Christmas Blitz

We here at Warner's want to wish you a Happy Holiday Season!! We are somewhat relieved that the Christmas rush is over. As primarily plant people, we are not used to being cooped up in the store and although we enjoy seeing all of our regular customers and new visitors as well, we are ready for the imminent winter hibernation period!
Thanks for all of your support during the Christmas shopping blitz. We hope you enjoyed any of the fresh trees, greens, wreaths and roping you may have picked up here. Feel free to come in and visit us through January 3, when we close our doors until the Spring season. We have lots of bargains to take advantage of going on now.

Welcome to November

The time has come to deal with the fact that winter is on it's way. If you have not done so already, making preparations in your garden will help plants to make it through the long, cold months. Be sure to mulch in your perennial beds and around any newly planted shrubs or trees. A fairly thick blanket of insulation, at least 3-4" of mulch or salt marsh hay, can make a world of difference in protecting the roots of your plants. We sell both here.

Japanese Maples -- Justin's Favorite Plant

Japanese Maples are a favorite plant here at Warner Nursery. We usually sell around 10 species per season. When asked for some words on his favorite group of plants, Justin Bridges spoke to me his thoughts on the genus.

"In a massive genus of around 600 species, maples throughout temperate climates become very apparent, especially this time of year. Having been asked to pick 3 from only 1 species, I can only try. "

He went on to say that Acer palmatum 'Ogakazuki' is his first choice. This variety is a full-sized, upright, fast-growing tree. It matures at 30-50'. It is very old and has a long history of cultivation in Japan. It boasts startling red Fall color.

Next up was Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' -- The 'Full Moon' Maple. With leaves almost circular, chartreuse throughout the seasons. It needs a partial exposure to protect from early and late frosts. Slow-growing, a mature 15-20' plant can rival pretty much any piece of plant material (and a couple of mammal and mineral species as well!!)

Thirdly, Acer palmatum, the true straight species is horribly under-used in the garden. The genus has endless selections and variety. In the wilds of Japan, it can grow much like our native Acer, to 20' or more. Justin says he would enjoy very much seeing its' popularity exploited even more. A group planting could be explosive in a garden or park.

The straight species is usually the understock for the cultivars to be grafted onto, so obtaining it should be easy. But, most of these understocks would be seed-grown, having interesting and varying characteristics themselves. It would seem cultivars could be selected from virtually any seed stocks. This is probably why there are so many cultivars of Acer palmatum.

Any thoughts on Japanese Maples...feel free to comment on this post. Justin loves to talk about Jap. Maples anytime!

Insects Galore

Look carefully at the above photo...do you know what kind of spider this is? Let me know if you do!

The daily routine of watering our plant material here at the nursery can become quite interesting, especially when we really take notice of our surroundings! This week so far, we have seen some creepy but cool arachnids and also a full-grown praying mantis. Here are some snapshots.

Native Plants are Cool!

At Warner's we have a host of shrubs, trees and perennials that are in their prime this autumn season. Many of them "fall" under the category of native plants...i.e. Native to the northeastern United States and they are therefore tried and true, super hardy choices for your landscape. Come in for planting advice and native plant selections today.

Ode to Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental Grasses, with their long, arching leaves and fuzzy plumes or silvery tassels, have become very popular in the last few years as low-maintenance garden plants. We have a large selection of grasses here at Warner's...short ones to accent your garden beds and taller varieties to create screening. They are all fairly chunky plants...instant gratification to say the least!

Tami Hayes, our perennial department manager came up with some words to honor these wonderful plants. Each bolded portion of the poem represents a particular variety of ornamental grass that we sell. Any grass lover can appreciate the humor of her words that follow.

Ode to Ornamental Grasses
One day Hameln saw a Little Bunny going through the Feather Reed grass and as the Northwind blew he started daydreaming of a trip to the zoo to see the Zebras, when he saw his friends Karl Foerster & Sara Bande. They said they were going to the Overdam to the Cabaret Theater. There they saw a Maiden looking very Cosmopolitan. She introduced herself as Shenandoah. She said, "don't Panicum about my Blue Hair, it's just ornamental." So they all decided to Switch Grass and take a trip to the Fountain.
THE END

Mums the Word!

Jessica, an enthusiastic Warner's customer service representative and plant care specialist is busy these days caring for our copious numbers of mums. Mums in all colors and sizes are available here at the nursery. If you plant mums now and they are tightly budded, they will last you into November. Maintenance pruning of past blooms is recommended to prolong colorful mums. The mums we sell are sold by local growers and so are very hardy to frosts...sorry, I know this is a bad word! Mums the word...

Cool Mornings

These cool mornings are great for creating visual effects on some of our plant friends. Condensation on the leaves can be beautiful. Get out in your yard in the early morning and check it out for yourself! See attached here a shot of Alocasia 'Black Magic' (aka 'Elephant Ear'), with 18" - 24" leaves these beauties hold quite a bit of moisture!

Last week of summer! Enjoy!

Late Summer and Fall weather Rules! Get out and enjoy it while it lasts. Working in the yard this time of year can be extremely rewarding and give you just the excuse to get outside that you need. As the days get shorter, we have less time to play in the garden...so make the most of the time you do have! Come in and see what we have to offer for Fall planters and planting beds to jazz up your yard. We can speed up your shopping with lots of great ideas.

Labor Day Blues

We here at Warner's are sad to see the last days of summer come and go!! However, we will continue to revel in the warm days that follow and enjoy our fabulously floral surroundings. Most of our planters and planting beds here around the nursery have grown in to the max and our pleasing to look at each and every day. See photos attached. Hope yours are too.

Nursery News

Come here to find the latest greatest tip of the day courtesy of your home-town nursery!