December 25, 2017

Season's Greetings! Plant of the Week: North Pole Thuja

Tis the season for decking the halls...and as the popularity of container gardening continues to grow,
'Filip's Magic Moment' Thuja
evergreens that can be decorated and used indoors, and then taken back outdoors after the season is over, seems like a natural fit, right?

Not so fast... bringing an evergreen or conifer inside, then taking it outdoors again and successfully re-acclimating it to the winter environment can be tricky business. As you probably know, sudden temperature changes and dry indoor conditions can doom a once-healthy little outdoor plant.

Some shrubs, like 'Filip's Magic Moment', will withstand this treatment better than others...and imagine having this sweet little guy ready and waiting on your patio to bring inside and brighten your indoor décor each Christmas?

Do you have tips about reintroducing live 'trees' to the outdoors after Christmas? How about other ideas for holiday container gardening? I'd love to hear them!

On to the plant of the week...

This week Jane celebrates the season with a clever take on a popular holiday place, the North Pole. Her plant of the week blog post is below...thanks for reading and we'll see you in the New Year.

Natalie


All eyes are on the North Pole!

The little ones are looking for Santa Claus, of course. Have you heard the story of how NORAD started to track his progress on Christmas Eve? It's delightful.


Those of us who have aged out of the jolly old elf's system can content ourselves with North Pole Thuja. It, too, is delightful. And unlike many of the presents under Christmas trees, it will last for many years.

Thuja is a fast-growing, very narrow selection of our native arborvitae. Developed in Minnesota, this is a plant that was literally made for cold weather. It's quite hardy (USDA Zone 3) and has good resistance to winter burn. I think you'll find that this is a very appealing plant both in the landscape and at retail. The tight, narrow form is really attractive and quite useful for smaller sites. Check out this cool video about the plant.

Finally, a very Merry Christmas from everyone at Spring Meadow Nursery. 


Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles



December 18, 2017

Winter Interest - Plant of the Week: Berry Heavy® Gold Ilex verticillata


Hello and happy Monday!

This week Jane writes about the winter interest plant, Berry Heavy® Gold Ilex verticillata. As you know, most people don't produce gardens and landscapes that have year-round interest by sheer luck...it's something that takes planning and nurturing.

When my family moved into our house about 12 years ago, we took all the grass out of the sloped front yard and replaced it with a huge perennial and flowering shrub garden. It's quite a beautiful sight all summer if I do say so myself...but I have always bemoaned the lack of winter interest in my yard.

But now I've seen the light! I've been wanting to remove some tall ornamental grasses that have gotten a little invasive over the past few years, and my plan for next summer is to replace them with a Berry Heavy® Gold and a Berry Poppins® Ilex (with a Mr. Poppins® close by!) and probably a couple Arctic Fire® Red Twig Dogwood as well. Yes, I know summer is a long way off, but you have to think warm thoughts, right?

What are your favorite winter-interest plants? What do you write about this time of year that seems to get gardeners the most excited about celebrating the season, or preparing for the next one?

Jane's plant of the week blog post is below, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for reading and we'll see you next week,

Natalie


May your days be merry and bright...


I'm pretty sure our Christmas will be white.

Berry Heavy® Gold
The lake effect snow machine kicked in last week, and we've had another several inches since Monday. So I'd say we're on track here for a Currier and Ives-like Christmas here in West Michigan.

That's why we need these bright berries in winter. Truthfully, if you've got good snow cover the red berries stand out a little more. But on gloomy, cold-winter-rain days a golden winterberry is, well, golden.



We selected Berry Heavy® Gold Ilex verticillata for its big, bright golden fruit. It's a stunning choice for landscapes and cutting gardens. Berry Heavy® Gold grows 6-8' tall and wide and is hardy to USDA Zone 3. It will grow in full sun or partial shade.

Like other Ilex, it will need a male pollinator to produce fruit; we recommend Mr. Poppins®.



