April gardening tips

*Stay out of the garden if the soil is wet.  We have clay soil which is already compacted.  If you work this soil it will just make it worse.  The plants can not survive without oxygen.  Test the soil by squeezing a handful into a lump, then push your thumb into the lump.  If it dents like modeling clay, it is to wet.  If it crumbles, then it good to work with.  Maybe incorporate some good soil into the clay BUT do not fill the hole with just good soil or the water can not drain away through the clay soil and the roots will rot.  *(I had this tip at the bottom but with all the rain I decided to move it to the top)

After your spring flower bulbs have finished you should deadhead them BUT do not cut back the green foliage.  These green leaves are what provides the bulb with its food for the next year.

It is a great time to select and plant fruit trees and berry plants (and we have some at the nursery).  Fruits and berries do best when planted in full sun.

Perennial plants should be set out this month so they may get established before the hot weather comes in.


Get the flower beds ready for spring. Summer annuals will do much better if planted in well prepared beds.  Yes, it is too early to plant but it is not to early to get those beds ready.

Prune your Forsythia after it has finished blooming.

Now is a good time to plant ground covers.  If you have an area that is susceptible to erosion these work great.  Also for areas of shade they provide low maintenance landscape instead of grass.  Some examples are periwinkle, ajuga, and bugleweed.

If you have any house plants they should be repotted.  Scrub an old pot before reusing, and repot in good potting soil.  Wait one month to fertilize them!!

For my customers that I talked with about storing your fuchsias and geraniums over the winter, you may bring them out after all danger of frost has passed.  Trim them back, fertilize them and re-pot if needed.  Water them well.  They will be huge in no time with the established root system they have.

Spring is in the air!!

Is it just me or has this winter seemed to last forever?  We sure did have our share of snow this winter and my kids loved every bit of it.  It is spring and tonight we are seeing temperatures in the low 30's. Although I know you are anxious to plant it really is not quiet time yet.  We are aware that some bigger stores already have all the beautiful annuals sitting around but they have been shipped in from warmer climates like Georgia and Florida.  Please remember that our average last frost date is April 17th.  If you trust the Almanac (we do) it says the second half of April will be unusually cold too.  So please keep in mind that whatever you buy early you may need to be able to bring it in and out of the house for it to last long enough for it to be safe to stay outside.  

Tomorrow I hope to get some pictures posted of the greenhouse.  We are very excited to have new guniea impatiens and ivy geraniums this year!

November Garden Tips

After chrysanthemums have stopped blooming, cut stems back close to the ground and dispose of stems and all dropped and dried leaves and branches. Mulching good will improve your chances of them returning next spring.

You still have a little time to plant your tulip bulbs!!

If you haven't already applied a fall or winter type of lawn fertilizer, now is the time to do it. This encourages good root development and helps improve the color of the lawn. Lime can also be applied, if needed. We can help you with this service if you need it.

Weeding in November prevents roots thickening and spreading over the winter months, so avoid the nuisance when the temperature warms up.

Mulching with either pine bark or pine needles is one of the best ways to protect perennial plants against cold temperatures. Mulching also can prevent the repeated freezing and thawing of soil that causes plants to "heave" out of the ground.

Remember to water in the winter months if we have any long dry spells. These can ruin shallow rooted plants. On the other side poor drainage can cause serious root rots.

Remove the old stems of peony and hollyhock disposing of them. This will reduce the carryover of the diseases during the winter and you will have less trouble next year.

November is a good time to have your soil tested, so you'll be all set to go next spring.

Bring out the bird feeders and stock them with bird seed for the birds. Remember to provide fresh water for them too.

Mums the word!!

I am sure you probably think that since I have not been on here since July. I thought when summer got here I would have free time but we had to turn right around and start the Chrysanthemums for this fall. Well to make up for that I am going to give the first 10 customers tomorrow an additional 10% off their order excluding annuals and landscaping since it will be the 10th day of the 10th month!! Next Friday we have an add running that will show we are having a sale for up to 50% off shrubs and trees. If you mention the blog I will give you the sale prices before then.

