No yard or landscape should be without a crape myrtle, or two, or three or… many! How wonderful to have something that blooms so profusely during that time of year when most other plants are looking tired and worn from the summer heat and drought. The versatility of this plant makes it suitable for many types of yards and many uses, and once established, they will go on to add charm and delight to the landscape for many years.

About Crape Myrtles

Crape myrtles bloom in late summer and can be found in flower colors of pinks, lilac, white, reds and purples. Requiring very little maintenance once established, crape myrtles need a full sun location to thrive and they do not like wet feet. Keep these needs in mind when selecting a site to plant them. They will require some supplemental watering for the first year or so to get off to a good start and develop good roots. Crape myrtles are also pretty much pest-free, except for aphids on occasion and these are easily controlled with an insecticidal soap spray. Some varieties are more susceptible to powdery mildew than others but most of the newer varieties are more resistant to this fungus problem.

Planting Crape Myrtles

Although tolerant of a wide range of soil qualities, crape myrtles grow poorly in wet locations so be sure to select a well-drained planting site. Late spring to early summer is the best time to select and plant your new crape myrtles while they are actively growing and can settle in quickly. Plant at or slightly above ground level, spreading the roots out slightly and using mulch to protect and shelter the roots after planting. They do prefer a slightly acid soil.

Crape Myrtle Types

Crape myrtles can be found in shrub, multi-stem tree and single trunk tree forms. For best results select a cultivar whose growth characteristics and ultimate mature size fit your intended use. Planting a shrub- or tree-like crape myrtle in an area of limited space will require yearly pruning to keep it from outgrowing its place. Single- or multi-stemmed tree-form crape myrtles are ideal as flowering specimen trees or as small, flowering shade trees near patios, walkways and entrances. Shrub forms make an excellent accent in a shrub border when planted in groups. Dwarf plants are effective as large groundcovers, perennial bedding plants or container plants providing vivid, summer-flowering interest.

Pruning Crape Myrtles

If adequate room is provided, little pruning is required except to maintain shape or remove any dead or crossing branches. Remove any suckers or water sprouts to maintain tree forms and elegance. Blossoms are produced on new growth so you can prune anytime the plants are dormant through the winter.

With so much to love about these plants, there’s no reason not to add one to your yard this year! And next year, and the year after that, and the year after that…

Hostas are amazing plants, truly glorious with heavenly foliage that is stunning as a specimen or in mass plantings. The thin spikes of purple or white, trumpet shaped flowers appear for several weeks in the summer and are an added benefit to this divine perennial. But how much do you know about hostas, and which can you add to your landscape?

Phenomenal Foliage

Hostas are praised by many for their magnificent variety of leaf sizes, colors and textures. These angels will grace your garden with heart-shaped, lance-shaped, oval or nearly round leaves, and leaf sizes vary as well. Smooth, quilted or puckered textures, with either a matte or glossy sheen, add to the glory and hostas’ radiant glow.

The leaf margins can be either smooth or wavy and range in color from light to dark green. Foliage colors also include chartreuse, gray and blue, depending on the cultivar. Variegated hostas with cream, white or yellow margins will radiate in a dark area of your garden.

Where to Plant Hostas

While most hostas are shade worshippers, some types will tolerate sun, depending on the overall climate and moisture levels. Hostas remain attractive from spring until frost and can withstand a wide range of growing conditions.

As choice groundcovers or single specimens in the landscape, hostas are certainly divine. Some hostas are quite unusual and rare and may increase in value each year, especially as the plants thrive and can be divided and transplanted with ease.

Best Hosta Care

Little maintenance is required to care for hostas. Cut off old flower stalks after flowers have faded. Divide plants occasionally to increase their quantity. Keep an eye out for pests, especially slugs and snails that munch on the foliage.

Types of Hostas

With so many selections and varieties, you can find a hosta the will fit into almost any garden situation. The most popular options include…

• Dwarf & Small Hostas: In addition to being planted in secret little pockets throughout your garden or next to paths, dwarf and small hostas can be used in difficult places. Plant them among tree roots, on a slope or terrace or in rocky places containing little soil.
• Edger Hostas: These hostas are 12” or less in height and have more horizontal growth. They are able to control weeds as they leave no light, when well established, or room for weeds to grow.
• Groundcover Hostas: This group of hostas grows to 18” or less in height. They do a great job in areas difficult to weed or maintain. If you are in need of a hosta for use as a groundcover, keep in mind it works great to plant spring-flowering bulbs among them. The hosta comes up after the show of flowers and covers the fading foliage of the bulbs.
• Background Hostas: Selections from this group grow to 24” or taller at maturity. They can be used to increase privacy where you sit and relax or to provide definition to your property line as a unique hedge.
• Specimen Hostas: Specimens may be any size. Choose a site close to where the plant will be viewed so that every detail (texture, color pattern, buds, flowers and fragrance) may be enjoyed.