This cold-hardy native plant will grow fairly far south (USDA Zone 9) so even folks who have sleet instead of pretty snow can grow it.

It will grow in most situations as long as the soil isn't alkaline. Wet soils? It loves them. Clay soils? Those are OK, too. Winterberry will tolerate the air pollution of urban locations, and can shore up the stream banks in more rural settings. How wonderful is that?

The only limitation of winterberry is that it doesn't look like much until fall and winter, which makes it a tough sell to the spring impulse shopper. So let's do the world a favor and get the word out about this awesome species.

Here's a 30 second video that you can share with your fans if you want to share a little more inspiration.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles


December 15, 2017

Magic Moments and Plant of the Week

Happy Monday! 

I'm Natalie, Spring Meadow's new marketing and promotions specialist and your new "Through the      Greenhouse Glass" blogger. I'm looking forward to connecting with you, sharing ideas and inspiration, and also of course, sharing Jane's fabulous "Plant of the Week" posts. 

This week Jane posted about the Filips Magic Moment® Thuja, a sunny spot in what can sometimes be a drab winter landscape. But before we get to the Plant of the Week post, I wanted to share another magic moment. Last week our videographer Adriana captured the first snow at the Deppe garden here in Grand Haven. It's simply breathtaking...enjoy:



'Filips Magic Moment'
Hello gloom,

Winter finally decided to show up. In West Michigan, that means clouds and lake effect snow. It's fifty shades of gray but slushy, not smutty.

So we need some bright evergreen color to cheer us up. 'Filips Magic Moment' Thuja does the trick. It's a compact evergreen with golden foliage that is a welcome sight in these dreary days.

I planted a couple of these in my mom's yard and saw them this weekend. I commented to her that I always forget how much I like this plant until the cold weather comes. They were beautiful!


'Filip's Magic Moment' grows 6-8' tall and is hardy to USDA Zone 3. It will grow in full sun or partial shade. Use it as you would a Dwarf Alberta Spruce - it's a better choice in warmer areas where the Picea can struggle.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

November 6, 2017

Plant of the Week: Winecraft Black Smokebush


Holy smokes!


Smokebush is a fun plant. The clouds of pink flowers are unlike other garden plants and have the exotic appeal of something seen only in botanic gardens. (It's actually not the flowers that you notice, but the hairs around them.) In addition to the attention-grabbing summer flowers, Cotinus has excellent fall color. It will add months of interest to landscapes. It's an adaptable plant, too. Drought, clay soil, deer - none of these things will trouble Cotinus. The only thing you really need to watch is that the soil is well-drained.

Winecraft Black Cotinus from Proven Winners ColorChoice

As an easy-to-grow, adaptable plant with tons of ornamental appeal, why aren't there more smokebushes in gardens? One reason is that they are at their peak in summer rather than spring, so there isn't a ton of impulse appeal at retail. Another is that older varieties are kind of irregular growers. Their habit could be a bit ungainly, especially as young plants.

Winecraft Black Cotinus from Proven Winners ColorChoice

Meet Winecraft Black

That's why we're so pleased to introduce Winecraft Black®, a new compact Cotinus with an excellent uniform habit. It's a semi-dwarf plant that grows 4-6' tall and wide, so it fits nicely into most landscapes. Really, now there's no excuse not to have smokebush in your garden.

Winecraft Black Cotinus from Proven Winners ColorChoice

As the name would suggest, Winecraft Black® has dark purple-black foliage that is quite showy all summer long. In summer pink-red panicles cover the plant in the signature 'smoke' of smoketrees. Hardy to USDA Zone 4, this plant will do best in full sun.

Garden Answer & Winecraft Black



Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

October 9, 2017

Plants of the Week: Pearl Glam and Purple Pearls Callicarpa


Crisp days, apple picking, maybe a little discreet Oktoberfesting - fall is wonderful. The plants of autumn are fabulous, too. I like flowers as much as the next person, but vibrant fall foliage colors and richly colored autumnal berries really appeal to me.

