Monthly Archives: February 2017

Growing Exotic Citrus

Citrus trees grown in fancy terra cotta pots, light-weight decorative containers or wooden planters can be used to adorn your garden, no matter how small it is. Use a potted citrus as a centerpiece for an herb garden, place several in a series on your steps or decorate your deck with these grand-looking accent plants. Dark, glossy green leaves look beautiful all season long while colorful, healthy fruit dangles enticingly from the branches. Although citrus plants are not winter hardy in the north, they may be moved indoors during this time. For added pleasure, citrus offers weeks of fragrant flowers in the spring.

Top Citrus Picks

There are several varieties of exotic citrus trees that can be stunning in the landscape. The most popular options include…

Calamondin Orange – This cross between a mandarin and kumquat produces miniature oranges that are somewhat tart but make excellent marmalade.
Ponderosa Lemons – Producing fruits that weigh up to a whopping 5 pounds each, Ponderosa Lemons have a thick ring with very little juice.
Variegated Pink Lemons – This lemon has variegated foliage and produces a yellowish-pink fruit.
Meyer Lemon – Although not a true lemon (it is said to be a cross between a lemon and either an orange or mandarin), the Meyer Lemon is one of the sweetest lemons.
Key Lime – Also known as Mexican Lime, this selection is highly prized for making Key Lime Pie. The plant is very thorny and produces small aromatic fruits.
Goliath Pummels – The largest of all citrus fruits, pummels taste similar to grapefruit.
Blood Orange – Having an unusual red flesh, these oranges are prized by gourmet cooks for their slight berry-like flavor.
Flame Red Seedless Grapefruit – This grapefruit variety produces medium-sized pinkish-colored fruits.
Cocktail Trees – These are a grafted tree that usually contains 4 to 5 different types of citrus on the same plant, great for your own fruit salad in minimal space.

Citrus Care

Place citrus plants in a sunny location where they will receive a minimum of 6 hours of sun to ensure the best possible fruit. Water regularly and feed with a fertilizer listed specifically for citrus plants every two weeks. During the summer months, citrus plants will produce a lot of new growth. In the early fall, before bringing plants indoors, prune citrus plants back about 1/8 of their existing size. This will help to minimize the shock that plants often experience when being moved. Use a humidity tray indoors or mist daily. Avoid placing your plant in a drafty area or by a heating vent. Provide a minimum of 6-8 hours of daily sun or very bright light in the winter months. It may be necessary to supplement with an artificial light source at this time of the year to keep the plant at its best.

It may seem unusual to have strange citrus trees in your yard or even right inside your home, but with a little care, you’ll be amazed at how much fun these plants can be to grow, and their sweet fruit is a wonderful reward for your efforts.

Edging and Trimming

Edging and trimming the lawn is like having a manicure after cutting your fingernails. It smooths out any roughness and adds an elegant finishing touch to your landscape, and everything is just more perfect! But which lawn care activity is which, and how do you do them properly to give your lawn that manicured look?

Edging or Trimming – Which is Which?

Before you pull out the lawn tools, it’s important to know which activity you need to do to create the look you want.

Edging
When you are edging, you define the line between a hard surface (sidewalks, driveways and curbing) and a growing area such as a flower bed, garden or lawn. To achieve this, a vertical cut is made between the two using a spade or edging tool. Some have mastered the art of using the string trimmer to do this. This creates a crease-like separation between the organic (growing) and inorganic (non-growing) surfaces. Properly done, edging will help minimize weed growth in these cracks and crevices and gives the landscaping a smooth, formal appearance.

Trimming
Trimming removes the grass, weeds and other plants from areas a lawnmower can’t reach. Long wisps of grass along the side of the house, fence or other structure aren’t very attractive, and trimming them away will give a finished, uniform look to the landscaping. Most people use a string-trimmer or bladed trimmer for this work, but hand shears also do the job. Trimming is also often done around trees or in tight corners where a lawnmower is less effective.

When to Do Edging and Trimming

How often should trimming and edging be done? This depends upon your own personality. Some people feel edging and trimming is a requirement of every mowing. Others do edging and trimming every third or fourth time they mow, or whenever it may look necessary to give the lawn and landscape a uniform look.

Edging and Trimming Tips

No matter how often you choose to do edging and trimming, it is important to do it effectively!

