Featured Plants : Featured Plants

Growing an Akane Apple Tree

barb-nhn — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:30:00 GMT

Akane apple is an attractive, round, bright red apple with a firm, white, juicy flesh that is somewhat tart, sweet and spicy. It can be harvested in mid-August to late September. Since it does not store well, enjoy it early after harvest.

Being a cross between a Jonathan and Worcester Pearminan, Akane is an excellent dessert apple, with a tart flavor and distinct aroma. Because of its texture, this apple holds up well when baked and used in pies. Akane is great for juicing if you like to add a slight tartness to your juice.

Akane is a semi-dwarf apple tree that reaches 15 to 20 feet in height. It prefers full sun and tolerates a soil range from sandy loam to clay loam. Careful early training, annual pruning and shaping are required to insure healthy and productive trees.

Akane is very reliable, even in poor fruit years you can count on this tree to have fruit on it! Suggested pollinators for the Akane apple are the Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith and the Golden Delicious.

Attractive and tasty, the Cox Orange Pippen Apple Tree

barb-nhn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:07:00 GMT

Cox Orange Pippin Apple Tree is a semi-dwarf tree that reaches a height of 15-20 feet at maturity. This upright, spreading tree is covered in pure white, cup-shaped flowers in mid and late spring. It requires full sun and needs a dry warm climate. It should have regular pruning to keep it in shape, and doing this will ensure a bumper crop.

It can easily be kept at a height of 6-8 feet for the smaller garden, where a more compact tree is required. A moderately vigorous variety, this apple tree is self fertile, so there is no need for an additional apple tree to ensure pollination.

Because of its richness and complexity of flavor, it is often regarded as the finest of all dessert apples. Not only is it extremely tasty, but it is superb looking! The orange in the name refers to the rich yellow glow of the apple's skin. This orange-yellow colored fruit, with yellow flesh, ripens in late September.

Cox Orange Pippin apple is a medium-sized apple that has yellow skin, and striped with crimson brown. It really does explode with a nutty, a little spicy, and honey-like taste sensation, and the flesh is soft and firm. This apple is often grown for cider, cooking, and just plain eating.

The Heirloom Ashmead's Kernal Apple

barb-nhn — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:33:00 GMT

Ashmead’s Kernel Apple Tree is a semi-dwarf tree that grows 15-20 feet in height. It will produce in 3 to 5 years and the harvest time is usually in October. This tree produces well in zones 3-6. It is an upright spreading tree, that generally crops well, though on exposed sites it can be irregular. It has a straggly tree growth habit and fruit production can be erratic, with fruit size diminishing as the tree ages. This is a good cider apple and good for winter storage. The fruit is generally picked in late September or October for use between December and February.

Originating in the 1700’s, this apple has the appearance of being rather unattractive. Ashmead’s Kernel is lumpy, mis-shapen, rather small, and just plain dull looking but my it is tasty.. It has crisp yellowish flesh that is tinged green and sugary, juicy, and aromatic with an acidic sweet flavor.

Since looks are deceiving, this apple has remained popular for years. It has a distinctive flavor that is quite different from any other apple. This dessert apple is outstandingly rich and tart, flattish in shape, about the size of a Gala or Jonathan, and half-russetted over gold. The apple sweetens as it ages and stores successfully for up to twelve months.

Honeycrisp Apples

jeff-nhn — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:07:00 GMT

All it really takes is a first crisp-juicy bite out of a Honeycrisp apple and most people are hooked. In our supermarket the Honeycrisp brings around 50¢ - 75¢ more per pound than other varieties. The price alone signifies that the apple is popular enough to garner a higher price from consumers. Fruit as well as food prices in general are climbing due to higher fuel costs so many people are deciding to plant their own fruit trees and small fruit plants.

The Honeycrisp stores up to 6 months which makes it a favorite of backyard gardeners to grow and is cold hardy to Zone 3, great for the Midwestern gardener. The variety was released in 1991 by the University of Minnesota and it took awhile for the apple to catch on with first commercial growers and then with the public. The Honeycrisp flesh texture is quite different from other apples as the cells are almost twice as large than other apples. The larger cells hold more juice and when bitten into, causes a crisp snap and abundant juice. In fact, it is not unusual to have apple juice running down your chin no matter how careful you are when eating a Honeycrisp.

Don't take my word for it, try one yourself, and enjoy!

Little Bluestem Grass - A Gardeners Dream!

jeff-nhn — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:08:00 GMT

Ignore most plants and you can be assured they will shrivel up and die. Plant a grass named Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and once established can be ignored often when you are doing your watering chores. This grass originates on the prairie where it can be very dry. Little Bluestem sends down deep roots to find water and needed nutrients.

There are many other reasons to plant Little Bluestem other than the sparse water requirements. The plant needs to be planted in full sun and can grow up to 3 feet in height and 1 foot plus wide. I have seen it used as a hedge and it looked great in that application. In late fall the purple and lavender hues start to appear giving way to reddish gold colors in early winter. A great contrast for us living in snow belts. Little Bluestem can be grown in Zones 2-7 and hardly any maintenance is required. The plant looks best when planted as a mass planting.

