This year's crop of new perennials is perfectly pretty! I've been excited about them since they arrived in February and now that theyr'e starting to bloom, it's even better. It seems like bi-colors are leading the pack this year.
One of my favorites is Fire Spinner Ice Plant. It's a beautiful new bi-color ice plant that is truly unusual. Purple in the center spinning out to yellow/orange at the tips, this beauty is a Plant Select award winner.
There are a large number of new irises but one of my favorites is Poem of Ecstasy. This is a bi-color lavender and peach iris and it is spectacular.
The new West Country series of lupines are bi-color lupines in red/yellow and purple/yellow. These are striking in the garden and I can't wait to add them to my collection.
Lots of other great new plants too. Stop by your local garden center today for your own perfectly pretty perennial fix!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
If you are chomping at the bit to get out and get gardening... guess what? So are we! BUT, it's still early in most areas and Jack Frost is still nipping at the radishes, and lettuce, and pansies. So, you'll probably need to protect your young plantings for just a bit yet. Here's how.
Covers- the easiest thing to do to protect your plants is to provide some type of covering. Just as a blanket will keep you warm, it will also protect your plants. Cover them with a sheet, blanket or newspaper. If you need to, make a "tent" using poles so that the weight of the covering doesn't damage young plants. This will also protect against windburn in our windy part of the country.
Avoid plastic coverings however. Plastic actually conducts the cold better and may harm plants.
Water can be used to protect against freezing. Set it to come on between 3-4 am and let it run until the sun comes up. If plants do show some signs of damage, wait a few days in order to give them time to recover before pulling them up and replacing them.
If you don't have access to water and don't have blankets, then there are some wonderful, and fairly inexpensive products that are available to help you.
Season Starters or Wall O Waters, are tubular "tents" that go around the plants. They are filled with water and once that heats up from the sun, they act as a protectant for the plant.
Harvest Guard or NSulate Cloth are lightweight covers that will serve to keep frost off of plants. These are especially helpful in covering large areas and are re-useable year after year so they are economical.
NuVue Frost Covers look like little pup tents. They are spring loaded and pop up to easily cover not only garden plants but also shrubs and bushes from snow during the winter months. Best of all, they fold flat for easy storage in your garage.
Freeze Pruf is like antifreeze for your plants. This is a topical spray that works into the capillary system of the plant and can improve cold tolerance down by 9 degrees. You must use it when temperatures are above 50 degrees and a minimum of 8-12 hours before the expected freeze in order to give it time to work through the system of the plant.
So get ready, get set, and get out and garden! Remember cold and cole crops, along with pansies, sweet peas and violas can all be planted now. Just give them a little protection if the temperatures fall below 45 degrees!
Covers- the easiest thing to do to protect your plants is to provide some type of covering. Just as a blanket will keep you warm, it will also protect your plants. Cover them with a sheet, blanket or newspaper. If you need to, make a "tent" using poles so that the weight of the covering doesn't damage young plants. This will also protect against windburn in our windy part of the country.
Avoid plastic coverings however. Plastic actually conducts the cold better and may harm plants.
Water can be used to protect against freezing. Set it to come on between 3-4 am and let it run until the sun comes up. If plants do show some signs of damage, wait a few days in order to give them time to recover before pulling them up and replacing them.
If you don't have access to water and don't have blankets, then there are some wonderful, and fairly inexpensive products that are available to help you.
Season Starters or Wall O Waters, are tubular "tents" that go around the plants. They are filled with water and once that heats up from the sun, they act as a protectant for the plant.
Harvest Guard or NSulate Cloth are lightweight covers that will serve to keep frost off of plants. These are especially helpful in covering large areas and are re-useable year after year so they are economical.
NuVue Frost Covers look like little pup tents. They are spring loaded and pop up to easily cover not only garden plants but also shrubs and bushes from snow during the winter months. Best of all, they fold flat for easy storage in your garage.