Use only the proper tools for these landscaping tasks. This will help prevent injuries or strain on your hands, wrists and elbows, and will get the job done more quickly and efficiently.
Check edgers and trimmers regularly to be sure they are sharp, well-oiled and in good functioning condition. Keep extra string for a trimmer on hand so you can quickly replace the spool when it runs out.
Always practice good safety measures when edging and trimming. Wear safety goggles if there is risk of flying debris (as there often is), and keep the tools away from children and pets.

For many people, edging and trimming is all part of good lawn maintenance. Once you know the differences between them and how to do them well, you’ll be amazed at the difference these tasks make to the beauty of your lawn.

General Soil Amendments

We’ve all heard of the importance of amending the soil properly for gardening and landscaping, but the number of soil amendments sold in garden centers often confuses gardeners. Which is which, and which will work best for your soil conditioning needs?

Types of Soil Amendments

Soil amendments fall into two basic categories, inorganic and organic. Inorganic amendments come from non-living materials such as sand, perlite, vermiculite and crushed stone. With the exception of limestone and gypsum, which are used to increase soil calcium, these are not commonly used in the garden.

However, organic amendments are the opposite. They come from previously living materials such as peat, manures and composts. When leaves, bark, peat, animals and animal wastes are mixed together to decompose, compost or “humus” is the final product. Very commonly used, these materials enrich the soil by increasing the air spaces, adding extra nutrients to the soil, improving the absorption of those nutrients and increasing overall soil fertility.

Why You Need Soil Amendments

Excellent soil is not common around most homes. Even if it was initially, house construction and roadwork often removes the good soil and construction equipment compacts the remaining soil. Furthermore, heavy use of the remaining turf – children and pets playing, for example – continues to compact the soil. Chemical treatments, runoff from gutters and downspouts, removal of existing plants, changes in local wildlife – all of these factors can wreak havoc on soil.

Adding organics loosens compacted soil and results in better gardens. Incorporate organics into the beds throughout the year by working evergreen needles, leaves and lawn clippings into the soil. Amendments such as peat or lime can improve a pH problem, if one exists. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies can be corrected using organic materials such as bone meal or wood ashes, or inorganic materials such as limestone, gypsum or soft rock phosphate.

Mulching is another simple way to add biodegradable materials to the soil. Simply place mulch around the plant, leaving several inches bare closest to the stem to discourage insect invasions and rot. In addition to slowly providing nutrients as it decomposes, mulching is attractive, reduces weeds and erosion, maintains soil temperature and prevents “crusting” that occurs when soil becomes too dry.

Another advantage of adding organics is the attraction of worms. They further assist in the decomposition, increase aeration and leave worm castings, a valuable organic material, behind. A healthy garden is home to many worms, and it all starts with adding organic soil amendments.

Whether you opt for organic or inorganic soil amendments, if you use them properly, you soil will improve and your landscaping, flowerbeds and garden will look better than ever.

Fungus Gnats

Have you noticed little black gnats flying around your houseplants or outdoor potted plants? These are probably fungus gnats. These can be a serious problem in commercial greenhouses holding thousands of plants but are easily controlled by homeowners who take appropriate steps for eliminating these pests.

What Fungus Gnats Need

As weak fliers, fungus gnats live in and around damp decaying material. Plants with fungus gnats are usually being overwatered. This is the primary cause for an increase in the gnat population, as they thrive in wet, organically-rich soil. Gnat grubs nibble on the tender roots of houseplants, but they do not generally do enough damage to severely harm the plant – they are more of a nuisance as they mature and fly around the plant. These gnats do not bite, but they can be annoying. When an infestation is bad, they can quickly spread from plant to plant, making them even more challenging to control.

Ways to Control Fungus Gnats

Letting a plant dry out between watering will decrease the decay and fungus in the soil, making the pot less hospitable for fungus gnats. Always make sure pots have adequate drainage and that water is not left standing in saucers. Adding a porous top-dressing, such as sand or gravel, to the pot can also help water drain away from the surface so the gnats cannot burrow down to the organic richness they crave.

For home use, insecticidal sprays with Pyrethrins are available and can be used against fungus gnats. If treating a houseplant, be sure to take plants outside and follow label instructions carefully, keeping the chemical away from children and pets at all times. Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), a biological control, will also provide relatively fast control killing the larvae in the soil.

For houseplants, the easiest and fastest remedy is often the best. Repot the infested plant using new potting soil into a pot with drainage. Carefully rinse the plant’s roots while repotting to remove as much soil as possible, and be sure the new pot’s hole is not clogged. Prune away any dead roots, leaves and stems. The gnats will be gone immediately.

