Globe Colorado Spruce
Do you need a mature evergreen shrub today? We have just slashed the price of our 24-30” Globe Colorado Spruce – Picea pungens ‘Globosa’ by 50%, now only $35.00!
The Globe Colorado Spruce is a dense evergreen shrub with a distinctive and refined rounded growth. The attractive blue foliage emerges silvery blue in the spring – an excellent choice for form and color in your garden landscape. This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to trim back only the new growth of the current season. Deer don’t particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics. Very adaptable and hardy, this shrub does best in full sun to partial shade, can be grown in both dry and moist conditions but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought tolerant, and makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or for the moisture conserving landscape. Height: 3-5’ Spread: 3-6’ Growth Rate: Slow
WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Tags: blue spruce, colorado blue spruce, globe colorado spruce, picea pungens 'globosa'
Calluna vulgaris 'Robert Chapman'
Are you in need of vibrant color that lasts year-round? This low-growing evergreen shrub displays some of the most brilliant foliage color around. In spring, the foliage shows off bright golden yellows which gradually gain some orange through summer and into fall. Lavender flowers bloom August through October. Winter brings a burst of red that is guaranteed to bring life into any color-dormant landscape. This plant is easily maintained, affordable and will shine in any garden that gets full sun. Robert Chapman can be paired with other varieties of Heather to widen your pallet of year-round color.
9-12” h x 24-28” w
For a limited time only – 1 gal Robert Chapman Heather are 3 for $12 – While supplies last.
We just had some new birdbaths delivered to Farmington Gardens. It reminded me that I needed to get my act together and spend some time cleaning my birdbaths at home.. I know that if I have one in my yard, it cannot be just for decoration as the rains fill it and the birds come. I have to commit to keeping it clean although as you can see from the before photo, it is more easily said than done.
The water in any birdbath gets contaminated with dust, pollen, seeds and blossoms, feathers and bird droppings. Left alone, bacteria multiply and algae grow. While this is a slower process during the cooler months, at this time of year we must now check the water at least every second day; daily once the real heat arrives. The need multiplies with the number of birds attracted to your particular birdbath. Leaving it unmonitored can make it a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a way of spreading disease to the birds that frequent your baths. Creating a haven for birds has some responsibilities.
I keep an old scrub brush by my hose rack. Each time I empty and refill the birdbath, I give it a good scrubbing using just fresh water. Today, I also used a mild bleach solution to kill the algae that seems to be adhered to the cement; ceramic baths with their smooth sides are easier to keep clean. After scrubbing, I let the bleach sit for 15 minutes before rinsing. Birds are sensitive to any chemicals and I made sure to triple rinse. I did not use a wire brush this time but it is recommended if you have a serious build up.
Birds were soon coming for a drink and a splash. I really love being outside on these warmer evenings and being entertained by the sights and sounds of the little lightweights enjoying the spa I created just for them.
Before a much needed cleaning
Freshly cleaned
Tags: birds, garden art, gift ideas, Things To Do
Come take a stroll through our display garden this Mother’s Day weekend. Forecasts of picnic-friendly skies make for enjoyable Kodak moments with the ones you love. Click on the panoramic views above to get a glimpse of the spirit of spring. We’re growing for you.
Kramer's Supreme
Nuccio's Gem
Pink Yuletide
You have been asking for camellias so we found these gorgeous specimens just for you! We’ve brought in over 100 beautiful plants in 10 different varieties.
The Camellia sasanqua generally blooms during the Christmas season or very shortly after. We currently have ‘Bonanza’, ‘Kanjiro’, ‘Pink Yuletide’, ‘Setsugekka’ and ‘Yuletide’ – all of the sasanqua species.
The Camellia japonica blooms a little later, late February to early April. ‘Bob Hope’, ‘Colonel Firey’, ‘Kramer’s Supreme’, ‘Nuccio’s Gem’ and ‘Nuccio’s Pearl’ – all of the japonica species, are here too!
Dark, glossy, evergreen foliage makes an exceptional display in sheltered sites with bright shade. Prolific blooms add pizzazz to your winter garden landscape. Stop in today and take one – or maybe more – home to your garden!