Some plants, like Callicarpa (beautyberry), are at their best in fall. It's unfortunate that they can be overlooked earlier in the season when people are seduced by the flashy colors of spring. Smart gardeners who have planned for four seasons know to plant some fall features in their landscapes.

Pearl Glam beautyberry from Proven Winners ColorChoice
White flowers give way to bring purple berries on Pearl Glam® beautyberry.

While older varieties didn't do much in the landscape until fall, Pearl Glam® and Purple Pearls® beautyberries have interesting purple foliage during the growing season. They both have spectacular berry set, and nicer habits than older varieties for a better container display at retail. Purple Pearls® has distinctive pink flowers, too.

While Callicarpa isn't very fussy as far as soil goes, you will want to put them in full sun for the best berry production. Pearl Glam® and Purple Pearls® will have better foliage color in full sun, too. Both are hardy to USDA Zone 5, and will grow 4-5' tall and wide.

Purple Pearls beautyberry from Proven Winners ColorChoice
The purple fruit of Purple Pearls® beautyberry are a great addition to fall flower arrangements.

Callicarpa is a wonderful addition to gardens and commercial landscapes. It's a pretty adaptable plant, and has good deer-resistance. Whether used as a specimen plant or a hedge, it's a lovely plant for gardens. Those berries are nice in cut arrangements, too.

Pearl Glam beautyberry from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Pearl Glam® beautyberry grows 4-5' tall.

When the rest of the world is glowing in oranges and reds, isn't it fun to have a plant that is rocking purple? Birds will eventually get around to eating the berries, but it isn't one of their favorites so you should be able to enjoy the display for a while.

Finally, please check out this great video from Garden Answer. Laura really shows what a great plant Callicarpa is.


Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

September 18, 2017

Plant of the Week: Still Waters Clematis


Still Waters Clematis from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Given the tumultuous waters of recent weather reports, a calming thought or two seems in order.

Still Waters™ clematis is a cool, relaxing plant that's perfect for adding some serenity to gardens. The large violet-blue flowers are a delightful contrast with dark-leafed plants like Black Lace® elderberry.

Unlike other clematis varieties you may have grown, it blooms on both old and new wood so you don't need to consult a chart before pruning it. Actually, you can get away without pruning it at all (or just cut it back to about 2.5' in spring.) Either way, it will flower from late spring to late summer.

Hardy to USDA Zone 5, it will grow in full sun or partial shade. You can expect it to get 4-7' tall on a fence or trellis.



Still Waters Clematis from Proven Winners ColorChoice

We could use some still waters right now.


First Harvey, then Irma - it's been a rough hurricane season. We certainly hope our friends who have been in the paths of these storms are safe and the damage to your homes and businesses is minimal.

When Mother Nature throws hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme weather at us, we gain even more of an appreciation of plants that don't need special treatment. Really, even if we aren't dealing with crazy rain and wind most of us don't have time to coddle our plants.

For a long time clematis were in the high-maintenance plant category for many people. To be sure, if clematis are happy they're pretty easy going, but figuring out if you've got the right conditions for the plant and then identifying the correct pruning technique for it may be intimidating. Not oh-I-decided-to-die-today-for-no-reason frustrating like a Daphne, but still a little more demanding than a Spiraea.

That's why we're happy to have several easy-to-grow varieties like Still Waters™ available.

If you're in need of some clematis advice for older varieties, here's a bulletin from Oregon State University Extension.

And if you're staring down a cultivar with some cryptic warning about pruning groups, here's an explanation of them from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

September 11, 2017

Plant of the Week: Oso Easy Lemon Zest rose


Who doesn't like a yellow rose? The only acceptable answer is people who haven't grown a good one yet. Those people need to try Oso Easy® Lemon Zest rose

Oso Easy Lemon Zest rose from Proven Winners ColorChoice

Like the other Oso Easy® roses, it's a disease-resistant selection with a tidy habit and copious blooms. Unlike other yellow roses, this variety's blooms stay yellow throughout the life cycle of the flower. Even when the petals shatter, they're yellow, not the color of sour milk.

