‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass

Now that winter is here – finally – we can think in terms of winter.  Now is the time to look around at your garden, at gardens of others, in parks, around commercial buildings – anywhere you see plants that catch your eye.  We need to plant in the growing season with winter in mind.

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Now is the time to refresh your baskets, beds and planters!

Are your containers looking a little tired?  Did your baskets fizzle in the summer heat?  Maybe you have lots of green plants and not a lot of color in that perennial border this time of year.  Dress them up & refresh them! Add some seasonal color & fall beauty to your planters, beds & borders with plants perfect for late season displays.  Here are some of our favorites!

Minnesota Hardy Mums:  They are finally here everyone.  Come and get ‘em.  Bright eye catching colors on dense compact plants.   Perfect for filling those empty spots and containers.

Asters:  A late season surprise.  The first Asters are just beginning to open their daisy style flowers.  These hardy perennials will be blooming until hard frosts come.  Providing a reliable wave of color in the fall garden.  Excellent mixed with Mums and Kale.

Grasses:  Whether you go with an annual or a perennial variety it doesn’t matter, you’re going to add graceful, elegant movement and color to your plantings.  Many varieties have both showy plumes that appear late summer to fall as well as brilliant fall color.

Sedums:  Beloved by butterflies and gardeners alike! These are the “tough guys” in the Minnesota garden.  Reliable and vigorous these succulent plants add wonderful texture with their thick leaves as well as a multitude of foliage colors and variegation.  They like to build up a little suspense, making us watch their forming buds all season long before finally showing us what they can do.

Ornamental Kale:  Color and texture are packed into these interesting members of the cabbage family.  Perfect along edges, in containers or baskets.

Heuchera, Tiarella and Heucherella:  More commonly known as Coral Bells, Foam Flower, and Foamy Bells, these wonderful plants are compact and dense with foliage that ranges from chartreuse to green, rusty peach to maroon and purple.  Some are even variegated or veined.  Awesome in containers or the landscape.  These are very versatile plants!

Ajuga:  This popular ground cover is terrific in
containers as well as the ground!  Shiny
even metallic looking leaves are amazing next to some of the softer textured
plants.

Weigela:  These compact shrubs have variegated or maroon purple foliage and they bloom in the spring.  Mature sizes will vary by variety.  Hummingbirds love them too!

Tiger Eye Sumac:  Deeply cut leaves are golden chartreuse and turn orange with red in the fall.  Amazing paired with some of the darker leaves shrubs and perennials.

Hydrangeas:  What wonderful additions to the landscape!  Hydrangeas bloom from summer until frost and go through many, butterfly attracting, stages of beauty along the way.  The Hydrangea paniculata prefer full to part sun and send out white or lime green buds that open to a beautiful clean ivory that matures to a lovely mauve pink.  As our nights get cooler and the flowers dry they become a parchment color that carries us into winter.

Many of the plants I have listed above are Minnesota hardy.  If you use them in a container planting or basket remember, you can plant them in your landscape before winter and enjoy them for years to come.

I should mention that in Minnesota our winters are too cold for most plants to overwinter in an above ground container.   Proper planting and mulching before the ground freezes will help your perennial plants come through the winter!

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New plantings are especially vulnerable until they have extended new roots into the surrounding soil.  While balled and burlapped trees and shrubs can do well with one or two good waterings per week during their period of establishment – 1 to 2 years – trees, shrubs and perennials that were purchased in plastic nursery pots can dry out and be severely damaged in just one or two days in hot, windy and low humidity conditions.

The reason potted plants dry out so quickly when placed into your landscape is that potting soil is formulated to drain and dry out quickly to avoid root rot while they are in the pots.  They also dry out quickly when planted in your yard  that is until new roots have grown out into the soil surrounding the planting site.  This can take from 6-12 weeks, depending on how compacted the soil is.

If the tree, shrubs or perennial receives aggressive root pruning prior to planting to completely shred any matted roots on the outside of the root ball, AND if there is lots of loose, unpacked soil filled in around the root ball, the rooting out process can happen much much faster.  Allow water and gravity to settle the crumbly soil around t he shredded root ball rather than packing the loose soil.

For more details on precision watering you can check out our instructions page on watering.  Keep in mind that most trees and shrubs purchased in nursery pots will need a little water everyday the first 4-6 weeks, every other day the next 4-6 weeks, and every third or 4th day until a year has passed (take the winter off from watering).  Do not allow the hose  to  trickle on the plant.  You will have no idea how much water you gave it, and you may drown the plant.

