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| | Sterling and Little Leaf Lindens | |
Think ahead
Big Plans Need Big Trees!
Many landscape designs call for larger shade trees whether spec'd by the landscape architect or simply desired by the homeowner. It's important to know how to handle these big trees safely given that the rootballs can sometime weigh in excess of 2,000 lbs and measure 20' tall or more!
We have a fantastic selection of 5"+ shade and ornamental trees ready for your discerning clients - Here is just a teaser of what is currently in stock:
Others include Paperbark Maple, Pin Oak, New Harmony American Elm, Autumn Flowering Cherry and more. Stop by Newtown's sales yard or call with specific questions.
Please check out our web article here for more information on the logistics of handling these big beauties: Four Points to Consider when Dealing with Large Trees
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News from Watertown
The sales yard is filling up with fresh stock every day. Container fruit trees, Japanese Maples, B&B flowering shrubs and the dwarf evergreens seen here are ready for your spring plantings. We have a good selection of Dwarf Blue Spruce and Hinoki Cypress cultivars like 'Kosteri', 'Nana' and 'Nana Lutea' for your conifer and rock gardens and foundation plantings. Out in the fields Duane and his crew are continuing to dig deciduous trees including Pin Oaks, Sweet Gum, Little Leaf Linden and the beautiful Youngi Weeping Birch (Betula papyrifera) that you saw growing in the field in last week's newsletter. Stop in soon!
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And they're off!
Early Rising Perennials
| l-r: Pink Pewter Lamium, Purple Rain Jacob's Ladder, Moonshine Yarrow and Tiny Rubies Maiden Pinks |
Perennial gardens should have interest from the first Crocus to the last of the Ornamental Grasses! That interest comes early in the season from the fresh emerging growth - and the earlier the better! Seen here are a few tough perennials that have no problem pushing through matted leaves and mulch. The tight green buns of foliage forge the way for what's to come.
The examples seen are just the beginning - others include Valentine Bleeding Heart (Dicentra x) with awesome with red-tinged foliage, Stonecrop (Sedum) colorful, chunky succulent-like leaves having close to 20 cultivars available, Coral Bells (Heuchera) and not just Palace Purple (!), and some really nice Foam Flower (Tiarella). They all come up early and help make the border look alive starting in March! So if there isn't much emerging by now in your perennial beds you may need some early risers!
Stop in and become inspired!
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Tip from Mark:
Pre-Emergents for Ornamental Beds
| | Hairy Bitter Cress | |
Every spring we field questions about which pre-emergent to use in ornamental beds. The two most commonly used are Treflan 5G or Preen Plus. Usually I will ask if the area has been well maintained and was relatively clean from weeds the previous year. If so, I tell them to go ahead and use the more economical Treflan 5G (active ingredient: Trifluralin). It will likely do a good job especially if a fresh layer of mulch is going down before application. However, if the area was not clean and the 'weed pressure' is high, then you should consider a premium product like Preen Plus (Trifluralin plus Isoxaben).
Preen Plus has Trifluralin in it (the active ingredient in Treflan 5G) plus Isoxaben which is a very long lasting pre-emergent for BROADLEAF weed seed. This gives Preen Plus superior control in terms of the number of different weeds controlled. For example Treflan lists on its label about 30 weed species that it will control. The label on Preen Plus lists about 130 weeds controlled. That's right, I just said 30 vs. 130 weed species controlled! It's an easy decision to make when weed control is of the utmost importance on your job site.
Remember: Apply pre-emergent products on top of fresh mulch so they will provide control of weed seed that blows in afterwards.
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NOW! Incoming This Week: Michael Dodge Viburnum, Emerald Arrow Bosnian Pine, Grace Smokebush etc!
