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SPECIAL of the WEEK!
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B&B Japanese Maples!
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Specialty B&B Conifers, (named cultivars) continues!
Scroll down and SAVE!
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Frost happens. |
 Early morning frost is a beautiful thing especially on sturdy perennials like this Veronica 'Royal Candles'. |
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Question of the Week |
"Can I plant in this soil???"
Check out the answer below. |
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It's that time of year again... |
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Itea 'Henry's Garnet' |
Customers asking for Burning Bush or Barberry for their fall color? If you're planting at a Zone 6 site, Try Itea 'Henry's Garnet' or 'Little Henry'. It's hard to rival this color, and it's native! |
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Speaking of fall color...
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Cornus alternifolia
Pagoda Dogwood |
This small native Dogwood offers clusters of late spring flowers that attract our honey bees and give a nice fall show when planted in part sun. Peter brought these over from Meadowbrook (our container growing farm) down the road from our Newtown Sales Yard. Check them out!
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Did I mention fall color? | |
Amsonia hubrichtii (Threadleaf Blue Star)
It's slightly past it's fall prime but you get the idea...long lasting, striking fall color on plants that bounce right back after a rain. A great perennial that has sweet blue flower clusters in spring. A must try if you haven't already! |
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'True Blue' Gentian' Gentiana
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Our Newtown Yard Welcomes
Your Woodchips!
Clean chips can be dumped at no charge here in our yard during normal business hours. Please call ahead - 203-426-4037. Thanks!
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Bulb Blurb on Grape Hyacinth
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Muscari armeniacum |
Who can resist these little charmers? Bright blue flowers mid-season mix well with so many other spring bloomers. Take your pick - Tulips, Narcissus, Forsythia, Early Azaleas and Rhododendron, Magnolia you name it! Even Spiraea 'Gold Flame' or 'Ogon' add a nice contrast to the vivid blue flowers as their bright new growth begins to emerge. Try them planted behind Geranium 'Rozanne' or Siberian Iris - they'll help hide their yellowing foliage. They're awesome next to Peonies making a striking pair with the red stems and young leaves.
Grape Hyacinths are low maintenance and deer resistant.They're easy to plant at only 3" deep and will spread to form a nice patch. Site them in rich sandy loam. They send up a set of leaves in fall, very nicely reminding you where they were planted. Call ahead for availability. |
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Comptonia - One Sweet Fern!
 | Comptonia peregrina - Sweet Fern
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Always on the lookout for native plants, I found this stand of Sweet Fern during a walk through a development in the area. Just off the road and under some Maples and Birch, this woody shrub (not a true fern) forms a nice stand of dark, narrow frond-like foliage. The leaves hover 2-3' above the ground forming a fairly dense mat of aromatic foliage. A good choice for rocky, unamended soil and an interesting salt tolerant plant to use by the shore. As a woody plant it trims well making an interesting low hedge and it's also deer resistant.
...and for all you foragers looking for free food, tea can be made from it's leaves...check it out. Then check out our PC Grown Sweet Fern! |
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Perennial HOT List
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Phlox 'Pink Ridge'. |
Here's a list of great looking perennials - in stock and in good supply - ready for your next job!
Baptisia australis (False Indigo) Blooms in spring with beautiful purple-blue spikes over clean foliage.
Phlox stolonifera 'Pink Ridge' (Creeping Phlox) Think spring with this shocking pink spreader. Full plants, a few even in bloom!
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry' (Fountain Grass) Very full plants with dark seed heads. Looks great with low growing Juniper.
Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio ' Beautiful plumes on this shorter Maiden Grass.
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' (Black-eyed Susan) Full in their pots, some blooming. Great for winter interest in a sunny location.
This will be our last Perennial HOT List for the season. Hope this was of help to everyone - Thanks a lot Heather!
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Question of the Week
"Can I plant in this soil?"
 | | "Good top soil" ? |
Mark answers:
It has always amazed me, the lack of consideration given to the properties of the soil that exist at the planting site, or of the soil to be brought to the site. Consideration must also be given to the individual requirements of the plants. For example Ericaceous plants such as Mt. Laurel with their pH range of about 5 to 5.5 with organic matter requirements vs. a Kentucky Coffee Tree with a pH range of about 6.5 to 7.5.
