Planters' Choice

Weekly Pickstip

Friday, September 14, 2012
SPECIALS of the WEEK!
  • Astilbe
  • Peony  
  • Vinca  

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In This Issue
Bulbs are Here!
Article Headline
Perennial HOT List!
Specials of the Week
Article Headline
NOW
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Question of the Week

"Why have some of my established trees been suffering this year?""

Check out the answer below.
Something different
Millet
Try some deep, dark -leaved Millet in bushel containers. It's a nice fall accent for patios and porches! 

Don't Forget Fall Watering!
Somehow in fall it's easy to forget the importance of watering, especially since temperatures have fallen these past few weeks. However, it has been relatively dry and newly planted material, whether trees, shrubs or perennials, need to be well hydrated through fall and going into winter.
Ed suggests giving them a deep watering every 5 days or so until they are well established.

Reminder: We do have 15 & 20 gallon Gatorbags for both evergreens and single stem trees. They help with slowly delivering water to the root zone.
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Sweet Autumn Clematis
Sweet Autumn Clematis Clematis paniculata 
 
Bulbs are Here!
Boxes and bags of spring color! 

We have just received our first shipment of spring bulbs to Newtown and Watertown! We grow and receive truck loads of beautiful material all season, but when the bulbs come I have to say, I get pretty excited!
We have a good selection of the tried and true varieties of Narcissus, Tulips, Crocus and Hyacinths and we also have some of the under-used Grape Hyacinth (Muscari)
Allium moly
Allium moly 
and Summer Snowflakes (Leucojum).
We also ordered a few new varieties this fall. One of them is Allium moly (Golden Garlic or Lily Leek).  This Allium has yellow clusters of star-shaped flowers on smooth stalks which will grow about 10" tall and flower in May/June. They have pairs of blue-green leaves that grow from the base. Planted in wide drifts they'll give a nice show and even seed themselves making them a good choice for the rock garden, large mixed border and natural areas. Plant in full sun in rich sandy loam for best flowering.
They are already starting to head out the door so plan to stop by soon.
If you have any special requests, call either office. The availability list gets shorter as the weeks go by.

-Susan     

Question of the Week

 

"Why have some of my established trees been suffering this year?"

 

Darryl and Mark answer:  

The trick with diagnosis is to realize that plant health problems only manifest under specific environmental conditions.

Looking at weather conditions the last twelve months can contribute to a great number of issues. Irene delivered huge amounts of rain that didn't appropriately drain in many areas for a damaging amount of time. The October snowstorm was incredibly damaging to trees that were still holding their leaves. There was no snow coverage for the majority of the winter, and a limited amount of overall precipitation. There was a very dry period in early spring. Late frosts after trees were already flowering and leafing out were quite damaging. A few heat waves this summer have topped off difficult growing conditions this past year.

Any one of these events can cause serious damage to a tree, whether recently planted or established. We had some two and three year old trees in our fields experience a fair amount of dieback from the late frosts combined with unseasonably dry conditions lead to some dieback on the trees that could have very well been diagnosed as a fungal issue without understand the weather.

It is also important to remember that we often look for the one thing that has caused a problem, however it is often a number of events that take place in succession and then some other pest takes advantage of a weekend tree only causing additional problems. A good example of this would be a birch tree that is perhaps struggling because it was planted in a heavy clay poorly drained soil, then heavy rains come for a long time and because of the poor drainage the tree suffers from oxygen deprivation and if this happens in May it is likely bronze birch borer will find this stressed tree, ultimately causing its demise... but the tree may have never contracted the borer if the tree had been planted in a well drained soil.

We are the first to admit that we don't know everything, and often contact the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station or UCONN's Cooperative Extension to get a second opinion. It's a free service, and a great way to see a very positive benefit to your tax dollars! All of the surrounding states have great Extension services as well with Cornell and UMASS respectively.

 

Submit your landscaping question via email to [email protected] 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. 

Perennial HOT List

 

Lavender
Lavender 'Hidcote' 

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

 

Gaura 'Passionate Blush' Full, budding and blooming. Burgundy leaves are great for fall.

 

Tricyrtis hirta (Toad Lily)  Nice plant, budded and a few are blooming.

 

Lavendula 'Hidcote'  Nice and full in the pot, budded and blooming as seen here!

