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By Miles Hunter, July 22, 2010

July 22nd, 2010

Add warmth to your garden with Echinacea!

Echinacea, or Coneflower, are one of the most popular perennials. Every garden should have at least one variety. Echinacea love full sun and lots of heat. They have large, showy flower heads, blooming from early to late summer. Many varieties bloom until frosts in the fall. Some varieties can be used for herbal or medicinal purposes. They work well at attracting butterflies to your garden. There are many varieties for you to choose from including:

purpurea

This is the most common form of Echinacea which has large purple flowers and grows to 24 to 36 inches high. Click here for more information.

purpurea ‘Magnus’

This is a classic purple coneflower. Beautiful rose-pink ray petals with a coppery-brown, spiky central cone comprise the huge, flat flower heads. They flower from midsummer thru fall. Click here for more information.

purpurea ‘Ruby Star’

This variety has larger, more vibrantly coloured flowers than the regular purpurea species. From a central brown cone the deep carmine-pink petals are held flat, rather than drooping. Click here for more information.

purpurea ‘Coconut Lime’

This variety is the first ever double-flowered, white Echinacea. The flower heads feature a ring of white petals surrounding a large pom-pom of pale green florets. These blooms are big, but the stems are strong enough to hold them. ‘Coconut Lime’ not only looks great in the border but also is a distinctive and very long-lasting cut flower. It’s as easy to grow as any traditional Coneflower. Click here for more information.

‘Pixie Meadowbrite’

This hybrid is a vast improvement over other dwarf Coneflowers on the market. Flowers are midsized, with flat medium-pink petals surrounding a cone that begins greenish-pink, maturing to deep crimson. Deadhead regularly for continual blooming into the autumn. Click here for more information.

 ‘Maui Sunshine’

This variety has large bright yellow flowers, that are sweetly scented. This variety is well-branched with strong, upright stems. Showy orange cones with green backgrounds (great for cutting and drying). Click here for more information.

‘Tomato Soup’

This variety has warm, tomato-red flowers that grow to 6″ wide. It grows to 32” tall and nearly as wide. Flowers cover the plant till frost. Plants are well branched and show excellent vigor. Click here for more information.

‘Big Sky’ – series

There are many new varieties including a group of new Echinaceas that belong to the Big Sky™ series. The Big Sky™ series currently has five members, all of which are sweetly scented. The varieties include; ‘Sunrise’, ‘Sunset’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Matthew Saul’ (Harvest Moon™), and ‘Evan Saul’ (Sundown™). These varieties all have large green leaves, strong branching stems, wide flower petals, and profuse blooming tendencies.

All photos courtesy of www.perennials.com.

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By Miles Hunter, July 9, 2010

July 7th, 2010

Plant the best! Plant Proven Winners!

A better garden starts with a better plant. Why are Proven Winners Plants Better? Once a Proven Winner plant makes it to your house, you’ll fall in love because Proven Winners plants are:

• Easy to grow and care for
• Covered with blooms
• Bright and colorful
• All-season bloomers
• Disease resistant
• Trialed and tested

Our selection of Proven Winners includes many great plants including varieties of Ageratum, Argyranthemum (Daisy), Bacopa, Coleus, Fuchsia, Ipomoea (Sweet Potato Vine), Lobularia, Nemesia, Petunias, Salvia, and Verbena.

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By Miles Hunter, June 18, 2010

June 14th, 2010

Grow the Best Roses with David Austin Roses!

David Austin Roses are known for their unbelievably large flowers and their heavenly fragrances. They are among the best roses in the World. They bloom repeatedly throughout the summer producing a beautiful range of colours.

Also known as English Roses the David Austin roses are a highly versatile group of roses which thrive in very different climactic conditions. They are widely grown in almost every rose growing nation in the world, including America, Canada, Australia, Japan, Europe and even areas of Russia.

David Austin Roses are also very hardy roses. If you have not grown English Roses before and live in zones 4-5 or 9-10, you might like to begin with David Austin roses. English Roses can be found in rose gardens across Canada and there is no substitute for seeing (and smelling) English Roses growing in your area. 

Almost all of the English Roses we carry are rated as hardy, which means that they can be grown successfully in zone 5. Our ratings are intended as a guide. You may still require winter protection in challenging microclimates or in periods of unusually extreme or extended cold.

