Happy 2012!

THINGS TO DO:
The main job for January is pruning. Here is the link that covers it pretty well from February 2011 "Pruning". Remember that you do not necessarily prune every tree or shrub every year. Look at them objectively and decide which ones need corrective pruning and which ones don't.

Apply dormant spray. If you have had problems in the past with insects and diseases on your fruit and shade trees, shrubs or perennials now is the time to manage them with dormant spray. An application of horticultural oil will smother overwintering aphids of all kinds, scale, mealy bugs, whiteflies and spider mites as well as their eggs. It is also effective against the larvae of coddling moths which is the common apple worm. Lime sulphur spray will control powdery mildew, peach leaf curl, apple scab and twig borers. A copper fungicide can be used to keep leaf spot, peach leaf curl and shot hole fungus in check. Be sure to spray the entire plant including branch crotches where insects like to lay their eggs. Clean up any debris out to the drip line and spray the soil as well. Always follow label directions carefully on all of these products and choose a warm, calm day for best results.

Think about a community garden in your neighborhood. A friend of mine recently gave me a subscription to Organic Gardening. I hadn't read one in a while and had forgotten what a wonderfully informative magazine it is. To my surprise there is an article in this month's issue about our own Grant County and the great work that is being done here by The Volunteer Center of Grant County. The article is called "The Tale of Two Food Deserts".  It is worth a look and should inspire everyone to do what they can to fill the hunger gap in our community. Whether it is starting a community garden where people donate time for produce, growing your own backyard garden and giving the surplus to the Food Pantry, supplying transportation for people in outlying areas to come and shop at their Farmers' Market or any other way you can think of to make healthy, nutritious food accessible to everyone in Grant County.

PLANT OF THE MONTH:
Callicarpa bodinieri 'Profusion'. We chose this variety of Beautyberry for its abundant violet fruit that lasts into winter making it a wild bird favorite. It is a graceful, moderate growing, deciduous shrub that will mature at 6 feet tall and wide. The arching branches are covered with small, tight clusters of lilac flowers in spring and the willow-like leaves are bronze-purple when new, mature to dark green and turn orange to purple in fall. It is cold hardy to USDA 5 or 20 degrees below zero and uses a moderate amount of water. Plant it as a foundation shrub or informal hedge.

Callicarpa bodinieri 'Profusion'

Seeing Red!

The long cool, not cold, fall really gave way to some brilliant colors. Most are now gone due to wind and rain but I took a few photos of some of the best. These are all plants that we will have for sale at the nursery next spring and I have included a variety of Viburnum dilatatum called 'Cardinal Candy' that we are growing. Be sure to make note of your favorites so you can extend your season of color next year.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

Dwarf Plumbago is a fast growing, deciduous ground cover that will adapt to full sun, part sun or full shade. It grows to a height of 10 inches and can spread by underground runners to at least 2 feet wide. Its bronzy green leaves set off the intense, half inch blue flowers that appear in July and last until first frost. As you can see this perennial has gorgeous red fall color. It is cold hardy to 20 below and depending on the location is a low to moderate water user.

Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Karmina"

This true geranium is a nearly evergreen perennial groundcover that grows to 8-10 inches high but spreads by underground rhizomes to 2-3 feet wide.The late spring/early summer 1-2 inch flowers are lavender pink and are borne on stems above the foliage. It is hardy to 20 below zero and would be happy planted where it gets at least some afternoon shade. The red fall and winter foliage is an added bonus to this deer resistant plant.

Euonymus alata 'Compacta

A moderate growing deciduous shrub whose claim to fame is its brilliant red autumn color is Dwarf Burning Bush. It will reach a mature height and width of 4-6 feet. Its leaves are dark green and the branches have corky wings. Cold hardy to 30 below zero it makes a good informal hedge or accent plant.

