Create Vacation Vibes with Tropical Plants & Summer Color
Hello, again!
As we get towards the end of the school year and near Memorial Day weekend, the talk of vacations tends to be common. It’s always good to get away and experience new places, different cultures, regional foods, languages, and plants!
When we visit other regions with different plant hardiness zones, it’s interesting to see what plants are used in the landscaping, as well as the native flora. We often visit Colorado to enjoy the peaks of the Rockies, but we love the forests as well. The desert of New Mexico is another favorite destination of ours, and seeing the drought-loving, heat-tolerant plants that flourish there. I recall riding my bike in northern New Mexico a few years back. Being the plant person I am, the flora is always on my mind. I remember catching a glimpse of a mutated conifer out of the corner of my eye and stopping to note its exact location to check it out later.
Jeremy often reminds us of his first trip to Disney years ago. While he enjoyed the characters, rides, and everything else the theme park has to offer, what really stuck out to him was the plants. Sure, he’d grown up around plants, but it was evident that attention to detail and abundance of plants was a focus of Disney’s park model. While subtle to most, it was evident that plants are what set the park apart from just a parking lot with amusement park rides. I have no idea what the line item on Disney’s finances is for landscaping, but I’m sure it’s substantial.
Because tropicals love warm climates, they make great plants in our region for summer foliage and a pop of color. With sources in Florida, Jeremy works with nurseries to supply our stores with plants for both containers and landscape beds. While these plants aren’t winter-hardy, they perform well all summer and into the fall. Stop by the stores to find multiple varieties of Boston ferns, upright palms, several options of tropical hibiscus in bush and tree varieties, as well as many other tropicals such as mandavella and diplodemia that will enhance your outdoor landscape all summer long.
ferti•lome Garden Cote is my favorite fertilizer for containers. It’s a polymer-coated, time-release fertilizer. Lightly mix it into soil, water in, and it'll feed your plants for up to 6 months! I even like to mix it into my houseplant soil when repotting. Garden Cote is activated by moisture and soil temperature. Its balanced NPK and micros encourage longer-lasting, greener plants, with more blooms. Use Garden Cote on annuals, perennials, garden vegetables, trees, shrubs, bulbs, citrus, and berries.
I’ve had a few inquiries about turf areas being under stress recently. After some investigation, there are a couple of things I’ve noticed. First off is water management. It’s important to check that your sprinkler system is operating properly to get water to these areas. Are the heads covering the intended area? Adjust them accordingly, or have a sprinkler professional assist. Beyond sprinkler maintenance, we use Hydretain on our turf areas, and it has done wonders to keep everything looking good, even during times of stress. Hydretain is available as a ready-to-use liquid or granular which, when added to a turf or landscape area, can greatly reduce your water usage.
Hydretain manages soil moisture, extending watering intervals for ornamental plants, turfgrasses, trees, shrubs, and agriculture by as much as 2-3x. Other benefits are:
- Minimizes drought stress
- Lowers utility bills
- Avoids water restriction fines
- Increases seed germination
- Saves time and labor
- Improves transplant success
- Eliminates localized dry spots
- Conserves water resources
- Improves nutrient uptake
Here is a photo of before and after the addition of Hydretain to a local turf area:
Lastly, don’t forget to visit our Memorial Day Sale, this Wednesday through Sunday, May 20-25th.
Get 50% off all Premium Annuals, vegetable plants, and Wave petunias. 25% off all Perennials and Perennial Grasses, 30% off all Glazed Ceramics, as well as sales on Dramm watering products, hanging baskets, and more.
We hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
