Smithfield Gardens

grEen News
from Smithfield Gardens 
 
January 2010
 
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In This Issue
Upcoming Events at Smithfield Gardens
Crown of Thorns - The "Other" Euphorbia
Japanese Flowering Apricot - The First Tree of the New Year
Prep Your Garden for Spring 2010
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Dear Friends,

 

     We hope your holidays were enjoyable as well as safe and that you have now settled in to experience the ever unpredictable Tidewater winter.  If you have lived here any length of time you know that our weather this time of year does allow for a few pleasant days where some gardening can take place. Certainly the soils are still warm enough here so that root growth takes place, even if the tops of the plants look sound asleep.  With this in mind we want you to know that we are continuing our End-of-Season Clearance Sale, and all of our trees, shrubs and most of our perennials are on sale 20-50% off.  So it is both a good time to buy as well as a good time to plant.

 

     Another thing we recommend for the odd nice winter day, is to take a walk through the garden with a critical eye.  Look at your plants to see if they have outgrown their space, are crowding their neighbors, need a good pruning or have outlived their usefulness.  Do you have empty holes in your beds that need filling?  Maybe you need to add some boldly textured plants for contrast.  If you have beds full of beautiful spring and summer flowers, but now all is brown and withered, you may want to consider adding some evergreens. 

 

     One thing Les recommends is to wait until late December or early January to mulch.  This way most of the leaves will be off of the trees and on the ground.  You can get a good clean up done in your beds and around your shrubs before putting down fresh mulch.  If the idea of working out in the yard in January doesn't thrill you, no matter how mild it is, you may want to do a little indoor gardening.  Our greenhouse is full of foliage, has lots of great color and is nicely warm.

 

     Since we don't have any classes scheduled for January, we have listed February's in the events calendar.  However, we hope that you will come see us before then.

 

Happy New Year!

Your Friends at Smithfield Gardens 
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Upcoming Events and Classes at Smithfield Gardens
 
February 20th (Sat.) 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
From The Ground Up 
This class will cover preparing new garden beds or improving older ones.  Additives which will improve productivity of plants, flowers and vegetables will also be discussed. Taught by Margie Cooper.
 
February 20th (Sat.) 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Basic Home Landscape Design 
Whether you are dealing with an existing garden that needs an update or your new house is a blank slate, Jeff Williamson will guide you through the initial steps to a new look for your home.
 
February 21st (Sun.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Proper Pruning Techniques 
This time of year is one of the best to be in the garden, busy with your clippers.  Before you make any cuts, come let Les Parks show you what, how and when.
 
February 27th and Sunday the 28th, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Winter Garden and Hellebore Celebration
Come join us as we celebrate our favorite winter blooming plants.  We will have lots of great information, a free class, good deals and refreshments.
 
February 27th (Sat.) 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Hellebores and Other Winter Gems
If you are desperate for color in your yard at this time of year, come let Ann Weber and Jeff Williamson tell you just how many great winter plants are beautiful, available and hardy in this area. 
 
 
 
Other Events:  
 
January 28th (Thu.) 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Get Down Under - Home Gardener Day at the Mid-Atlantic Horticultural Short Course
This is your opportunity to spend a day with top-notch gardening experts as they show you how gardening starts below ground.  This event will be held at the Founders Inn in Virginia Beach and will include a delicious lunch.  For more information click here. 
  
Norfolk Master Gardeners are taking applications for their 10 week training program that begins February 2nd.  For more information go to www.nmgv.org.
 
The Western Tidewater Master Gardener Training Program will begin on Thursday January 14th.  Classes will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon through March 25th at the Isle of Wight Extension Office.  Cost for the class and materials is $100.00.  Class enrollment is limited.  For more information, call 365-4362.
 
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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Crown of Thorns - The "Other" Euphorbia

Euphorbia milii

 

     Euphorbia milii (also known as E. splendens) is an excellent and undemanding choice to brighten a sunny window during the winter months. Other common names that you may encounter for Crown of Thorns include The Christ Plant and Siamese Lucky Plant. For those of you who find the history behind things interesting, this plant family gets its name from Euphorbus who was a physician to an African king (King Juba from 50 BC to 19 AD). Stories say that the king was the first to discover a succulent-type euphorbia and he named it after his physician. Tropical euphorbias have certainly traveled around the world, since the beloved poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) was seen in Mexico in the 1820's by Joel Poinsett, the US ambassador who later brought it back to the United States. 

 

Euphorbia Thailand series 3     Crown of Thorns thrives on some neglect so this may be the perfect choice for people with a brown-ish thumb. Provide a minimum temperature of 55 degrees during the winter months; and allow the soil to dry out some between watering, especially during the cooler months when most plants are not actively growing. Many houseplants from tropical areas are used to high humidity and therefore are far from happy in today's homes with drier air from central heating. Because Euphorbia milii is a succulent species dry air is not a problem. Give as much light as possible indoors, however if you take your plant outside for the summer provide it with a little relief from direct sunlight.

 

Euphorbia Thailand series     The stems on older plants can reach 2' tall, and their grooved stems are covered with sharp thorns. The Crown of Thorns most often available at garden centers bear very small flowers surrounded by showy bracts of coral or light yellow --- the same way that its relative the holiday poinsettia has red, white or pink bracts. Euphorbia milii is normally in bloom from early spring to mid summer, but with adequate light, I am told that it may bloom almost year round. If the stems are broken on any euphorbia they emit a characteristic milky latex sap. Most people are not bothered by this sap; however those with very sensitive skin might get contact dermatitis.

