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Common Questions Answered

  • Is the ‘Japgarden’ Juniper drought tolerant?

    A spectacular and dependable ground cover for sunny locations, the ‘Japgarden’ Juniper is a gracefully spreading juniper with a robustly textured habit.  Sporting a beautiful bluish green color, it is extremely low growing and mat-forming; spreads almost indefinitely, and is very adaptable.  ‘Japgarden is a superb choice for a low ground cover or rock garden accent when used in mass. 

    Juniper ‘Japgarden’ lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition.  This is a relatively low maintenance shrub due to its tolerance of unfavorable soil conditions and hardiness.  Since it is drought-tolerant, it makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application.

    This spreading, prostrate shrub has long, stiff branches, non-showy flowers, and seldom produces fruit.  It is best to prune 'Japgarden' in June after the new growth has time to establish; like most evergreens it is easy to remember "Prune in June".  

    Requiring full sun, it will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet.  It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front.  It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions, can be expected to live for approximately 30 years!

    J. procumbens 

  • Does the James Macfarlane Lilac give off a strong scent?


    Lilacs are high on the list of most memorable flowers.  Their scent evokes flashbacks of summers gone by.  For many, lilac flowers remind us of a loving grandmother or the last few days before school let out for summer vacation.  The Lilac 'James Macfarlane' will rekindle these memories with its true single deliciously scented flowers that bloom freely. 

    This lilac displays excellent pink-lilac flowers in late May through early June and has green foliage all summer.  With its elegant upright shape, ‘James Macfarlane’ will make a colorful informal hedge, or can be grown as a specimen shrub or small tree.  It is extremely hardy and adaptable, withstanding moisture conditions fatal to vulgaris hybrids. 

    ‘James Macfarlane’ is easy to grow and long lived!  You will get more flowers if you choose a location for your lilac bush with at least 6 hours of strong sunlight.   The mature size of your ‘James Macfarlane Lilac is 8 feet, so give it lots of room in the landscape.  This lilac should be grown in fertile, humus-rich, well drained soil.  Prune if necessary to control size after flowering.  Use a well balance, water soluble fertilizer in the early spring or late fall.

    The large clusters of blooms are attractive to butterflies.  A lilac bush in your yard can help create good memories for today's youth, and bring back a moment in time for the rest of us!
     
    Syringa presoniae 'James Macfarlane' 
  • Where should the Spirea 'Japanese White' be planted?

    The Spirea 'Japanese White' is best placed in front of other green foliage plants to show off its beautiful white flower display; combines well with ornamental grasses, ferns, and other plants with large foliage.  This perennial is great for the rock garden, border or as a ground cover; also effective in mixed shrub plantings, low borders and clumped together.

    Growing 2 feet tall and as wide, this deciduous shrub has bright green foliage, topped by heavy flat clusters of white flowers at the ends of the branches.  It blooms in June and again off and on all summer; prune flowers for an extension of blooms.  

    This spirea tolerates drought and dry soils and will grow in well-drained, loamy, sandy or clay soils with a pH of acidic to slightly alkaline.  ‘Japanese White’ grows in sun or partial shade and turns a reddish-purple in fall.  This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed.  It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard!  Deer resistant.

    Spiraea albiflora 

  • What color are ‘Quick Fire’ Hydrangea flowers?


    Not only does this variety bloom early, its blooms change from white to a rich pinkish-red before other varieties even start to flower!   Blooming nearly a month earlier than other varieties, the ‘Quick Fire’ Hydrangea turns a rich, deep pink, extending the bloom time and beauty from early summer through autumn.  

    ‘Quick Fire’ is a deciduous shrub with a moderate to fast growth habit, and it grows 6-8 feet in height and width; thrives in zones 4-8.  This hydrangea prefers full sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.  This is a quick and easy perennial to grow, and the flowers are not affected by soil pH.  They are produced on ‘new wood’ and will bloom after even the harshest winters.

    Prune to maintain a desired size or to remove any wild branches.  It should be done in late fall or early spring.  Make sure to prune off spent flowers when they turn brown.   ‘Quick Fire’ is very tolerant of hard pruning, in fact cutting the plant back from 1/2 to 1/3 will result in larger flowers! 

    ‘Quick Fire’ blooms regardless of climate, soil, pH or pruning.  Use the cut flowers for beautiful bouquets all season.  In the fall, the foliage is green with a tinge of yellow; sometimes a reddish-purple color.
     
