Viburnum Rules!!

Pictured here are Mike, one of our salespeople, and a gorgeous 'Mariesii', or Doublefile Viburnum. Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum 'Mariesii', to be exact. Gosh, those botanical names can be a drag...so we'll call it 'Mariesii' for short.

This particular type of Viburnum can reach 8-10' high and 10-12' wide. The leaves emerge early in April and its' white flowers come out in May. The bright red fruits come out in July and August, but are usually devoured by birds immediately. The Fall color, as you can see, is amazing!

The fall color comes out early and the leaves stay on the plant well into October, so it is a long-lasting focal point in the landscape. One of the best features of this plant, according to Mike, and myself, is the amazing horizontal branching. Viburnum is a native species here in Connecticut, so it is very winter hardy and does well in part shade. A must have in your yard!

Metasequoia Blues

We have mixed feelings here at Warner's this week. We've had 2 Metasequoia glyptostroboides, or Dawn Redwood, here for a few years and now they are gone, leaving a gaping hole in our tree yard! This week they sold to one lucky customer! We'd become quite attached to these beauties, that were well over 25'. This particular large-growing conifer can reach up to 110', with a width of a 30-40'. Their delicate finely textured needles which are medium-green, turn a beautiful orange to red-brown before dropping in late Fall. The shaggy bark with reddish highlights is quite attractive also. A nice specimen to have in the yard...if you have the room! We are, however, glad they went to a good home and are getting out of their containers!!

Cabbage Cure

If you're a cabbage aficianado and grow it for consumption, or, if you plan on growing decorative cabbage and kale this fall, here's a tip for you. To deter cabbage worms from eating the leaves, mix up a solution of 3 tsp cayenne pepper to 1 quart of water. Use a spray bottle and apply to leaves, stem and the ground directly surrounding each plant. This cure for the cabbage worm pest works for kale, brussel sprouts and kohlrabi also!

Purple Pods!!

Hyacinth Bean Vine or Lablab purpureus is

one of the coolest vines around.

These insanely deep purple pods come out on the plants around early September, as the plant blooms with a flower similar to a sweet pea. The racemes of small pink and white flowers stand out against vibrant green leaves with gorgeous purple veining and maroon stems.

The vines themselves can exceed 10' in height, in one season, so be sure if it is being used vertically, that it is well supported with a trellis, arbor, fence or wall.

Hyacinth Bean is a fun, easy to grow plant adaptable to most soils and if nothing else, an interesting conversation piece in your yard.

As an important side note...yes, the pod seeds are edible. However, due to the presence of cyanogenic glycoside, a toxic substance which can cause gastrointestinal issues, especially if ingested in larger amounts, the beans should be boiled thoroughly in water, which needs to be changed at least twice during the cooking process!

Containers Gone Wild!

Our gorgeous planters by the roadside are so full and bursting with color! We are proud of how they look and wanted to share this photo with you. Most of this material has been planted since May...so you can see it is possible to keep your containers going well into September, if you consistently water, feed and maintain your plants!!

American Toad

Bufo americanus, or American Toad, at the Nursery.

Porcupine or Zebra...what's the difference anyhow?

Miscanthus sinensis 'Strictus' or Porcupine Grass is a favorite of Warner Nursery staff member Jessica Duncan. She is pictured here with some samples of this seriously striped plant. Porcupine Grass is a 6-8' upright grass with alternating yellow-gold bands on its' medium green foliage. These can reach a height of 9', including the plumes, in the Fall. Porcupine Grass "gives great structure to a garden space due to its' non-floppy, upright habit" according to Jess. This is one of the reasons she loves it!

A close relative to Porcupine Grass is Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus', another New England cold hardy species of maiden grass. Zebra Grass maxes out at 5-6' tall and its' foliage, similarly banded to Porcupine Grass, has distinct gold horizontal bands. It reaches 7-8' including its plumes or flowers in the Fall.

Zebra Grass does not have the same erect structure as Porcupine Grass, as it tends to want to fall outward from the center a bit. Both grasses have very sharp leaves and can be divided in early Spring once they have been cut back, for the least amount of contact with the foliage.