 

Sedum 'Vera Jameson' Blooming and full in the pot. Pink flower over blue-green foliage which take on purplish hues in cooler weather. 

 

Sporobolous heterolepsis  (Praire Drop Seed) It's in bloom now and has an interesting airy texture. It's a smaller clumping grass making it great as a filler.  

 

Thank-you Heather! 

 

 

Specials of the Week:
 
Vinca minor* 1 gal., 10 or more, 10% off
Astilbe 2 gal. 10% off
Peonies 2 gal. 10% off
Vinca140
Our PC Grown 1 gallon Vinca 
Take advantage this week of a very popular groundcover, plus two spring flowering perennials at a terrific price! Myrtle (Vinca minor) is a great plant to use in part shade as a soft, evergreen groundcover with blue-violet flowers in spring. Nice idea to plant under trees and upright shrubs.
Astilbe and Peonies are also spring flowering and give a big bang for the buck! Plant now to get them well established for next spring's show. Astilbe are a good choice for part shade brightening the darker areas of the garden with whites, pinks and reds with great foliage, and Peonies are just the ticket for anyone who craves a large show of fragrant, old-fashioned bloom! Don't forget your peony rings to help keep the heavier, double-blooming varieties off the ground. All three are deer resistant and low maintenance!

*Special does not include Vinca 'Alba', 'Atropurpurea', 'Bowles' or 'Ralph Shugert'.

Continued specials on:

  • All Magnolia 1 - 10% off, 2 or more - 20% off 
  • B&B Cherry Laurel -10% off ('Otto Lyuken' & 'Schip.')
  • All Fruit Trees 10 & 15 gallon - 20% off
  • All Tropicals 75% off!

 Valid: Saturday, Sept. 15th - Friday, Sept. 21st.     

*Price is net. No further discount applies

Sweet Autumn Clematis

 

Sweet Autumn Clematis
Clematis paniculata 

Have a trellis or a fence that needs a quick cover? Check out Clematis paniculata:

 

  • Fast, vigorous grower
  • White 1" star-shaped flowers
  • Long blooming - late summer into fall 
  • Fragrant - like sweet vanilla! 
  • Decorative seedheads!
  • Easy to prune - cut back in spring to 12" above the ground, it'll fill in and bloom perfectly that same year!

 

PC Grown in 2 gallon containers, staked and in bloom right now! Check them out at either location soon! 

 

 

NOW!
Incoming this week-
European Hornbeam
Fastigiate European Hornbean

Deciduous Trees
Carpinus betulus (European Hornbeam) 'Fastigiata' down from our farm! PC grown and gorgeous as you can see being off-loaded by Ryan and Miguel here in Newtown.

Deciduous Shrubs
Euonymus alatus 'Compacta' 30-36" B&B (Burning Bush)
Myrica pensylvanica (Bayberry) 10 gallon
Rosa 'Knockout', 'Double Knockout' 
Clumping Bamboo
Fargesia denudata Clumping Bamboo

Broadleaf and Specimen Evergreens
Buxus (Boxwood) Common plus 'Green Mountain' and 'Winter Gem'

Fargesia denudata (Clumping Bamboo) Small, delicate leaves along arching canes. A beautiful, non-aggressive bamboo. Makes a nice focal point!
F. rufa - also a clumping bamboo

Ilex glabra 'Shamrock' 3 gallon
I. x (Blue Holly) 'Blue Maid', 'Blue Princess' 3 and 5 gallon
Ilex Blue Maid and Dragon Lady
'Blue Maid' and 'Dragon Lady' Holly

Evergreens for Screening
Nice selection of fresh Arborvitae ('Emerald Green & 'Green Giant') Canadian Hemlock, Colorado & Norway Spruce and White Pine in both sales yards.

Groundcover
Pachysandra
Mums Asters etc
Mums and assorted fall Asters

Fall color
Mums in tight bud and showing color
Cabbage & Kale PC Grown!
Asters - assorted colors
Millet in bushel baskets

Bulbs
Yes, they are here!


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Have a Great Weekend...
Enjoy the last weekend of summer! 

As always, we appreciate your business!

Sincerely,
Chuck and Darryl Newman
Planters' Choice, LLC