So if you want to have a beautiful landscape next year then fall is the time to plant. The cooler air temperatures reduce evaporation so they require less watering. The soil is still warm which will promote root growth. In fact the root growth will continue through the winter as long as the ground temperature remains above freezing. This will give you an established root system which will provide you with better spring blooms and vigorous new growth.

We have some beautiful Mums in all colors and sizes. We have several that are not your standard mums. They are just getting ready to bloom and I am anxiously awaiting it. I have not decided which one I like the best. You decide!

ETA - Mum Prices
8" - $4.00 or 2 or more $3.50 each
10" - $8.00 or 2 or more $7.00 each
14" - $15.00

Crapemyrtles are in bloom!!

We have beautiful Crape Myrtles. You can even come and pick yours out to be dug just for you. We have them in container too. Come on by today and have a look!

Our annuals are unbelievably priced. Majority of them are ONLY $0.50!! If you have something that has died out we can help you find something to replace it. It is not to late to plant annuals because you still have the remainder of July, August, September and depending on our weather maybe into October to enjoy the annual colors. Stop by and get yours today - while supplies last! We have some beautiful combo planters at awesome prices.

Pre-Summer Father's Day Sale

15 gal Weeping Japanese Maples ONLY $185.00

We have Crimson Queen and Tamukeyama

3 gallon River Birch -$18.00

3 gallon Cryptomeria - $18.00

10% off all trees and shrubs -in stock only-

excluding Encore Azaleas, Japanese Maples, Kaleidoscope Abelia, Knock Out Roses & Razzle Dazzle Crape Myrtles

We have Abelias, Aucuba, Arborvitaes, Azaleas (Gumpo & Hybrid), Barberry, Buddleia (Butterfly bushes), Camellias, Carpet Roses, Cascade Roses, Cedars, Chamaecyparis, Cherry tree, Cleyera, Eleagnus, Crape Myrtles, Cryptomeria, Cypress, Dogwoods, Euonymus, Forsythia, Gardenias, Hawthornes, Holly, Hydrangeas, Holly, Juniper, Lady Banks Rose, Laurel, Ligustrum, Lilac, Loropetalum, Magnolias, Maples, Nandinas, Osmanthus, Peris, Pines, Redbuds, Rhododendron, River Birch, Spireas, Thujas, Viburnums, Weigela, Willows, and Yew.

10% off Astilbe, Clematis, Columbine, Daylilly, Grass (excluding lirope), Hosta, Iris, Jasmine, 'Tropicana' canna lilly

Regular impatiens hanging baskets - $5.00
Double impatiens hanging baskets - $8.00
Beautiful ferns ONLY $10.00

We also have some herbs still available, Black Eyed Susan's, Coreopsis, Hibiscus, etc...

Knock Out Roses - We also have tree form!

Butterfly bush, perennial verbena and hosta

Sorry for the pics it was cloudy! 3 gallon River Birch and 3 gallon Cryptomeria

Regular impatiens hanging baskets only $5.00

Rain, rain go away

It has been a very wet week and I am ready to get outside and play in the garden. We still have a lot of beautiful annuals. We have had new crops come in to replace the ones that had got overgrown. This week we have a full flat of six packs for ONLY $8.00 and the four inch pots of wave petunias, petunias, calibrachoas, coleus, dahlia, daisy, geranium, herbs, Joseph's coat, lobelia, phlox, portulaca, sweet potato, verbena, and vinca are ONLY $0.99.

Caladiums - $1.50
10" daisy - $5.00
Sword Fern - $6.00
6" geranium - $4.00
gal Elephant Ears - $10.00
Clematis - $9.00
Mandevilla - $9.00

We also have watermelon and cantaloupe ready to plant!!