When you do water, it is better to water long and deep every few days, instead of a gentle sprinkle daily. Think of the water going down deep into the soil, and the roots reaching down to the water. You don’t want the roots reaching UP to the top 1/4″ of soil to get moisture.
We have a great inventory of many trees and shrubs including Serviceberry, River Birch, American Chestnut seedlings, Yellowwood, Fothergilla, Honeysuckle, native azaleas, and White Spruce. This is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs! But of course, it’s spring so our eye is drawn to some of our spring blooming plants.
Some plants we are thinking of this week:
Thermopsis caroliniana, Carolina lupine
…is a hardy, long-lived perennial suitable for sunny or partly shaded gardens and is adaptable to many soil conditions including dry and infertile soils. As a nitrogen fixer, it can thrive in poor soils where many other plants may not. Large bees push their way into the lupine-like flowers. That’s right, it’s not a true lupine, but it is in the same family along with peas, beans, Baptisia, and redbuds. Grows 3 to 5 feet tall. Blooms in late spring! Easy to grow!
Blueberry
We’ve got tons of blueberry bushes!! A few different domestic highbush varieties as well as wild low bush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). In fact we also have “tublings” of low bush blueberry, which are both easy to plant and economical as they are young plants in small containers! Remember all blueberries need acidic, moist soils. Good drainage is a must, especially for lowbush blueberries which are best grown in average to dry acidic soils in shade or part sun or natural woodland conditions. Domestic blueberries can tolerate more moisture and sunlight, and are more adaptable overall but still require loose, consistently moist, acidic soils. They do not thrive in heavy clay or alkaline soils. Limited space? Good news…many blueberries are self-pollinating, meaning you only need one! We also have peat moss available, which we recommend using a soil amendment for blueberries. We carry Hollytone and Berrytone organic fertilizers, which are perfect for feeding blueberry bushes! Lots more information on Blueberries HERE.
Tiarella
Tiarella is just about the ‘perfect’ plant! So many people want a native ‘groundcover’ and this one will fit the bill for a shade to part shade site. In the right place, it will spread to form a colony. In nature, it is found in woodlands and stream banks. Blooming in spring, the airy spires of flowers reach up to 12″. Flower colors vary from white to pink-ish white, and leaves vary from solid green to a variegated reddish-green. Plants tolerate clay, loam, acid or alkaline pH, heat, and some drought. Depending on the severity of the winter, the foliage may be semi-evergreen. The one thing this plant will not tolerate is wet soils — especially over the winter.
Woodland Phlox
Isn’t spring great? After a winter of dull colors, flowers start to bloom again! This one is Phlox divaricata, or Woodland Phlox. This plant prefers moist, well drained soil in part sun to shade. Blooms in spring in shades of white, to blue-ish white. It’s fragrant, too! Another semi-evergreen, low growing plant that makes a good ground-cover in woodland areas. Great for naturalizing. All of the spring blooming plants provide important early nectar for pollinators and butterflies. Hummingbirds will also sip nectar from these flowers. Deer don’t usually bother with this plant and it is OK to grow in clay soil and tolerates juglans from walnuts.
