Author Archives: Kris Blevons

Phlox divaricata – a must have for the woodland garden!

phlox divaricata in the garden….

Wild blue phlox, woodland phlox, wild sweet william – whatever name you choose hardly matters. This native wildflower, Phlox divaricata, graces the most beautiful gardens in Birmingham in the early spring – March and April are its time to shine!

Phlox divaricata shown in
Kris’ spring garden

Find a spot for this one now, while it’s available, and you’ll add another layer of beauty to your garden too. Once established, it spreads readily, yet is never offensive or thuggish. The soft blue blooms have a delicate fragrance that is a subtle greeting as you walk through the garden…and bees and hummingbird moths love it too.

When it’s finished blooming, you can choose to cut it back, which helps tidy it up for summer. Don’t cut all of it back though, if you’d like it to reseed, popping up in other places in your yard – it will make itself at home!

Phlox divaricata enjoying the spring sun before its shaded by the rose bush…

Wild blue phlox is a denizen of my garden that I welcome wherever it chooses to be. Favored conditions are woodland soil or in a cultivated garden, and filtered or morning sun is perfect for it. But I also have some in a hot, sunny bed, a spot where it receives shade in the hottest part of the year by a large rosé bush, retreating in the summer and letting the rose take center stage..

How could anyone not want such a sweet, versatile, native perennial wildflower?

Phlox divarcata is a happy companion with many woodland plants

**Companion plants to consider include:
Columbine species, including the native columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
Perennial ferns, including Southern maidenhair, Japanese painted, tassel, Korean rock and more
Hellebores (Lenten roses)
Solomon’s seal (variegated or green)
Epimedium –
Other wild flowers, including spigelia, (Indian pinks) asarum (ground cover gingers), rue anemone, bloodroot, celandine poppy, Virginia blue bells, Iris cristata

Pretty pots of woodland phlox are available now...

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The Market – Our Red Table Produce Is Back!

Not quite Alabama tomatoes (it’s only April!)

The market is beginning to happen again! Dená has begun to check out the availablility of fresh vegetables. So…the red market tables out front have had some early Florida tomatoes (It’s not quite time for the Alabama ‘maters yet.) that are really quite tasty. Strawberries have looked pretty and been flavorful too – it’s the perfect time for those beauties!

Fresh, organic eggs – so delicious…

Shannon Blount has been keeping us stocked with her fresh, organic, and very delicious eggs. She even has chickens named after Billy (Well, that one is a rooster…), Kris, Jamie and Pinkie – one Saturday she’ll bring them by for a visit!

The very prettiest lately have been the baby Vidalia onions. Dená found a yummy sounding recipe you might want to try – it’s really easy.

Vidalia Onion Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups thinly sliced Vidalia onions
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (9-inch) prebaked deep-dish pie shell
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until lightly browned.

Put the pie pan on a sheet pan. Line the bottom of pie crust with the onions.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and the flour together to combine. Add the milk, sour cream and salt. Mix well and pour over the onions. Garnish with the bacon and bake until firm in the center, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Read more at:
Vidalia Onion Pie
www.foodnetwork.com

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A Look At The Nursery – Come See!

We’re at the beginning of the new planting season and thought it would be nice to give you a glimpse of the nursery…for those of you familiar with us, you know things come in and go out just as fast – if you see something you think you could use, it’s really best to make up your mind quickly! Of course, we’re always happy to take your name and number and call you if we’re out of something that can be reordered.

Beautiful pots of ‘Tuscan Blue’ rosemary…

The rosemary has been beautiful – this is one herb that does so well for us here in the Birmingham area…it’s happy in the ground and in containers. It’s just a big, beautiful, edible shrub! Plant it in full to at least half day of sun and give it excellent drainage and you’ll have a winner on your hands.

The tables under the lath house are filling up with bedding plants…

We’re beginning to get serious about stocking bedding plants. While our last average frost date here is mid-April, we are pretty much there, though many of you are just now seeing the pansies at their peak. Enjoy them, and when they’ve given out in the heat, replant with your summer bedding plants. Container plantings are usually the first to suffer as a result of higher temperatures, especially if they dry out at all. We’re beginning to get in everything you’ll need for pots, hayracks and more…shipments come in just about every day but Monday!

The nursery is divided into distinct areas. All of the shrubs are against the fence on the inside of the lath house and on the end toward the alley.

Annuals and tropicals are out front on the tables and steps, and also in the middle area under the lath house on tables.

Perennials and groundcovers are against the greenhouse on tables and on the ground.