Nandina domestica

Heavenly Bamboo is not a true bamboo at all but is given that common name due to the canelike stems and lacy foliage. This evergreen shrub is a moderate grower and will reach 4-6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. It has red berries in the fall and colored foliage that lasts through winter. Hardy to 10 below it is a low water plant that will adapt to full sun or full shade but colors better in the sun. It makes a good screen or specimen.

Rosa rugosa

The Rugosa Rose comes in several cultivars. All are cold, wind and drought tolerant and resistant to insects and diseases. The flowers are very fragrant and it produces large hips. This deciduous rose will grow to 6 feet tall and wide and turns a lovely golden in the fall. It is striking paired with the Dwarf Burning Bush. Because of the prickly stems it makes a impenetrable barrier.

Viburnum dilitatum 'Cardinal Candy'

This relative of the Snowball Bush is one of the Proven Winners shrubs that we are growing this year. The scarlet red fall and winter berries of this Viburnum are a wild bird favorite. It will grow at a moderate rate to a 4-5 foot rounded shrub. Lacy, white, 5 inch clusters of small flowers appear in early summer. The 2-3 inch leaves are grayish green with a dusky underside. This is a very cold hardy plant that grows in full sun or part shade and can be planted as a specimen or in mass as a hedge or border.

Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford'

The Bradford Flowering Pear is one of my favorite trees for its year round interest. Showy white spring flowers followed by glossy, dark green, roundish leaves and spectacular gold, orange, purple and red fall color. In winter its rounded crown is still appealing and makes a great perch for birds. This deciduous tree is a moderate to fast grower up to 35 feet high by 25 feet wide, and a moderate water user.  It is cold hardy to minus 20 and can be planted as an accent or for shade. It produces no edible fruit.

This is a short list of the best plants for our area that will provide you with an autumn full of vibrant colors!

Vacance

As I mentioned last month, having a seasonal business allows us some good vacation time and no matter where we go or what we do it is really the light at the end of the tunnel every year. This year we went to France and for those of you who know us well know Steve and I are total Francophiles. Any chance we get, we go! This year we walked in Burgundy for 5 days and then rented an apartment in Paris for a week. It was fabulous. I would highly recommend both itineraries. The walk was on a route called the  Voie Verte  and it is a black-topped lane that replaced old railroad tracks. We rambled through farmland, pastures full of Charlois munching the greenest grass I've seen in a while and of course centuries old vineyards. The views of small villages perched on hills with a castle or church steeple peeking out were truly magnificent. We back-packed from town to town and drank local wine and kir and ate regional specialties like Bouef Bourguignon, Ouefs Meurette, Coc au Vin and Gougeres. In a somewhat work related event we visited the Chateau Cormatin and its formal gardens. The Chateau was built in the 17th century, fell into disrepair and was rescued and returned to its former glory in 1980. Formal gardens are really a thing of beauty. Just the control over nature is inspiring. Two-foot tall espaliered apples, rows of rounded lavender, squared hedges, pollarded trees, perfect rows of everything and of course Boxwood trimmed into various shapes.
Here are a few photos of the garden and if you get inspired, we will have Boxwood for sale next spring!

Paris was great! The food, the museums, the architecture, the Metro, the people and our little apartment was the perfect respite after a long day. We found this American based rental company Vacation in Paris through Judy Williams and are forever in her debt. The prices are in dollars so you don't have to worry about the fluctuating Euro, they mailed us the key before we left, there were no hidden fees, and the apartment was clean and about the same cost as a hotel room while being much larger and last but not least we had this killer view!

Hope you enjoyed this quick trip to France...we sure did!

