A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2004 Question for landscapers

I have heard that professional landscapers or nurseries will sometimes buy mature plants that people have growing in their yard and are going to get rid of. Could this possibly be true?

And if so, would they buy this kind of plant: A very tall, skinny evergreen tree. I don't know what it's called, but it's shaped like an upside-down exclamation point without the dot. I have 5 of them, about 25-30 feet tall, and they don't suit me or the style of my little ranch house. I think of them as something you'd see in front of an Italian villa or something.

So anyway, does anyone know if people really do buy this kind of thing, and if so, how could I find someone who would, besides calling all the landscapers in the phone book?

Some of them do. Your best bet would be to get listings for Commercial Landscapers. I wish I could help you narrow it down a little more.

Good Luck!

Karen

I would have to say it really depended on the landscaper....

I know a few and have offered some Barberries to them and all have refused, I had 12 huge bushes I wanted taken out of my mother landscaped bed, for them to come and take them out and resell them, but all said no because first off, they have to usually have all the same sized plants, 12 plants, 4 or 5 different shapes, and they'd have to guarentee them and if they can't go back to the original place they bought them from to get new one's because those didn't live, they won't do it...Like if they talked a client into getting one of the bigger ones, and say it would have been worth $45.oo, and then they didn't live, he'd have to go to another nursery and buy more to replace them!!!
And same for a few of the nursery owners I know...
They don't want to have to guarantee them...
Which I understand.....for the guarenteeing part..
Even if I give them something free, if it doesn't live, they have to "out of pocket" to replace it.
Where as the place they would have purchased it, would have guaranteed it and they wouldn't be in the "hole" so to speak!

Check around to your individual nurseries/landscapers and see what they have to say..

Weezie

Thanks ladies. I never would have thought about them having to guarantee them if they died, but it does make perfect sense. I think I may try a few commercial landscapers anyway, though. Never hurts, I guess, and if they want them at least I don't heve to kill them.

Sounds like an Italian Cypress, Arborvitae, Yew or Weeping Giant Sequoia.

There is an outfit called Big trees Today in Hillsboro, OR that can get those with a big tree spade machine. But, they grow their own stock more and more.

You would need to have something that's unusual for it's kind, not just size.

It's very expensive to dig up, ball and move something like that. Many times, unless there is someone looking for that exact plant in a huge size, it's more of a nuisance than just calling big trees today and having them bring out one already balled or boxes with the certainty that it was grown under the supervision of a nursery expert.