Sunday, June 8, 2014

Proven Winners

We just brought in some new Proven Winners that we grew at our home nursery!

Big Lifeberry® Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum)
http://www.cho-animelo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/goji-berry-supplements.jpg 

'Sweet Summer Love' Clematis (Clematis)
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b4/84/bf/b484bfe224675172e7e448915296b9dc.jpg 

'Summer Shandy' Hops (Humulus)
 http://www.gardencrossings.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-1993.jpg 

'Red Wall' Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
http://d2nyf3jb7mqz22.cloudfront.net/sites/provenwinners.com/files/imagecache/500x500/ifa_upload/red_wall_parthenocissus_quinquefolia_troki_2_0.jpg

'Miss Molly' Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c1/1e/34/c11e346250bdc00842e4dc04aabfe920.jpg




Sunday, June 1, 2014

June 2014 & Garden Furniture Sale!


ALL OF OUR GARDEN FURNITURE 
including benches, tables and chairs 
are on sale through June or while supplies last
FOR 20% OFF!



 
THINGS TO DO:
Plant something. A tomato, a shrub, a petunia, a shade tree...anything can be planted now. We are starting to hear the old "Isn't it too late to plant?". Seriously? First it was "too early" and now it is "too late". I would really like to know when that 2 hour window of the perfect time to plant is open! What we always tell customers is if the plant (tree, shrub, perennial, whatever) is here and acclimated (outside, not coming out of a climate controlled greenhouse) to our area it is better off in the ground than it is sitting in the pot. That rule applies year round. Granted you have to water more often in June than you do in January but it is still ok to plant. I must say in the almost 20 years we have been in Silver City we have planted something in every month of the year with great success. When Steve was landscaping in Tucson they planted year round including when temps were 100+. So follow our "Planting and Care Guide" and keep it simple. Dig that hole twice as wide and 1 1/2 times as deep as the container the plant is in. Mix in 1/3 Back to Earth Compost Blend to 2/3 of your native soil (we know it is rarely good and sometimes terrible) and water in using Superthrive or B1. With all of this warm weather things will be growing and yes you will want to check them often for water needs. We can't tell you how often to water due to differences in soil drainage, planting mix preparation, weather, plant root maturity, etc. Stick your finger in or dig down about 2 inches just outside the rootball and when dry, water enough to wet all the way to the bottom of the root area and slightly beyond to encourage new roots.

Prune spring flowering shrubs. Forsythia, Lilac (Syringa), Spiraea , Pyracantha, Red Twigged Dogwood (Cornus) and other spring flowering shrubs will benefit from pruning now. First remove anything diseased, damaged or dead. Also prune out any crossing or rubbing branches. Forsythia, Lilacs and Red Twigged Dogwood all bloom on new wood. They should be encouraged to sprout new growth from their base by pruning 1/3 of the oldest, woodiest growth all the way to the ground. 'Snowmound' and other spring flowering Spiraea should have the branches that flowered removed and the new growth will then bloom next year. Most other shrubs can be pruned to a desired shape. If you have specific questions about how or when to prune one of your landscape plants, leave a comment here, email us or stop by the nursery and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Deadhead. I talk and write about deadheading often because I know it keeps your annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs blooming abundantly. You will also prevent invasive plants from self-sowing as well as adding a neat and tidy appearance to your garden. Flowers attract pollinating birds and insects. After pollination a flower will put energy into producing seed instead of flowers. If you interrupt this cycle by removing the pollinated flowers or those that are declining, the plant will continue to produce more flowers. When removing dead flowers from perennials trace the stem back to a new flower bud. If there are no new buds cut it back to the foliage or the ground. If spent flowers outnumber the new buds shear all of the stems down to the foliage and it will quickly rebloom. Annuals can be deadheaded by pinching off the flowers back to the next leaf. When cutting flowers to bring indoors these same rules apply.

Control Insects. Because of the mild winter insect populations are at an all time high. To refresh your memory on what to use to control what, here is a link to a post when we had the same problems because of a really wet winter. Go figure. Controlling Insects

PLANT OF THE MONTH:
Artemisia 'Powis Castle'. This versatile member of the wormwood genus is a valuable addition to any landscape. It grows quickly to a 2-3 foot high by 3-5 foot wide mound with finely divided silver, feathery leaves. The color contrasts well with reds and oranges and blends with softer lavenders, blues and pinks. Plant it in the middle of a perennial bed, giving it lots of room, as a foundation plant or on a bank or hillside to prevent erosion. This perennial is very drought tolerant, cold hardy to 10 below zero and absolutely nothing will eat the citrusy-lavender smelling foliage. To keep it bushy you can cut it back in spring to around 6 inches being sure to leave plenty of leaf buds.

http://genialesideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/artemisia_powis_castle.jpg
Artemisia 'Powis Castle' and Salvia greggii