The past few sunny days I’ve spent quite a bit of time in my garden doing necessary chores like weeding, supporting new growth, and baiting for slugs.
If I don’t get to the weeding now, by mid May they might be taller than my plants. Granted, that would make the weeds easier to see, but I’d rather look at the plants I chose to put there for a reason rather than the ones that decided to grow there. Getting the weeds early helps prevent many problems later, one of which is reseeding. Their goal in life is to multiply! This year I will try putting Preen down in my garden after having weeded it. Preen should greatly eliminate the overall time I spend weeding during the year as it deters those weed seeds from sprouting.
Proven Winners Devon Cottage Fancy Knickers
Proven Winners Devon Cottage Ruby's Tuesday
While working in my garden, I am constantly amazed at the different fragrances I smell in the breeze. Earlier in the year it was the hyacinth, followed by a Korean Spice Viburnum that was directly overhead. Now, and through the summer, the dianthus are blooming.
Farmington Gardens carries the following varieties of fragrant dianthus, Fancy Knickers (white), Ruby’s Tuesday (deep red), and Tiny Rubies (pink).
This past week I put out the plant supports for my delphiniums and peonies. Grow Through Grids are great for this but need to be placed now while the plants are not fully leafed out. It only takes about 1-2 weeks for the plants to cover the supports.
I am constantly slug baiting at this time of year. My dahlias are trying to get out of the ground, but the slugs keep chomping them off at the soil surface. The rains wash away product and so slug bait needs regular applications. Today, I even saw that slugs have also eaten some of my banana leaves that are 4 feet above the pot that is on my deck above the ground! I will just continue to keep up the good fight.
Yes, it is a busy time of year for chores but the benefits will last throughout the coming seasons. Truly, sometimes a chore isn’t a chore when you can feel the warmth of the sun on your back while smelling the fragrances of spring.
Lady Bugs
I am always excited when ladybugs are delivered to Farmington Gardens.
Each packet contains approximately 1500 live ladybugs. I can understand the word approximate because who can spend their days counting these little individuals! Just seeing them all together is amazing.
We keep them in a refrigerator so they remain fairly dormant. They become active with a rise in temperature so we recommend that you do not leave them in your car after having purchased them and that you keep them in your refrigerator until you are ready to place in your garden.
Directions on the package are clear as to how to release them in your garden. I just want to point out that these little bugs are happy to stay in your yard if they have something to eat. They will fly away to your neighbors if the food is more plentiful there. They are not a preventative for keeping insects such as aphids off your roses, for example, but can be used as a way of controlling those nasties once in your garden.
Praying Mantis
Keeping the lady bugs company in our refrigerators are praying mantis egg cases. Hatching them can be a rewarding science project for your children. Be aware that the hatched mantis will be ravenous and must be released. If not, they will eat each other instead of the intended aphids, caterpillars and leafhoppers in your garden.
Photo by Steve Lyman Posted 07/16/2011
One of our Facebook friends, Steve Lyman, took this photo of his egg case hatching.
More information on these interesting creatures can be found at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1605.pdf
Beneficial Nematodes
Beneficial Nematodes are also here. They are an effective natural solution against the grub form of the black vine weevil, commonly known as root weevil. The adults can cause the notching you see on your rhododendron leaves.
This next month or so will be a good time to disperse these microscopic organisms as soil temperature and moisture level are important in ensuring effectiveness.
More information on all three can be found at
http://blog.farmingtongardens.com/2010/beneficial-bugs-bring-balance/
David Eshraghi, Owner
We are excited to be bringing back Dave’s Dollars! Earn 1 Dave’s Dollar for every 10 dollars that you spend with us from May 1st through June 15th, 2012. Dave’s Dollars can be used toward up to one half of your total purchase from July 25th to August 12th, 2012 only. The spirit of spring is alive at Farmington Gardens, your destination for the ultimate spring gardening experience – gorgeous, healthy plants at great prices. Come in today and earn your Dave’s Dollars! We’re growing for you!
