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Come on in and see our new hot plant of the season: Leptodermis oblonga. It's a real bloomin' machine - June thru frost. A wonderful, little known (not even in Dr. Dirr's manual), shrub with a low mounding habit and small violet FRAGRANT flowers! Sunny location, 12-18" high.
We are looking forward to relief from drought in September. August was horribly dry in Ganges Township. The storms went around us each & every time. David says "WATER, WATER, WATER"! Look around the countryside and you will see a lot of stress, even in mature trees. We've even been watering underneath our 75 year old maple trees with the oscillating sprinkler to help get them through this dry time. Please notice when your trees are looking wilty or have some brown leaves in them. Apply WATER! Fertilizing will not help a tree in drought stress. Even if the leaves are all brown, keep watering. It is probably not dead, but only dormant. So keep watering! Did I say keep watering?
This year we planted a wide assortment of ornamental sunflowers in a nice long row, all shapes and sizes. They are gorgeous! We have had continuous great bouquets of them on our patio table and they last as a cut flower for a long time. You can do this too. Find a sunny spot and try some next year. (Write it on your May 2004 calendar page.) The ripe seed heads will also feed the birds.
Once the soil gets cool and moist, it's a great time to apply fall fertilizer to your lawn. If you have a choice to fertilize now or in the spring, now is a much more effective time. It will repair root damage done by drought, mole tunnels and grub activity. The healthier the roots, the better off the lawn is.
Goldenrod always gets a bum rap. Just to set the record straight, the beautiful yellow flowers do no cause allergies! It blooms at the same time as ragweed but does not cause prolific sneezing and nose dripping! Pick a bouquet and enjoy.
Spring flowering bulbs are here. It's hard to think of spring now, but get 'em while the gettin's good. Wait to plant them till the soil cools down. Just keep them in a dark, cool place until you're ready...any time before mid-November. Remember that the larger the bulb, the bigger the flowers and the quicker they will multiply. So...the bargain bulbs may not be the best value. Our tulips are 12 cm+ except for our Huntree's Giant Tulips which are even bigger (14 cm+) and only cost $4.40 per dozen! Such a deal.
Preserve your Baby's Breath for use in dried arrangements. Harvest stems when 70% of blooms are open. Mix together 1 part glycerin to 10 parts water. Let stems stand in solution 3 to 4 in a dark cool place. Then hang upside down for 2 to 3 weeks. You can find glycerin at the drugstore.
When bringing your houseplants indoors, you may be bringing in unwanted guests. Prevent insect problems in the house by spraying before you drag them in with Insecticidal Soap, Sevin, or Rose & Flower Spray - and/or mix Systemic Houseplant Insect Control granules into the soil and water in. This will avert scale, spider mite, mealy bug, aphid, and other insects this winter.
Don't get anxious if you see brown needles appearing on the insides of your evergreens, especially White Pine and Arborvitae. This is normal shedding. It happens every spring and fall like clockwork. The new growth from this year should still be nice and green.
Make gardening easier in the spring - clean weeds out of your beds this fall and put a fresh two inch layer of bark on the soil immediately afterwards to prevent weeds from germinating. Don't be timid. Be ruthless. Divide and dig out perennials that are taking over your beds.
Remember that its a good thing when your bark mulch decomposes and disappears into the soil. It improves the soil structure, adding humus, which helps hold moisture and encourage root growth, which increases the performance of your plants. You'll notice more earth worms in your soil. That's a great thing!
We're already getting excited for next spring. We'll have some great exciting plants including: Hydrangea 'Limelight' (lime green flowers), Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' (dependable bloomer), dwarf blue Holly 'Blue Baron', 'Blue Angel' (matures to 4'), Holly 'Yule Brite' (tons of red berries), Japanese Holly 'Sky Pencil', Juniper 'Blue Pacific', the National Park series shrub roses, a great new Gaillardia 'Fanfare' giving constant flowers all summer, hardy Fucshia magellanica, Heuchera 'Amber Waves' (gold) & 'Obsidian' (black).
Consider wrapping your newly planted shade trees for the winter with the tree wrap. This will protect them from deer and rabbit nibbling and also from frost cracks caused by sunny warm mornings after cold nights. Maples are especially subject to expanding and contracting because of their thin bark.
Please note that our Christmas season is going to be a little different this year. We will be closing earlier than we have in the past. Our last day will be Sunday, December 14. So this is a reminder to order your wreaths and other Christmas goodies early.
Check out our SALE PLANTS in the back parking lot!