Oso Easy Lemon Zest rose from Proven Winners ColorChoice

Oso Easy® Lemon Zest is hardy to USDA Zone 4 and grows 2-3' tall and wide. It earned an ARS Award of Excellence in the No Spray category in 2016. A yellow rose that you don't need to spray - hooray!

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

August 21, 2017

Plant of the Week: Clethra


Vanilla Spice Clethra from Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs
Vanilla Spice® summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

August is when you notice things that you otherwise overlook. Like graham crackers. If you don't have a preschooler in the house you probably don't buy them regularly. But when August rolls around and you realize that s'more season is drawing to a close, you go on a mission to the cookie aisle.

Clethra (summersweet) is kind of like that, too. Not being a super showy plant in spring, it can be overlooked by the casual garden center shopper. That's too bad, because the fragrance of Clethra flowers is as sweet and enjoyable as the most perfect campfire s'more.

Sugartina 'Crystalina' Clethra from Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs
Sugartina® 'Crystalina' summersweet

Sugartina® 'Crystalina' Clethra alnifolia is an improved 'Hummingbird' with a consistent, dense habit and dark green foliage. It's a tidy little mound that fits nicely into most landscapes without needing pruning.

While Sugartina® 'Crystalina' has lots of fragrant white summer flowers, if you want something even showier check out Vanilla Spice®. It has huge blooms whose flowers are roughly double the size of typical Clethra flowers.

The blooms of Vanilla Spice summersweet
are double the typical size.
Sugartina® 'Crystalina' Clethra grows 2.5-3' tall and wide and makes a great mass planting or groundcover. At 3-6' tall, Vanilla Spice® Clethra is better as a hedge than a groundcover, although either can be tucked into the landscape as a specimen or small group. Both are hardy to USDA Zone 4 and will grow in full sun or partial shade.

I was happy to see lots of Clethra when I visited the Boston area earlier this summer. Landscape designers know the value of this native plant: it's hardy, and tolerates clay soil, wet soil, shade - just about anything you throw at it. That makes it tremendously useful for purpose-driven landscapes like rain gardens or naturalized areas. But the compact varieties hold their own for gardens planted solely for aesthetic reasons. Seriously, who wouldn't want a mound of showy, fragrant flowers in summer? Your butterfly friends will enjoy it as much as you do.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

August 14, 2017

Plant of the Week: Jazz Hands Loropetalum


Jazz Hands Dwarf Pink Loropetalum from Proven Winners ColorChoice

Go ahead - show us your moves: jazz hands, that is. (Not to be confused with spirit fingers, which are kind of creepy.) Seriously, the best part about naming a plant "jazz hands" is that people are compelled to do them while they talk about the plants. Since I tend to talk with my hands all the time it seems only natural to me.

Jazz Hands® Loropetalum have both great foliage color and intense flower color. The flowers, of course, are distinctive fringy blooms that inspired the Jazz Hands® name.

Jazz Hands Bold Loropetalum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
The blooms of Jazz Hands® Bold are the largest of any Loropetalum.

You can go big and Jazz Hands® Bold, or keep it on the down low with Jazz Hands® Mini. In between are Jazz Hands® Dwarf Pink and Jazz Hands® Dwarf White. And for something totally different, Jazz Hands® Variegated. All are hardy to USDA Zone 7b and will grow in full sun or part shade. Size does vary, so check out the individual varieties before planting them.

Jazz Hands Variegated Loropetalum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Hot pink flowers are an afterthought to the eye-catching foliage of Jazz Hands® Variegated Loropetalum.

Jazz Hands® go coast to coast.

Not completely, of course. They aren't too happy here in Michigan unless overwintered in a greenhouse (but make a sweet little patio plant). Loropetalum need a milder climate than ours, so I need to travel to see them in landscapes.

