Plant of the Week of March 9th 2020

This week’s featured plant is the Leonard Messel Magnolia just before flowering. As the flowers begin to swell in February they resemble a pussywillow bloom. The added bonus is that unlike the pussywillow blooms, the Magnolias open up to a light pink flower! Extending the seasonal interest from February to the end of March depending on the weather. At the 2020 Regional Home and Garden show this Magnolia was one of the most touched plants that brought on memories being shared with us of past adventures or family in the garden. The Leonard Messel can get to about 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. This week they should be opening their flowers for the pink show.

Plant of the Week for February 23rd 2020

The Arnold’s Promise Witch Hazel is a welcomed site at the nursery because it shows us that spring is around the corner. It started flowering this year about Feb 5th in the greenhouse. It will remain in bloom for another week or so. While not a fast grower, it does eventually get 15 to 20 feet tall and wide.

Plant of the Week for October 2nd, 2019

Pumpkin Hypericum provides yellow flowers in spring and pumpkin orange berries in fall. It enjoys full sun but can handle some shade. Pumpkin gets 2.5 to 3 feet tall and wide. It works well to add in landscape beds that need compact fall impact!

Plant of the Week for September 24th 2019

Fire Light Hydrangea is a sun loving hydrangea that blooms white in July. Then they age over summer to a vibrant “red” pictured above. Fire Light grows to about 6 to 8 feet tall and wide making it a large shrub. A plant like this can be used as a colorful privacy block or as a focal point with perennials and smaller shrubs in front. It would go nicely along a fence lined up with a window that is part of the main living space like great room or kitchen. Where it can be seen and enjoyed through it’s long show season. After the flowers have faded, remove them and to keep size in check prune back harder in early spring. They can handle all day sun to as little as 4 hours of direct sunlight.

Plants of the Week for August 26th 2019

Twilight Magic Crape Myrtle is purple leafed crape myrtle that flowers bright pink blooms in August! The contrast is striking! It grows to 16 feet tall and 8 feet wide, so give it some space to grow. Like other crape myrtles they prefer a sunny spot that provides at least 6 hours of direct sun. Twilight Magic is rated to zone 7 or 0 degrees Fahrenheit. In our colder winters they may freeze back to the ground, my tip is to mulch them like a rose bush for winter. Twilight Magic could be used in a combination privacy fence or as a focal point flanked by smaller shrubs and perennials. With both the foliage color and the flowers, you definitely get multi-season interest.

Miss Molly Butterfly Bush is a medium sized butterfly bush of 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. It is also one of the sterile varieties so it’s not prone to reseeding. The red pink blooms come on in July and blooms until fall with the summer heat. Butterflies and other pollinators love their abundant flowers. Miss Molly can be deadheaded to keep it flowering faster between bloom cycles or left alone. Miss Molly is great when added to smaller pollinator gardens as well as mixed flower gardens for mid to late summer color.

Featured Plants for The week of June 25th 2019.

Mr. Goldstrike Aucuba is an evergreen that brightens dark shade gardens with it’s gold splashed leaves. It prefers full shade to some morning sun. Mr. Goldstrike grows to 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. It works well to contrast against green trees that are shading the area. You can plant it with Astilbe, Hinoki Cypress or hollies. It works well to provide year round color in shade gardens. Where it is hard to find flowering plants that enjoy a lot of shade.

Tropical Lightning Climbing Rose is a striped rose with orange and cream. It grows to 10 to 12 feet tall and wide. Like other climbing roses it can be a stand alone shrub or trained on a trellis. This variety continues flowering from spring into late fall. Tropical Lighting works as a backdrop to other roses or perennials with yellow or white blooms. You can use this a focal point or as a privacy block that flowers most of the growing season.

Plants of the Week for June 18th

The Ruby Spider Daylily is a larger flower daylily with awesome color! The yellow centers darken to deep red. It grows to 32 inches and 24 inches wide. It blooms early to mid summer, not throughout summer like Stella D’Orro. While it lacks in length of bloom season, the flowers are bigger and the color more intense for the annual show. Like other daylilies they enjoy full sun and can handle drier conditions. These work well in a group of three with catmint or cranesbill in the foreground.