Below is a list of the David Austin English Roses that you can choose from for 2010:

• A Shropshire Lad
• Abraham Darby
• Benjamin Britten
• Bishop’s Castle
• Carding Mill
• Charles Darwin
• Christopher Marlowe
• Crown Princess Margareta
• Fair Bianca
• Falstaff
• Gertrude Jekyll
• Glamis Castle
• Golden Celebration
• Graham Thomas
• Harlow Carr
• Heritage
• Janet
• Jude the Obscure
• Pat Austin
• St. Swithun
• Teasing Georgia
• The Dark Lady
• The Generous Gardener
• The Mayflower
• William Shakespeare 2000
• Windermere

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By Miles Hunter, June 10, 2010

June 1st, 2010

June is the best time of year to plant your annuals. Annuals, often referred to as bedding plants, are plants that live their life cycle in less than one year. So that means that when the frosts start in the fall they will die and not come back next year. Fortunately that means that they all bloom as much as possible so that they can produce as many seeds as possible for next year to ensure their survival. 

There are many great annuals that you can plant in your garden. From Ageratum to Zinnias they can produce a rainbow of colour for your garden. Annuals are great in any garden bed. There are annuals that grow best in full sun like Geraniums and Petunias as well as annuals that grow best in shade like Fuchsias and Impatiens.

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By Miles Hunter, June 7, 2010

June 7th, 2010

Try Something Unique – Grow a Mountain Laurel !

The Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), also known as Spoonwood, is a beautiful evergreen shrub that flowers every spring. The unique star shaped flowers form in a tight cluster and bloom from early June through July. They can grow well in a sunny or shady location. They keep their leaves all year which makes an excellent backdrop in a winter garden. Our store has a great selection with more than 15 varieties to choose from:

Kalmia ‘Bullseye’

Kalmia ‘Carol’

Kalmia ‘Carousel’

Kalmia ‘Elf’

Kalmia ‘Galaxy

Kalmia ‘Heart of Fire’

Kalmia ‘Kaleidoscope’

Kalmia ‘Little Linda’

Kalmia ‘Minuet’

Kalmia ‘Olympic Fire’

Kalmia ‘Ostbo Red’

Kalmia ‘Pink Charm’

Kalmia ‘Pinwheel’

Kalmia ‘Raspberry Glow’

Kalmia ‘Sarah’

Kalmia ‘Tiddlywinks’

 Kalmia ‘Tinkerbell’

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By Miles Hunter, June 2, 2010

Summer Lawn Care

During the summer months your lawn goes dormant. Before the heat of the summer starts be sure that you lawn has been adequately fertilized. One last treatment of the Spring and Summer Lawn Fertilizer (28-3-8) is all that you lawn will need between now and the fall.

Watering your Lawn

When watering your lawn it is best to water early in the morning or later in the evening to minimize evaporation loss. This saturates the soil more thoroughly and provides better absorption of the water. Watering your lawn less frequently but more thoroughly encourages deeper roots that can withstand drought.

Watering Restrictions are now in effect from June 1st until September 30th. You can still water your garden by hand but you can only use sprinklers on your lawn during the following times:

• Even-numbered address:  Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Odd-numbered address:  Thursdays and Sundays
• 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. only

Here’s a better idea than getting up at 4am… We have electronic water timers and sprinklers to make it easy for you to water your lawn and not violate the restrictions. Be sure to ask us when you come by to see us.

If you have applied fertilizer or lime to your lawn it is best if you water the lawn to ensure that the fertilizer is washed off the blades of the grass to prevent burning. Watering also helps the fertilizer reach the roots faster.

Mowing your Lawn

Lawns should be mowed at regular intervals. For best results your lawn should be cut every 7 to 10 days. A rotary mower should to be set at a height of 2 to 3 inches for the season. Your lawn mower should be kept sharp at all times. A dull mower tears the grass instead of cutting it, making it more susceptible to diseases.

You should use a catcher, or rake the cut grass to remove the cuttings and prevent the build-up of dead grass. If you do not remove the dead grass you should power rake your lawn on a regular basis to remove the layer of dead grass (thatch) that builds up, this is called power raking or de-thatching.

Fertilizing your Lawn

If you have not fertilized your lawn do it now before the heat of summer comes. Once the summer gets too hot it is not recommended that you fertilize until fall when we have cooler temperatures again.