Jazz Hands Dwarf White Loropetalum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Not only does Jazz Hands®Dwarf White have a compact and versatile size, it is also the only rebloomer of the group.

I saw quite a few of them while in Northern California last week. Visiting California is always fun, for a number of reasons. But the reason that pays the bills is seeing how well many of our plants grow in the region. Jazz Hands®, Lo & Behold® Buddleia, Little Quick Fire® Hydrangea paniculata - these are just a few of the plants I saw in landscapes. Season-long color takes on a whole different meaning when your season is pretty much year round.

Jazz Hands Mini Loropetalum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Great groundcover: Jazz Hands® Mini Loropetalum remains under a foot tall.
Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

August 7, 2017

Plant of the Week: Polite Buddleia

Buddleia 'Miss Molly' from Proven Winners Shrubs
'Miss Molly' butterfly bush

With names like 'Miss Ruby' and 'Miss Violet', you would expect these varieties to be a bit more genteel than the hoolligan Buddleia of the past. And they are: compact, so they don't overwhelm the garden, and non-invasive so they don't produce unwanted seedlings.

Lest you think that refined Buddleia with good etiquette are missing the vibrant color and heady fragrance of traditional cultivars, rest assured that these well-bred ladies have all of the passionate hues and butterfly appeal of the old-fashioned plants. In fact, I'd say that the color is even better.

Buddleia 'Miss Violet' from Proven Winners Shrubs
'Miss Violet' butterfly bush

'Miss Violet' has rich, Welch's grape juice purple flowers. Unlike grape juice, it doesn't stain, so you can let your three year old walk around with it.

Red Buddleia color comparison
Color comparison for 'Miss Ruby', 'Royal Red', and 'Miss Molly': 'Miss Molly' is the reddest Buddleia available.

'Miss Ruby' and 'Miss Molly' push the red color as far as we've seen Buddleia go. 'Miss Ruby' is a delightful fuchsia, while 'Miss Molly' is a dark magenta-sangria red. The red color will be more intense in warmer climates. And if you need something cool and refreshing for a summer evening garden, check out 'Miss Pearl' with her crisp white blooms.

Buddleia 'Miss Pearl' from Proven Winners shrubs
'Miss Pearl' butterfly bush

All are hardy to USDA Zone 5 and will do best in full sun. They grown 4-5' tall and wide, and have nice full habits that are very attractive both in containers and in the garden.

'Miss Molly' and 'Miss Violet' Buddleia

The basics of Buddleia

First off, full sun and well-drained soil. There's no way around these two requirements. If you don't have well-drained soil, consider growing them in a container. The dwarf Lo & Behold® or Pugster® plants are good choices for container plantings.

Secondly, USDA Zone 5. You can grow them further north as annuals. If you're growing them in a container, consider them to be an annual as well unless you are in a very mild (Zone 6 or better yet 7) climate.

And then there's heat. We've been having some very warm weather here in West Michigan, and while the people and my poor dog aren't enjoying it, the butterfly bushes are loving every minute.

Buddleia has some wonderful qualities, like the aforementioned affinity for heat. While other plants are wilting, these characters are strutting their stuff in the summer landscape. Then there's the fragrance: when you walk towards a planting of Buddleia it's like being approached by a perfume demonstrator at the department store. Only with the plant there's no judgement of your grubby gardening clothes and no pressure to buy. And then there's the deer resistance. Yes, they attract butterflies and don't attract deer. What a combination!

Buddleia 'Miss Ruby' from Proven Winners Shrubs
'Miss Ruby' butterfly bush

In some areas they can be a nuisance, but new non-invasive varieties like the 'Miss' and Lo & Behold® series are sterile and so better choices for these areas. They are permitted for sale in Oregon, so our friends in the Northwest can enjoy Buddleia too!