To keep fungus gnats from returning, carefully check a plant’s moisture before watering to prevent moisture problems that can bring fungus gnats back in a flash. Water monitors can be used, or simply check that the top 2-3 inches of soil is dry before watering. Using watering bulbs or other waterers that are inserted deeply into the soil can also keep fungus gnats at bay by providing water directly to the plant’s roots, without saturating the entire pot.

Fungus gnats certainly aren’t fun when they infest your plants, but fortunately there are many ways to keep these bugs under control or eliminate them entirely. Using several techniques at once will be most effective, and the gnats will be gone just as fast as they first appeared.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are one of the most common pests in landscapes and gardens and feed on many fruit trees, vines, berries, vegetables and ornamental plants, as well as houseplants. These tiny mites are just large enough to be seen with the naked eye, but may just look like tiny, moving dots. For tiny creatures, they can do considerable damage to plants if left unchecked.

How Spider Mites Hurt Plants

Spider mites cause damage by sucking cell fluids from plant leaves. A small number of mites usually isn’t a reason for concern, but plants can sustain heavy damage if populations are high and the infestation spreads. You may notice a stippling of light or yellowish spots on affected leaves and often the webbing of mites can be seen on leaves and stems. As the damage continues, leaves may turn completely yellow, dry up and fall off the plant.

Controlling Spider Mites

Spider mites reproduce rapidly in hot, dry weather, therefore, keeping plants well watered is a good deterrent to heavy infestations. There are also many natural enemies to these pernicious bugs, such as lacewing larvae and some lady beetles that help to keep mite populations under control. Cultivating these helpful insects may be all that is necessary to minimize spider mite activity unless the infestation has already increased and spread.

Because spider mites are too tiny to pick off infected plants, judicious pruning or trimming of infested plants can help remove these pests. In heavy infestations, it may be necessary to discard an entire plant to take the mites with it. Do not put these clippings or removed plants in compost piles, however, or the mites will continue to thrive and will return to healthier plants.

At times, it may be necessary to use chemicals to deter spider mites. Be careful when using broad spectrum insecticides, however, as these will kill any beneficial insects as well as the spider mites, which can disrupt the delicate balance of a garden’s ecology. Simply spraying plant leaves with a blast of water, taking care to spray the undersides as well, can help to reduce mite populations by physically removing the spider mites. Insecticidal soaps and neem oil are also good choices when dealing with spider mites.

Once the mites have been removed, damaged plants may look bedraggled, but they will generally recover within a season or two, especially if the pests were recognized and treated quickly. Don’t let spider mites catch you in their webs – get rid of them today!

Top 10 Disease-Resistant Crabapples

Crabapple trees in flower are a sight to behold. They are the showstopper trees of spring, and are compact enough to fit in nearly any size, shape or style of landscape. But how will you pick the variety that is best for you?

About Crabapples

The unrivaled spring beauty of these trees can take your breath away, as they frequently bud in one color but the flowers open in another, which can create a glorious variegated effect. To add to their appeal, they perform again in the late summer or fall with a fabulous display of hanging, showy fruit that wildlife loves.

Crabapples are available in a range of flower petal colors that include white, pink, red and all shades in between. Flower forms may be single or semi-double with some varieties being fragrant. Selections may be made for fall fruit size and color, including shades of green, yellow, orange, bronze, red and purple. Crabapple trees are also available in a variety of leaf color, size and growth habit to accommodate a landscape of any style and size.

Crabapple Problems

Although these trees have the potential to be stunningly beautiful, crabapples are subject to a number of serious diseases that can leave them unattractive through most of the growing season. The four main offenders are…

Apple Scab: This disease manifests as unsightly dark lesions on the leaves and fruit and will cause premature leaf drop.
Cedar-Apple Rust: This blight presents as yellow spots on the upper side of the leaves early in the season, followed by orange rust spots on the underside of the leaves in the late summer. This disease will cause premature leaf drop.
Fire Blight: This infection gives new shoots the appearance of being scorched by fire and the fruit will look dark and shriveled.
Powdery Mildew: This common disease will cause the leaves to be deformed and give them a white, powdery appearance.

There is, however, good news. You can plant a crabapple today without hesitation, because we carry crabapple selections with an excellent degree of disease resistance. Here is our list of the top 10 stunning crabapples with the best disease resistance. We may not have all of these varieties in our current inventory but we certainly have a great assortment on hand for you to choose from. Stop in today to see which varieties we have available or what other cultivars we may be able to recommend for your exact landscaping needs and preferences.

