Lavender Twist Redbud is a small weeping tree that can handle full sun to part shade. These trees flower pink in April along their branches. They grow to about 8 feet tall and wide, but can be kept smaller with trimming. After they flower green, heart shaped leaves emerge to cover the tree. Lavender Twist Redbud works well where Japanese Maples don’t like to grow as a focal point surrounded by perennials and small shrubs.
Purple Fountain Grass is great for height in flower pots as well as in the garden. Though it doesn’t last through our winters; the show is worth it to replant every year. They rapidly grow to about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Purple Fountain Grass prefers full sun and plays well with millionbells, petunias, allysums or bidens for flower pots.
This week the nursery is starting to come alive with foliage and flower color!
Evening Star Superbells is a mounding type of Million Bells that has a wonderful color combo of purple and yellow. I have been very impressed by the “Punch” series of Superbells that I think the “Star” series will do just as well. This annual is great for spilling out of pots with blooms all summer long. You also don’t have to trim them unless you have a water oops. Just remember to water and fertilize regularly. Great for planters in all day sunny spots.
The Scarlet Storm Quince aka Double Take Scarlet is a thornless, fruitless quince that in April gives you these wonderfully deep red blooms. They grow to about 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. Quince due well in as little as 4 hours of sun to all day sun. The red covers the branches of last year growth, so don’t prune them until after the annual show to maintain size.
It’s hard to believe it is March 11th with all the snow on the ground and Feb like temps. Usually, we would be unpacking the nursery from winter but right now we are working on signage and organizing things before spring hits. Once spring hits, we will be working quickly to welcome it! Here is some flower color to help push spring along.
The Supertunia Vista Fuchsia Petunia is like it's hot pink cousin Bubblegum, featured a couple of weeks ago. The only difference is the deeper pink color. Like Bubblegum you feed it, water it, and you will be rewarded with continuous blooms as well no need for deadheading. Vista Fuchsia is a mounding petunia that grows to about 12 inches tall and up to 3 feet wide. Vista Fuchsia grows well in the ground or in pots. It loves sun and our heat too! You can plant this with Bubblegum and enjoy a wonderful show all summer long.
Saint Patrick Rose is green to light yellow rose that seemed fitting to mention for St. Patrick’s Day! It is a long stem rose (Hybrid Tea) that flowers through summer with a deadheading every couple of weeks. It grows to about 4 to 5 feet tall and prefers at least six of hours of sunlight. Being a light yellow in the heat of summer they can fade to white quickly but the color holds well in temps below 90 degrees. This color plays well with purple or dark pink flowering plants like lavender, salvias, garden phlox or spirea for a nice contrast.
These two featured plants are summer bloomers that don’t show well in winter; but I’m tired of the snow and wanted to share some color.
The Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is an annual that is very easy to care for. Feed it, water it, and you will be rewarded with continuous hot pink blooms. One plant fills a big pot all by itself. I was impressed with how well this plant did in my own planters. I didn’t have to deadhead spent blooms or trim it. Vista Bubblegum is a mounding petunia, so it is more ideal for grand filler statements. It gets about 12 inches tall and up to 3 feet wide. It loves sun and our heat too!
Neil Diamond is a striped Hybrid Tea, one bloom per stem. The pink/red with white stripes pattern varies from bloom to bloom. It reaches 5 ft tall and resists disease very well. Like other roses it starts flowering in May and goes until it gets cold like October/November. Roses are easy care for if you: give them space, plant them in sunny spots, feed them and then don’t water them on a nightly basis. It’s really that simple with roses in our area or at least that’s what my roses get. If you prune out spent blooms on Hybrid Teas at least monthly, it promotes more blooms.
Hoki and High Noon are both Tree Peonies. These are shrub type peonies that do not need staking or caging. You also don't cut them to the ground at the end of the growing season either. Tree Peonies are a woody shrubs that reaches about 6 ft tall. Slow growing and does well in full sun to part sun conditions. Tree peonies bloom before garden peonies, in mid to late April.
Headliner Blueberry Swirl Petunia is a mounding type petunia with a great bicolor bloom of purple and white. Heat loving and flowers from spring into fall. Reaches 10" tall and spreads to 24 to 30 inches wide. Easily filling a bed or pot with a great color show. Does not need deadheading to keep flowering. Feed and water regularly to keep happy.
