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grEen News
from Smithfield Gardens
September 2009
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Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that another summer has come and gone. Technically summer will be with us another three weeks, but unofficially it will end as of Labor Day. Over the summer all of us here have had a chance to get away and "vacate" for a time, which is good, our managers will need it. You will be seeing more of them out of the office, watering plants, ringing the register and pushing carts. In light of the economy we are trying make the most of staff on hand and hold costs down. To keep your costs down, we have been shopping for better bargains on all that we offer. You will be able to see many reduced prices on trees, shrubs, perennials, grass seed and more.
Late in August we started getting in the first of our fall shipments that included new trees and shrubs, grass seed and lawn care supplies. Our fall mums have just begun to arrive, and we are currently well stocked with fall vegetable cell packs and seeds. Early in September we will have our best selection of spring blooming bulbs like daffodils and tulips. Make your pick now, but wait to plant until later, we will be happy to tell you how best to store them. Later in the month new fruit trees, camellias, pansies and pumpkins will arrive. By the end of the month we should be fully stocked - just in time for our Fall Festival which will be October 3rd & 4th. But we do hope you will come in before then.
Happy gardening!
Your friends at Smithfield Gardens |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Upcoming Events and Classes at Smithfield Gardens
September 12th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Easy Propagating Techniques
Ann Weber will share her techniques for the easiest ways to get many plants from one.
September 19th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Beyond Mums - Fall Bloomers
Come discover some of the many plants that will give your garden loads of color and interest this fall. Taught by Ann Weber.
September 26th, Sat. 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Gardening in Tidewater
Many people who are new to the area and even a few who are not, find that gardening here can be a challenge. Come let JoEllen Gienger share her tips for success.
September 26th, Sat. 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Cool Season Lawn Care
This is the best time of year to spend time improving your fescue lawn. Margie Cooper will be able to give you all the advice you need to know.
September 27th, Sun. 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Basic Garden Maintenance
Les Parks will teach this beginner's class (that's not just for beginners) on some very simple things you can do in your garden that will keep the headache level low.
October 3rd and 4th, Sat. and Sun.
Mark your Calanders for our annual Fall Festival.
Other Events:
September 12th, Sat. 10:00 a.m.
Horticultural Open House, The Virginia Zoo
If you have never been to the zoo just for the plants, you need to. This day will be filled with presentations, plant sales, garden crafts and more. The price of admission includes all activities. Call 757-441-2374, ext. 253 for more details.
September 12th, Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
10th Annual Community Garden Festival
This event will include speakers, demonstrations, tours, plant sales and more. It will be held at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station at 1444 Diamond Springs Rd. in Virginia Beach. Call 757-385-4769 for more information.
September 13th, Sun. 2:00 p.m.
Beginners Rose Show
This event is sponsored by the Virginia Peninsula Rose Society and all persons interested in learning how to compete in rose shows are invited. Please RSVP to Robert Little at 757-851-1140.
September 17th, Thu. 7:00 p.m.
Growing a Fall Vegetable Garden
This is part of the Urban Gardener Lecture Series at the Fred Huette Center in Norfolk. The class will be taught by Portsmouth Extension Agent, Cynthia Wyskiewicz. For more information click HERE.
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This Tough "True Blue" Perennial Provides Late Summer Flowers
There are very few truly blue perennials for our area. Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (ser-at-o-stig'-ma) is quite a mouthful, but imagine how impressed your friends will be if you can rattle this off as a little known garden gem. With common names of False Plumbago and Leadwort this perennial was discovered in Shanghai, China in 1846. The name is derived from the Greek keras (horn) and stigma, and refers to the shape of the stigma. While doing a little fact checking for this article, I learned that the suffix oides means similar to. The shape of this perennial's flowers does resemble the flower of tropical plumbago (Plumbago auriculata), hence the plumbaginoides as the species name.
