a rose. All roses, and for that matter, all plants are not created equal. Looks can be deceiving; the same type of plant that is offered for sale in the marketplace may look the same, but often it is not. A superior plant is bred from superior genes.
All plants can appear healthy in a nursery where they are maintained by a professional staff and receive just the right amount of care. But when you buy a plant for your home, you want to select a plant that will perform well under normal growing conditions and will do so for years to come with a minimum of care. That is why it is essential to purchase quality grown plants.
Question: What does it take to produce a quality plant?
Answer: Good Genes!
There are better grades of plants. A commercial plant grower creates new plants by taking cuttings from existing plants. He then places these cuttings in a rooting media that encourages the new cutting to grow roots from the point at which it was cut. After a few weeks the cutting is growing roots and has become a new plant. It is critical that the grower takes cuttings from only superior grade plants since these cuttings will have the same genetic characteristics as the parent plant.
Selecting a superior plant from which to take these from cuttings is the key to creating superior plants.
Why is this important?
Once you have selected a plant that is suitable to the location you wish to plant in, a superior plant will produce the results you desire, namely the following:
- Good heat and cold tolerance
- Better pest and disease resistance
- Good growth with a minimum of care
- Adaptability to soil conditions and harsh weather
- Performance consistent with desired traits:
- Dwarf plants that remain dwarf
- Flowering plants that flower as advertised
Here at Giordano’s we question our growers on their growing practices and often visit their nurseries to inspect their product. This insures that our customers continue to receive the quality plants that they have come to expect.