The picture above was "a good top soil" that was actually purchased and brought onto a site in front of a house. Then sod was placed on top. Needless to say the lawn is struggling with the compaction that is taking place. The soil test came back with about twice the amount of clay that it should have. This situation demonstrates the need to understand how any soil needs to be carefully looked at and amended BEFORE any planting is done. In this case the pH came back as 6.1, not bad, so fertilizer should be available to the grass. The real limiting factor is lack of oxygen due to the excessively small pore spaces and compaction caused by the excessive clay content. This all could have been avoided by amending the soil first.
So what should be used to amend the soil? Many people reach for cow manure, and while manure can add organic matter increasing the cation exchange capacity, it is too heavy and will not improve the physical structure of the soil to make it more friable. Also manures may have undesirable weed seed in them creating weed issues down the road. Another common amendment sometimes used are leaves that have been composted, but again this material does not have the structure needed to break up the compaction.
Probably the best material, that is readily available, for this job would be peat moss. Peat moss has the coarse texture needed to allow both water and air (oxygen) to be present in the soil at the same time. Peat moss is acidic but this is easily remedied by applying appropriate amounts of lime. Also weed seed is generally not a problem as, ironically any seed died long ago from a lack of oxygen in the peat bog. This is also why peat moss did not decay and is of course texture. Peat moss by definition has discernable plant parts in it, you can identify twigs in it. Humus has NO identifiable plant parts in it and has decayed too far to be of any use improving the physical properties of this soil in the picture.
So before you bid a planting job take a good look at what you will be planting in, get a soil test done, know the requirements of the plants you will be installing. Soil science is not an exact science. It is complex with its chemical, physical, and biological properties and it is far easier to amend the soil before planting than after planting. There are many details that I have omitted here and if you would like to discuss any of this further stop by or give a call! Stay tuned to next week's Weekly Picks - I'll talk about what I actually did to fix this with great success.
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. |
Special of the Week
B&B Japanese Maples 20%off!**
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Acer palmatum dissectum 'Tamukeyama'
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On SPECIAL this week are all our B&B Japanese Maples which includes varieties like: 'Crimson Queen', 'Emperor One', 'Bloodgood', 'Tamukeyama', 'Viridis' and many others. It's a good time to get them in the ground so your customers can enjoy their year-long seasonal interest.
(Sorry, does not include container Japanese Maples.)
Continued Specials while supplies lasts:
All B&B Specialty Conifers, named cultivars only - 20% off
All Magnolia 1 - 10% off, 2 or more - 20% off
All Fruit Trees 10 & 15 gallon - 20% off
All Tropicals - 75% off!
Valid: Sat. Oct. 20 - Fri. Oct. 26th
** Does NOT include container Japanese Maples.
*Does NOT include screening evergreens, Arborvitae or container conifers.
These special prices are net, no further discount applies.
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NOW!
Incoming this week: Awesome container evergreens,
great for your seasonal pots!
Deciduous Trees
There is still a wide selection of shade and ornamental trees for your customers. Beech, Birch, Cherry, Dogwood, Maple, Oak and many more! Stop by soon or call the sales yard for sizes and pricing. Don't forget the Special on Japanese Maples and the continued Specials on Magnolia and fruit trees!
Deciduous Shrubs
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Small evergreens for seasonal containers!
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Rosa 'Knockout' 2 gal.
Broadleaf and Specimen Evergreens
Azalea 'Delaware Valley White', 'Pleasant White', 'Stewartstonian'
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Blue Feathers', 'Fernspray Gold', 'Cripsii', 'Gracilis', 'Templehof' 1, 2 or 3 gallon
Cotoneaster ad. 'Little Gem'
Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly) 'Sky Pencil' 1 gal.
I. glabra (Inkberry) 'Compacta' 7 gal.
I. x meservae 'Blue Princess', 'Honey Maid' (Blue Holly) 1 and 2 gal.
Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone' 2 gal. (Gold Cone Juniper)
Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki' 2 gal. (Variegated False Holly) Z 6-9
Picea pungens 'Baby Blue' 5 gal.
Evergreens for Screening
Abies concolor (White Fir) 6-7' limited
Pinus strobus (White Pine)
Thuja plicata 'Green Giant' (Western Arborvitae)
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Cabbage touched with frost last Saturday
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Annuals
Looking great are our Cabbage and Kale!
And Mums are still looking great- get them while they last - many are still in bud.
Back to the Top
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Enjoy the Fall Weekend!
As always, we appreciate your business!
Sincerely,
Chuck and Darryl Newman
Planters' Choice, LLC |
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