This short perennial groundcover has brilliant blue flowers in dense clusters above bright green spreading foliage that usually reaches 8"-12" tall. The flowers are five-petaled and about ¾" across. There are those who might complain that there "aren't a whole bunch of flowers open at the same time", however the intense blue color is always present in some form. Though this plant does lose its leaves during the winter months, the leaves turn a striking deep red color in the fall, providing an added bonus feature. Websites offering this plant often commented that the tight coverage of Ceratostigma prevented weeds from showing their faces, and that it was a good choice to prevent soil erosion. Got deer? Sites also reported that this plant is not tasty to Bambi. Gardeners could utilize leadwort as a groundcover over bulb beds because it is late to emerge in the spring.
This plant is quite flexible about soil conditions however it will not grow well in poorly drained soil. Where it is planted at Smithfield Gardens it returns reliably in a very neglected area with sandy soil. Some vendors said it can not tolerate competition from tree roots, but our plant is surrounded by some good-sized companions like a crape myrtle and established herbs. Sun to partial shade will produce the most flowers.
Butterflies appreciate its nectar in the leaner late summer months when many other perennials have finished blooming, and you will enjoy the wonderful blue flowers from August through October. Check out this perennial as the weather cools and you return to browsing the garden centers for entertainment. Who knows? Perhaps this Ceratostigma will become one of your "true blue" gardening companions, too.
Ann Weber
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Native Beauties - Bald Cypress
(another installment in a series on some of our best native plants)
I often use sentences with the words "one of my favorite trees is...", but this time I really mean it. Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is one of my favorite trees. In fact I would put it in the top five. This tree is an ancient species that grows naturally from Texas to Florida and up the coast to Delaware, but has proven adaptable far away from its native range. Virginia is blessed with some of the country's grandest specimens. Tucked away in a once forgotten corner of Southampton Co., along the Nottaway River is an area called Cypress Bridge. Here some of the states oldest and largest Bald Cypress reside. Some of you may recall that Virginia's oldest tree, "Big Mama" died at Cypress Bridge last summer. Estimates listed her age as anywhere from 1000 to 1500 years old, and she reached a height of 123'.
 One of the reasons Bald Cypress live so long is the durability of their wood. It is very disease, insect and rot resistant. These same qualities made it prized by woodworkers and builders to the point where it was over-harvested in many areas. Submerged Bald Cypress trunks, left over from a logging operation in the 1800's, were recently found on the bed of a Florida river. These logs still made excellent (and prized) lumber long after they were cut from the forest. Besides their wood, one of the other great qualities is their soft ferny foliage. In spite of being a conifer they are deciduous, and their spring color is a very bright and attractive yellow-green. Before the leaves drop in the fall they turn a beautiful pumpkin-orange color.
In their native habitats, Bald Cypress grow in fresh to brackish water swamps. Here you will see their characteristic cypress knees. For years people have wondered what purpose these unique structures served. At one time the knees were mistakenly thought to exchange gasses in the wet swamp, while others feel the structures are part of a buttressing system used for support in the soft soils. Whatever the reason, I like the way they look. Although Bald Cypress thrives in wet swampy areas, they do just as well in normal soils. However, they will not grow knees here. They also do well in full sun, have a fast growth rate and can reach 70-80' or more at maturity.
 There are many accessible places locally where you can see fine examples of Bald Cypress. In Chesapeake you can see them at Northwest River Park, the Dismal Swamp and along the water at Great Bridge and Deep Creek. In fact, the tree is featured on the city's official seal. There are also a good number along the James River, including the area around Jamestown and at Chippokes Plantation State Park. One of my favorite places to see them is at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. At this park they are draped in Spanish Moss, and elevated walkways really let you experience the swamp they grow in without getting wet feet.
Finally, I would like to discourage you from buying cypress mulch, which we stopped selling here when we found that much of it was being harvested in an unsustainable way from very sensitive locations. Besides, a native tree this grand should have a more noble end than keeping your Marigolds mulched.