You will have more time on the patio enjoying a cold beverage if you have some Little Bluestem planted.

Dutchman's Pipe

jeff-nhn — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:03:00 GMT

If you are a butterfly person living in Zones 4 - 8 who has an extensive butterfly garden, I would guess you have at least one Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia durior) planted in your garden. The Dutchman's Pipe is simply one of the best butterfly magnets there is. The deciduous vine is a rapid grower and can reach the height of 30 feet in full sun or light shade. If training up a trellis, please make sure you have a sturdy one as the vines can become heavy. The deep green leaves are heart shaped and 6 to 10 inches in size making for a great privacy screen or a focal point on trellises, fences or posts.

The Dutchman's Pipe is a favorite for butterfly enthusiasts as the plant has such dense foliage and flowers and attracts Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) butterflies. The Dutchman's Pipe is a larva host plant for the Swallowtail and if you have host plants such as Dutchman's Pipe, the Swallowtail will make your garden home.

Raspberry - Caroline

patti-nhn — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:03:00 GMT

I "accidentally" started growing raspberries a few years ago. I have since moved and had to leave them behind but I'm thinking I might have to start growing them again because they are so easy to grow and every year you get a bigger harvest. There is nothing like the taste of fresh raspberries right off the bush. A friend of mine had several bushes and too many to handle so he gave me some of the bushes to get started. I was hooked from the beginning. He served them with cream and sugar or whipped cream. Since then, I've had them in pies and jams and fresh of fthe bush is still my favorite. They are also a good addition to smoothies either by themselves or mixed with other berries like strawberries, blueberris and cherries.

This Caroline 'Rubus Caroline' variety is a very good starter plant if you are impatient. It will start ripening in late august and will give you a lot of berries for your money! If you are a bird lover, just plant a few extra and they can have their share too. Mine were always in full sun although I understand that you can grow them in partial shade. No matter where you live from zone 4 to zone 7, these raspberries are the ones to grow!

Like Chocolate Chips? Try our Chocolate Chip - Ajuga plant

patti-nhn — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:54:00 GMT

As I'm sitting here eating my chocolate chip cookies I realized that this would be a good time to tell you about our Chocolate Chip Ajuga x 'Chocolate Chip' plant. I have seen these used often for ground covers and it's nice to see something different from the same old typical ground covers. It's much better looking that mulch or rocks! And...in the spring you get the added benefit of short spikes of blue flowers that complement the chocolate colored foliage.

One of the nice things about it is that is is low spreading and it's a fast grower. If you have little patience waiting for your flower garden to grow, which I've been accused of, you will be pleasantly surprised. This is a great choice without the calories of a chocolate chip cookie. So, if you're on a diet and craving a chocolate chip cookie, just wander out to your yard instead and enjoy this lovely chocolate chip alternative.

Zoysia Grass Plugs for a beautiful sturdy lawn!

patti-nhn — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:06:00 GMT

Zoysia grass is a wonderful choice for a low maintenance lawn. It's hardiness and the fact that it doesn't need much water make it a great choice. It has a wonderful full, dense texture and in the winter will turn a beige color and then start coming back in the spring to it's bright green again. I have always liked the look and feel of zoysia grass and also like the beige fall color of it, unfortunately, I can't talk my husband into it as he has a different take on what a lawn should look like!

Our zoysia comes in plugs and those are planted accordingly. This will take a little bit of planning as you will need to know your square footage of the yard and then your desired spacing as you will need to leave space in between the plugs. The recommended spacing is 6 to 12 inches and you can vary that depending on how quickly you want to have your lawn fill in. Zoysia is slow growing so if that's the case you'll want to look at spacing 6" and if you are in no hurry you can space them at 12". There is a table on our website to help you determine how many trays you need to order. This would be the time to order so that you can start planting if you are in warmer zones or get your order in to be ready to plant for the cooler zones. Zoysia grass is zoned for zones 4-11.

Arborvitae Sherwood Moss

patti-nhn — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:04:00 GMT

This is a beautiful evergreen with soft foliage. It's a great border for areas where you want a shorter hedge. The height on these is approximately 4-6 feet and they spread 3-4 feet. They would make a great background for your flower garden as well as an accent to the front of your house. They are very cold hardy and sturdy plants. Their shape is rounded and being an evergreen they need very little care.

Their green coloring and soft foliage remind you of a soft bed of moss. Although this bed is a lot taller than most patches of moss! These are just great looking, fun and hardy shrubs that are so adaptable to however you want to use them. Try them out and prepare to receive complements from your neighbors.

Rosy Returns Daylily

patti-nhn — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:42:00 GMT

I'm excited about this Rosy Returns Daylily. In my area, I'm used to seeing daylilies in only orange colors. This would be a nice rosy color to add with them or to possibly have in different areas of a garden. We live near a museum that has a tall steep hill and they have planted hundreds of them so they cover the whole hill and it is so beautiful to drive by in the spring and summer. They choke out the weeds and keep the soil where it belongs, on the hill, instead of sloughing off down onto the road.

