it's like a disease: substandard garden centers and nurserys making deals, giving discounts and caving on labor and plant material prices. And it spreads from one place of business to another. Doctors, attorneys, engineers and other business don't negotiate material and labor rates; why should we? Fact is, as an industry, we shouldn't. The reality is, as an industry still struggling with an 18th century business mentality when the rest of the world is entering the 21st century, we (collectively speaking) do. It's a pathetic situation. The local dealmakers are every bit as bad as the junky mass merchandisers, who bait you into their stores to buy insect and disease-riddled plants ('ten for a buck!'), in the hopes that you'll also purchase a TV, toaster, washer-dryer set or whatever they're peddling that particular week. These mass merchandisers really believe the general public is stupid, since many people fall for the gimmicks of these price (loss) leader plants. So many people are addicted to deals and bargains that they'll drive 10-50 miles to save 15cents on geraniums, but spend $2-3 on gas during the trip, not to mention time and automobile depreciation. What sense does that make? It's stupid, but there are those who do it all the time. Remember, you always get what you pay for: buy cheap, get cheap. Fall sales are another matter for garden centers and nurserys. Since Fall is the next best (to Spring) time to install large plant material, it makes sense to offer an incentive to everyone to accomplish it at that time. Fall sales are traditional. But Spring sales? Only for junky nurserys trying to addict the general public to discounts on cheap nursery stock. It ruins the horticulture industry for everyone. York County is a case in point: several of the older, established garden center and nursery operations, plus most of the little so-called garden centers have started 20% off Spring sales, mainly because they're in financial trouble and have too much substandard inventory to carry. They don't have the landscape work or retail sales volume to move that inventory. Rumors abound about their sub-standard quality trees and shrubs, lack of business ethics and declining quality of operation. So they've started prostituting themselves in an effort to rid themselves of their cheap inventory. What you're getting from them is exactly what your paying for: junk plant material. Sad but true. Quality garden centers and nurserys don't give their merchandise away as so-called bargains, discounts and deals. And we don't cave on labor rates either. This position of quality excludes all mass merchandisers, first and foremost. It's quite easy to discern who the few remaining quality places of operation are these days. We've never cut deals, given discounts or made bargains on our plant material. The only time we discount plants is in the Fall, when it makes good sense to install large trees and shrubs. And we do give a simple 5% courtesy discount to fellow garden club members and senior citizens as a matter of routine. We feel that both of those groups deserve that courtesy. So if you want a discount, join one of those groups. You always get what you pay for. Every time. In addition to carrying only Premium Dark Bark Mulch, we feature over 900 varieties of perennials, 200 varieties of annuals and herbs, over 100 varieties of ornamental grasses and bamboos, and more than 1600 cultivars of nursery stock, ranging from the common to the very rare, unusual and hard-to-find. Our Collector's Rare Plant Nursery has been supplying gardening enthusiasts for over seven years, and is a must for connoisseurs and serious collectors. Our Nursery Division can supply any request from the common to very rare and unusual material. And if you need a tree or shrub moved, we feature a special team capable of easily moving anything from 1-inch to 10-inch diameter trees. Call us for a free consultation and estimate. Our Warranty: is unmatched by anyone, anywhere, and is one (1) year from date of purchase if you install the plant material; it is five (5) years if we install the material. Call, write or email us for a complete copy of The Warranty. It's also online right here. Drop by our Website on The InterNet for a tour of the Garden Center & Nursery. It's located at www.gdnctr.com for those digerati among you out there who are connected on-line.