The only problem I can think of, if you decided to only buy locally, is when you want to buy the latest introductions. If you don't live in the same zone where they are grown, you'll have to take your chances and hope for the best. I think the most important thing when buying the latest and greatest is to make sure that they are suited to your climate. A daylily that is an evergreen from Florida is going to struggle in a zone 4 garden, no matter how fantastic it looks in the hybridizers garden! I have a few evergreens here in my garden, and they have done really well, but they are no longer really evergreen. The seller that I bought them from said that they did just fine in her garden, and they have done just fine in mine. And, they have adapted to their surroundings over time. But, I'm sure that they won't all do that. I'd just be very worried about spending a huge amount of money on a new introduction that wasn't grown in the same zone that I live in, or something close to the same conditions. Even if they do well, it may take several years for them to look like they should. By then, I think I would have given up on them!
