Eventually this chilly spring weather will give way to a summer warming trend, and a shady corner to escape the heat will be a welcome respite.  Plan ahead now to create such an oasis in your own backyard (this week’s cool weather makes this a great time to plant).  If you already have overhead trees for structure and shade, then you are almost there.  Merely add some shade-lovers such as ferns, tiarellas, hostas, and heucheras for a beautiful shade collection.  And engage all the senses - throw in a Kleim’s hardy gardenia to provide a heavenly scent!  (Note: gardenias are not winter hardy in this area, and will require some special attention during the winter months.  But their fragrance makes them worth the extra effort!)

With all of this colorful foliage and interesting textures, shade gardens can be every bit as vibrant and exciting as any sunny mixed border.

Nope, it’s a hanging basket!!  Just look up to see the selection – we’ve got ‘em for sun and we’ve got ‘em for shade.  They’re hanging from every rafter here, and more are coming in for the weekend.  Nothing says summer like these beautiful baskets of color.

AND THIS JUST IN:  Tomatoes in hanging baskets!  Now even those of you in condos with a sunny deck can grow your own.  How fun is that?!  No excuses for your own fresh salsa this summer!

It does the heart good to see all this color everywhere we look here.  Can I recommend you all take a mental health break this week, just to come out and soak up the COLOR?!  We’ve got every hue you can imagine, and are getting fully stocked with all the seasonal favorites.  Hope to see you here soon!

Since I run around the garden center all day long, I’m always keeping my eyes open for new and interesting  things to share with you all.  I must say, this plant stopped me in my tracks - I love the look of this new salvia!  It is called Wendy’s Wish – the story goes that the Australian (Wendy) who found this asked that a portion of the proceeds benefit charities, so hence the name.

This plant has a beautiful reddish stem, and moves gracefully with the breeze.  The nodding heads haven’t fully opened yet, but are an unusual dusty color.  From pictures, it looks like the fully opened bloom will be much brighter magenta.  It will get to a height of 24-36″, prefers full sun, and the best part – it will bloom from late spring to early fall.  It will definitely earn its keep in the garden with a bloom season like that.  It will attract bees, butterflies and birds, and is drought tolerant, making it suitable for xeriscaping.

All in all, this is an impressive annual with lots going for it.  I think I may need one myself.

Don’t you just LOVE the flowering trees you see all over the city right now?!  This is such a great time of year.  I took a gander around the nursery this morning to see what’s in bloom here, and there’s lots to choose from.  This seems to be Crabapple Week — all of the varieties are in their prime and gorgeous. The magnolias are just finishing up, but the ’Butterflies’ variety, with its buttery color, is spectacular.  The other tree that caught my eye was the Avondale Chinese Redbud – it’s brilliant buds are still tight, but will burst out at any moment in it’s full glory.  And when it does, it will be amazing.  Note to self:  I need one of these in MY garden!

Fall officially arrived last week, and this weeks brings the return of cooler weather.  Fall is in the air, and although it may be early, there are signs of the season everywhere.  You don’t have to look far for glimmers of fall color, and the transition will accelerate rapidly over the next week or two.  Fall is the best time to plant, and a truly enjoyable time to be out in the garden!  Here are some fall pictures that we took while walking through the nursery today.

The warmer weather has really accelerated plant growth and development, and we are well on our way to the late spring and summer blooming season.  We will now also be adding plants with interesting foliage to the “What’s Blooming” feature, as some plants have amazing seasonal foliage that deserves a closer look!

Voodoo Lily

Every once in a while you come across a plant so weird and unusual that you just don’t quite know what to say.  These plants don’t have any of the traditional flower traits that we normally value like vibrant color, pleasing scent, or overall attractiveness.  They are, well, just plain weird.  Complete oddities.  So here’s one of the weirder that you can grow in our area.

Amorphophallus rivieri, or the Voodoo Lily, is the little brother of Amorphophallus titanum, which holds claim to the largest flower on earth (up to 8′ tall).  A. titanum needs it to be constantly warm, and is usually relegated to conservatories where they draw huge crowds of people and the local news if they can get it to flower.  A. rivieri grows just fine outdoors in our area though, and has an equally odd-looking flower that grows to only a few feet tall (still plenty of weird to go around).

We just happen to have a supply of mature Voodoo Lily, that are currently in flower and ready to go home and be planted in your yard.  We must warn you, they tend to put off an interesting aroma at the height of their bloom, strong enough to attract the flies that pollinate them.  This odor wears off quickly though, and is just another part of the total weirdness that is the Voodoo Lily.  You know you want one!

The past few days have been the warmest since last September, and the spring bloom has gone into high gear.   There are so many plants blooming right now that we simply don’t have room to post all of them!   Here are some of the highlights from a trip around the nursery yesterday:

The weather has been beautiful for the past few days, and the plants are definitely responding!  Flowering Plums, Pears, and early flowering Cherries are bursting into bloom, as well as many shrubs and perennials.  Here are some of the highlights from the past few days:

We all have the best of intentions to get spring-blooming bulbs planted in the fall, like we are told…..  However, sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out.  If that happened to you this year, we’ve got you covered!   We’ve got a great variety of spring bulbs blooming right now – quite a festive sight out there!  There are several types of tulips and narcissus (daffodils), as well as fragrant hyacinths; muscari (grape hyacinth); cute little dwarf iris; checkerboard fritillaria; bright crocus; and a variety of colors of anemone and ranunculus.  Nothing says “Spring!” like these little beauties, so resolve two things:  tuck a few of these into spots in your garden now, and mark your September calendar for bulb planting! 

We’re on the verge of the “big show”, and we’re really starting to see some plant growth.  Buds are swelling, and we’ll be experiencing the full magnificence of spring really soon!  In the meantime, here are a few things that we caught blooming around the nursery today…

Appleblossom Bergenia

Salix caprea 'Pendula'

Anemone

Golden Glory Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Valley Valentine Pieris

Dwarf Iris

Pansies

Burgundy Belle Red Maple

Evergreen Clematis