Am I the only one on the planet who's never purchased on-line?
I shop almost exclusively Summer Winds (Monrovia) or Berridge's (gorgeous, reliable local).
I can barely muster up enough faith in medical drugs mail delivery in 115 degree heat much less a plant!

Susie, that makes two of us. There are too many fabulous nurseries around here to ever buy online. (Bubbles now shares my fascination with another small nursery with unbelievable plants - hobbyists turned business owners are the best!)

Good for you to have such variety available!

I have always bought locally, too. I like to see them when I buy them and I like to take them home right away and plant them!

Local here too, some big box some local owned. Local owned don't always fit my budget but I like to try to buy from them.

I like to see it, feel it, and know what I'm getting, so I shop locally and semi-locally. I like to find new nurseries and will take day trips with friends to check out nurseries near...and far. The farthest I've gone, so far, is Forest Hill, LA. There are literally miles of nurseries there along one highway. I met a group of gals from LA and MS up there and we had a great time (DH, not so much) hitting all the nurseries that would sell retail, and some that would sell wholesale if you were a Master Gardener. Careyanna found a tropical nursery near here that we went to Thursday. It was fabulous, if you like tropicals. I was in Heaven!

I'm not into mail-order, but I do occasionally do co-op buying, if that can be considered online.

I try to buy locally, but we live where there isn't much available. Most of them have the same plants. I do order seeds online. This is a hard question to answer one way or the other.

Susie....you are not alone. I rarely do the nursery route either! LOL! I will buy a lot at the Botanic Garden and Native Plant Sales though. Most of my plants however, have come from my gardening friends at the plant swaps! I have ordered hostas once from a gardening friend and have sent and received plants and seeds from other online friends but not from an online company.

I've never ordered on line except for seeds. Always an in person gal and Summer Winds is my favorite nursery.

I do primarily local/semi-local, because I hate shipping fees. That said, I always drool over High Country Garden's catalogs, and it's the only place I've found a buddleia alternifolia aka my all-time favorite butterfly bush.

A couple years ago, thanks to DG, I discovered what I affectionately call "my semi-local native nursery." It's a 55mile drive one-way from my house to theirs, but it is SO worth the drive. I try to take a day off during the week instead of going on a Saturday. that way the owners have time to visit and talk abut gardening/yardening/native plants, etc. They have a website, and do a decent job of keeping it current regarding what they have in stock, so I use that for ideas, then drive down and talk to Jim or Debi and revise my ideas based on their expertise. AND they have a macaw that says "hi" when you walk up. What's not to love?

I also use the big box stores, but not as much as I used to. I have been pleasantly surprised there, on occasion.

There's another local chain that I'll use, but only when they're having sales, because I can't afford them otherwise.

Oh my, fiwit, I just clicked on the link at the bottom of your post. Lots of good stuff over there! Gotta go back when I have more time.