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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 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 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, 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, February 5, 2010

Start planning for Summer!

Water plants are slow to emerge from their winter sleep. So the early spring is the time to start planning for summer by seeing which plants have survived the winter and which may need to be replaced. Clean out any debris left from the winter and ensure that the water is clean.

Water Lilies

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By Miles Hunter,

Now is the time to start your garden from Seed!

Many flowers can also be started from seed indoors and transplanted outdoors later in the season when the weather warms up. You can start plants like Geraniums or Sweet Peas indoors now to transplant outdoors in March/April.

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By Miles Hunter,

Spring is a great time to start caring for your lawn!

A well established healthy lawn requires less water, care, and maintenance during the summer. If your lawn is hard and compact aerating the lawn loosens the soil and allows for new roots to grow. The following is a list of a few things that you can do now to help ensure that you lawn is healthy and strong:

Starting a New Lawn

If you are starting a new lawn it is recommended that there is at least six inches of soil. So be sure to till the soil to an even depth to allow for the roots of the grass to develop. Next ensure that the area is level to reduce the possibility of drainage issues in the future. Then you can apply the grass seed or sod to the area and water thoroughly.

If you have an existing lawn you can top dress the lawn by spreading a thin layer of top soil and then apply the grass seed on top. Water thoroughly to ensure that the seed germinates.

Watering your Lawn

Adequate watering ensures that your lawn has an established rook system to cope with the dry summer months. Be sure to water thoroughly and deeply. Watering restrictions come into affect on June 1^st and are in effect until September 30^th. They are as follows:

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

Newly planted lawns need special attention. It is best to keep the soil moist for at least 4 to 6 weeks to ensure that your lawn develops an adequate root system. If you are starting a new lawn in the summer be sure to apply for a permit to water outside of the watering restrictions.

Mowing your Lawn

Lawns should be mowed at regular intervals with a sharp mower at the correct height. Lawns should be cut every 7 to 10 days. A rotary mower should to be set at 2 to 3 inches for the season. You 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 you lawn on a regular basis to remove the layer of dead grass (thatch) that builds up, this is called de-thatching.

Applying Moss Control

Before your moss goes dormant in the summer heat you should take steps to kill and remove the moss in your lawn. To do this apply either a liquid or granular Moss Control to affected areas. Approximately two days later, use a mechanical power rake to remove the dead black moss. The area should then receive a thin layer of soil or sand followed by an application of grass seed to grow where the moss was.

Moss Out

Fertilizing your Lawn

The beauty of your lawn, its resistance to disease, insects, moss and weeds depends largely on how you feed it. 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 the green to lawns and is the main food a lawn responds to
• Phosphorous            – encourages good root growth
• Potash                       – promotes strong healthy stems

Lawns should be fed at regular intervals.  We recommend an application of 28-3-8 in early spring. This will feed your lawn for 10 to 12 weeks. For late spring and summer, we recommend 12-4-8. This feeds your lawn for 6 to 8 weeks. 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.

When you apply fertilizer you should water your lawn to make sure that the fertilizer make it to the soil and does not remain on the leaves where it could burn them.

Applying Lime to Your Lawn

Lime is an important soil conditioner that helps you lawn absorb fertilizer and deter moss from growing. Lime does not kill moss, but does neutralize the pH of the soil making fertilizer applications more effective. To be effective Dolomite Lime should be applied in spring and again in fall.

Top Dressing Your Lawn

After power raking and/or aerating in the spring, your lawn may appear sparse. Top-dressing is a reliable way of rejuvenating it. You can top-dress your lawn with Peat Moss for sandy soils, peat and sand for clay soils, sand if you have wet soil, or top soil. Top-dressing is best done in March or April. After top-dressing you can also apply a thin layer of lawn seed to help fill in the spaces left by the power rake.

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By Miles Hunter,

Start your vegetables from seed!

There are many vegetables that can be started from seed at this time of year. Some can be planted directly outside. Others you should start indoors and transplant outside once the weather warms up. Some seeds that you can start outdoors now include Broad Beans and Radishes. Indoors you can start Celery, Leeks, Onions, and/or Parsley.

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By Miles Hunter,

Spring is the time to Prune your trees and shrubs!

Pruning can be done at this time of year to thin out trees or shrubs that have become too dense or simply to cut back those that have grown too big. Be careful not to prune any trees or shrubs that bloom in the early spring, such as Forsythia and Magnolias, as you may accidentally prune the flower buds.

Early spring flowering shrubs should be pruned after they have finished blooming. Come in today to pick up our free pamphlet on “Practical Pruning” to learn what should be pruned when.