    Hydrangea paniculata 'Bulk'  
  • Can the Viburnum 'Mohican' be used as a hedge?

    The Viburnum 'Mohican' produces creamy white, flat topped flowers that entirely envelop the plant in late April or May.  The lovely flowers are followed by orange-red fruit that begins to ripen in early July, and stays for four or more weeks.  Its purple to bronze fall colored leaves are quite attractive in the landscape. This viburnum is resistant to leaf spot, making this cultivar extremely popular in the nursery trade.

    ‘Mohican’ is essentially evergreen in warmer climates.  The dark, hairy leaves create a dark background to showcase other plants.  It displays a very compact growth habit, so it makes a nice hedge with its dense shape and heavy, dark green foliage.

    Easy to grow, fibrous rooted, ‘Mohican’ can handle dry and alkaline soils, but prefers moist and well drained in full sun to partial shade.  It is an incredibly tough multi-stemmed spreading shrub growing 6 feet in height, with a somewhat rounded outline. 

    Viburnum lantana 'Mohican' 

  • How long do the ‘White Passion Blend’ tulips produce blooms?


    Everyone looks forward to tulips that bring much needed color in the spring, especially after a long hard winter.  This ‘White Passion Blend’ of tulips offers a blend of beauties ranging from dazzling pure white Lily Flowering Tulips, to beautiful white blooms feathered in delicate rose, and exquisite Parrot Tulips with exotic green stripes.  What an outstanding collection of unique color combinations for your tulip bed! 

    When planted in full sun, this mix will bloom for over a month due to the various flowering times of the varieties included.  For the most powerful effect, plant in large groups.  ‘White Passion Blend’ will offer heights anywhere from 14 to 22 inches and thrives in zones 3-8.

    This blend must be planted before freezing weather, then you will get your great display in the spring.  Tulips require a period of cold while they're dormant and resting between shows.  The ground should be moist, and you need to give them two to four weeks to start their roots before watering.  Tulips should not have too much moisture before they have made roots; in that condition they are easy victims to rot or other infections. 

    Tulipa 'White Passion Blend' 

  • Is the ‘Rambling Red’ rose a climbing rose?

     

    One of the most popular types of climbing rose bushes is the ‘Rambling Red’ rose.   It is a double rose with bold medium-red blooms grown in clusters on a vigorous, disease-resistant plant.  It is a winter hardy climber/rambler with strong pliable canes.

    The name climbing rose bush makes one think that they are like vines, and will climb on their own, but climbing rose bushes will have one shoot that grows rapidly.  This can then be manually wrapped around a fence or trellis.
    A ‘Rambling Red’ rose is a beautiful and versatile floral addition to any landscape. 

    ‘Rambling Red’ roses are hardy in zones 3-9 and will grow to a height of eight feet.  Since this rose only flowers once during a season, it is necessary to prune them right when they are done flowering.   Pruning will make space for new shoots that will grow up from the base of the rose bush.  Rambling roses are best pruned from early June to August.
     
    Rosa 'Ramblin Red'  

  • Are the Allium 'Globemaster' globed-shaped blooms fragrant?

    The Allium 'Globemaster' truly lives up to its name and is a marvel in the garden with its gorgeous purple blooms, sometimes reaching 12" in diameter!  It is a fall planted ornamental onion bulb, and its flowering period lasts for several weeks to a month.  The blooms are pleasantly fragrant, and this plant is an easy and prolific addition to the garden. 

    New florets constantly appear and cover the old ones; one flower will produce as many as 1,100 florets!  The florets are packed densely, creating an imposing and brilliantly colored globe.  This Allium’s round flowers heads are extremely unique and even hold their petals long after the flower has finished blooming, making it very popular among crafters who use them in dried floral arrangements! 

    Alliums are widely used for the landscape, so plant in groups of ten or more for an eye catching focal point.  Divide mature clumps in August if areas become overcrowded.   Alliums prefer to be dry during their dormancy.  The Allium ‘Globemaster’ is ideal for containers, mass plantings, and borders.  These plants are rabbit, squirrel, and deer resistant.

    Allium albopilosum/elatum 

  • Does the ‘Tulip’ Poplar bloom in the spring?