Daylilies are also easy to grow. They are perennials so they will continue to grow year after year. This is a dwarf variety that grows up to 16" tall. This would make it easy to use in areas where you don't want really tall daylilies. They can be planted any time from late spring to early fall. You'll want to space them 1-3 feet apart. I have heard that they are edible and are great in salads, even the stalks. I have not tried this but they say that they are high in Vitamin C and protein. Insect and disease problems are rare. These would be an easy addition to your garden and I know you'll enjoy them.

Tiger Eyes Sumac - Wow!

jeff-nhn — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:35:00 GMT

The Tiger Eyes Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger' is a must plant to add vibrant color to your landscape or containers . Introduced by Bailey's Nurseries, the foliage is a brilliant yellow. New growth is bronze turning to yellow gold and it holds this color late into the summer. In the fall the foliage displays shades of oranges and reds layered in the golden yellow foliage. If you're thinking sumac is just sumac, you haven't seen a picture of Tiger Eyes yet. Tiger Eyes is a compact plant that, at maturity, can reach 6 feet in height and 6 - 8 feet width. It is a slow grower when compared to other sumacs.

Tiger Eyes has an oriental look and can be viewed as a semi-weeping type plant which can liven up any landscape. A very soil adaptive sumac that can withstand drought conditions once established. It will thrive in partial shade to full sun and is hardy in Zones 4 - 8. Tiger Eyes was a new introduction for the 2007 spring season. It sold out before the spring was over. As there are so many new plant introductions every year, some plants are short lived on many peoples interest list. Tiger Eyes will be around for years to come and will continue to stir interest among people who want their containers or garden to make a statement.

Mixed Colors Gladiolus - Giant

patti-nhn — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:05:00 GMT

The Gladiolus 'Giant Mix' is noted for it's GIANT flowers. The flowers can get to over 5-1/2" and their stems can hold as many as 10-14 flowers. These mixed color bulbs will fill your garden with a beautiful showy bouquet as they bloom. They are beautiful in large vases and other flower arrangements. This variety can grow to 36-60 inches tall and would be a colorful background to your other low growing plants.

These are good beginner plants as they are fast growing and very adaptable to many soil types. They do prefer moist, well drained soil so you will want to keep them watered well. If you have a garden that grows good vegetables, that would be a good soil for your glads. If you have a heavy soil, you can add some compost to lighten it up. Full sun is required for them to grow and bloom well. They are so cheerful they can bring a smile to your face whenever you see them.

"A Presidential" Asparagus - Mary Washington!

patti-nhn — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:26:00 GMT

Asparagus 'Mary Washington' is a hardy perennial and extremely delicious. I was never an asparagus lover until I tried it fresh off the plant in the garden. It takes about three years before you get your first harvest. If you try to harvest before that time, removing the spears will weaken the plant. Generally, you will have spears to harvest in the spring through May or June. To remove them you'll want to either snap them off or cut them off with a knife. Asparagus is full of vitamins A and C, folate and fiber. You'll want to cook the asparagus as soon as you can as it will lose flavor and moisture once it is cut from the plant. You can eat asparagus in a number of ways, there are lots of recipes, you can even eat it raw!

I'm beginning to think about planting my garden items, although here in Nebraska I have time to do that planning so the plants don't freeze. Planting should be done in the spring as soon as you can work the ground. You should place the plants about 9-12 inches apart. Sometimes the crown of the plant will rise above the ground after some time and you can add a couple of inches of soil at that time. At first the plants will look spindly but as they age they will fatten up. After you you have a winter freeze, the tops should be removed, this will allow less chance of disease. Enjoy growing and eating your own home grown asparagus, you'll never want it any other way.

Easy to grow bulbs - Anemone - Blue & White Mix Bulbs

patti-nhn — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:59:00 GMT

Anemone De Caen 'Blue & White Mix' are part of the anemone family which come from the Roman and Greek time periods. The Greek name roughly translates into "windflower". The wind that blows the petal open eventually blows the dead petals away. They are easy care and great for container gardening. As a beginner, this would be a good starter plant. You can rely on this plant to perform and charm you with their multiple blue and white flowers. They will bloom a long time from June to August and prefer to be planted in a partially sunny area in moist, well-drained soil.

If you pinch off the faded flowers you can increase the flowering of the plant for quite some time. These also make great dried flowers for wreaths and flower arrangements. The flowers would really be great around a deck and they bloom season after season. You will want to wait until the danger of frost has passed before planting these bulbs in the spring. You could also try planting them in the fall and see them bloom in the spring to enjoy them even longer. Blue is my favorite color and sometimes it is hard to find blue flowers. These are such deep and pure colors that I'll have to plant some myself! Add some red anemones to them and you would have a nice patriotic flower garden.