Welcome Spring or is it Summer?

Boy this weather is unbelievable! Feels like August already? What is the deal...could it be global warming?! Anyhow, we are in pansy mode...the traditional harbinger of the start of the gardening season for us here at the nursery!! Yeah!!

Happy Spring 2010!

We are open and really excited for the upcoming gardening season!! Pansies, Seeds, Easter Plants and Spring Flowering Shrubs and Trees are here!! Come visit us soon and see what's new!

Festival of Trees and Traditions

A close up of the tree we decorated for the Festival of Trees and Traditions at the Wadsworth Atheneum, held in December each year! This year our theme was 'A Berry Natural Christmas'.

Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac

A great native plant that is low-growing and fast spreading...has phenomenal fall color, as you can see pictured here! At a mature height of 1-2'H x 5-6' W, it is perfect for covering banks, slopes and poor soil areas. The yellow fragrant flowers which show up in April, are followed by red fruits. This is a super hardy selection for a hard to fill spot in your yard! Come by the nursery for other native plant selections that would help fill gaps in your yard.

Sweetspire's Fall Color

Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' or Henry's Garnet Virginia Sweetspire has amazing Fall color and is a great Native substitute for Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' or Dwarf Burning Bush, which is considered to be potentially invasive. See it pictured here with its glorious red Fall coat on, and also contrasted with Chamaecyparis pisifera filifera 'Aurea' or Goldthread Chamaecyparis by its side.

Itea is extremely underplanted for such a great plant. It has a great tight and compact, yet spreading habit. It blooms in early June with fragrant white flower panicles, which attract butterflies and other pollinators. Its amazing bright reddish purple leaves in Autumn surely attract attention instantly. Itea tolerates a wide range of soils, from moist to dry and partial sun or shade will keep this one happy!

Twist-n-Shout

Anyone who's into gardening has heard of the Endless Summer Hydrangea by now!! A blue mophead hydrangea that blooms on new and old growth, how excellent!! We now have experience with another introduction to the same collection of Endless Summer Hydrangeas...this one is called Endless Summer Twist-n-Shout or, botanically speaking, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Phim'. Now that we have taken care of our share of these wonderful Hydrangea for several months, we can vouge for their vigor.

This is the first season we have carried this plant and it is looking particularly awesome right now. It is great to see its fall color coming out as of late. In the photo here, you can see this reblooming lacecap hydrangea's vibrant flower heads, which are a deep pink. Twist-n-Shout flowers all summer and well into the Fall. It prefers part shade and fairly acidic soil. Since these conditions are plentiful here in our area, this is a good grower for us. The glossy deep green leaves turn a beautiful burgundy-red in autumn. As with the Original Endless Summer Hydrangea, 'Twist-n-Shout' promises to be super cold (Zone 4) and heat tolerant in our humid summers.

Cool Weather Tolerant Herbs

Many herbs are very ornamental, in addition to being useful for culinary or medicinal purposes. Some herbs are fairly cold tolerant and look fantastic in mixed Fall planters with mums, pansies and ornamental cabbage or kale.

Pictured here are: Pineapple Mint (Mentha suaveolens 'Variegata'), Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium), English Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Golden Sage (Salvia officinalis 'Aurea'), Italian Parsley (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum), Tri-colored Sage (Salvia officinalis). These are some of the hardier herbs we sell, which are very complementary in Fall gardens. Also pictured is a perennial with a dark burgundy leaf, Heuchera 'Palace Purple' and a Hardy Chrysanthemum.

Mixing Herbs with annuals, mums and perennials in containers or garden beds is a creative way to diversify your garden space and mixing foliage with flowering plants also reduces maintenance (i.e. deadheading)!!