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Mum Matchsticks - Hardy thru Zone 4

“What’s Old is New Again!” This is the case of Mum Matchsticks – an exciting New Sun Perennial! I was visiting with Kevin Hurd over at Walters Gardens and he asked me if we had ever considered selling this unusual-looking Chrysanthemum. I, personally, am not a huge fan of Mums…you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. BUT, when I went to their growing field and saw the extremely unusual flowers on this plant I knew we had a huge winner!

Striking QUILLED flowers are about 2″ across with bright yellow centers & hot red fluted flower tips. I’ve never seen anything like this! This hybrid has been around for 20-30 years so you know this is a very long-lived garden Mum.

Matchsticks Mum - Compact & heavy-blooming habit!

A vigorous grower, Matchsticks Mum produces a compact plant 20″ tall and 24″ wide and is LOADED with dozens of these colorful blooms which require NO staking!

And, we’ve had them last over 3 weeks as cut flowers! What more could you ask for in a ultra-hardy Garden Mum?

Spring Trio of Color

As 2010 winds to a close, we look forward to spring and hope it is right around the corner! My, how time flies when we’re having fun!

You can easily brighten a shady corner of your garden with this trio of colorful shade perennials. You’ve got the brilliant strawberry-peach foliage of Heuchera Georgia Peach combining with the silvery-veined foliage of Brunnera Jack Frost. We used Heuchera Frosted Violet to pull everything together. Early spring brings the added bonus of bright sky-blue flowers sitting atop Brunnera Jack Frost.

The beauty of this colorful Shade Garden Collection is that it remains stunning for over 8 months in the shade garden or patio planter.

Heuchera Georgia Peach in Summer

This image shows Heuchera Georgia Peach in all its summer-time glory. Of all the new Heucheras hitting the market & confusing gardeners, I strongly feel that Georgia Peach has risen to the top & is a phenominally strong grower in the garden.

Her leaves are a stunning strawberry coloration ALL season long, giving over 6 MONTHS of continual color.

Brunnera Jack Frost with Summer foliage

Here’s a picture of Brunnera Jack Frost with its bright summer foliage of silver and green-veined leaves. The foliage remains brilliant all spring, summer, & fall!

Even the deer won’t touch this rugged shade plant!

Helleborus Grape Galaxy

It’s getting to be one of my favorite times of the year as all of my Stock Plant Hellebores begin to come into bloom! These ultra-easy and extremely hardy Shade Plants make superb, long-lived perennials in the garden. Their foliage is semi-evergreen in the North and totally evergreen in the South.

Plus, they are 100% DEER PROOF! I’ve grown Hellebores for over 15 years and have had deer prance thru my garden chewing everything in site, BUT they have never touched a single Hellebore. This might be because their leaves are slightly toxic.

My Hellebores are all in greenhouses in Western Michigan and are beginning their flower show much earlier than plants outdoors. In most parts of the country, they’ll begin their flower show in late winter and continue for over 8 weeks.

Hellebores, with their dark green foliage, make superb companions to shade-loving plants like Heucheras, Hostas, Hardy Ferns, & Hydrangeas.

If you’ve never grown Hellebores, now is the perfect time to start! We’ve got over 13 colorful selections for you to choose from on our website at www.GreatGardenPlants.com !

Happy New Year to All!

As more people are moving into houses with smaller lots and closer neighbors, they’re looking for the fastest growing hedge plant that can be used to create “instant” privacy.

Thuja Green Giant & Knock Out Roses

Thuja Green Giant is your fast-growing answer! I’ve traveled the country and this new hybrid was introduced to American gardeners about 15 years ago (that’s still “new” for a conifer) from the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Green Giant is a hybrid that grows an amazing 3’ PER YEAR once it becomes established. The trick is maximizing this fast growth rate. Here’s the secret: every April 15^th (the dreaded tax day) I fertilize with 2-3 tablespoons of Osmocote slow-release fertilizer scratched into the top 2 inches of soil at the base of each plant. Then, water at least 1” per week from spring thru late fall. This guarantees you’ll see rapid growth of 3’ or more per year.

Fast Growing Privacy Hedge Plant - Thuja Green Giant

Can you PRUNE Green Giant Thuja? Absolutely! If left unpruned, Thuja Green Giant will form a graceful pyramidal shape 8’ wide and 40’ tall. They respond wonderfully to pruning in early summer (after they’ve had their spring flush) and I’ve seen them planted a mere 18” apart and kept to a tight 6’ tall around a formal rose garden.

Thuja Green Giant is extremely versatile and thrives in sandy or clay soil. I’ve seen it growing in hot/steamy Atlanta, Georgia all the way up into our location here in Western Michigan!

You can’t ask for a better fast-growing privacy Hedge Plant than Thuja Green Giant. Also, try planting long-blooming Knock Out Roses and Ornamental Grasses at the base of your Green Giant Thujas for the “finishing” touch!

Heucheras for the Shade

Here’s one of my favorite groups of Shade Perennials! Heucheras (or Coral Bells) have come a long way over the past 15 years due to the dedicated breeding programs of folks like Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries.

Heuchera Southern Comfort

These colorful shade lovers thrive with little care and provide a wonderful range of color to brighten up even the darkest shade spot in your garden. Heucheras come in an array of colors, sizes, & flowers. From the bright yellow leaves of Heuchera Lime Rickey to the intense peach of Heuchera Georgia Peach. The leaves of Heuchera Southern Comfort can reach an AMAZING 10” across, while the vivid red blooms of Heuchera Rave On create a flurry of color in the late spring garden.

Heucheras are easy to grow and thrive in most garden conditions. They love morning sun until 1pm, but will also grow in heavier shade. I usually fertilize my established Heucheras in mid April with Osmocote slow-release fertilizer (you can buy at any good garden center). I’ve found that 1 tablespoon of Osmocote scattered around each plant will feed them all spring & summer. Watering your Heucheras once a week will also help keep them happy.