Want to make a big impression on your customers for next spring? Start this fall!

Pick up your spring bulb brochures on your next visit. Bulbs will start arriving in about  7 weeks. Plan ahead with any special requests for larger quantities and let us know soon!  

Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy'

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida) are one of those plants we rely on for long lasting color from mid-summer into fall with 'Goldsturm' being one of the most common varieties planted in our area. But did you know there are 23 species of Rudbeckia - and most all are native to North America.  

R. hirta is just one of those species that's worth knowing more about. They all have impressively showy flowers, some reaching 5" across, and many with contrasting bands of warm colors.  It's important to understand that they are different from the perennial Rudbeckia in that they are biennials, or short-lived perennials. They complete their life cycle in 2 years, so many people treat them as annuals. They're great in the border, meadow, or natural garden where, if left to go to seed, they will return for years to come. They combine nicely with ornamental grasses,  Bee Balm and other summer bloomers.

Take a look at these two cultivars:  

'Autumn Colors' has  flowers ranging from yellow-gold to orange to deep rust-red. It will bloom for weeks and look great especially when dead-headed. It's a medium grower reaching 20-24" tall so it's a nice filler for the perennial border or next to some Fountain Grass for a colorful splash near the pool.     

'Denver Daisy' is a more compact grower and a nice choice for containers or front of the garden. It will grow about 18-20" tall. Large flowers, as seen above, have a burgundy-rust band around its center cone.    

One of the most popular screening trees we have, Colorado Blue Spruce, is found on many commercial and residential properties throughout the northeast. Many landscapers like to hand-pick them according to how blue the needle color is. Combines well with other needled evergreens such as Dwarf White Pine, broad-leaf evergreens and ornamental grasses. Some trees produce new growth that is bright blue, while others retain the blue color throughout the year like the three cultivars below. 

top-bottom: 'Fat Albert', 'Gail's Skyline' & 'Bizon Blue'

P. pungens 'Fat Albert' 

A cultivar found in 1978 through natural hybridization, it has outstanding color and grows strongly pyramidal with a straight leader. It will slowly grow 15-20' T x 10-12' W.  

'Gail's Skyline' is pyramidal in form, similar to the species with exceptional bright silvery foliage. 20-30' T x 15' W. It's an upright form making it excellent as a larger specimen, accent plant and screening.  

'Bizon Blue' will grow 30-40' T  x 15'-20' W. Densely branched  and very symmetrical habit with a straight central leader.  

All Blue Spruce need to be planted in full sun and in soil that is well drained both for best health and best color. Colorado Spruce are deer resistant and also quite drought tolerant once established.

"What length should turf be cut this time of year?"

Answer:  "Mowing recommendations for home lawns in Connecticut are 1.5 to 2 inches in spring and fall and at 3 inches in summer. Gradually raise the height of cut in late spring to 3 inches. After September 1, begin to gradually lower the height of cut back to 1.5 to 2 inches." From UCONN IPM Turfgrass 

Mark adds: It is also important to understand how the grass plant looses moisture from mowing. Normally, grass plants control moisture and gas exchange/loss through openings in the leaves called stomata. These openings can open and close with turgidity to control moisture loss (grass plants like corn curl their leaves to prevent moisture through their stomata).  However, when you mow turf, cutting through the leaf blade and the vascular bundle, you open the plant up for very rapid moisture loss that it cannot immediately control. When you cut this conductive structure, moisture loss is immediate and uncontrollable. When this happens during periods of drought stress, the results for the plant, are well, catastrophic. I have seen many lawns just barely hanging in there from drought stress, but none the less alive, then out comes the lawn mower and within hours the lawn is burnt and fried because the grass plant could not retain what little moisture it still had; all escaping uncontrollably through the open ends of the vascular bundles cut open by mowing. 

Submit your landscaping question via email to sbarbier@planterschoice.com and you'll be entered in a monthly drawing to receive 10% off your next purchase (pick up only, does not apply to deliveries). Please use "Question of the Week" in the subject line and let me know if you want your name and business mentioned. 

Purple Rain Salvia

Here's a list of great looking perennials - in stock and in good supply - ready for your next job!  

Eupatorium 'Baby Joe'  they are big in the pot, full and in bud

Salvia 'Purple Rain' has large purple flowers, full in the pot, great silvery leaves (seen here)

Rudbeckia 'Early Gold'  Full plants in bud and just beginning to bloom

Stokesia 'Blue Danube' is full and  well budded

Aster 'Starshine' has many buds on a full plant

Centranthus r. 'Coccineus' is full and blooming

Thanks Heather!

Continued Specials on:

Magnolia 1 - 10% off, 2 or more - 20% off 

Cherry Laurels B&B 'Schipkaensis' and 'Otto Lyuken' 10%

Tropicals - 50% (not including the Cannas)

Stop by either yard, mention this email and receive 10% off!   

Valid: Saturday July 21st - Friday July 27th     

*Price is net. No further discount applies. In stock only. 

Wide selection of material in both yards available for your next job!

The 'new' deciduous tree block in Newtown

Deciduous Trees
Great choice of shade and flowering ornamental trees  available. Stop by and choose from Acer to Zelkova!


Broadleaf and Specimen Evergreens
Who doesn't like cedars? Soft blue to blue-green evergreen needles on interesting branch structure.  Seen here are the Blue Atlas Cedars with the tops of Standard 'Tanyosho' Pine in the foreground.  Great to use as unique specimens or accents offering striking color and winter interest.

Spiral Boxwood for a formal look in the garden or in containers

Tropicals

50% off in-stock tropicals, not including the Cannas.

Perennials

We are very well stocked with our own PC grown perennials. Looking for specific colors or varieties? Stop by and take a look - there's so much in bloom right now your eyes might hurt!

Echinacea 'Ruby Star'

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