    Also known as Yellow Poplar or Tuliptree, the ‘Tulip’ Poplar tree is nature’s masterpiece!   It has beautiful tulip-like flowers and is a fast growing large shade tree that can grow 15 to 20’ over a 6 to 8 year period, eventually reaching 60-100 feet.  

    The lovely little tulip-shaped flowers are greenish-yellow with an orange band.  With its  masses of tulip-like flowers in the spring, ‘Tulip’ will give you a delightful fragrance of nectar that you'll enjoy all spring long.  This nectar even attracts birds and other small wildlife; the perfect tree for wildlife lovers!

    As a specimen tree on a large property, this poplar has great beauty, and its bright golden yellow fall color can be spectacular.  The ‘Tulip’ Poplar is highly resistant to disease and insects, making this a healthy tree that will provide a lifetime of enjoyment.  It is very easy to grow and thrives in almost all areas since it is highly adaptable to a variety of soils; even grows in wet soil; requires full sun exposure.

    In open areas, the ‘Tulip’ Poplar usually grows into a majestic cone shape  making it an attractive front yard tree that will be a wonderful addition to any landscape.

     Liriodendron tulipifera

  • How tall does the 'Deodar' Cedar grow?


    With its pyramidal shape, soft grayish-green (or blue) needles and drooping branches, this cedar makes a graceful specimen or accent tree.  The Cedar ‘Deodar’ is an excellent evergreen with graceful pendulous branches; the young trees have a broad pyramidal crown that becomes wider with age.  ‘Deodar’ becomes wide-spreading and flat-topped in old age, often reaching 70' in height, with a 20-40 foot spread.  It is a large stately conifer that should be planted in the back of a large landscape so it can be seen in its entirety.

    Its evergreen needles are dark green but may have some silvery bloom giving them a blue-green color.  They are 1 to 2 inches long and sharp pointed.  ‘Deodar’ produces upright cones, 3 to 4 inches long and 3 inches across.  

    This evergreen is fairly fast growing for the first decade or two, growing as high as 30 feet in its first 10 years.  It is a long-lived and trouble free tree in most areas.  ‘Deodar’ needs neutral to alkaline soil, full sun, and once established, it is drought tolerant.  The lower branches should be left on the tree so the true form of the tree can show.  Allow plenty of room for 'Deodar' to spread, since most cultivars of Deodar will grow into large and handsome specimen trees that need plenty of room.
     
    Cedrus deodara  
  • Where is the best location to plant a Camellia evergreen shrub?


    The Camellia ‘sasanqua’ is the most adaptable and hardiest of the Camellia species, thriving in full sun and semi shade.  This Camellia will survive in high temperatures, stand more wind, frost, and cold, than other species.  It is is a landscape evergreen shrub, bush, or tree that can grow 20 feet tall and thrives in zones 7-9.  The leaves are alternately arranged, simple, thick, serrated, and usually glossy.

    Like the japonicas, sasanquas have been selected and hybridized into dozens of forms that vary in flower color, size, and shape.  Very few perennial evergreen shrubs display such beautiful form in the landscape.  It is a beloved Southern shrub with graceful blooms that is well suited for part shade.  The Camellia has the flower colors of pink, red, white, purple, and peppermint.  A beautiful sight is a solitary sasanqua in full bloom standing on the lawn in a spotlight circle of fallen blossoms!

    The Camellia can begin blooming as early as December and continues into March and April on some varieties, depending on weather warm-ups during the winter.  Full sun will burn the leaves of a Camellia shrub except for its interior leaves.   The Camellia prefers rich organic acid soils, and an organic mulch such as leaf litter or shredded bark should be applied.  These plants have beautiful natural shapes but if you need to do some pruning it is best done "lightly" and in very early spring before the buds form.
     
    Camellia sasanqua 
  • Can I apply Earth Right Soil Conditioner any time of year?


    Do you have a problem with standing water or poor drainage in your yard or garden?  Does your soil get as hard as a rock, and no matter what grass you plant, nothing will grow?  With one application of Earth Right Soil Conditioner, you will see how it will de-compact the soil approximately 12 inches.   Earth Right is beneficial for all flowers, trees and vegetables.  Earth Right may be safely applied directly to all plants at any time of the year.