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Shrub Bouquets

Do you love fresh, seasonal bouquets straight from the garden but don’t have the time to plan, plant and tend to an annual cutting plot each year? A fabulous alternative to the annual flower garden is the planting of woody shrubs. Woodies are a great investment that will reward you year after year with little maintenance. These are hardy, easy care shrubs whose flowers, foliage, berries and stems may be cut, without damaging the overall plant. Clippings from these plants may be used alone, in bouquets and arrangements or mixed with the annual and perennial flowers that you do have time to nurture and grow. No matter what the season, there are amazing shrubs that can easily become part of beautiful bouquets. Why not choose one of each for year-round options?

Spring Bouquet Shrubs

Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris): White, pink, lavender or variegated fragrant blooms depending on the cultivar.
Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa): White, apricot, salmon, pink and red flowers depending on the cultivar. Branches may be forced.
Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia): Yellow to gold flowers depending on the cultivar. Branches may be forced. Foliage may be used, after flowering, in the summer, winter and fall.
Pussy Willow (Salix spp.): Soft, fuzzy catkins (flowers). There are also numerous Salix grown for their colorful and twisted stems.

Summer Bouquet Shrubs

Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla): White, green, pink, blue and purple flowers depending on the cultivar and soil pH.
Hardy Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata): White or pink flowers depending on the cultivar. If cut correctly, you may even get a second crop of blooms from this plant.
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius): Deep burgundy, lime green, bronze or coppery-orange foliage depending on the cultivar. Foliage may be used in the late spring through the fall.
Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens): Large, white snowball-like flowers.
Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria): Bluish-green to dark purple foliage depending on the cultivar with smoke-like flower panicles in June through August. Foliage is attractive from late spring through fall.

Fall Bouquet Shrubs

Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris x clandonensis): Light, bright and deep blue flowers depending on the cultivar.
Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica): Full, drooping panicles of yellow or red berries depending on the cultivar. Foliage may be used any time of the year, even in winter as this plant is semi-evergreen, and takes on a purple or bronze cast in the cold weather.

Winter Bouquet Shrubs

Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica): Silvery blue berries.
Twig Dogwoods (Cornus spp.): Yellow, gold, orange or red stems depending on the cultivar.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata): Yellow, orange or red berries depending on the cultivar. Must plant a male pollinator in order for this plant to fruit.

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Top 10 Fool Proof Houseplants

Do you have a “black thumb”? Do you love houseplants but just can’t seem to keep them alive no matter what their species or condition? Are you worried about getting new plants because being in your home is a death sentence for anything green? Worry no more! This list of foolproof houseplants will help you select and grow houseplants with confidence. Although all plants look and grow better with optimum care, these plants are some of the toughest you can find and will tolerate more abuse and neglect than most others.

Cast Iron Plant / Bar Room Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema hybrids)
Cordyline (Cordyline fruitcosa)
Dracaena (Dracaena spp.)
Jade Plant / Friendship Tree / Money Plant (Crassula ovate)
Mother-In-Law’s Tongue / Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum)
Philodendron (Philodendron spp.)
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Spider Plant / Airplane Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Good Care Basics

While these tough plants can withstand some neglect, it isn’t as hard as you may think to provide them with proper care. No matter what type of houseplant you choose, some good rules of thumb that can help keep them happy include…

Position plants in a brightly lit room, but out of direct sunlight that can cause burns on the foliage. If the plant is stretching toward the window – turning to face the light – it can use more sunlight.
Use good quality potting soil appropriate to pot plants, and fertilize them regularly to provide adequate nourishment. Reduce fertilizing during the winter months when growth naturally slows.
Water plants regularly, but allow the top 2-3 inches of soil to go dry between waterings. The pot should have drainage holes, and never let a houseplant sit in a saucer of water – that can lead to root rot.
Group pots together to increase the humidity around the houseplants and reduce the yellow tips of leaves (a sign of dryness in the air). Use a wet pebble tray or mist plants to raise humidity as well.
Dust plants 1-2 times per month to keep their leaves bright and pores clear for better gas exchange. Be gentle, however, and do not use waxing sprays or other dusting chemicals on houseplants.

It can be a great joy to have houseplants thriving in your home. No matter how many plants you may have killed in the past, you’ll soon be a successful houseplant gardener when you choose plants that don’t mind kind-hearted abuse!

Determinate Versus Indeterminate Tomatoes

It’s tomato-planting time again! If you’ve grown tomatoes in the past, you most likely have your favorites. If not, just ask! You’ll find some pretty strong opinions regarding tomato choices, and every gardener has their own top choices, must haves and great picks for tomatoes.

