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Perennials & Shrubs
There are tens of thousands of perennials and shrubs available in a vast array of colors, blooming seasons, foliage textures, sizes, and ranges of adaptation. I use only those that are the hardiest and easiest to care for, and have the best flowering characteristics and foliage. They are chosen to blend with and enhance your landscape, to be suited to the existing cultural conditions, and to enhance your enjoyment of your home.
The nursery industry is constantly working to improve plant varieties by developing new cultivars with increased disease resistance and overall hardiness, greater flowering
characteristics with a wider choice of colors, and more controlled growth patterns. For example, there are nearly 50,000 varieties of daylilies alone in myriad colors and with bloom times from a few weeks to all season. There are roses that require little care trademarked as "Hasslefree."
There are rhododendron that grow to only 2' high and ones that go to 10' or more. We choose the plant cultivar that fits your space as well as the existing cultivar conditions. I do not like "round pegs in square holes."
We pick the best varieties of any plants to suit your color preferences and landscape.
If you have favorites please let us know. If they fit your space and the existing cultural conditions are suitable for them we love to include your favorites.
Flowering & Shade Trees
Trees cool us and our homes in the Summer and allow the sun’s warmth through in the Winter. They bring fabulous flowers, cooling shade and wonderful Fall colors. There are trees that flower in all seasons and trees with Winter silhouettes and bark of great beauty.
Flowering trees and shade trees take the longest time line to reach maturity of any plant used in the landscape and therefore require the most patience. Accordingly, I choose trees of a bit more mature size whenever possible and available in order to shorten the time frame until they are mature. Trees are available in sizes up to 10" in trunk diameter (caliper) standing up to 30’ high. I often say that with trees it is a question of patience versus money and try to balance that equation with proper choices to suit your budget. We can upgrade most trees for you if there is the need or desire for more rapid maturation and your budget allows it.
We can also choose trees for wet or dry areas and there are more mature fruit trees available as well. Did you know that there is a yellow flowering dogwood whore fruit you can eat? The serviceberry tree has white flowers and fruit that tastes like blueberries - but beware the pit. We can grow redwoods and their cousins here as well as bald cypress, and the American larch.
Perhaps the three greatest American flowering trees are the dogwood (cornus florida), the sourwood (oxydendrum), and the franklinia (franklinia alatamaha). Respectively they flower: spring, summer, and fall. All three have great fall color and are slow growing.
Maples come in shade tree size as well as in hundreds of variations of the Japanese maple. Flowering pears are extremely beautiful but very brittle so much so that without regular pruning they split apart as they age.
There are many fun and interesting trees to choose from
Bulbs
The deer in our area decimate tulips and other bulbs but there is hope. Planting fritilaria can keep deer from eating your tulips.
Daffodils are poisonous so deer leave them alone and they make wonderful cutting flowers. If you chose properly for variety you can have as much as seven to eight weeks of daffodils to enjoy.
We sell thousands of bulbs every year and often they are sold at wholesale for you to plant yourself.
Call in August if you're interested in getting started or adding to your spring collection. I add two-three hundred a year at my house.
Japanese Gardens
There several types or styles of Japanese gardens. In a non-technical sense they include: woodland, dry stream, and water. Japanese gardens are very representational and graceful. They are not more work to maintain. There is very much a feeling of being "in a garden" in a Japanese garden and they often present unique challenges and opportunities for a landscape
Ground Cover
Ground covers are sometimes overlooked as a part of the landscape. They can be evergreen or not, flowering or not, and invasive or slow growing.
My favorite is periwinkle or vinca. It comes in the standard 'periwinkle blue,' white wine-purple, and blue-violet varieties, as well as some that have variegated leaves.
There are shade-loving as well as sun-loving groundcovers. Some grow only 1" high and some grow to 2' high. Using a deciduous variety in a wooded area means that at the end of the year all you need do is run a lawn mower - set high - through the area. Some ground covers can be used as lawn substitutes and are walkable with very low maintenance. Also, using ground covers can not only add beauty but also reduce yearly mulching.