The City Line Mars Hydrangea is a shade loving dwarf Hydrangea, best with afternoon shade 12 to 5 pm. It grows to 1 to 3 feet tall and wide. The flowers are very pretty with pink/blue (depending on soil pH) edged with white. If you want it blue/white simply add Cottonseed meal, Aluminum Sulphate or Sulfur to the soil. If you want it pink just leave it be in our alkaline soils. This works well with Hostas and in front of Hinoki Cypresses for a wonderful balance of year round interest.

Plants for the Week of May 21st 2019

The Blizzard Mockorange blooms lots of fragrant white flowers in late spring. It reaches about 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. It works well with summer blooming perennials to lengthen out seasonal interest. You can also plant it near areas where the breeze can waft the fragrance to nice sitting spots. Some light pruning keeps it’s shape after it blooms. Every couple of years a hard pruning is a good idea of taking out older stems to keep the plant fuller and blooming lots.

Amber Jubilee Ninebark reaches about 5 to 6 feet tall and wide. It’s greatest attribute is the multi colored foliage. The new growth is orange red and matures to the yellow you see in the photo. It does bloom white flowers like other Ninebarks that attract butterflies in May. Put this in front of green conifers like arborvitae for a great contrast. Can be used as a colorful hedge too. Easy to maintain with a light annual pruning.

Both of these plants do well in full sun!

Plants for the Week of April 23rd

The Pink Flowering Almond is an old time spring bloomer. Simple cherry blossom-like flowers in April cover the branches. They grow to 5 to 6 feet tall and wide. They enjoy full sun to partial shade. I would use this as a backdrop plant because after it blooms it’s a plain green shrub and pairs well summer bloomers like daylilies, spirea, salvia, barberry or panicle hydrangeas.

Diana Clare Lungwort is a afternoon shade loving perennial that can brighten up shady areas with it’s frosted green leaves. It’s doesn’t grow very tall about 1 foot. This allows it to go in front of Japanese Maples, Hydrangeas or Hinoki Cypress. In spring it blooms a rich blue blooms adding another level of interest.

Plants of the Week of April 16th

This week the nursery is starting to come alive with foliage and flower color!

Evening Star Superbells is a mounding type of Million Bells that has a wonderful color combo of purple and yellow. I have been very impressed by the “Punch” series of Superbells that I think the “Star” series will do just as well. This annual is great for spilling out of pots with blooms all summer long. You also don’t have to trim them unless you have a water oops. Just remember to water and fertilize regularly. Great for planters in all day sunny spots.

The Scarlet Storm Quince aka Double Take Scarlet is a thornless, fruitless quince that in April gives you these wonderfully deep red blooms. They grow to about 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. Quince due well in as little as 4 hours of sun to all day sun. The red covers the branches of last year growth, so don’t prune them until after the annual show to maintain size.

Plants of Week for April 1st 2019

This week’s featured plants shine bright all winter long providing color when there is not. Both of these handle full hot sun!

Winter Sun Pine is a type of mugo that reaches 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. In the warmer months it’s a standard pine green but come winter it’s an electric yellow. It’s very cold hardy and tough to handle our hot summers. Winter Sun Pine works well for along a fence or house corner for a winter focal point. This would work well with redtwig dogwoods, or blue spruces for winter interest.

Golden Sword Yucca are great for hot sunny spots. They get 3 to 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. White bell shaped flowers appear in the late spring. The yellow variegated blades pair well with russian sage, lavender, ornamental grasses, red barberry or mugo pines.

Plants of the Week for March 18th

The Lil’ Kim Rose of Sharon is a dwarf version of the high blooming plant reaching only 3 to 4 tall! Like other Rose of Sharon they need lots of heat grow and bloom so full sun spots are great. They flower from July to September. This would be great as a foundation plant under windows or to add color to boxwood hedges in a nice pattern.

The Contorted Filbert is a non fruit bearing Filbert that is most know for it’s twisted branches in the winter. They grow 8 to 10 feet tall and wide. They can handle full to part sun. I like to use the Contorted Filbert as a backdrop for perennials and smaller flowering shrubs. Once fall happens it’s time for the Contorted Filbert to take the stage. You can also trim the branches to use for craft or floral projects.