Choosing Tomatoes

Along with soil type, climate, moisture and other typical gardening considerations, one of the features you will need to take into account when choosing what type of tomato to grow is plant habit. The two main habit classifications are “determinate” and “indeterminate” and are based on fruit use, available growing space and length of growing season. Both habit classifications include fruit selections in a wide variety of colors, sizes, shapes and tastes.

Determinate Tomatoes

Tomatoes from a determinate plant are produced earlier in the growing season, on terminal ends of a compact bush. This type of tomato generally reaches 3-4 feet in height and is easily supported with a tomato cage or may even be self-supporting. Due to its compact habit, it may even be grown in containers, ideal for gardeners with less available space. Because all the fruit ripens at the same time, determinate tomatoes are an excellent choice if you plan to can your fruit or make sauce, as you won’t need to worry about collecting enough fruit to work with. Determinate classification includes popular tomato varieties such as:

“Celebrity” – an eating tomato
“Roma” – a paste tomato
“Patio” – a dwarf selection
“Baby Cakes” – a cherry tomato
“Carolina Gold” – extra large, yellow fruit

Indeterminate Tomatoes

Indeterminate tomato plants will fruit along the entire length of the stem over a longer period of time, in fact continually, until frost. Smaller amounts of fruit ripening regularly throughout the growing season makes an indeterminate tomato plant an excellent choice if you cannot cook or consume a large quantity of this perishable fruit all at one time. Indeterminate tomato plants are vines, requiring proper pruning and support, to reach their ultimate height of 8 feet or more. Indeterminate classification includes popular varieties like:

“Amish Paste” – heirloom, paste tomato
“Beefmaster” – extra large sandwich tomato
“Better Boy” – juicy but firm, compact vine with shorter internodes
“Black Krim” – deep color, rich flavor
“Chocolate Cherry” – cherry, chocolate red in color

By understanding the differences between these basic tomato classifications, it will be easy for you to choose the tastiest tomato to suit your gardening needs and harvest preferences. Many gardeners choose more than one of each type of tomato, ensuring there is always a bountiful supply to use, to share and to enjoy!

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Rose – Queen of the Garden

We all love roses. It may be the luxurious fragrances, rich colors or the elegant flower forms that attract us. It may be the memories that roses evoke. Whatever the reason, roses are one of the world’s most popular flowers. With so many different types of roses available, ranging from the diminutive miniatures to the towering climbers, there is no excuse to exclude this “Queen of Flowers” from your garden.

Rose Types

There are many types of roses to cultivate, and it can be difficult to choose. If you’re just getting started with roses, consider some of these popular favorites…

Hybrid Tea Roses: These blooms are a favorite of rose gardeners who enjoy long-stemmed, large flowers. Hybrid tea flowers have many petals and plants grow upright and tall, about 3-7 feet. These roses are appropriate in either a formal garden or informal planting.
Floribunda Roses: These roses have smaller flowers than hybrid teas with the flowers arranged in clusters. This rose bush is useful as a hedge for a border or privacy screen, and is equally stunning in mass plantings.
Grandiflora Roses: These beauties were developed by crossing hybrid teas with floribundas. This rose grows to around 10 feet tall so it should be used in the back of the border where its beauty won’t shroud other plants. The flowers of the Grandiflora are hybrid tea form and can be single stemmed or borne in clusters depending on the cultivar.
Climbing Roses: These roses make an outstanding vertical display when trained on arbors, walls, fences, trellises and pergolas and can grow from 8-15 feet tall. Flowers may be borne large and single or small and arranged in clusters.
Miniature Roses: These delicate nymphs are dwarf in every way – flowers, leaves and height. This rose may be mass planted as a ground cover, used as border or grown in containers on decks, patios and porches.
Shrub Roses: These flowers are renowned for their bushy habit and superior disease resistance making them an excellent choice for mass planting. The shrub rose flower may be either single or double. Some types have very showy rose hips.
Old Roses: These luscious heirlooms are making a come-back! Although bloom times and color choices are limited, old roses are much more fragrant, vigorous and disease resistant than modern roses. To obtain all the qualities of an old rose combined with a long bloom time of a modern rose, look for the David Austin varieties.

Not sure which rose is just right for your landscape or garden? Our rose experts will be glad to help you choose the perfect rose no matter what thoughts or emotions you want your garden to evoke. Stop in today to see the latest types of roses and the most popular cultivars for this year’s gardening.

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