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| This ain't your grandma's coleus--stay tuned! |
March 30, 2011
March 28, 2011
Blueberry Bonanza
Check out this essay on blueberries--and then check out the great selection of varieties we have available at Vander Giessen's!
From "Green Profit Magazine" March 2011. By Chris MacLaggan
Edible plant gardening is one of today’s hottest trends. Bringing edibles into the landscape satisfies the need to know our food sources, fulfills our desire for sustainable gardening, and adds the benefit of a bounty of goodness coming right from the landscape. Blueberries are a perfect landscaping plant: four seasons of beauty and the ultimate edible experience.
Blueberries are true American native plants. Incredible natural breeding work has brought forth a range of varieties that fill every landscape niche with texture, color and fruit. There are low-bush selections that will perform as compact border plants. Well-behaved, mid-sized varieties are ideal for a foundation planting. Tight, uniform varieties make a productive hedgerow, while vigorous upright cultivars create beautiful screens.
For small yards, apartments or condominiums, blueberries excel in patio containers, which is also a foolproof way to grow them if you have poor soils. There are low-chill and high-chill selections that will perform in a broad range of climate zones—from the Deep South to the far north. Relatively disease and pest free, blueberries are low-maintenance, easy-care solutions for your garden.
Blueberries are perfect for every season and every garden. In spring, these shrubs have an abundance of beautiful bell-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink and red. Summer brings on a bounty of fruit with varieties that can produce super-jumbo berries as large as quarters all the way down to smaller berries ideal for baking. Packed with antioxidants proven to combat many diseases and benefit overall health, blueberries are the superfood homeowners can grow themselves. And don’t forget, kids love blueberries, too. By including a mix of early-, mid- and late-season varieties in the landscape, the fruiting season can be extended up to several months in many regions.
In the fall, blueberry plants burst forth with hot colors of gold, oranges and fiery reds. In the dead of winter, they bring vibrant cane colors of gold, yellow, pink and chartreuse to the dull winter landscape. Some varieties have evergreen leaves in the south. Blueberries are also a favorite of those who like to bring nature close to home. The flowers and fruit attract a variety of hummingbirds, songbirds, deer and other wildlife.
As gardeners seek plants for their landscapes that offer a true value proposition, blueberries are a great choice for beauty, health and fun. Bring some blue to the green landscape.
From "Green Profit Magazine" March 2011. By Chris MacLaggan
Blueberries are true American native plants. Incredible natural breeding work has brought forth a range of varieties that fill every landscape niche with texture, color and fruit. There are low-bush selections that will perform as compact border plants. Well-behaved, mid-sized varieties are ideal for a foundation planting. Tight, uniform varieties make a productive hedgerow, while vigorous upright cultivars create beautiful screens.
For small yards, apartments or condominiums, blueberries excel in patio containers, which is also a foolproof way to grow them if you have poor soils. There are low-chill and high-chill selections that will perform in a broad range of climate zones—from the Deep South to the far north. Relatively disease and pest free, blueberries are low-maintenance, easy-care solutions for your garden.
Blueberries are perfect for every season and every garden. In spring, these shrubs have an abundance of beautiful bell-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink and red. Summer brings on a bounty of fruit with varieties that can produce super-jumbo berries as large as quarters all the way down to smaller berries ideal for baking. Packed with antioxidants proven to combat many diseases and benefit overall health, blueberries are the superfood homeowners can grow themselves. And don’t forget, kids love blueberries, too. By including a mix of early-, mid- and late-season varieties in the landscape, the fruiting season can be extended up to several months in many regions.
In the fall, blueberry plants burst forth with hot colors of gold, oranges and fiery reds. In the dead of winter, they bring vibrant cane colors of gold, yellow, pink and chartreuse to the dull winter landscape. Some varieties have evergreen leaves in the south. Blueberries are also a favorite of those who like to bring nature close to home. The flowers and fruit attract a variety of hummingbirds, songbirds, deer and other wildlife.