Incoming from our Tree Farms | | Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' 1.75-2" | Upright Japanese Maple | Liquidambar styraciflua 'Morraine' 2.5-3" | Sweetgum | Quercus palustris 2-2.5", 3.5-4" | Pin Oak | Quercus rubra 2-2.5", 2.5-3" | Northern Red Oak | Tilia cordata 'Greenspire' 2-2.5" | Little-leaf Linden |
| Spike Winterhazel 4/5' (Corylus spicata) came in last week - fragrant and impressive flowers on a multi-stemmed shrub |
Deciduous Trees & Shrubs | | Acer palmatum 'Beni Otake', 'Koto no ito', 'Orange Dream', 'Ukigumo'; A. pal. Disectum 'Tamukeyama' | Upright & Cutleaf Japanese Maple | Acer shirasawanum 'Red Dawn' | Fullmoon Maple | Aesculus x carnea 'Briotti' (red) | Red Horsechestnut | Cornus alternifolia | Pagoda Dogwood | Cotinus x 'Grace' 7/8' | Smokebush | Forsythia 5/6' | Forsythia | Ginkgo biloba 'Spring Grove', 'Troll' | Maidenhair Tree | Gleditsia triacanthos 'Shade Master' | Honey Locust | Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora', 'Limelight', 'Pink Diamond' | PeeGee Hydrangea | Magnolia virginiana 'Green Shadow' | Sweetbay Magnolia | Magnolia x 'Ann' (deep pink), 'Butterfly' (yellow) | Saucer Magnolia | Nyssa sylvatica 'Green Gable' | Black Gum | Styrax japonica 'Fragrant Fountain' | Weeping Japanese Snowbell | Styrax obassia | Fragrant Snowbell | Syringa patula 'Miss Kim' | Miss Kim Lilac | Taxodium distichum 'Peve Minaret' | Dwarf Bald Cypress | Tilia cordata 'Greenspire' | Little-leaf Viburnum | Viburnum dilatatum 'Asian Beauty', 'Michael Dodge' | Linden Viburnum |
| Inkberry (Ilex glabra 'Compacta') and Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata 'Schwoebel Compacta') |
Broadleaf and Specialty Evergreens | | Azalea 'Conversation Piece', 'Delaware Valley', 'Hino Crimson', 'Nancy', 'Tradition', 'Gumpo White' | Assorted Azaleas | Buxus 'Green Gem' 3 ga. | Boxwood | Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata' | Upright Japanese Plum Yew | Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis', 'Nana Lutea', 'Ridgid Dwarf', 'Verdoni' | Dwarf Hinoki Cypress | Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Thread' | Threadleaf Cypress | Ilex crenata ' Compacta', 'Cherokee', 'Chesapeake', 'Excelsa Schwoebel', 'Hoogendorn', 'Nigra', 'Steeds', 'Sky Pencil' | Japanese Holly | Ilex glabra 'Shamrock' | Inkberry | Ilex x meserveae 'China Girl' | Hybrid Holly | Juniperus communis 'Compressa', 'Effusa' | Common Juniper | Juniperus 'Fairview' | Upright Juniper | Picea abies 'Acrocona', 'Clanbrassiliana', 'Cupressina', 'Elegans', 'Formanek', 'Pendula', 'Pusch', 'Tompa' | Dwarf Norway Spruce | Picea glauca 'Conica', 'Pendula' | Dwarf Alberta Spruce | Picea omorika 'Nana' | Dwarf Siberian Spruce | Picea pungens 'Globosa', 'Montgomery', 'Pendula', 'Procumbens', 'Sester Dwarf', 'St. Mary's Broom' | Dwarf Blue Spruce | Pinus leucodermis 'Emerald Arrow', 'Mint Truffle' | Bosnian Pine | Pinus mugo 'Slowmound' | Mugo Pine | Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag' | Dwarf White Pine | Taxus 'Everlow', 'Green Wave' | Spreading Yew | Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire' | American Arborvitae |
| Variegated and Big Blue Liriope |
Groundcover | | Hedera helix | English Ivy | Liriope 'Big Blue', 'Variegated' | Lilyturf | Pachysandra terminalis | Japanese Spurge |
Evergreen Screening | | Picea abies 12/14' | Norway Spruce | Picea pungens 5/6', 6/7', 7/8' | Colorado Blue Spruce | Pinus strobus 5/6', 6/7', 7/8', 8/10' | Eastern White Pine | Tsuga Canadensis 7/8', 8/10', 10/12', 14/16' | Canadian Hemlock |
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Have a Great Weekend!
Stop in and see us tomorrow - We're open 7 am - 2 pm on Saturday!
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Weekly Plant I.D.
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Last Week's ID
Sorbaria sorbifolia
False Spiraea
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| | This Week's ID |
False Spiraea is a tough, multi-stemmed shrub that was found originally in the Ural Mountains of Russia. It's tough because it tolerates pretty harsh conditions: thin soil, drought, cold and wind. It has ferny compound foliage that is tinged pink as it emerges. It can get big and rather unruly at 5-10' HxW but doesn't mind being pruned hard late winter. It's also hard to pass up the white Astilbe-like flower spikes in June - so worth it. It will spread by suckering which makes it great for larger areas and controlling erosion, but not so great for the small garden.
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