Not sure which hosta is right for you? Come in today and let our landscape and garden experts help you choose the right heavenly hosta to add a bit of the divine to your yard!

The Flower Carpet Rose is a disease-resistant, low-growing shrub which requires none of the usual care that other roses do. Not only does it produce thousands of blossoms over the growing season, but it is virtually care-free. Deadheading, pruning, spraying and constant feeding are all unnecessary to keep these plants looking their best, although deep watering is suggested for new plantings. Once established, Flower Carpet Roses can become quite drought tolerant.

Flower Carpet Roses in Your Landscape

Flower Carpet Roses can be used in a variety of ways in the home garden. These plants are wonderful for foundation plantings, for covering sloping banks, to line a walkway or driveway, in large containers, alongside a quaint fence or simply mixed in among other flowers in perennial borders. The Flower Carpet Rose can go anywhere and still look spectacular. More adventurous gardeners may even want to train these roses into tree forms for amazing specimens and landscape focal points. They work well in terraces or other hard-to-reach locations, can help with erosion control on steeper slopes and are beautiful alongside water features or to create a welcoming, colorful entryway. Just be sure that wherever you position the plant, it will have adequate room to spread out to its full potential and blooming glory. Full sun is preferred for the best, most prolific blooming, though these roses will still bloom in part shade locations, albeit not as prolifically or for as long throughout the season.

Flower Carpet Roses are a top ground cover rose and can flower for up to 10 months (depending upon climate and soil condition), producing up to 2,000 blooms from spring to fall. Rich, glossy green foliage also adorns this full, rounded shrub and provides a luscious contrast to the blooms, which come in pink, red, yellow, peach and white hues, as well as subtly variegated shades. Even when the blooming is finally finished, these roses stay neat as the foliage and spent blooms drop cleanly away – no deadheading or cleanup intervention required.

To keep the shrub in shape, just cut back with shears to 1/3 size in early spring to keep them as a mounding form. Even pruning novices can manage this task – these roses aren’t fussy about the type of cuts or the direction in which they’re made.

Flower Carpet Roses are every gardener’s dream – virtually care-free, trouble-free plants that produce masses of colorful flowers throughout the growing season. Who could ask for more? Except, perhaps, more room to plant them!

Want to grow an exotic fruit that is delicious, nutritious, beautiful and incredibly hip? You really should consider planting a pomegranate! It’s not as difficult as you may think.

Why Pomegranates are Popular

Pomegranate is a stunning superfood rich in antioxidants, folic acid and vitamins A, C and E. It has no cholesterol, and is also rich in fiber and potassium. Because of these nutritional advantages, pomegranate is showing up in a multitude of supermarket products like yogurts, juices, salad dressings, jellies and desserts. It can be added to sauces, fruit crisps, salsas, relishes, dips and more. You can even make a pomegranate martini! And, of course, it’s an extraordinary experience eating a fresh pomegranate. These are stunning, delicious fruits that are rarely seen in backyard gardens, but can make a great landscaping statement when properly grown.

Growing Pomegranates in the Landscape

Pomegranates grow as multi-stemmed, small trees or large shrubs. They reach 15 feet tall by up to 15 feet wide. In spring, vibrant, gorgeous orange-red flowers grace the branches of this plant. These beautiful blossoms develop into the luscious pomegranate fruit containing dozens of tart and tangy bright red seeds and pulp. The fruit ripens somewhat square in the early fall and has a leathery skin that can be yellow to red in color.

The cultivar ‘Wonderful’ is hardy to zone 7 and is easy to grow. Plant your tree in full sun. It will thrive in the summer heat and in most soils. Pomegranates are drought tolerant, however, the fruit is better and the seeds more plump with regular deep irrigation. Because this fruit tree is self-fertile, there is no need to plant a second one for pollination.

Enjoying Your Pomegranates

If you’ve never cut your own pomegranate, it can be frustrating to learn how to separate the juicy seeds from the husk and membrane. To access the seeds…

1. Cut off the crown of the fruit.
2. Score the leathery husk in quarters from stem to crown end.
3. Set the scored fruit in a bowl of cool water and let soak for a few minutes.
4. Hold the fruit under water and break scored sections apart with your fingers, separating the seeds from membrane. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl.
5. Discard the skin and membrane.
6. Drain the seeds on paper towels.
7. Toss pomegranate seeds into your salad, mix them in your yogurt or smoothie or shake them into a martini and enjoy!

Beginners often become confused with the many recommendations and suggestions for growing roses. However, it is important to start with the basic guidelines for successful rose growing. Roses can thrive under many conditions, but they are sure to grow better, with more luxurious blooms and fewer problems, when you follow the basics. 

Prepare the Soil 

The proper soil is essential to nourish roses so they can grow to their full potential. To make the soil ideal for roses… 

1. Take a soil sample to test the pH, either with a home testing kit or through your local extension service. Roses like a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. You may need to add lime to raise the pH or sulfur to lower it to the optimum rose range.
2. Incorporate composted cow manure or other healthy compost into the soil. This will provide superior drainage and excellent organic material for roses to absorb.