As gardeners seek plants for their landscapes that offer a true value proposition, blueberries are a great choice for beauty, health and fun. Bring some blue to the green landscape.
March 23, 2011
March 17, 2011
Moss in Your Lawn? Go to Battle!
Here in the Pacific Northwest, moss is a common problem we all battle in our lawns and flower beds. On the north side of the house, in shady areas--and this year, just about all over--it's a challenge to keep up with. Especially after this year's mild, wet winter, you may find that the moss in your lawn is worse than ever. So what to do?
There are a few steps you can and should take right now to help keep moss from taking over your yard. Moss killer can be used any time moss is actively growing, so the first step is to kill what's there. Products like Moss Out work well and are easy to apply with a fertilizer spreader. At Vander Giessen Nursery, we have generic ferrous sulfate--the main ingredient in Moss Out. It's cheaper than the brand name product and has a higher concentration of iron, so it's more effective! Many moss killers are best applied when the moss is damp, but check the packaging for instructions on when and how to apply.
After you've killed the moss--and that should be evident by the moss turning black in a matter of hours (if not minutes!)--you may need to remove it from your lawn. If you have an older, more established lawn, consider renting a walk-behind thatcher to tear up the moss and remove old, dead grass. Younger lawns should be treated with more care, but if the moss was thick, use a thatching rake to manually pull the dead moss out of the problem areas in your yard.
Once the moss is dead and gone, it's time to fertilize. For the first fertilizer application of the year, we recommend Scotts Turf Builder with Moss Control. Not only is it a great fertilizer to rejuvenate your dormant grass, it has iron it to help control any moss you may not yet have killed. As a bonus, the iron will turn your lawn a beautiful deep green without giving you too much growth!
Ultimately, you'd probably like to keep the moss from growing back...right? Moss thrives on acidic soil, which, due to the amount of rain we have, is basically all of the soil in our area. Balance the pH of your soil--remove the acidity--and the moss will be less likely to grow back. Our recommendation for a soil "sweetener" is Lilly Miller Super Sweet. Unlike dolomite lime, it doesn't take months or years for it to break down and start working; it only take 2-3 weeks. The great thing about Super Sweet is that not only does it help control moss regrowth, it allows your lawn fertilizer to work to its best potential--meaning you get more bang for your buck. Apply Super Sweet two weeks before or after fertilizing for best results.
Next time you're at Vander Giessen's, check out the moss killers, fertilizers and soil sweeteners we have in stock to help control moss in your yard. Spring is just around the corner, and this year, you deserve to have the best lawn possible. Let us help you make that happen!
There are a few steps you can and should take right now to help keep moss from taking over your yard. Moss killer can be used any time moss is actively growing, so the first step is to kill what's there. Products like Moss Out work well and are easy to apply with a fertilizer spreader. At Vander Giessen Nursery, we have generic ferrous sulfate--the main ingredient in Moss Out. It's cheaper than the brand name product and has a higher concentration of iron, so it's more effective! Many moss killers are best applied when the moss is damp, but check the packaging for instructions on when and how to apply.
After you've killed the moss--and that should be evident by the moss turning black in a matter of hours (if not minutes!)--you may need to remove it from your lawn. If you have an older, more established lawn, consider renting a walk-behind thatcher to tear up the moss and remove old, dead grass. Younger lawns should be treated with more care, but if the moss was thick, use a thatching rake to manually pull the dead moss out of the problem areas in your yard.
Once the moss is dead and gone, it's time to fertilize. For the first fertilizer application of the year, we recommend Scotts Turf Builder with Moss Control. Not only is it a great fertilizer to rejuvenate your dormant grass, it has iron it to help control any moss you may not yet have killed. As a bonus, the iron will turn your lawn a beautiful deep green without giving you too much growth!