Successful planting can be done even in a heat wave  if you give them enough water, but not too much water on a daily basis.  Keep ‘em happy and keep ‘em hydrated!

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The ‘Summer Sun’ is bright (too bright apparently) and so are the Coneflowers here at the nursery.  We ‘Hope’ you’ll stop in under this ‘Summer Sky’ and treat your’ gardens to some ‘Tomato Soup’, with ‘Mango Meadowbrite’ and ‘Hot Papaya’ on the side.  Wash it all down with some ‘Vintage Wine’ at ‘Sundown’.  Put on a little ‘Elton Knight’ and ‘All that Jazz’ while you gaze up at the ‘Ruby Stars’ in search of the missing constellation ‘Magnus’.  All around ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’ s and ‘Pink Poodle’ s only ‘Red Knee High’ sway to the music until ‘Sunrise’.

“What was in that ‘Vintage Wine’ anyway?

Don’t miss your chance to get your hands on a few of these ‘Irresistible’ coneflower varieties or you’ll have ‘Green Envy’ for sure.

The people that breed these beautiful plants must be a lot of fun to work with.  What creative names!  Many gardeners are familiar with, and very fond of the popular Purple Coneflower, but these newer varieties with their delicious, imaginative and sometimes silly names have really extended the color pallet, unlocking the creative spirit in many.  Reds, oranges and yellows, pinks, purples, whites and even green flowers are held up by sturdy stems.  Some varieties will produce a more classic single daisy style flower while some have double flowers that produce a pompom effect.  Coneflowers begin to bloom midsummer and keep going until fall, especially with some occasional dead heading.  They are a magnet for butterflies while in bloom and for song birds when they set their seeds.  Compact varieties will maintain a height at or under 24” while taller varieties bob on the breeze at closer to 2½ to 3’.  They love full sun and would prefer to be planted in loamy well drained soil but will grow in heavier soils with proper drainage.  Once established they are tolerant of heat, cold, and drought.  A wonderful addition to the perennial border, cutting and wildlife gardens.  Don’t miss out on all the colorful fun!

Heidi Brosseau, our retail manager, submitted the above blog post.  Well done – Heidi!

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A classic symbol of summer, daisies have a way of bringing back memories from our past, of our loved ones, and of course helping to create some memories to be cherished for years to come.  Have you had the good fortune to receive a fist full of pure white single daisies?  Maybe you were the little one holding up that bouquet with pride.  I will say it has been far too long since I have sat down to braid a daisy chain myself.  Every year when the ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisies (AKA: Leucanthemum superbum ‘Becky’) come into bloom it seems like an excellent idea and they beckon me to pause.

This year not only do we have ‘Becky’ Shasta Daisies with their large, pure white single flowers and vivid golden centers but a new twist on our old favorite, Leucanthemum superbum ‘Sante’.  ‘Sante’ brings an element of fun to the garden with its unique double petals.  It has a frilly or even fuzzy appearance with again, the same golden yellow centers.  If you have ever tried to make it patiently through a round of “loves me, loves me not” you should try it with one of these double daisies.  Perhaps the outcome is more accurate with all those extra petals to pluck through.

Now for the dirt on Shasta Daisies…Sturdy stems support their large flowers from late spring to early fall, with regular dead heading.  An excellent choice for butterfly and cutting gardens or in open more wild garden settings.  They prefer full sun and will tolerate heavier soils, provided there is adequate drainage.  Varieties range in mature height from about 15 to 36 inches.  ‘Becky’ was the 2003 Perennial Plant of the Year.  Heidi Brosseau – Retail Manager – submitted this article.

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The varieties pictured here are Tutti-Fruitti Pomegrante, Apricot Delight, Paprika, Moonshine and Pretty  Belinda.

Visit our Perennial Plant List on our Plant Page to see all of the perennials we have available.

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Gold Heart Bleeding Heart

Each spring I walk around my hosta garden and admire each plant – at least a thousand times – and say to each one – you’re my favorite.  Yes – it is  allowed to talk to yourself in the garden – because you are actually talking to the plants!  However – when I  get to my Sweet Woodruff and Gold Heart Bleeding Heart in early spring – it’s hard to not really make this your favorite.

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Praying Hands Hosta

- a publicaiton of the Minnesota Horticultural Society- present and will also share a few thoughts.  The public is invited to this special celebration.  The Shades of Green Hosta club has also been invited to a private tour of our hosta garden which is exciting to us as we love to share our hostas with others.

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