Plant of the Month
Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’
This great ground covering evergreen hardy perennial is the Perennial Plant Association’s ‘Perennial of the Year’, therefore I thought it would be appropriate to have it as our plant of the month. This geranium is not from the genus Pelargonium which we commonly call geranium, but a plant from the genus of ‘true’ geraniums. True geraniums are often called cranesbills after the seed head that follows the flower. They are long blooming and low growing.
Biokovo Geranium
Biokovo is considered to be a naturally occuring cross of Geranium macrorrhizum and Geranium dalmaticum. It was discovered in the Biokovo Mountains in the Dalamtia region of Croatia. It makes a great ground cover. It is covered with light pink blooms for several months in spring into summer. It spreads fairly rapidly and is deer resistant and easy to grow. Shear back if necessary in fall for all fresh growth in spring. This would benefit from shade in the afternoon in our climate so morning sun or even light shade is best. They take regular water but I think they could be moderately watered in a shadier spot and not out in full sun. Consider this great perennial if you are looking for a nice easy care ground cover under trees or shrubs.
$2.00 off 1 gallons and $1.00 off 4 inch pots through April
April Specials
- GreenAll Soil Booster (the orange bag) Buy 3, 4th FREE
- 2 c.f. GreenAll Organic Potting Soil (the purple bag)- Buy 3, 4th FREE
- Geranium ‘Biokovo’ Plant of the Month Special Price
- Buy 7 6packs- 8th FREE
- Buy 12 4 inch- 13th FREE
Newsletter April 2015
Bulb Pots
It is once again that busy season at the nursery. We are overflowing with fantastic perennials, shrubs, trees and vegetables. The pottery area is full, the soil area is packed and the hanging baskets are restocked just waiting for you to fill. We are doing seed orders weekly and we have plenty of plug starts of supertunias and more growing in the greenhouse. We have ladybugs (the aphids are out) and worms in the refrigerator and mantyd egg cases just waiting for a new home.
Full Racks
The weather is once again indicating an early last frost this year. Although you need to keep an eye on the night time lows we have lots of tomatoes in already including Sungold. We have some peppers and eggplant and summer squash. We are still protecting the cukes and basil. There is a nice selection of herbs in right now including lemon grass and lemon verbena.
Try attracting more beneficial insects to your garden by planting more herbs and flowers in with your vegetables and roses. Yarrow, dill, and fennel attract ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies. Marigolds, cosmos, alyssum, and lemon balm are all good beneficial attractors. Our customers buy lavender and lemon verbena to keep mosquitoes away. I plant chives to keep aphids away.
Plants Galore
If you have not already done so it is time to fertilize all your trees, lawn, shrubs, roses and perennial beds. You can either get an all purpose food or the more specific formulas like Fruit Tree and Vine, Rose and Flower, Acid Loving etc. Don’t forget to rework (add nutrition to) your vegetable and annual beds with E.B. Stone Soil Booster, worm Castings, chicken or steer manure. It wouldn’t hurt to add calcium to your vegetable beds in the way of gypsum or lime. Repaint or re-wrap your young trees to prevent sunburn to the trunks if the canopy is still not big enough to shade them (the trunks). We sell tree wrap or you can use white interior latex paint watered down with 50% water. Keep an eye out for borer entrance holes in young trees. You might need to ask us options for treatment if you suspect them. Peach leaf curl and fire blight will not be much of an issue this year due to the dry spring but spray with copper if you get it on your fruit trees. For coddling moth control two traps per tree can be effective control or spray with neem when the fruit is dime sized, nickle sized and again at quarter size. We carry both of these products.
With the lack of rain it is very important to make sure your irrigation is working properly. If you have not checked your system for leaks yet you better get out there and run through your stations. I suspect we are going to need to turn our systems on soon if we have not already down so. So far my established in ground plantings have not needed it but I am watering my vegetables and containers. Mulch, mulch and more mulch to keep moisture in the ground longer. Spray your landscape with anti-transpirant when the weather gets hot to keep moisture loss out of the leaves to a minimum. We always spray it here at the nursery, usually for the first time in June before the real summer heat sets in.
My Lilac
The nursery is alive with spring color. My lilacs are in full bloom adding a sweet fragrance to the air. The fragrant locust trees are starting to bloom too and are tulip pots are cranking out the color this week. Our pink tree peonies just opened and are amazing. The forsythia is still showing color and we have some flowers on our petunias and calibrochoa. You can’t miss the red geraniums.
Tree Peony
Don’t miss our 5th annual Sharp Event set for 9-1 on Sat April 11th. Razor’s Edge will be here to sharpen all your tools and mower blades. Master Gardener Help Desk will be here and we will have ‘drought gardening’ info and plant display.
Happy Spring Gardening,
Tanya