September 2, 2010 – 6:21 am
‘Fox Valley’ Dwarf River Birch – Betula Nigra – Over the years many people have admired the beautiful cinnamon color peeling bark of the River Birch. Handsome as both a single stem, or clump, this Minnesota native has been a staple of beautiful landscapes.
One difficulty with normal River Birch has been that they are sometimes too large for smaller areas of our landscapes. Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch solves this problem with a mature size rating of 12′ tall by 12′ wide. Fox Valley sports an interesting bark similar to regular River Birch, can handle damp soils, and can be used as a focal point around which to artfully group shrubs and perennials.
The ‘Fox Valley’ Dwarf River Birch prefers neutral to acidic soils, and with just a bit of supplemental watering, can prosper in upland soil. Check out this new and interesting birch for small spaces.
I have also shared this post with the Northfield News.
August 30, 2010 – 7:03 am
Have you noticed here and there the beautiful white (and pink) blossoms on small (4′-9′ tall) trees over the last 5-6 weeks? You have probably been admiring the lovely mid to late summer blossoms of the hardy hydrangea trees.
The whole paniculata family of hydrangeas are exceptionally cold hardy, and are useful in the landscapes in both shrub form and also when carefully trained into small trees.
My wife and I are frequent visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which takes up to Ely, MN on a regular basis. I gained an awful lot of respect for hardy hydrangea trees when I noticed several large specimens growing in the front yards of homes in Ely, where -40 degrees temperatures occur almost every winter, and sometimes as low as -55 degrees. The trees were in full bloom in late July to late August and had to be 30-50 years old or more, judging from the trunks that were up to 6″ in diameter!
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August 25, 2010 – 12:08 pm
Ornmanetal Grasses provide texture, color, movement and sound to our natural and intentional environment. Screening, vertical accent, fall and winter interest can all be achieved with well placed and selected varieties of grasses.
Providing an amazing relationship with wind, even the slightest breeze can create a rustle and gentle nod from these gracefully bending, versatile plants. They’re able to grow in a wide range of soil types from sandy to heavier clay, most varieties are tolerant of drought once established and some can be tolerant of moisture making them ideal in rain gardens.
These pictures both are of the same perennial bed – one in summer showing their ability to show off other perennials and the wonderful winter interest that they provide. Ornamental grasses are on sale through the end of August at 10% off regular prices.
The above article was submitted by Heidi Brosseau – our retail manager.
Heidi Brosseau, our retail manager has selected these as our featured perennials this week and offers the following:
‘Once upon a time, long,long ago in the late 1960′s there lived a beautiful plant named Belamcanda. Belamcanda was 18″-24″ tall with brilliant golden to orange star flowers and long sword like leaves. One day a Mr. Sam Norris introduced Belamcanda to a handsome plant named Pardanthopsis. Pardanthopsis was a cousin of the Iris family. It wasn’t long before Belamcanda & Pardanthopsis fell in love and started a family of their own. They named their newest family member Pardancanda. Pardancanda was very attractive, growing to 36″ tall and producing a kaleidoscope of patterns and colors in its star-like flowers. They all lived happily ever after in full sun and moist but well-drained soil!’
This unique and exotic looking perennial thrives in full sun to part shade. It makes a wonderful companion plant to a wide range of perennials. Fine textured plants like ornamental grasses, liatris and yarrow show off the lily like flowers beautifully. When paired with larger flowered perennials such as daylilies or echinaceas it become a terrific accent plant.
Candylily blooms in a variety of colors and patterns ranging from yellow to orange and red to maroon. The strap like foliage (much like Iris leaves) are clean and disease resistant all through the season. As the flowers fade they twist shut later becoming showy black seed pods. This perennial makes an amzaing addition to any perennial border or cutting garden.
The above article was submitted by Heidi Brosseau, our retail manager.
It’s almost blueberry picking time!
For anyone that remembers the fall of 2009 – we had one of the wettest Octobers – if not the wettest on record, followed by a beautiful November. We have always had good luck with our late fall plantings and decided it was time to get blueberries into our garden. These were planted the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, 2009. I watered them in and applied a 3 inch layer of mulch around them and this spring they started growing as soon as they woke up in early April! The blueberries are abundant!
The lessons that we have learned over the years is that don’t be afraid to try things. Pay attention to what you read – but never be afraid to try something “outside the box”. Most things you read say not to plant berries after September – but I hadn’t gotten it done earlier so I did it quite late. The only “extra” work I had to do was to mulch them. The results speak for themselves!
We carry a nice assortment of blueberries, raspberries, grapes, kiwi, and rhubarb in our small fruit section.
The perennial of the week – on sale at 10% off is Veronica – also known as Speedwell. Dark green mounds of foliage produce spikes of flower blossoms that bloom for long periods of time. Veronica comes in a variety of colors – mostly blues, purples, and pinks. It is a perennial that does require lots of sun. Combined with ornamental grasses, yellow blooming perennials, different groundcovers – it is certain to make a beautiful statement in your perennial garden.
Dakota Pinnacle Birch is beginning to make a statement in landscapes across the Upper Midwest. Slender and upright in it’s form, and very uniform in growth habit, Dakota Pinnacle Birch is extremely hardy, thriving in climate zones 3 to 7 and tolerant of many soil types including those with alkaline pH. Growing quickly to a mature size of 30′-35′ tall by 8′-10′ wide, Pinnacle becomes an eye catching feature of the landscape as its bark changes from brown in youth to a striking white.
