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grEen News
from Smithfield Gardens
May 2009
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Dear Friends,
Who doesn't love the Month of May with its perfect weather for gardening? Certainly the cold is gone until this fall, and usually we are spared long spells of heat (although this is Hampton Roads and that could change). This is an enjoyable month for those of us who work here too. We have lots of wonderful plants and merchandise, and since it is no longer the crazy month of April, we have more time to help you as well. We have also resumed our free classes and are offering 9 of them this month (look at the calendar below).
May is also rose month for us here. We do sell these lovelies year round, but we have our best selection in early May just in time for Mother's Day, which is on the 10th this year. Speaking of Mom, on Saturday the 9th, throughout the day, there will be an opportunity for kids to make something special for Mom. There is a very small materials fee, but it shouldn't bust anyone's allowance.
Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off to summer and this year it is on the 25th, a little earlier than usual. Of course we will be open that day so you can do a little gardening before you fire up the grill and ice the cooler. If you need to spruce up the patio or deck before then, we look forward to helping you with that. We hope to see you soon.
Happy Gardening!
Your Friends at Smithfield Gardens |
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Upcoming Events and Classes at Smithfield Gardens
May 2nd (Sat.) 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Basic Perennial Gardening for Beginners
Growing perennials is becoming more and more popular, and with all the choices and colors it is easy to see why. Let JoEllen give you the ins and outs of getting started.
May 2nd (Sat.) 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Selecting and Growing Japanese Maples
Let Les tell you what it takes to grow one of the garden's most elegant trees. May 3rd (Sun.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Shade Garden Basics
In this class Ann will teach you that the shady areas of your garden are not as difficult to make beautiful as you might think.
May 9th (Sat) throughout the day
Make a Flowering Gift for Mom
This a special program for kids age 5 and up that lets them make a small flowering gift for Mom with their own hands for just a little bit of money. Dads, bring the kids in anytime, there are no set hours.
May 9th (Sat.) 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Introducing the "Beautiful Gardens" Plant Program
Les will introduce you to a new program that intends to promote and develop plants that are good to grow throughout Virginia.
May 16th (Sat.) 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Container Gardening
Let JoEllen show you how you don't need a large yard to have a colorful garden. A few well designed pots on a small patio or deck can be very enjoyable.
May 17th (Sun.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Butterfly Gardening
Ann will be teaching this class on what you need to do to attract these "flying flowers" into your yard.
May 30th (Sat.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Transition Zone Gardening - Welcome to Tidewater
If you are new to Hampton Roads or new to gardening, this class will give you the tips you need to garden successfully in this challenging climate. JoEllen will be teaching.
May 31st (Sun.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Let's Get Green Series - Part I
Saving Our Waterways and Conserving Water
Learn what you can do to help make waterways cleaner with a rain garden and other ideas. Ann will also teach you how to use rain barrels and gray water for your garden.
Other Events:
April 30th (Thu.) to May 2nd (Sat.)
63rd Annual Williamsburg Garden Symposium
May 7th (Fri.) and May 12th (Tue.) 10:00 a.m.
Virginia Beach Master Gardeners volunteer orientation training
Dept. of Agriculture, 2449 Princess Annne Rd., Virginia Beach
Call 385-4869 for more information.
May 16th (Sat.) 9:00 a.m.
Nature Walk
Weyonoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary
1501 Armistead Bridge Rd. Norfolk, call 625-1907 for more information
The Norfolk Botanical Gardens has classes throughout the month and you can go to www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org to learn more and to register.
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A Few New Perennials
As the trucks of perennials are unloaded my trained "plant nerd eye" can spot the new arrivals quickly. Many of them I have asked the Greenhouse manager to look for, after reading about them in magazines and seeing them on the internet last year, while some are totally unexpected arrivals. I decided to write about a few of these interesting perennials this month.  If you've read my articles before you know that I am a fan (and private collector) of heucheras (coral bells); and two new H. villosa type coral bells are 'Pinot Gris' (from the same French hybridizer that brought us the wonderful 'Citronelle' and 'Mocha') and 'Blackout'. Last fall I ordered a 3" pot of 'Pinot Gris' for $15, before paying shipping and handling, from a well-known gardening catalogue. I coveted it because it is one of the Villosa hybrids that changes color through the year. According to a Jackson-Perkins website its spring foliage is a "bright gingery shade of orange with touches of bright blue and a silvery overlay". Then as the weather warms "the leaves become a rosy shade of pink, darkening to smoky intensity, the veins standing out nearly black". Warm weather also brings a silvery overlay to the pinkish leaves. If you purchased a near black H.'Obsidian' when it was introduced a couple of years ago (which sold out every time we received a shipment) you'll be interested to learn that the new 'Blackout' is reputed to be even stronger growing than its predecessor. I'm guessing that if you wander near our heuchera section you'll be reading some labels yourself, because the colors are that eye-catching!  Two new low-growing veronicas (speedwell, for you common name people) have arrived this spring. Veronica spicata 'Tickled Pink' is a sport of the long-blooming purple V. 'Goodness Grows', and the bubblegum-pink blooms will keep coming for a long time if you keep the old flowers cut off. This perennial prefers full sun and gets 12-18" tall. Veronica prostrata 'Goldwell' forms a spreading evergreen carpet (only 3-4" tall), and its narrow green leaves are edged in gold. You should see a reddish flush on the leaves in cooler temperatures, and the spikes of purple-blue flowers appear in early summer. This is one of those cute little perennials that you could grow for the foliage alone ---and still be happy. Herbaceous peonies are reminiscent of a kinder, gentler time so I was pleased to see that we are carrying two new (for us, anyway) selections---'Sword Dance' and 'Coral Fay'. Because I'm from upstate New York where peonies grow like huge thick shrubs with no effort from the gardener, save cutting off the brown foliage in the late fall, it came as a surprise to me that the happiest ones in our warm area are the early/ single varieties. 'Sword Dance' has true red petals with a showy cluster of yellow and red-streaked stamens, while deep coral pink 'Coral Fay' has finely divided foliage and semi-double flowers with golden yellow stamens. When you visit us don't forget to check out the always popular 'Scarlet O'Hara' peony planted in the display garden with the green arbor. I hope these descriptions have piqued your curiosity enough to make you want to see the plants in person. There are so many more new and unusual plants to discover when you visit us. I would suggest asking for some assistance, just so you don't miss any that might not yet be placed in their permanent locations. From Acanthus 'Summer Beauty' to Zizia, we're sure to have something for your garden. Ann Weber |
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Good to Grow, Good to Eat, Good for You
One of the biggest stories of the year, not just in gardening circles, but nationally, has been the increased interest in home fruit and vegetable gardening. Many people have been growing their own food for... well forever. However, people who are new to this satisfying type of gardening often want to start by jumping in feet first with eyes shut. Those interested in growing their own fruit trees are often overwhelmed when I explain to them what kind of room they will need and what kind of work will need to be done to make the trees productive. I usually suggest they start small, with plants that don't take a great deal of care and are easily productive. Perhaps some of the best fruit bearing plants that fit this description are blueberries.
