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Stay Cool with Native Ferns
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 | L-r. Lady Fern 'Lady in Red', Christmas Fern, Royal Fern
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With temperatures beginning to climb for the summer months, consider offering your customers a restful spot to cool off this summer. A shady woodland comes to mind which is something easy to find here in New England. Ferns seem to give us a sense of cool and calm for some reason, so they are a great plant to start with. They have a long season of interest beginning with the emergence of fiddelheads early spring. Their even shades of green are reliable and largely pest and disease resistant. Some turn a golden yellow after the first hard frost. Give them moist soil with a good amount of organic matter which will help with moisture retention. Have a real wet spot? Try the Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis), it grows naturally in boggy spots and along stream beds.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern) Black wirey stems on this smaller woodland fern. 12-18".
Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern) This lady has red stems, nice especially if viewed up close.
Matteucia strutheropteris 'The King' (Ostrich Fern) 50% larger than parent plant, growing 4-7' tall and 2-3' wide. Ostrich fern spreads freely. Fiddleheads are edible.
Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern) Fuzzy young fronds appear early spring and separate, cinnamon colored fertile fronds appear soon after, but don't last all season. 3-4' tall.
Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern) This fern has a slightly different look as you can see above right. They will grow quite large, 2-5'. Great for bogs. Click on the link for lots of interesting information!
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas Fern) An evergreen fern. New fronds emerge in spring so keep them neat by pruning off last years growth, if they are in a prominent place. 12-24".
 | Cornus canadensis (Bunchberry)
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Native Companions:
Cornus canadensis (Bunchberry)
Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny Spurge)
Gallium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff)
Asarum canadensis (Canadian Ginger)
Podophyllum (Mayapple)
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| Perennial of the Week: Achillea x 'Moonshine' |
 | Achillea x 'Moonshine'
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common name: Yarrow
size: 18-24"
interest: Silvery Foliage, flat lemon-yellow flower clusters
culture: Full sun, lean soil
time of year: summer
companion plants: Gaillardia, Salvia, Nepeta, Caryopteris, Perovskia, Echinops, Echinacea...
A wonderful summer blooming plant that requires little maintenance and looks great with so many other perennials thanks to this Yarrow's soft silvery foliage. Good as a cut flower or even dried. Use in the perennial border or in areas where you want a natural, meadow look. Plant in full sun - once established they can tolerate drought. Best of all they are deer resistant!
Take a look at other Achillea varieties including the ruby-red 'Paprika'.
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Highly Recommended: PHC Saves the Day! |
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PHC Flower Saver Plus |
PHC Flower Saver Plus is used at the time of planting as a root zone treatment for flower beds and gardens improving the health, vigor and stress resistance of plants.
It contains a dry "cocktail" blend of four selected species of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi in long-lasting spore form that colonize and invigorate the roots in landscape plantings. Included in the blend is Myconate, which speeds root colonization.
PHC Flower Saver Plus also contains Healthy Start fertilizer with beneficial bacteria and rich organic soil nutrients. The result is a complete soil treatment for promoting healthy, long lasting flowers.
Excellent for annuals, perennials, flowering shrubs, tropicals, groundcovers and ornamental grasses. |
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 | | Hydrangea House in Newtown |
In This Week:
Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
Acer palmatum dissectum (Weeping Japanese Maples) 'Crimson Queen' and 'Inaba Shidari' which means "like the cascading leaves of the rice plant"
7 gal.
Azalea 'Delaware Valley' and 'Silver Sword' which has variegated leaves with rich pink flower clusters.
Hydrangea mac. 'Endless Summer' - blooming as you can see to the right.
 | Ilex crenata 'Helleri' (Japanese Holly)
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Broadleaf and Ornamental Evergreens Buxus mic. 'Winter Gem'
B. sempervirens (Common Boxwood), B. x 'Green Velvet' 21-24"
Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly) 'Compacta', 'Green Luster', 'Helleri', 'Hoogendorn', 'Steeds' 7 gallon
Juniperus horizontalis 'Icee Blue'
Picea glauca 'Conica' (Dwarf Alberta Sruce) assorted sizes
Pinus mugo 'Pumilo' (Dwarf Mugo Pine) '10g
Nice Finds - Not to be Missed! Acer buergeranum (Trident Maple) A wonderful small Maple growing 25-30' with an upright rounded crown. Plant in full sun. Great tree for dry areas as it is quite drought tolerant. Fall color is quite good.
Acer tegmentosum 'Joe Witt' (Manchurian Snakebark Maple) Smaller upright Maple with some very cool striped bark. Likes to be protected under the canopy of larger trees to avoid a strong direct sun. Will slowly reach about 30' tall x 20' wide. Don't miss this awesome, hard-to-find Maple!  | Sophora japonica 2-2.5"
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Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo' (Ninebark) A nice sized plant giving your customers instant gratification! Creamy white flowers and dark mahogany foliage, and peeling shredded bark are the most interesting features. Will add wonderful contrast to any area.
Sophora japonica (Japanese Pagoda Tree) This is a larger growing tree in the Pea family. Urban tolerant of heat, drought and pollution, it has creamy-white to yellowish-green large flowers that cover the tree late summer for about 3 weeks. Another out-of-the-ordinary tree your customers will enjoy.
Styrax japonica 'Carillon' (Weeping Japanese Snowbell) Mid-late spring bloomer on this interesting weeping Snowbell. White flowers are mildly fragrant and are close to an inch long. A small grower reaching 8-12' it needs moist well-drained soil on the acidic side. Full sun to part shade. Plant it where it can be appreciated up close!
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 | Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
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Have A Great Weekend!
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 Visit our two locations:140 Huntingtown Rd. Newtown, CT 06470 Tel. 203-426-4037 Fax 203-426-8057 496 Bunker Hill Rd. Watertown, CT 06795 Tel. 860-945-6588 Fax 860-945-9282 Hours: March 14th - June 25th Mon.- Sat. 7 am - 4:30 pm June 27th - Nov. 19th Mon. - Fri. 7 am - 4:30 pm & Sat. 7 am - 1 pm Winter Hours Mon. - Fri. 8 am - 4:30 pm
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