Freeze Pruf is like antifreeze for your plants. This is a topical spray that works into the capillary system of the plant and can improve cold tolerance down by 9 degrees. You must use it when temperatures are above 50 degrees and a minimum of 8-12 hours before the expected freeze in order to give it time to work through the system of the plant.
So get ready, get set, and get out and garden! Remember cold and cole crops, along with pansies, sweet peas and violas can all be planted now. Just give them a little protection if the temperatures fall below 45 degrees!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Early Spring Gardening Ideas
It appears that it's going to be an early spring! And while that's great news for some, for gardeners, it can be a little worrisome. What I'm talking about is the potential for freezing down the road. For instance, all of the apricot trees in our area are in full bloom and many of the other fruit and ornamental flowering trees aren't far behind them. If we get a hard freeze, such as is predicted for Sunday and Monday evenings, we will surely lose those blooms and probably the fruit crop.
One thing that you can try is a product called Freeze Pruf. In layman's terms, this is like an antifreeze for your plants, and will protect down to 9 degrees below freezing. However, you MUST apply it in advance of the freeze so that the capillary system of the plant has a chance to take it in. If you wait until the time of frost or slightly before, it will not work.
We're excited about the warm spring weather and are anticipating a great gardening season acros the country. If you haven't been to your local garden center yet, it's time to get your garden on!
One thing that you can try is a product called Freeze Pruf. In layman's terms, this is like an antifreeze for your plants, and will protect down to 9 degrees below freezing. However, you MUST apply it in advance of the freeze so that the capillary system of the plant has a chance to take it in. If you wait until the time of frost or slightly before, it will not work.
We're excited about the warm spring weather and are anticipating a great gardening season acros the country. If you haven't been to your local garden center yet, it's time to get your garden on!
Monday, March 12, 2012
It's the very best time to be in the garden center! We're planting like mad and it's such fun to see things green and growing after a long Colorado winter. This week is a busy week, agriculturally in our area. The Four States Ag Expo runs through the week. Vic is giving three presentations there, so if you are interested in learning some fun, new gardening tips, join him there. We are frantically planting perennials and there are some very exciting new ones this year. One of the best is "Fire Spinner" Ice Plant. This is a tough plant that's well suited to our high mountain climate. In fact, it's one of the Plant Select choices for this year. This ice plant is a shocking color combination of the individual flowers. The apple green foliage contrasts with the orange, pink and red flowers. Stunning, spectacular addition to your garden!
The other one I like is "Poem of Ecstast" iris. I'm an iris nut, so this one really caught my eye with it's pink and lavender falls. Check this one out for an exciting new addition to your yard.
Don't forget shamrocks for St. Patty's day on Saturday! Everyone's a LITTLE Irish!
The other one I like is "Poem of Ecstast" iris. I'm an iris nut, so this one really caught my eye with it's pink and lavender falls. Check this one out for an exciting new addition to your yard.
Don't forget shamrocks for St. Patty's day on Saturday! Everyone's a LITTLE Irish!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Welcome Spring!
It's a sunny March day and it's hard to believe that just a few days ago we had blizzard like conditions and howling winds with about 5" of snow. It's hard to know exactly how much we had- it was blowing around too much. But, that's what springtime in Colorado is all about, after all.
The robins are chirping outside of my window and I took a walk this afternoon and the daffodils in the yard are up. Spring is indeed on it's way. And it's springtime in the greenhouses in a BIG way. Stop by and see us this week. The new items for the season are beginning to arrive and there is more excitement out there than I've seen in a long time. Welcome Spring!
The robins are chirping outside of my window and I took a walk this afternoon and the daffodils in the yard are up. Spring is indeed on it's way. And it's springtime in the greenhouses in a BIG way. Stop by and see us this week. The new items for the season are beginning to arrive and there is more excitement out there than I've seen in a long time. Welcome Spring!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