 

Euphorbia Thailand series 2     Plant nerds take note: Some of our plant collecting friends have tipped us off to some new euphorbias from Thailand that have much larger flowers. Pictures of these beautiful hybrid tropical euphorbias can be found by searching for "Thailand euphorbias". This couple purchased their first exotic euphorbia in Florida a few years ago. I have included three photographs of some recent acquistitions that are blooming now in their greenhouse.  I think the creamy white one is especially elegant.  The foliage on these hybrids is attractive too.  We may be able to locate a few of these new euphorbias. So start your search engines now, and check back with us periodically to see whether our plants have arrived! 

 

Ann Weber

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Prunus mume 3

Japanese Flowering Apricot -

The First Tree of the New Year

 

 

 

 

 

  

Prunus mume 1  

 

     It should come as no surprise that January is our slowest month here at the garden center.  Unfortunately that means that fewer people get to see one of the winter stars of our display garden, the Prunus mume.  This plant goes by several common names depending on what part of the globe you are from, but here, it is more often referred to as Japanese flowering apricot or just plain flowering apricot.  The most remarkable characteristic about the plant is the fact that it blooms in winter. Often starting in late December or early January, they can sometimes bloom through March, depending on the weather.  A consistently cold winter will keep their buds tight until later, while early warmth produces an earlier bloom.

 

Prunus mume 2     The flowers can be white, pale pink, rose or red and are 1-1.25" across, usually single but double-blossomed varieties exist as well.  Like so many other plants that bloom in winter, flowering apricot has a strong sweet fragrance, making it easy for whatever pollinators may be out there to find the tree.  The flower's fragrance is so distinctive, that you smell them well before actually seeing them.  The trees are moderately easy to grow needing full sun and good drainage in average soil.  Like most members of the Prunus family there are a number of different insects that will feed upon the tree, but the most damaging are borers.  If happy and healthy flowering apricots will reach about 20' tall with a similar spread.  Although they are not generally known to have good fall foliage color, this year the apricots in our display garden were a beautiful mixture of yellows and soft oranges.  Perhaps it was a response to all the moisture we enjoyed this summer and fall.

 

Plum Blossom in Snow by Takahashi Hiroaki     In Japan the flowering apricot is revered, and there are several festivals held around the country that celebrate the plant.  The flower is also a popular subject of poetry, haikus and art work.  Like so many other things Japanese, the flowering apricot is actually native to China where it is a symbol of hope in the face of adversity.  Although grown widely throughout Asia for its wonderful flowers, it is also cherished for its fruit which usually ripens in late spring or early summer.  In the West the small tart fruits are generally considered inedible, but in Asia it is used for juice, sauces and liquors.  The most famous product made from flowering apricot fruit is the salty sour umeboshi.  Regular viewers of TopUmeboshi Chef and Iron Chef may recognize umeboshi as the whole apricot fruit that has been preserved in salt and colored and flavored with purple shiso(perilla) leaves.

 

     Come in and experience the flowering apricot for yourself, especially if you get tired of feeling housebound this winter and would like a little lift.  You may come away feeling like you took a trip to the Far East without ever leaving home.

 

Les Parks

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Prep Your Garden for Spring 2010

 

     It seems in January most gardeners are kicking back looking through seed catalogs or checking out the backyard birdfeeders that they have so graciously filled with seed and suet.  While these are both great pastimes for dreary January days I have come up with other worthwhile tasks to give you a jump-start on spring!

 

     Since the past year has been so wet this may be the perfect time to attack those winter broadleaf weeds we find so irritating.  Chickweed, clover and henbit are very tender now and easily removed from lawns and flowerbeds.  With hand-weeding those little weed sprouts will come right out of the ground using the slightest tug.  If hand-weeding is not your cup of tea, there are many chemical products available to help control weed growth even in cooler temperatures.  Weed Free Zone and Preen can be used when temps are above 45 degrees.  These two products when used in conjunction with each other get rid of weeds in both a pre and post-emergent way.  Speak with a knowledgeable salesperson when purchasing these products to get the best information on the proper usage.

 

     Beds and garden plots can also have some prep work done to get ready for planting as long as the ground is not too soggy.  Soil additives can be introduced allowing the enrichment of your soil to begin.  Rich Earth, compost, manure and lime can be liberally added to garden plots making it possible to start cole crops in late February or early March.  Rich Earth in flowerbeds will put back essential nutrients plants use during the year for overall health and good growth.  Please keep in mind, adding nutrients to your soil is not fertilizing!  Those are two separate things and they need to stay that way.  Fertilizing should not be done until plants show growth in the spring.  Pansies are the only exception to this rule as they are heavy feeders and need to be fed monthly.

 

     This time can also be used to change and enlarge flowerbeds or to transplant plants from one area to another.  Pruning is also appropriate to do now as long as the plant is not a spring bloomer.  Now is also a great time to look around the yard and see if you have any areas that need color.  You can definitely add annuals to give areas more depth.

 

     Hopefully, this will help you get started on spring chores so in the spring you can enjoy your yard more.  Please contact me with any questions that you need answers to.  I'll be glad to help.

 

Margie Cooper
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Quick Links...
 
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Contact Information and Store Hours
 
January Store Hours:
Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday
Open 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sundays
 
Closed Friday 1/1 for New Year's Day
 
Tel 757-238-2511     Fax 757-238-3836
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