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

July 31, 2017

Plant of the Week: Better Rebloomers

Tuff Stuff™ reblooming mountain hydrangea from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Tuff Stuff™ reblooming mountain hydrangea


The case for mountain hydrangeas

Hydrangea serrata is wonderful. Similar to H. macrophylla, but with better bud hardiness, it's a better choice for folks in colder USDA Zone 5 areas. Even those of you in milder climates will appreciate these plants because they are just so pretty and such good growers.

The reblooming Tuff Stuff™ varieties are especially nice because they will bloom on new growth later in the summer so if the early summer bloom is compromised you will still enjoy flowers later in the season.

Tuff Stuff™ Red reblooming mountain hydrangea from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Tuff Stuff™ Red reblooming mountain hydrangea

Like H. macrophylla, the blooms of H. serrata will change color depending on the soil. (Here's a good guide to turning hydrangeas blue.) Tiny Tuff Stuff™  has delicate, refined lacecap flowers that are an elegant addition to gardens. For more intense color, check out the original Tuff Stuff™. And if you need some really intense color, check out Tuff Stuff™ Red, whose doubled lacecap flowers open green and red before maturing to deep pink-red.

All of the Tuff Stuff™ hydrangeas are hardy to USDA Zone 5 and will grow in full sun or partial shade. Tiny Tuff stuff™ is the smallest, at 1.5-2', and the other two are in the 2-3' range.

Tiny Tuff Stuff™ reblooming mountain hydrangea from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Tiny Tuff Stuff™ reblooming mountain hydrangea

Anecdotally I can tell you that my H. serrata plants have always performed better than the H. macrophylla in my yard, and that the Tuff Stuff™ varieties are especially nice. Actually, these plants are staff favorites, being good growers both in our greenhouses and in our growers' yards.

I know that when I go to a store I always like seeing the staff picks. So here are some other staff favorites:
P.S. This is the list I get when I don't let anyone choose a hydrangea as a favorite. Hint: Invincibelle Limetta® is joining Tuff Stuff™ and Bobo® on the separate Favorite Hydrangea Staff Pick List.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

July 24, 2017

Plant of the Week: Sun and Blues

Sunny Boulevard Hypericum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Sunny Boulevard™ Hypericum

Hypericum is having a moment.

Maybe I'm just saying that because I want it to be true, because I do really like this plant. After all, what's not to love? It's adaptable and easy to grow. It flowers all summer long - nice flowers, too, not wimpy little 'nice try' blooms. It's deer resistant, drought tolerant, and bees love it. We hear so much about the need to grow native plants that support pollinator populations. Well, here's one, and it looks great, too.

Sunny Boulevard Hypericum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Sunny Boulevard™ Hypericum

We have two great varieties here: Blues Festival® and Sunny Boulevard™ Hypericum.

Both are loaded with very showy yellow flowers all summer long. Sunny Boulevard™ may bloom a little longer, into September, but Blues Festival® has really cool blue-green foliage. We like these varieties because they have both very long bloom times and nice, densely branched habits that look as sharp in containers as they do in the landscape. They're both hardy to USDA 4 and grow 2-3' tall.

Blues Festival Hypericum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Blues Festival® Hypericum

Anyway, I'm not saying that it's having a moment just because I want it to happen. I have seen more and more Hypericum in landscapes recently. I think that for many people the excellent deer-resistance is the real appeal. That's no small thing, and if you're in an area with heavy deer browsing pressure you might put this on your list along with the Caryopteris and Russian sage.

Blues Festival Hypericum from Proven Winners ColorChoice
Blues Festival® Hypericum

I was lucky enough to be at the APLD conference in Boston, and we saw LOTS of Hypericum in the gardens we toured. The northeast has even more deer than it does Dunkin' Donuts, so plants that resist browsing are a must.

So this isn't just me trying to make fetch happen. It's a thing. Just like on Wednesdays we wear pink.

Plant of the Week is written by Jane Beggs-Joles

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Plant of the Week: Emerald Envy® Viburnum

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