In this part of the country the best type of blueberries to grow are the Southern Rabbiteye Hybrids. These plants thrive in our heat and humidity and at a young age are very productive. In order to grow blueberries you will need a spot with full to partial sun. They will grow in shade, but they will not produce as much fruit. Blueberries are shallow rooted and also need good drainage. When you plant, the soil mix should be 1/2 to 1/3 good organic matter (like compost, peat moss or manure) with the rest being good topsoil. Blueberry bushes can get up to 6' tall and wide. You can plant them, as close to 3' apart to make a hedge, but 5-6' apart would be ideal. After you get them in the ground, a good layer of mulch will help hold the moisture in and keep the weeds down.
One quirk with blueberries is that there must be at least two different varieties present to get fruit. It does not matter how many of this one or how many of that one - as long as there is a mix. Another quirk with these plants is that they really thrive in acidic soils, and fortunately that is what most of us have here. Because of this, they should be fertilized with a product labeled for acid loving plants, like azalea and camellia food. When it comes to pruning they can be lightly shaped immediately after harvest if need be. Once they have been in the ground for 3 years it is recommended that you remove 1/3 of the older branches in winter. There are few pests or diseases that afflict blueberries. About the worst problem is keeping the birds from eating them before you have a chance to. You can drape them with netting when the fruit begins to ripen, or like serious blueberry enthusiasts, you can build a permanent cage around them.
One very nice trait of blueberries is that they are ornamental as well as edible. In the spring they have showy clusters of delicate ivory flowers blushed with pink and blue. Of course when they ripen in early summer a shrub full of colorful berries is pretty, but I think the berries are prettier in a bowl next to a spoon. The foliage is a dusty blue green in summer, and in the fall it can turn several shades of orange and red adding loads of color to the landscape.
One last thing about blueberries - not only are they tasty, easy to grow and pretty in the yard - they are also very good for you. They are high in vitamins and antioxidants, and some health gurus tout them as a "super food". I don't know about that, but I know what I like to eat and what I like to grow.
Les Parks
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Warm or Cool Season Grass - The Choice Is Yours
For those of you who are new to Tidewater or are new to growing turf grass, please let me explain something about our area and what does well here. We in Tidewater live in what is called a transition zone, which means we are between regions where cool season turf grasses and warm season turf grasses thrive. Warm season grasses (Bermuda, Zoysia, Centipede and St. Augustine) do not stay green in winter but love our summer heat. Whereas cool season grasses (Rye and Fescue) do not like our summer heat, but don't mind our winters. Therefore, you need to make a decision about the grass in your lawn. Will it be warm or cool? Let me tell you what I know about each type, and maybe that will help you make a choice.
Cool season grasses are very pretty, dark green and lush. They need some pampering and require a lot of water in the summer. Keeping weeds out is also very important, so you should follow a control program. For every seed sown of cool season grass you get a plant and since they do not reproduce on their own you must seed every year, preferably in fall. Feeding is also done in the fall and early winter. Because of our summer heat and humidity, fungus can be a real problem. Sowing a fescue blend can minimize this, but occasionally you may have to spray a fungicide. (The reason I am only discussing fescue is because rye will be alive only in the coolest months and dies around April.) Most grass seed commercials you see on TV spotlight fescue lawns, but these are often filmed in cooler climates where fescues and ryes easily stay that green. So, if your fescue lawn doesn't look like these please don't worry - in our area they probably never will.
Warm season grasses are never going to be green in the cool months. You either don't mind the blond color or over-seed with rye. This is always personal preference. Warm season lawns tend to take less labor, water, fertilizers and chemicals. They are thick and aggressive enough to keep out the majority of weeds. Most warm season grass can be sown, but St. Augustine and Zoysia are grown from plugs. Since warm season grasses are running types, each plant will produce more plants, so seeding each year is not actually necessary. They will also stand up to lots of traffic and wear. Perhaps one of their best features is they won't need to be mowed as frequently as fescue.
My favorite types of grass by far are the warm season varieties. However, it wasn't always that way. When I first started working at Smithfield Gardens, it was fescue, because that is what my dad grew. I have come to appreciate the low maintenance grasses for their ability to withstand our climate with its hot and occasionally droughty summers, and still look good. Because they need less water, fertilizer, fungicides and less mowing, they are the better choice environmentally. If you need any other information, give us a call, or you can also request one of our pamphlets on either type of grass.
Margie Cooper |
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