This nice hybrid birch can serve as a focal point specimen tree, or being clumped with 3-5 trees close together, or in a grove of randomly scattered individuals. It is a perfect tree for narrower spaces where you want a tree, but a larger one just won’t work. In just 3 to 5 years, a modest sized Dakota Pinnacle Birch will develop into a lovely tree. Pinnacle has been touted as having better resistance to birch borer than other white bark birch varieties, but we still recommend a once a year, one minute treatment with the systemic insecticide, Imidacloprid. Imidacloprid is now widely available under a variety of name brand labels. It’s very easy to apply. Pour a few ounces in a 5 gallon pail, add a couple of gallons of water, and pour the solution onto the soil within 12 inches of the trunk. The tree roots will absorb the protection and send it throughout the tree.
We gave Dakota Pinnacle Birch available in containers – single stem and some in clump form.
I have also shared my blog here with the Northfield News.
Hosta ‘Rhino Hide’ – You have to feel it to believe it! (a quote from the hosta tag) The leaves of this hosta are some of the thickest of any hosta measured and with this attribute – it is exceptionally slug resistant. The leaves are cupped, puckered and have wide blue margins and a narrow light green center that will brighten to yellow during the season. Classified as a medium sized hosta – the flower will be white. Hosta ‘Rhino Hide’ comes from the growers at Walters Gardens, in Zeeland, Michigan.
I have had several calls the past day or two from area hosta fanciers wanting this particular plant. We have them in stock at the present time, but with the national hosta convention this week – I’m sure we’ll be selling out!
The American Hosta Society’s National Convention will be held this week in Bloomington, MN – June 23-26.
It will be headquartered at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington and will also include garden tours around the metro area and into southern Minnesota.
Growing hosta – both here at the nursery and at home is definitely a passion of mine. The hosta on the top is Hosta Striptease, and shown below is Hosta Dance with Me. Both of these plants are in the medium sized category and I consider them specimen plants.
Grown in a spot with some sunlight provides the best coloration for Dance with Me, and my Strip Tease pictured here also receives just a few hours of sunlight during the day. Both plants will sport pale lavender flowers mid-to late summer. Our home hosta garden has over 400 varieties of hosta so it is hard to pick a favorite, but these two definitely rank in the top 10!
We are not part of the garden center tour during the Convention, but we encourage those out and about this week looking for new hosta plants for their gardens to stop in. We have a huge selection of hosta and would hope that you would be able to find just the one you’re looking for! If you bring in your registration for the Hosta Convention – we’ll give you 20% off your hosta purchases.
Japanese Tree Lilac is an ornamental tree that sports showy fragrant white blossoms in early to mid-June. Pictured on the left is about the prettiest one that I have seen. It’s a mature specimen that grows at a home in Dundas, MN. Pictured to the right, is one that we planted as part of a landscape project a few years ago for the Northfield Hospital. Even as a young tree, you get the visual impact right away!
The Japanese Tree Lilac grows to a height of 25′ and a width of approximately 20′ to 25′. Blooming after the other lilacs have finished, it is a great way to extend bloom time in your yard. This is one tree that has shown to be pest and disease free.
We have potted ones and larger balled and burlapped Japanese Tree Lilacs available here at the nursery. All of them are blossoming and providing that wonderful fragrance.
We have added the native Yellow Lady Slipper (Cypripediuim calceolus) to our perennial offerings this year. One of the prettiest native orchids, it will reach a height of 1-2 feet with the lovely yellow flower atop a stalk of bright green foliage.
This woodland native needs mostly shade – filtered sunlight to thrive. Moist organic (slightly acidic) soil will give this plant just what it needs. Blooming in early to mid-May, it is a long-lived plant that you will enjoy for many years.
One of the most frequently asked questions we have is “How do I keep my annuals looking good all summer?” Here are a few tips to help ensure good success with your annuals!
Water: Once they are established, heavier, infrequent waterings will help your plants develop deeper root systems. Lighter, more frequent waterings result in shallow rooted plants that will stress much more in the heat of the summer. Keep in mind that this advice is for once they are established. Newly planted annuals need to be kept watered so they don’t dry out while trying to establish.
Fertilize: Annuals need to be fertilized regularly which results in profuse flowering! Think of annuals as heavy feeders. Liquid or powdered fertilizers added to watering water or the time release granules are the easiest ways to feed your annuals. Organic fertilizers can also be used. Since organic fertilizers have lower amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus you should be aware of the amounts to use, etc. Multiple organic products may be needed to get the overall results. Hanging baskets should be fertilized once a week to keep them flowering throughout the season.
Weeding: Keep your annual bed free from weeds. This is probably the most disliked task for any gardener. Weeds compete for the water and nutrients that your plant also wants. You can pull them, use mulch, lay down newspaper or use a granular herbicide to help accomplish a weed free garden.
Deadheading: (removal of spent flowers). Many annuals (and perennials) need to be deadheaded or pinched back to allow the plant to continue to produce new flower buds and keep blooming. On some annuals you simply just pick off the flowers that are no longer looking good, and on some you need to pinch them off – simply use your finger nail to “cut” it off and for some plants that have a heavier stalk you may need to use a garden pruner to accomplish this task.
By following the above – you will be rewarded in a a colorful, blooming garden for the summer season. Enjoy!
‘Fox Valley’ Dwarf River Birch – Betula Nigra – Over the years many people have admired the beautiful cinnamon color peeling bark of the River Birch. Handsome as both a single stem, or clump, this Minnesota native has been a staple of beautiful landscapes. 
We are running an Independence Day Themed Discount Special on many trees, shrubs and perennials. Some of the items with special discounts of either 30% or 50% off are 