The beauty of your lawn, its resistance to disease, insects, moss and weeds depends largely on how healthy it is. With our heavy rains in the coastal area, much of the mineral content (food or fertilizer) of the soil is washed away each year. Every fertilizer shows the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash (N.P.K.) For example 12-4-8 is 12% Nitrogen, 4% Phosphorous and 8% Potash.

• Nitrogen – gives lawn its green and is the main food a lawn needs
• Phosphorous – encourages good root growth
• Potash – promotes strong healthy stems

Lawns should be fed at regular intervals. Fertilizing should be done when the grass is dry and should then be watered in thoroughly. To ensure an even application, it is best to use a fertilizer spreader. We carry several fertilizers that can help you invigorate your lawn:

• 12-4-8 is an ideal fertilizer to promote a flush of new growth in your lawn. An application will last for 6 to 8 weeks. So applying in May will require only one more application in July.
• 28-3-8 gives your lawn a jump start promoting an abundance of new growth. One application will last 10 to 12 weeks ensuring that you will not have to fertilize again for the rest of the summer. Ensure that the blades on your lawnmower are sharp as you will need to cut your lawn every week with this fertilizer.
• 6-2-3 is an Organic lawn fertilizer that provides a balance of nutrients that you lawn needs. If you wish to keep your lawn healthy using an organic fertilizer this is the best choice for you. 

Starting a new Lawn

Summer is not a good time to start a new lawn. It is best to wait until fall when the cool fall weather and rains provide enough moisture for the lawn to grow better.

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By Miles Hunter, June 1, 2010

June 1st, 2010

Delight Your Senses with Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula) is a romantic flower and every gardener should have at least one in their garden. They love a sunny location with good drainage. Two of the hardiest and best know varieties are ‘Hidcote’ and ‘Munstead’. Both produce wonderfully fragrant blue-lavender coloured flowers during the summer. Lavender is extremely drought tolerant once it is established but should be watered regularly when young.

Another newer variety of Lavender is the Spanish Lavender variety ‘Anouk’. This variety produces a consistent display of flowers from June through September. To encourage them to repeatedly bloom is it best to cut them back after they produce their first set of flowers to encourage the second bloom.

You can choose from ‘Hidcote’, ‘Munstead’, ‘Anouk’, and many other varieties to add that extra fragrance to your garden this summer. 

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By Miles Hunter, May 24, 2010

May 24th, 2010

Grow the “Perfect Peony”

Peonies are beautiful sun-loving  perennials which can be very long-lived in your garden. They are extremely hardy, easy to grow, and easy to maintain. They do their best when grown near the middle or back of full sun borders or beds. There are two main types of Peonies, herbaceous peonies and tree peonies. The more common herbaceous type die back to the ground every fall and come up again every spring. The tree types leave a woody stem exposed during the winter months.

There are many beautiful varieties to choose from with a rainbow of colour choices. Come in today to see these beautiful plants in bloom. 

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By Miles Hunter, May 17, 2010

May 17th, 2010

All of the Beauty and None of the Work!

If you are looking for a Rose that has all of the beauty with none of the work you might want to try the new Easy Elegance Roses.

Gone are the days of high-maintenance roses. With Easy Elegance®, you can have hardy, disease-resistant, chemical free roses without all the effort and attention. Let it be known – these are not your grandmother’s roses. You don’t have to spend all day in the yard to make them last. All you have to do is plant them and enjoy the beauty. And there’s nothing easier than that.

This is our first year carrying them and we are excited to offer five varieties including:

• Easy Elegance ‘Coral Cove’
• Easy Elegance ‘Grandma’s Blessing’
• Easy Elegance ‘High Voltage’
• Easy Elegance ‘Sunrise Sunset’ 
• Easy Elegance ‘Sweet Fragrance’

Click here for more information about Easy Elegance Roses. 

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By Miles Hunter, May 12, 2010

May 12th, 2010

Try the newest Supertunia, ‘Pretty Much Picasso’

This new variety of the supertunia family will delight you this summer. They can be planted in your garden, planters, or hanging baskets. The unique flowers sport violet purple flowers edged in lime green. This vigorous plants is great for mixing in combination with other vigorous plants. For more information click here.