Basics…for Both Budding Gardeners & Seasoned Cultivators
Rule #1 - there are exceptions to every rule. Categories of herbaceous (not woody) plants can be confusing to newbies because it's the opposite of what makes sense. Annual - every year, right? Nope, annuals complete their life cycle in one season. Most annuals bloom all summer; most perennials flower for a few days or weeks each year. For a garden with lots of color, plant both. Remember that attractive foliage can contribute to a handsome garden. Annuals - many bloom all summer into autumn. Most premium annuals are self-cleaning, do not need deadheading but do require fertilizer regularly. [...]
Terry’s Tips: Seed Starting Season!
Here on Cape Cod, our last average frost date is in early May. It is prime indoor seed sowing time to have warmth-loving seedlings ready to transplant to the garden for Memorial Day weekend when the soil, air and evenings are warm enough to not stress the plants. Starting your own seeds is a cost effective way to grow lots of flowers or veggies for your garden. I have always liked planting flowers that our growers don't offer in commercial sized 6 packs or pots. The more unusual the better for me and for our customers that enjoy trying [...]
Terry’s Tips: Virginia Sweetspire
One of my favorite, and very underutilized, native shrubs is Itea virginica Virginia sweetspire. Blooming in late May through June with lightly fragrant 6-8" long sprays of white flowers that are a pollinator magnet. Its natural form is a mounding habit with graceful, arching branches and they will grow to 4-8 feet tall and wide. They spread slowly by underground suckers creating a dense mass of foliage but are by no means invasive. Itea thrives in partial shade and is perfect along the edge of a woodland or for a shrub border planting. Red to purplish Fall color is an [...]
Terry’s Tips: Pruning Panicle Tree Hydrangeas
Below is a before and after look at how I pruned my Limelight tree hydrangea this year. My Limelight is about 10 years old and the before picture was taken last August: beautiful, full and loaded with flowers. As much as I loved it, I did notice that the crown had become so thick that it was shading all the perennials planted underneath and that the center had too many crossing branches. Two weeks ago, I did a hard pruning - this does not need to be done every year. I find that doing this rejuvenation pruning every 2-3 [...]
The Latest Dirt: Beneficial Bugs
Do you listen to podcasts? The gardening ones we love (A Way to Garden, Growing Greener, Into the Garden with Leslie, Plantrama (with our friend C.L.), Let's Argue About Plants) often have authors as guests. Recently we heard Jessica Wallister speak of her newest book Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden - A Natural Approach to Pest Control. Eye-opening indeed. We've been proselytizing about planting for pollinators and planting natives. How about planting to attract beneficial insects? Another gardening strategy aimed towards creating an ecosystem that will take care of pests that plague your plants while you stand by. [...]
The Latest Dirt: Spring Chills
Last week we were feeling pretty secure with the temperatures above freezing in the long range forecast. Sigh. Very cold nights are predicted for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We will be rolling all we can fit into the greenhouses. Though cold hardened violas, pansies and bulb plants can freeze solid and live on, the experience doesn't usually make them prettier and we we like our posies prime for you. At home any newly planted pansies, perennials or herbs that are in the ground would appreciate a blanket or other insulating covering before sundown. If you have plants still in [...]