Mother's Day Azalea
Foliage: Evergreen
Bloom Time: Spring
Bloom Color: Red
Shape: Rounded
Exposure: Full sun/Partial Shade
Growth Rate: Slow growing
Height: 2-3 ft
Width: 2-3 ft
Zone: 5
2 gallon Mother’s Day Azalea on sale for $8.99
Purple Splendor Azalea
Foliage: Evergreen
Bloom Time: Spring
Bloom Color: Reddish Purple
Shape: Rounded
Exposure: Full sun/Partial Shade
Growth Rate: Medium growing
Height: 2-4 ft
Width: 2-4 ft
Zone: -20
1 gallon Purple Splendor Azalea on sale for 3 for $12
While supplies last!
Water…
Can you believe that we need to start watering already?
I have been out in the garden putting in plants that I should have planted last fall… you know how it goes – too many plants, too little time. Having been in pots all winter and mostly letting Mother Nature take care of them, the soil is drying out.
So, now is the time to get the drip and sprinkler systems checked and ready for use, pull the hoses out from storage, and get things ready to go.
As for the garden I was digging in, it is also drying out. Even though I watered my plants in, I need to make sure that their roots will continue to get enough water; so I’ve started a regular watering regimen. Yes, this early in the year! The rain we are getting these days only gets about an inch or so into the soil.
Careful watering for newly planted plants is what will keep your plants alive and thriving.
Tags: What to do in the garden
Gardeners are always asking us the differences between the dogwoods Cornus florida and Cornus kousa. Here is my short version:
Cornus florida is the old standby, being the most commonly recognized and usually the most readily available of the dogwood trees to be found at your local garden center. This tree thrives in almost all areas of the PNW and is known for its showy white, or sometimes pink or red, springtime blossoms. The tree does well in full sun or partial shade and will actually adjust its shape and form to adapt to whatever conditions of light it finds itself growing in. A flowering dogwood grown in full sun tends to develop a more upright shape, holding its branches closer to the main stem; one grown under shady conditions will assume more of a spreading habit allowing its branches and leaves to develop out over a wider area to capture more light for photosynthesis. The smooth, dark-brown bark of the young dogwood tree will break up into small scaly blocks as the tree grows and matures. Most dogwoods are rather slow growing and are a welcome addition to the home landscape right from the start, with colorful spring blooms and dark-green oval leaves that turn to a showy crimson red in the autumn.
Cornus kousa has gained more popularity over recent years, particularly because of its resistance to dogwood anthracnose. The kousa dogwood tends to have leaves that are a bit smaller than the leaves of the florida; also, the blossoms appear a little bit later in the spring and are somewhat smaller, with the white petals having a slightly greenish appearance. The kousa dogwood is somewhat more drought tolerant than the florida.
All dogwoods are rather shallow rooted and will suffer if periods of hot dry weather prevail. Keep a close eye on your dogwood trees during dry spells; if the leaves start to turn a paler shade of green or start to curl on the tips, bring out the water hose and be very generous and frequent with your irrigation.
We have many varieties of dogwoods on hand. Once they start to flower, they will be flying out of here so stop in and choose one of these beauties for your garden landscape!
Tags: conus kousa, cornus florida, Dogwood
There are many different benefits from taking part in the Willow Furniture Class by Willow Station; a handmade from the heart Mother’s Day present, a bonding experience for two, an enriching activity for one, but most of all a joyful memory that allows you to leave with a fully functional keepsake.
Brian and Samantha Phillips from Willow Station will be here Saturday, April 28th for another make-it-yourself willow furniture workshop. For those of you who missed this workshop last year, this is an all-day workshop – you choose the project you’d like to make: garden bench; garden chair; fern stand; end table; garden plant trough; or garden trellis. Each of these pieces are functional for a garden, and would provide a one-of-a-kind focal point.
Brian and Samantha make a great team, working one-on-one with each class member to insure you create a beautiful product. They will bring all the tools and materials needed – and you are guaranteed to take home a finished project. Talk about instant gratification –
I can’t tell you how happy last year’s classes were with their furniture.
Keep in mind you will need a bag lunch and a vehicle large enough to transport your finished piece of furniture.
A $10 registration fee will secure your spot, and the materials and instruction fee of $125 is payable directly to The Willow Station on class day (We charge by the project so two can attend the class to work on the same project if desired). Space is very limited for this one, so if you’d like a spot, please call us to register.