Until 2012

The nursery is now closed until March 27th, 2012. Thanks to everyone for a very successful season. We have signed another two year lease and purchased a greenhouse (which we put up at home) from some friends who bought it from us when we closed in 2006. Thanks Mary & Ken for storing it for us for the last 5 years! This seasonal business has turned out to be the way to go. It affords us some good down time to catch up on all of the things we don't have time for April-September, allows for a vacation and permits us to do something we really both enjoy...growing! Good commercial growers that only sell to independent garden centers are getting fewer and their quality is waning as they try to keep up with the demands of big box stores. As the saying goes "If you want something done right, do it yourself". We have taken pleasure in growing some usual and unusual perennials these last few years and they have been well received so we are now branching out (pun intended) to shrubs. In response to our customers' wants we have chosen new shrubs that are cold hardy, with showy flowers or fall color or both. Since Grant County is a favorite for birders we have also included many bird friendly plants that supply good coverage as well as berries for food. We are also growing some old favorites like Butterfly Bushes, Spiraea and Rose of Sharon. By growing these things we can keep quality high and prices fair which are two things that mean a lot to us. We have never been concerned about what other businesses in town do, we only try to do what WE do well. I'll be sharing some of these new shrubs with you throughout the next few months.

If you have any gardening questions while we are closed leave a comment here, email me at silverheightsnursery@gmail.com or call 956-3159. Thanks again for your patronage. Have a great winter and we will see you Tuesday, March 27th, 2012.

End of the Season Sale!

Our sale begins at 9:00 on Saturday, September 24th, 2011 and will continue until we close for the season on September 30th. ALL PLANTS ARE 50% OFF AND ALL POTTERY IS 20%OFF. Come early for the best selection!

They're Here!

Pansies, Violas, Snaps, Stock, Mums, Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage, Pak Choi and  Brussels Sprouts.

September 2011

THINGS TO DO:
Plant cool season crops. As I type this it doesn't seem all that cool nevertheless it is time to plant lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots, radishes and other vegetables that like to mature during cooler weather. As you know we have 2012 Lake Valley Seed, their organic line and Pagano seeds to help you get started. We will have plants soon. Pansies and Violas are also cool season plants that you cam put in when your marigolds, vinca and other warm season annuals begin to fade or just when you need a change. They will last through a normal  winter. Last year some made it and some didn't in my minus 8 yard. Keep checking back or for you subscribers, I'll let you know as soon as theses plants land. Improve your pots with Uni-Gro Potting Soil and your beds with Back to Earth Compost.

Apply a winterizer fertilizer. This should be done after the first frost so it will probably be a late October chore, but since we close September 30th you will need to get this fertilizer soon. You will want to use Gro-Power 3-12-12. This fertilizer is low in nitrogen but high in phosphorus and potash. Nitrogen promotes green growth which can be damaged by freezing temperatures. Phosphorus increases winter hardiness and stimulates healthy root growth. Since this is the time of year that plants naturally do the majority of their root growth, using this fertilizer will get them off to a good start next spring. Potash or potassium produces strong, hardy stems and trunks, promotes disease resistance and also increases winter hardiness. The Gro-Power 3-12 12 contains 7% humic acid which encourages beneficial microorganisms in your soil. It also includes sulphur to help bring the alkalinity of our soil down and several micronutrients that act as catalysts for the primary chemicals. Use this fertilizer at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet of lawn or bed area and 2 tablespoons per foot of height or width for trees and shrubs. One cup will fertilize an 8 foot tree. Lightly work the fertilizer into the soil around the root area and water thoroughly.

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PLANT OF THE MONTH:
Chaenomeles japonica 'Super Red'. 'Super Red' Flowering Quince is a deciduous shrub that is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. The 2 inch, bright red flowers appear on leafless, thorny branches. The budded branches which have an oriental feeling can be cut and brought indoors to bloom. The new leaves are tinged red and mature to a shiny green. Since this shrub blooms on new wood it is important to prune it to a pleasing shape during bud and bloom season or after flowering. As a moderate grower it can reach 6-8 feet tall and wide and is cold hardy to 20 degrees below zero. This shrub attracts birds with good lower branching, its flowers and the greenish-yellow quince-like fruit it produces. Plant it as a hedge, as a barrier in front of a window or a specimen.

Chaenomeles japonica 'Super Red'