Herbs and veggies are on the end toward the street and side garden. The fresh fruits and vegetables are on the red tables as you enter toward the greenhouse door…and the U-Pot-It bench is against the greenhouse as well. We know it can get very overwhelming to come in and see so much in a relatively small area, so hope this helps…

Happy Spring!

What A Great Coreopsis!!! ‘Full Moon’ Is One You Should Try…

A mainstay of perennial gardens, many of us have a love/hate relationship with coreopsis. Other than the native species, many seem to be difficult for folks here. The taller, earlier ones need constant deadheading to look their best, and the smaller flowered, wispy foliaged (verticillatas) need cutting back as soon as their initial bloom is done to keep them looking neat.

Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’

A couple of years ago I bought this coreopsis for the shop, hoping the flower color and the plant would work well here. I’m happy to say it has been an absolutely wonderful addition to my hot, sunny front bed, consorting quite happily with roses, daylilies, Mexican sage, rosemary, yucca (Yes, it’s very hot!), gaura, green santolina, mecardonia, Mexican heather, and various other heat loving plants.

With annual red gomphrena, ornamental blueberry,
yucca, and hypericum shrubs – Kris’ front bed

In fact, I sent pictures of it in various stages through the summer to one of my local growers, and, with each picture, a note saying, “Please grow this so I can pass it along to other Birmingham gardeners!” Well, I’m very happy to say she did, and we have Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ available from our local wholesaler right down the road in Alabaster!

Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ in Kris’ front bed with annual purple angelonia

I honestly can say this Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ bloomed in my garden from June through the hottest part of summer and only started to wane in August – an unbelievable bloom time for a perennial. The color is a soft, buttery yellow like ‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis, but the foliage is more substantial and the flowers themselves are much larger.These are available now if you’d like to try one or more!

Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ is a winner!

Tip: A great way to get even longer bloom from a perennial like this is to cut it back by half early in the season, and even better is to cut half of your plants back by half. That way the stems that haven’t been cut back bloom first. Those you cut back will bloom a bit later, thus extending your bloom period. Look at this post for more information on this technique – happy gardening!

More Cork Bark Planter Inspiration – We’re Having Fun!

The last post on these cork bark pieces was an inspirational hit for many of you, and, since we’re having so much fun with them, I wanted to share some more photos. We’ve reordered them a couple of times because they’ve become so popular. And what fun to plant!!

The first post focused on succulents, herbs and air plants – perfect for hot dry spots or areas that are hard to tend. The ones shown here are more woodsy in feel, very much in keeping with the bark material.

The tall one that Jamie planted utilizes houseplants which work very well in shaded areas through the summer, and some perennials. This piece will take filtered sun and clipping of the houseplants to maintain the balance of the planting. A pot was inserted in the bottom, planted, and then soil filled to the top, filling the opening all the way up to create a cool vertical piece.

In the next planting, I took 3 of the flatter, rounded pieces and actually “stacked” them at angles, creating planting pockets and different levels and an overall shape I was pleased with. Next, perennials, including tassel ferns, ‘Metallica’ and ‘Burgundy Glow’ ajuga, golden and peacock selaginellas, Scotch moss and Carex ‘Evergold’, were added, creating sweeps of color and wispy trailers over the edges. An added bonus is that all of these plants are perennial and can be used in your landscape as they outgrow the container.

Both of these have been lined before planting but will drain over the edges in the case of the stacked pieces and down through the bottom of the planting in the tall piece. We picture them in areas of restful shade, adding their green presence to woodland surroundings…We hope you enjoy our creations as much as we enjoyed making them!

More Select Shrubs And Vines Available Now!

On a recent walk through the nursery in the last post, we highlighted leucothoe, oak leaf hydrangeas, Osmanthus fragrans, the sweet tea olive, and Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’.

Burkwood viburnum

Viburnum burkwoodii blooms smell heavenly!

We continue our tour of durable southern shrubs and vines with Viburnum burkwoodii, Burkwood viburnum. This is an early blooming deciduous (losing its leaves in the winter) shrub. It begins to bloom in March, with pink buds opening to extremely fragrant, medium size blooms with a fairly open form. Pruning may be done after bloom to open it up or control its 8′-10′ size.

Virburnum macrocephalum – snowball viburnum

snowball viburnum blooms start out lime green, then turn white

Another viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum, or Snowball Viburnum, is often commented on when it’s in full bloom in the Birmingham area. Its blooms really do look like big snowballs (some also mistake them for hydrangea blooms, but this shrub blooms much earlier.) The buds, when forming, are a beautiful green. They mature to white, unscented blooms, but impressive nonetheless! This deciduous shrub will grow to 20′ with a rounded shape, but can also be pruned to create a tree form as well.

