Edible Landscapes...Don't Forget the Pollination

 Thanks to the ever growing trend of 'Going Green', tight budgets and just plain common sense, eco-conscious home-owners are becoming interested in planting edible landscapes.  

Nice use of espaliered apples.

As you saw last week, we received some nice varieties of fruiting trees. Just seeing them all lined up is enough to get anyone excited about home 'orchyarding', but it takes more than just picking out your favorite fruit and planting the tree. How can you make sure these edible plants will produce fruit? It starts with the basics - pollination.

Self pollination - Some trees can set an abundant crop with their own pollen.  A single self-pollinating peach tree, for instance, will produce a good amount of fruit on its own, without another variety nearby. Peaches and tart cherries are almost always self-pollinating. However, fruitset is enhanced by having another variety nearby that has the same bloom time.  

Cross pollination - The majority of fruit trees require cross-pollination. These trees need pollen from another tree - the same species but a different cultivar. Two trees of the same cultivar will not cross-pollinate each other.  The flowering times must overlap so the honey bee,  the most important carrier of pollen, can do its job.   

Click on each fruit to learn more about their pollination requirements:  

Apples      Pears      Cherries       Peaches      Plums   

Other points to consider:  

Location - Fruit trees should be planted in full sun in well-drained fertile soil. For best chances of cross-pollination, trees should be within 50' of one another. 

Pruning - They need an annual pruning. Prune apples and pears when dormant. Prune cherries late winter. Prune peaches while in bloom when periods of dry weather are predicted.    

Watering - During the first season water once a week if there was not adequate rainfall. 

Fertilization -Use a good fertilizer at planting time like Healthy start 3-4-3 or Espoma's Plant-tone.   

Spraying - Be sure to look into practical pest control options for a bountiful yield.

Hellebore Heaven - Get rid of your Winter Blues!

About this time every year our eyes focus on the subtle blooms of  Helleborus hybrids, the Lenten Rose.  It's a wonderful first sign of spring to offer your customers. This perennial's flowers are subtle pinks and maroons - colors that are hard to find this time of year. They're very long lasting, fading slowly to a muted green over time. They form large clumps  that are evergreen and deer resistant. In addition they're low maintenance - just prune off last season's spent foliage at bloom-time for a neat clean look. Plant them where the snow first melts like against a wall or fence or use them as underplantings in the shrub border. Moist well-drained soil in part shade keeps them happy! Stop by either sales yard and pick them out while  in bloom! 

NOW

Dura-Heat River Birch 14-16'

Here's a sample of this week's incoming B&B material.

Betula nigra 'Dura Heat' 14-16'. 

Cercis canadensis 'Lavender Twist' (Weeping Redbud) 4-4.5' Beautiful form on these graceful, shorter stemmed specimens. Wide canopy - A must see! Limited.

Chamaecyparis obt. 'Cripsii' (Golden Hinoki Cypress) 7-8'. 

Cornus kousa (Kousa Dogwood) 6' specimen.

C. kousa 'Pendula' (Weeping Kousa Dogwood) 7-8', limited.

C. x 'Aurora' (Hybrid Dogwood) 4.5-5", limited.

Cotinus cogg. 'Pink Champagne' (Smokebush) 6', 'Golden Spirit' 4'. Keep these in mind to add contrast to the landscape!  

Heptacodium mic. (Seven-sons Flower) 6'. Nice for bark interest and summer flowers.

Hydrangea m. 'Glowing Embers' 3'.

H. quercifolia 'Alice' 30", 3-4'

Ilex vert. 'Winter Red' (Winterberry) 4'.

Magnolia x loebneri 'Merril'7-8', 8-10'; M. 'Leonard Messel' 7-8'

Magnolia x ' Lois' A yellow bloomer like her sister 'Elizabeth' - improved flowering but a little later blooming. 6-8'.

Myrica pensyl. (Bayberry) 4' Fragrant leaves on this native plant. Salt tolerant.  

Ostrya virginica 2.5-3" (American Hophornbeam) An interesting hard-to-find native in the Birch family growing 25-40' tall. Female catkins are followed by seedpods that resemble the fruit of hops, hence the common name.  Forms interesting vertical stripes on bark over time. Great as a lawn, street or woodland tree. 

Stewartia pseud. (Japanese Stewartia) 8-10'

Styrax jap. (Japanese Snowbell) 1.75, 2.5"

Syringa ret.  'Ivory Silk' (Japanese Tree Lilac)

S. vulgaris 'Alba' (Common Lilac)

Viburnum -  many varieties including:  'Allegheny', V. carlesii, 'Mariesii', 'Mohawk', 'Onondaga', 'Shoshone'  

Paperbark Maple 5-6" specimen.

Larger Specimens, all limited

Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) 5-6".  A  beautiful form, an excellent specimen.   

Carpinus betula 'Pendula' (Weeping Hornbeam) 3", 4.5"

Cercidiphyllum jap. (Katsura) 5" Small heart-shaped leaves, good fall color. Emits sweet unmistakable fragrance in fall!   

Parrotia persica (Persian Parrotia) 5-6". Great fall color, tolerant of urban situations, beautiful branching.   

Prunus sub. 'Autumnalis' (Autumn Cherry) 5", Blooms pink in spring and again, sporadically, in fall. Beautifully shaped. 

P. serrulata 'Snowgoose' 6" Wide upright white flowering Cherry.   

Zelkova serrata 'Green Vase' ( Japanese Zelkova) 6". One of the best selections of Zelkova. Fast growing with upright arching branches. Fall color is bronze-red. A wonderful shade tree for something a little different. 

Pansies are here!

Check them out in our Newtown sales yard!

Hardgoods

As you assess your customers' lawns, use our Fast Establishment seed for any turf repairs needed after this winter!  Perennial ryegrasses have greatly improved in recent years, and with their quick germination period, our Fast Establishment Rye mix will fill in quickly and give your customers a blemish-free lawn by the time they haul out their grill!

Have you tried Penn Mulch along with your lawn repairs? Perfect for promoting seed to soil contact to keep the seed moist for fast germination - just what they need for a great start!  

We are fully stocked with grass seed and fertilizers for every situation.            

and finally...