Plants of the Week for March 4th 2019

The Golden Ruby Barberry is a dwarf barberry with coral orange foliage. It gets two feet tall and wide without trying to be rangy like it’s fellow cousins. Golden Ruby can handle being in sun or shade spots but it’s color is best when it gets at least 6 hours of sun. I like to use it for a border plant to contrast perennials and larger shrubs. It also fits in tight spots that are now wider than 3 feet.

Gold Finger Potentilla is an old favorite for places that have lots of heat, sun and not the best soils. Gold Finger keeps to about 3 feet tall and wide. Flowers in summer with deep yellow blooms. Though it can get rangy over time, these plants can handle a lot of and are easy to care for. I like to use these in desert landscapes or less formal design that needs something colorful and tough. To keep them from getting rangy I like to prune them hard every three years to encourage new branching in late Feb/March. Potentillas play nice with perennial salvia and lavenders.

This Weeks Featured Plants for February 25th 2019

I wanted to share the two most popular plants that we took to Regional Home and Garden Show.

The Pink Dawn Viburnum is one of the best “Welcome Spring” plants there are on the market. For it is a tough plant that can take full sun to part shade, handle wind and our cold temperatures. Pink Dawn Viburnum grows to 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. In late winter to early spring it flowers fragrant soft pink blooms. They almost remind one of lilacs. In fall, their green leaves turn to a rusty red. I like to use this plant as a height and surrounded by summer flowering perennials. You can also use it for privacy screening by a patio to take advantage of the fragrance.

The Blue Short Needle Japanese White Pine attracted people at the Home Show because of it’s blue-green foliage and irregular shape. It grows to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. It doesn’t grow fast which allows it to be used in smaller spots that can’t have full size pine growing there. They enjoy full sun to part shade conditions and enjoy well drained soils. It would work great to serve as a backdrop to perennials and shrubs while providing year round interest.

Plant of the Week for February 10th

The Ivory Halo Dogwood is a great plant for winter interest whether it’s snowy or not; with it’s bright red stems. They grow to about 6 feet tall and wide. You can keep them in check with shearing if the space doesn't allow for it. Ivory Halo works well in full sun, as long as it gets plenty of water. The leaves during the growing season are medium green with white edges. This allows it to contrast plants like roses, pines, ninebarks and weigela. It can handle a wide range of soil conditions from being on a drip system to being on a river bank with saturated soil. Ivory Halo is great for parts of the yard that are always wet. Ivory Halo would be glad to take up the water.

Plants that Like Alkaline Soils

Our soils are alkaline (pH above 7) because of the areas low annual rainfall and the lack of organic matter. Alkaline soil can be problematic to some plants because if the soil pH is too high it makes it hard for some plants to take up vital nutrients. By selecting plants that enjoy these soil conditions it a lot less work to keep them happy. A good looking landscape with minimal effort, is much easier to maintain.

Below is a list of plant families that thrive in alkaline soil with little to no pH adjustments. From here you can find a variety that fits your yards needs and personal taste.

Ornamental Grasses
Maiden grasses
Switch grasses
Feather Reed grasses
Fescue Grasses
Fountain Grasses
Fountain Grasses

Shrubs
Sumacs
Junipers
Hydrangeas (though big leaf varieties are pink in alkaline soils)
Spirea
Barberry
Bluebeard
Forsythia
Lilacs
Butterfly Bush (sterile varieties)
Potentilla
Pines
Juniper
Spruces
Photinia
Ninebarks
Common Snowball Bush
Cistena Plum
Mockorange
Viburnums (Deciduous)
Smokebush
Cotoneaster

Perennials
Lavender
Daylily
Sedum
Candytuft
Daisy
Sages
Hosta
Astilbe
Helebores
Red Hot Poker
Catmint
Russian Sage
Black Eyed Susans
Blanket Flowers
Mums
Asters
Yucca
Yarrow

Trees
Bald Cypress
Serviceberry
Golden Rain Tree
Honeylocust
Pines
Bur Oak
Redpointe Maple
Hedge Maples
Persian Parrotia
Sycamore
Willows
Maackia
Green Ash (Urbanite is resistant to Ash Bore)
Catalpa