There are countless spiraeas that begin to leaf out in early spring and have many tiny blooms along arching stems – Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ has beautiful golden leaves too, (Ogon means yellow.) This is a lovely 3′-5′ shrub that will do well in a sunny spot.

Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’

Fragrant, yellow blooms cover the native
Carolina jasmine in the spring

A native vine in plentiful supply now is Gelsemium sempervirens, Carolina jessamine. This evergreen vine has fragrant, bright yellow blooms usually beginning in March. It is a twining vine, so you will need to give it a trellis to climb on (it’s quite useful for hiding ugly chain link fencing.) Cut it back after it blooms if you need to control growth.

In a future post we’ll talk about the varieties of hollies available – and post pictures of some hollies and other shrubs that owner Billy Angell is planting in his new landscape….

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Select Shrubs To Plant Now!

leucothoe

Here are a few highlights from a walk through the nursery to showcase some favorite southern shrubs, though these are just a few of many!

Tough and durable, we start with a shade garden stalwart, leucothoe, a wonderful evergreen screening plant that reaches 8′-10′. Cut stems are long lasting in flower arrangements, and it’s utilized by Birmingham florists throughout the year, culminating in gorgeous additions to holiday arrangements. The long arching stems are quite graceful, and some companions include azaleas, pieris, mountain laurel and hydrangeas, just to name a few.

Oak leaf hydrangea lights up a woodland path…

If you live in Birmingham and have an area in your landscape with some afternoon shade (though they tolerate sun with adequate water) you really should have an oak leaf hydrangea or many! With their dramatic, oak leaf shaped leaves, white blossoms fading to pink, and gorgeous red fall foliage color, they add year round interest – not to mention beautiful winter bark and form. A must have! Or, you might prefer the ‘Nikko Blue’ french hydrangeas? We have those too!

Osmanthus fragrans, sweet tea olive

Sweet tea olive, Osmanthus fragrans, has a bloom you might miss while walking through the garden, but you won’t miss their fragrance! A broad leaf evergreen growing 8′-10′ (sometimes taller) these are best situated where their unbelievable fragrance can be enjoyed – near your home, which also will offer cold protection, and in a spot that offers some sun. Enjoy their blooms fall, winter and spring and sporadically through the summer.

Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’ is useful as a cut stem in holiday arrangements….

Another Osmanthus we have now is the yellow variagated false holly, ‘Goshiki’. This is one tough plant – useful for those hot spots in the yard where you’d like an evergreen shrub that grows to roughly 6′ and almost as wide. This is another that is beautiful used as a cut specimen in floral arrangements any time of the year. It’s very prickly though! (Hence the name, false holly…)

Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’ this is a tough shrub!

In addition to those listed above, we have a very good selection of hollies and gardenias in stock. Take a walk down to the end of the nursery near the pinestraw and you’ll see the selection. Have a question about them? Billy loves hollies and is very well versed on them – he’d love to help you!

We’ll continue our tour of tough shrubs and vines in our next post..meanwhile, take a look through your landscape – maybe you could you use one of these southern gems too!

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Cork Bark Pieces – These Are Planters!

These cork bark pieces are so organic and natural…we love them and wanted to pass on just a couple of ideas for planting them. Actually, they were one of those happy accidents – one wrong stroke of the keyboard, with a different item number ordered than planned, and, voila, these cork bark pieces arrived the other day that were rounded, with just enough space for planting rather than being flat…oh, happy day!

You may see other possibilities for these bark planters that don’t involve plants at all…that’s fine too – we will have plenty in stock in the coming weeks and you can decide how they’d work best for you. They are affordable and fun for whatever use you choose to make of them.

Of course, if you’ve been keeping up with previous posts, you know we’ve gotten in some pretty cool looking succulents, as well as air plants and the beginning of the new season’s herb offerings. So, with all this bounty to work with, one bark planter became a succulent, herb, airplant design and the other became a study in silvery grays and blues with a pop of chartreuse…

As with any combination planting, look at color, texture and form of the plants you’re working with. The bark is rough and brown…in one planting the red coloring of the hens and chicks play off the brown of the planter while the red edging of the thyme also picks up the color of the succulents. The spiky air plants contrast with the rounded forms of the rolled bark as well.

The silver succulents show nicely against the dark of the bark, and the repetition of the round forms is pleasing, almost like a river running along the piece…of course, succulents and some herbs are best for this type of shallow planting.

