If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.
Hello, again!
As we get towards the end of the school year and close to Memorial Day weekend, the talk of vacations tends to be common. You've heard me say it before - 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 not only what plant material is used in landscaping, but the native plants as well. I visit Colorado to not only enjoy the mountains of the Rockies, but the forests also. The desert of New Mexico is a favorite destination for Angie and me with the drought-loving and heat-tolerant plants that flourish in the dry heat 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. Catching a glimpse of a mutated conifer in the corner of my eye, I stopped to get the exact location to check it out later. Again, it’s the different plants that add to the experience.
Jeremy often reminds us of their first trip to Disney years ago. They enjoyed all of the characters, the rides and all that the theme park had to offer. But what really stuck out to him was the plants - horticulture! Sure, he’d grown up around plants, but it was evident that the 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 financial statement 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 color. With sources in Florida, Jeremy works with the nurseries to supply our stores with tropical plants for not only containers, but our landscape beds as well. While not winter hardy, they perform well all summer and fall long. Stop by the stores to find multiple varieties of Boston ferns, upright palms, several options of tropical hibiscus (from bush to tree form), and many other beautiful tropicals.
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 six months! I even like to mix it into houseplant soil when repotting. Garden Cote is activated by moisture and soil temperature. Balanced NPK and micros encourage longer-lasting and greener flowering plants with more blooms. Use Garden Cote on annuals, perennials, garden vegetables, trees, shrubs, bulbs, citrus, and berries.
Something else to consider for season-long color in the landscape would be one of our new varieties of hydrangeas.
From the Fairytrail Series, our stock of cascading hydrangeas are known for their graceful, arching branches, each node topped with a big, gorgeous bloom. Meaning you get a fluffed-up, fountain-like mass of flowers in the late spring. It really is a brand new way to enjoy hydrangeas! Fairytrail White, in particular, features white mophead flowers. They're well suited for containers, hanging baskets and areas in the landscape where they can drape dramatically.
The Let’s Dance Series represents the next generation of reblooming hydrangea, with its improved reliability, flower coloration, and attractive foliage. The series is reliably reblooming with vivid blue/purple, large blooms on strong stems and excellent burgundy fall foliage.
My favorite of the new hydrangeas is the Wee Bit Giddy Series, not just because it's absolutely beautiful, but because this durable, handsome plant was developed specifically for improved performance in your garden. With intense red flower color and a neat, dwarf habit, it will rebloom later on in the summer to enjoy a flush of flowers on new wood in the fall.
We hope you’ll stop by to see us soon. Spring is a beautiful, exciting time to be at the garden center!
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