    It is not a fertilizer, but a proven soil conditioner which greatly enhances the ability of the soil to function to its maximum capacity!  Earth Right will not increase the color of your lawn, but if you have areas that hold water you will see these areas drain 2-3 days quicker than usual.  You will notice that when your are digging in your flower bed the soil turns easier.  You will notice how the clay layers physically break up for better drainage and root growth.  

    Earth Right Soil Conditioner contains all vitamins, enzymes, trace minerals, and amino acids for increased vegetable yields and blooms.   Because this product increases plant absorption of nutrients and water, soil aeration and structure improves, and run-off decreases.  Earth Right is safe to use on lawns, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable gardens, anywhere and provides beautiful, greener and healthier results.   

    Hose end spray bottle applies at a rate of 60 to 1.  It can also be added to liquid fertilizers or irrigation systems for application.  
     
    Earth Right Soil Conditioner 

  • Does the ‘Gobbler’ Sawtooth Oak produce acorns?

     

    One tree that wildlife will flock to is the ‘Gobbler’ Sawtooth Oak, which is a great producer of acorns.  If well maintained, this fast growing ‘Gobbler’ Sawtooth Oak tree produces acorns in 5 years and supports wildlife.   With acorns considerably smaller than the ‘Sawtooth’ Oak, this tree variety can produce 150 nuts per pound.  These smaller acorns are desirable as a food source for wild turkeys, quail, deer, and grouse.  

    Winter hardy and adapted to the high rainfall in the eastern United States, the ‘Gobbler’ Sawtooth Oak grows well in open, unshaded areas with well-drained, sandy loam or clay-loam soils.  This deciduous tree also has a moderate water requirement and moderate tolerance to salt and alkali soils.  

    The ‘Gobbler’ Sawtooth is a large round-headed tree with handsome chestnut-like foliage.  The fall leaf color is yellow to golden brown and the leaves may persist into winter.  It makes a handsome shade or specimen tree.  This tree will bear heavy in alternate years and it is a very adaptable.  It is an attractive selection and has a resistance to disease and insect damage for both the tree and acorns. 

    Quercus acutissima 

  • How do I use the garden nutrient, Actino-Iron?


    Actino-Iron, a garden nutrient, is much more than a fungicide.   Actino-Iron contains slow release iron that provides long lasting greening to your plants without fear of burning.  The Actinovate microorganism colonizes on the root systems of plants, protecting the plant from soil borne diseases.  Applying  Actino-Iron stops black rot, brownpatch, root rot and more.  This unique product is added to potting soil prior to planting, transplanting, or installing plants.

    In addition to a protected root system and slow release iron, Actino-Iron provides humic acid, an essential ingredient for plant growth.  When Actino-Iron is applied to the soil, it stimulates plant “greening” and promotes long-term plant health; enhances root development and plant vitality.  

    Actino-Iron is OMRI Listed for use in organic gardening.  Add to your planting soil to reduce fertilizer use, and it will increase the plant size and its vitality!   Actino-Iron is granular, and it can be easily added to potting mix or transplant soil.  It can also be broadcast as a top dressing to any established houseplants, trees, flowers, vegetables and lawns.  Tests by numerous researchers and universities show that plants grown with Actino-Iron are larger and greener.  It is important to read the instructions for each application on the bag.
     
    Actino-Iron 
  • How tall does the ‘Cityline Vienna’ Hydrangea grow?


    Add this lovely perennial to a shrub border, patio garden, or your best container.  'Cityline Vienna' hydrangea grows only 2 to 3 feet in height and width, and like all the Citylines™, it was bred for stronger stems to hold its large, heavy flowerhead.  The long lasting soft-pink or blue flowers are held on sturdy stems that do not flop. ‘Cityline Vienna’ has a neat, tight habit so pruning is never required.  

    The large beautiful blooms are great for dried or cut flowers.  It requires full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.  Moisture is a necessity for this plant.  The ‘Cityline Vienna’ Hydrangea is a knockout new dwarf Hydrangea with compact foliage that will never need pruning to maintain a neat and tidy habit!  
    Originating from Germany, this lovely Bigleaf Hydrangea is well-branched and dense, with far more flowering stems than most others.  It is small enough for containers or any tight spot.  ‘Cityline Vienna’ grabs the eye with its giant pink or blue blooms, each starred with a cream-colored center that gradually matures to solid pink or blue.  It has a totally unique look for Hydrangea, and this makes it showy and unusual! 
    Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Vienna Rawi’ (PP10,930) 

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