Bed Maintenance

 Check out this modern take on the old watering can.....it doubles as a sculpture!  This idea takes the original watering can structure and turns it upside down, being wider as opposed to taller.  The unique design also frees up space with storage.  Check them out at www.alessi.com

Hydrangeas are best fertilized twice a summer.  Apply a slow release 10-10-10 fertilizer in the early summer, like Osmocote, to the amended soil around the base of the plant.  Apply a liquid or powder fertilizer in May and July for best results, such as Miracle Gro.  Follow the directions on quantity applied and err on the side of too little amount as opposed to too much.  Never fertilize a plant that is wilting or looking sick.  The plant will only be under more stress with the fertilizer application.  Do not fertilize after August!

Feed your Azaleas every two months with an acid type fertilizer (mir-acid) starting from the onset of new spring growth, until late summer.  If chlorosis occurs (yellow foliage with green veins), treat plants with a product containing chelated iron.
Azaleas need and thrive in acidic soils.  Ideal PH is 4-5.5.  Always take a soil test to determine PH before planting these plants in your lawn.  Once Azaleas are established and you have reached the correct PH levels, you may need to fertilize as much.

 We are now ordering our annual flowers.  If you would like to request a particular variety or color, please call Jeff at the office.  If you are not sure what you would like and need help with ideas, let us design you an annual planting bed that will set you apart from the neighbors!  Remember, mother always said it is best to plant around Mother's Day to avoid the last freeze!!

As you are walking through the greenhouses at this time of year the colorful clearance signs are probably catching your eye.  Annuals and perennials labeled anywhere from 50-75% off.  What a deal!  However, these are marked at these prices for more than just moving inventory.  Plants are meant to live in soil where their roots are able to stretch and grow, not in plastic containers.  After so long waiting on the shelf the roots become bound and tangled due to the tight growing space or they turn black and slimy from the greenhouse environment.  Since the plant

Tulips in Freezing Temperatures? The tulip question we all have is always a hard one to determine the action to take in order to prevent losing tulip blooms in cold temperatures. It all depends on the type of weather we get this weekend. If it is only a dipping temperature with a light to moderate frost that accumulates, no action is necessary. High quality tulip bulbs withstand a great deal of temperature changes and should be fine left uncovered.