Planting Roses

If they aren’t planted properly, roses won’t thrive as well as they could. Improper planting could even damage roots and destroy a rose bush. 

1. Select a sunny spot with good soil drainage – roses require at least 6 hours of full sun daily. Early morning sun is preferred because it dries the leaves, which helps prevent disease.
2. Dig a wide, shallow hole that is 2-3 times as wide but not quite as deep as the root ball (about 1 inch shallower). The plant should sit on solid ground so it doesn’t sink when the soil settles.
3. Remove the plant from the pot and loosen any circling roots. If you can’t pull the roots apart, use a knife to make 4-5 vertical cuts in the root ball. This will allow new roots to grow out into the surrounding soil as the plant becomes established.
4. Place the plant in the hole slightly elevated above ground level. Backfill with soil until the hole is half full.
5. Soak the root ball with a mixture of a Root Stimulator & Transplanting Solution.
6. Fill the rest of the hole with soil and water thoroughly. Apply mulch to a depth of 2 inches, being careful not to mound mulch against the trunk of the plant, which could encourage rotting or insect damage.

Pruning Roses 

To look their best, roses must be properly pruned. This can be intimidating for rose-growing novices, but once the basics are mastered, the techniques for pruning roses are not difficult. 

1. In spring, remove winter mulch when new grow appears. Prune out all dead wood and twiggy growth and cut back to sound wood with a clean slanting cut, just above a good bud eye.
2. During the growing season, remove fading roses promptly, cutting just above a five-leaflet leaf. This will help encourage reblooming on many cultivars, and will help prevent rot or disease infestation.
3. To winterize, remove all fallen leaves and debris from the base of the plant, cut back to 10-12 inches after the ground freezes, then apply a mound of mulch over the canes to protect them from temperature shock. 

Food and Water 

Roses need the proper nutrition – water and fertilizer – to bloom well and develop stunning colors and fragrances. 

1. Roses thrive best when given 1 inch of water weekly. A thorough soaking from rain or hose will keep roses blooming all season. Try not to overhead water unless it is early in the day, as the damp leaves can promote disease.
2. Fertilize monthly with Espoma Rose-tone or similar products specially formulated for the nutritional needs of roses.

Treat for Disease and Pests 

There are times when roses will succumb to diseases and pests. Quickly recognizing these problems and treating them properly will help minimize outbreaks that can damage several rose plants at once. 

1. Fungus diseases cannot be cured, so a regular spraying schedule is very important. Keep an eye on plants that were infected last year and spray with a fungicide to prevent outbreaks this year.
2. You may also need to use an insecticide for severe insect problems. Minor problems can be handled with less harsh methods, but diligence will be necessary to keep pests from taking over the rose bushes.
3. Many rose lovers find it convenient to use an all-purpose insect and disease spray once a week or a systemic control every 6 weeks.

It may seem like a lot of work to cultivate roses, but when you wander through your rose garden or see your favorite rose bush in full bloom, that effort will be well rewarded.

Crabapple trees in flower are a sight to behold. They are the showstopper trees of spring, and are compact enough to fit in nearly any size, shape or style of landscape. But how will you pick the variety that is best for you?

About Crabapples

The unrivaled spring beauty of these trees can take your breath away, as they frequently bud in one color but the flowers open in another, which can create a glorious variegated effect. To add to their appeal, they perform again in the late summer or fall with a fabulous display of hanging, showy fruit that wildlife loves.

Crabapples are available in a range of flower petal colors that include white, pink, red and all shades in between. Flower forms may be single or semi-double with some varieties being fragrant. Selections may be made for fall fruit size and color, including shades of green, yellow, orange, bronze, red and purple. Crabapple trees are also available in a variety of leaf color, size and growth habit to accommodate a landscape of any style and size.

Crabapple Problems

Although these trees have the potential to be stunningly beautiful, crabapples are subject to a number of serious diseases that can leave them unattractive through most of the growing season. The four main offenders are…

• Apple Scab: This disease manifests as unsightly dark lesions on the leaves and fruit and will cause premature leaf drop.
• Cedar-Apple Rust: This blight presents as yellow spots on the upper side of the leaves early in the season, followed by orange rust spots on the underside of the leaves in the late summer. This disease will cause premature leaf drop.
• Fire Blight: This infection gives new shoots the appearance of being scorched by fire and the fruit will look dark and shriveled.
• Powdery Mildew: This common disease will cause the leaves to be deformed and give them a white, powdery appearance.

There is, however, good news. You can plant a crabapple today without hesitation, because we carry crabapple selections with an excellent degree of disease resistance. Here is our list of the top 10 stunning crabapples with the best disease resistance. We may not have all of these varieties in our current inventory but we certainly have a great assortment on hand for you to choose from. Stop in today to see which varieties we have available or what other cultivars we may be able to recommend for your exact landscaping needs and preferences.