Les Parks |
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Spring Blooming Bulbs:
Your Best Selection Is Now
Every year I write about spring blooming bulbs. Most of the time, the article appears in the spring when everyone sees the flowers and wants them. So this year I have decided to write about them now, not only to remind you to buy them now, but also to remind you of how beautiful and easy they are to grow.
Bulbs are very near and dear to my heart, in fact I would be hard pressed to come up with something I like better (maybe daylilies... no bulbs win!). Nothing in the plant world really compares to the spectacular display bulbs produce for us on a yearly basis. The mixture of daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and crocus can be breath-taking. Adding bulbs to your flowerbeds will add a whole other dimension of depth and color at a time of year that tends to be devoid of both. It doesn't take a lot of knowledge to produce these wonderful displays, it does however take some planning and forethought.
Spring blooming bulbs are very straight forward. They like well drained soil and sun. If you have these two very basic ingredients, you too can have a bulb display to make your neighbors green with envy and isn't that what it's all about? Just kidding! There are many tricks to growing bulbs and I will try to share as many as I can with you. What follows are some basic tips I have come across over the years of buying, growing, and selling bulbs. Hopefully, they will be of some service to you.
DAFFODILS
One of the most recognized of all bulbs would be the daffodil. I am sure you have been driving down a country lane in the spring only to look at the side of the road and see tons of yellow daffodils. There won't be anything there but those cheery flowers, I am sure at some point there was a home, however now only the daffodils remain. Very easy to grow these bulbs tend to be toxic to most animals, hence, they will be left alone allowing them to increase on their own. This makes them a most desirable plant for your flowerbeds, and over time many plants will be produced from the initial bulbs you plant. Daffodils come in many shapes, sizes, and colors so when choosing them read the info on the package. This will tell you the bloom time and height of the plant and from this you will be able to put the bulb in the correct area. Always make sure the drainage is good in the flowerbed. If it isn't, correct this problem before planting by using Permatil (a soil additive to increase drainage in clay soils & can also be used to ward off critters that want to eat other bulbs planted with your daffodils). Use daffodils as a bright focal point in your winter or early spring garden; they are bright, cheery, make excellent cut flowers and will multiply all by themselves.
TULIPS
One of the most beloved of all the bulbs, tulips were originally from Turkey. They were brought to northern Europe, hybridized and the rest is history. It is probably best to treat these bulbs as annuals, not because they won't come back but because it can be hard to get them to perennialize. Drainage is again key here and these bulbs are loved by voles and squirrels as well. Try planting these in a circle of daffodils, since daffodils are toxic, most animals won't breech the circle to get to the tulips. Permatil can also be used here because it is a very sharp coarse rock product and is very uncomfortable to voles so they will tend to leave the bulbs alone. Most packages of tulips will tell you to plant to a depth of about six inches, however in our area try a depth of ten inches. Most critters won't dig down that deep and drainage tends to be better as well. Many colors and forms have been added to the tulip world over the last few years. I strongly suggest you try some this year.
HYACINTHS AND CROCUS
When my father built our house fifty-some years ago my mother decided to plant crocus in our front yard. They still bloom every year around my birthday and my mom is still surprised when they do. Usually the crocus are the first spring blooming bulbs to come up each year. Crocus can even bloom in the snow and look absolutely wonderful. Color choices aren't as plentiful but they don't need to be because these guys are long lived and great at multiplying. Try them, they are well worth taking a chance on.
Hyacinths are great cut flowers because of their wonderful scent. There are loads of flowers on each stalk, and they are very sturdy and refreshing. These are great accent bulbs for any flowerbed. One word of warning though, be careful when handling the bulbs as they have something in their bulb covering that can be very irritating to most people's skin. Hyacinths also come in many colors.
I hope you will be tempted this season to add bulbs to your yard. I don't think you will be disappointed. The bulbs should arrive by the second week of the month but call to be certain they are in before you come down. Also, if you would like to try your hand at forcing bulbs we have information on that at the store as well. When you do come to the store we can answer any questions you might have on this or any subject. We look forward to seeing you.
Margie Cooper
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