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January at the Nursery...
Color for indoors and out January days may be gray but our greenhouse defies gloom with colorful blooms! Freshen up outdoor plantings with pansies or English primrose and enjoy color inside with fairy and German primrose, hydrangeas, cyclamen, narcissus, hyacinth, kalanchoe and reiger begonias.
Houseplants During winter, since space allows, we have our best selection of houseplants. Use lush, bold foliage inside to create a tropical feel reminiscent of warmer months.
Topiaries Fresh shipments of ivy and angel vine topiaries have arrived, as well as new preserved boxwood topiaries!
Evergreen perennials New arrivals include autumn and holly fern, rosemary and lenten rose.
Trees and Shrubs January and February are among the best months for landscaping projects. We have a good supply of interesting trees and shrubs, some of which are currently in bloom, such as camellia, witchhazel and paperbush. (Be sure to check out this month's coupon!) |
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Garden Firstlings
Primrose Signal the Start of a New Year
 During January, as we hang our new calenders and adjust to writing 2012 in the date instead of 2011, we can think about how people in past times have marked the beginning of new years. Primrose, or Primula species, have long been one of the first blooms to appear in earliest winter. The botanical name for Cowslip, Primula veris, literally means "firstling of spring," and primrose translates to "first rose." When the jewel-like blooms of primrose appear, spring follows close behind.
The Primulaceae family includes another garden favorite, the cyclamens. Most Primula species are native to the Himalayas, which explains why, in our gardens, they enjoy a cool, moist environment. Read about the three most commonly available primrose in our area, and how to care for them, in our January 2009 e-newsletter.
Celebrate the new year with a small container garden: Since primrose like to stay moist, they combine wonderfully with the delicate foliage of ferns. Place in a bright spot indoors and welcome 2012 with a nod from nature. |
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Preserving History
With Preserved Boxwood Topiaries
 Even novice gardeners are familiar with topiaries and it's no wonder, since the art has been preserved and passed on to us through history by our gardening forefathers. Topiary comes from the Latin topiarius, which means "creator of places" and refers to gardeners who practiced the art. The first documented description of topiaries was by the Roman Pliny the Elder, who ascribed their origin to Gnaius Mattius, a friend of Emporer Augustus (38 BC to 14 AD), although the practice was likely absorbed from earlier Mediterranean and Asiatic cultures.
Topiary is a form of living sculpture, and the practice of trimming trees and shrubs into shapes was a luxury developed by people during peaceful, prosperous times. Topiary art all but disappeared during the Dark Ages, which followed the collapse of the Roman Empire, as people's lives were absorbed with merely surviving.
Fortunately for us, topiary was preserved within monastic and castle walls and has survived wild popularity and periods of disregard since. While our current culture does not necessarily offer the time or encouragement needed for the general population to develop skills requiring hand-work and patience, we can nevertheless enjoy topiaries in a way it does provide for: we can purchase them, enjoy them in our homes and gardens and remember the adept creativity and skill used by gardening generations past.
This month, stop by and discover our beautiful new preserved boxwood topiaries. Made from real boxwood, they are an excellent way to bring a piece of garden history into your home. Best used indoors and kept dry, these topiaries will last effortlessly for years to come! |
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