Ultimately, you'd probably like to keep the moss from growing back...right? Moss thrives on acidic soil, which, due to the amount of rain we have, is basically all of the soil in our area. Balance the pH of your soil--remove the acidity--and the moss will be less likely to grow back. Our recommendation for a soil "sweetener" is Lilly Miller Super Sweet. Unlike dolomite lime, it doesn't take months or years for it to break down and start working; it only take 2-3 weeks. The great thing about Super Sweet is that not only does it help control moss regrowth, it allows your lawn fertilizer to work to its best potential--meaning you get more bang for your buck. Apply Super Sweet two weeks before or after fertilizing for best results.
Next time you're at Vander Giessen's, check out the moss killers, fertilizers and soil sweeteners we have in stock to help control moss in your yard. Spring is just around the corner, and this year, you deserve to have the best lawn possible. Let us help you make that happen!
March 16, 2011
March 10, 2011
It’s Time to Start Your Spring Checklist
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| Add bark mulch for beauty and less maintenance |
First things first: clean up the leaves. No matter how many leaves you raked last fall, there are always more, and now you have piles of leaves that have accumulated in and around the shrubs in your beds over the winter. Fallen leaves are rich in nutrients, but they need to be properly composted first. Wet, decomposing leaves are an excellent host for various fungi and diseases, so keep your plants healthy by removing the source of the problem.
Our recent cold snap put a halt to a lot of weeds that grew through the winter, but no doubt they’ll be back soon! Take a few steps now to keep weeds at bay all season long. Start by pulling any stubborn weeds that have overwintered or run your Hula Ho through your flowerbeds to break up patches of weeds that have already taken root.
To keep weeds from growing back, you have a couple of options. For established flowerbeds you don’t plan to plant annuals or tender new plants in this year, I recommend spreading Casoron. Its active ingredient prevents weed seeds from germinating, but can damage annuals and perennials, so thankfully, there’s an alternative: Preen. While it still kills seeds, it won’t hurt anything that is already growing. For organic gardeners, Preen is available organically as well.
After you apply Casoron or Preen, spread a layer of bark mulch. Not only is it an easy way to add curb appeal to your home, it also suppresses weeds and helps hold moisture in your soil. If you want your garden to be low-maintenance, mulched flower beds are a must. Your personal preference will dictate what type of bark you use—at Vander Giessen Nursery, our most popular choice among customers is a fine fir bark.
For rose gardens, a great alternative to bark that can provide additional nutrients to your plants is a black compost produced locally by Green Earth Technology. Made largely of yard waste, it has the consistency of very fine bark. It may be worked into poor soils to deliver nutrients right to the roots; however, many people like the appearance enough to use it as a top dressing. Best of all, it’s virtually weed-free.
As spring rolls around, you also need to pay more attention to your lawn. This year’s wet winter has been ideal for moss to grow, and most likely your lawn could use some help. Start by applying a moss killer to eliminate existing moss. Then follow up with a preventive to discourage moss regrowth—Lilly Miller Super Sweet. I’ve written about it before and can’t stress enough how important granular lime like Super Sweet is to the health of your lawn and the detriment of moss.
Finally, start your annual fertilizing program; this time of year Scotts Turf Builder with Moss Control is an excellent choice. Stop in at Vander Giessen Nursery to get more recommendations on spring lawn care.
In between the crazy storms March so often brings, this is a great time to get a start on work around your yard. Grab a notepad, write out your checklist and get going—and let’s hope that March goes “out like a lamb.”
March 9, 2011
March 5, 2011
Pink Lemonade Blueberries are back!
Well, it's a new year, and we're excited to have a fresh supply of 'Pink Lemonade' Blueberries at Vander Giessen Nursery! We've been taking calls now for just about a year asking when we would have more in, so we expect this great new blueberry to sell out quickly. For more information, read our blog post from last year on 'Pink Lemonade'...and then come check them out for yourself!
March 2, 2011
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