Yeah, I don't understand it. They were giving away annuals. (coleus!) Our season lasts clear into November. By running a sale on everything, the very best ones get sold, and the crappy ones are left, and the price goes back up until fall, when they decide if they are going to keep them over or compost them.
If it were my store, I would take the saddest looking ones, put them in a separate area, and mark them down to $2. Get them out of view. I was there when they opened, and didn't see another customer come in for an hour and a half. I thought the whole town would be there--especially with those giant 5 gallon Itoh peonies that looked fabulous. I got some bamboo that had been $140 for $10.
The owner is a friend of mine, and he said they had thrown away more plants than ever before. They just couldn't keep them in pots in this heat. They have everything under shadecloth, with a swamp cooler running, and it's not enough. We had a long talk about what is holding on in the heat, and what we now know can't take the extremes. Blue Atlas Cedar is a winner, and all the spruces turned crispy. Crape myrtles are fine, buddleia croaked. pretty much how they did in the ground at my house.
I made a 2nd trip back to pick up more grasses and hollies. I'm needing evergreens so I have color in the winter. The grasses I usually depend on for winter interest aren't going to look pretty this winter since they didn't grow well, and don't have pretty plumes.
I''m going to have to go buy more soaker lines to keep these watered.