Strong morning sun with shade in the afternoon will be helpful in keeping these looking their best…We planted these with a light potting mix – water freely when dry but let dry completely between watering. We will be checking the thyme more frequently and keeping it clipped, and as plants outgrow the composition we’ll pull them out and replace with new ones…fun!

Arrangements – Happiness On A Rainy Day In The Greenhouse

Recently, on a rainy day, with extra baskets on our hands and plenty of pretty plants at our disposal, these arrangements were the happy result. Rainy days in the greenhouse are the best. When the wind blows and the poly whips across the roof like the sails on a ship, and then the rain starts…there’s nothing like it. That’s when it feels good to work in a greenhouse, the rain rat-tatting on the roof, sometimes so loud it’s hard to hear the phone ring…

But of course there is still work to be done – plants to be tended, orders to be filled, and customers braving the rain to be taken care of. But, between work, there is, shall we say, creative play…

And there are such pretty things to play with! This time of year, with spring in the air but not quite yet here – this is the time of hydrangeas, calla lilies and sweet alyssum – the soft colors of Easter mingling and overlapping with the brightness of other, more exuberant blooms of gerbera daisies, ranunculus and the first of the geraniums. So much to work with! So we begin to gather flowers and foliage and perhaps a few herbs to add their scent, color and texture to the mix.

This post isn’t going to be about design rules, because quite frankly, we sometimes break them. (Maybe we’re just rebels at heart!) No, this is about what feels and looks right to you. And, perhaps it’s more about not being afraid of making a “mistake” – with arrangements, container plantings or your own garden.

So, here are some of our gifts to you, a few creations on a rainy day in March…while the rain rat-tatts on the roof and the poly whips like the sails on a ship…

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Try These Impatiens Alternatives (Impatiens Downy Mildew Info)

If you didn’t have success with your annual impatiens plantings last year it may have been due to a disease called downy mildew. We’d like to offer information on this and suggest some alternatives for you this season. Thanks to Jim Jacobi of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for some of the pictures used here, and to Al Krismer at Al Krismer Plant Farm for helpful information concerning this disease that affects bedding plant impatiens and double impatiens.

Photo courtesy Jim Jacobi, Extension Specialist
Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems

Tell-tale signs of downy mildew
Photo courtesy Jim Jacobi
Alabama Cooperative Extension Services

Impatiens downy mildew is a disease which affects impatiens in the landscape, developing in cool humid conditions – just what many of our evenings are like here in early spring when folks are planting. Symptoms begin with yellow spots on the leaves. It slowly progresses, until under the leaves there will be a white, almost fuzzy growth, (hence the name) leaving a weakened plant with no blooms and finally, just spindly stems.

Impatiens downy mildew needs water and cool temperatures to spread. It can also occur in the more humid evenings in the summer. As of April 2013, there are no fungicides to combat this disease. Airborne spores can travel several miles, infecting distant impatiens plantings under favorable conditions. Younger plants seem most susceptible.

If this happened to your impatiens last year, we strongly advise not replanting impatiens in those areas. Spores from the disease can overwinter in the soil for several years, re-infesting new impatiens plantings.

Best not to plant impatiens here this year.
Photo courtesy Jim Jacobi
Alabama Cooperative Extension Services

There are, however, some impatiens that have been found to have a resistance to this disease – the Sunpatiens and New Guinea impatiens are immune. If your bedding plant impatiens were not affected last summer, and you’d like to continue planting them, we will have some available and suggest planting fewer in case yours are affected by airborne spores. (As of Spring, 2015, we’ll be offering Bounce impatiens, a new series of mildew resistant impatiens, also.)

We want to assure you that there are many wonderful alternatives to impatiens – you can still have color in your shady landscape. We will offer those listed below and many more – you may even discover a new favorite!

SOME GREAT ALTERNATIVES

(And there are more where these came from!)

Caladium in the landscape – photo courtesy Missouri Botanical Gardens

Caladiums – There are so many patterns and colors of caladiums, and they all work in shady spots either in the ground or in pots. There are also varieties that will be happy in sun too.

New Guinea impatiens – photo courtesy of Erik Runkle, Michigan State University

New Guinea Impatiens & Sunpatiens are immune to this disease!

This is a variegated leaf Sunpatiens. They are also have solid green leaves....

This is a variegated leaf Sunpatiens. They also have solid green leaves….

Coleus leaves come in every color and pattern imagineable…

Coleus – Oh the varieties of coleus! You could do an entire bed with nothing but different coleus leaves and it would be knockout! An added bonus is that most of them get as big as impatiens and every bit as colorful. Again, they will work well in planters and in the ground.

Begonias – You don’t have to go with your grandma’s bedding plant wax begonias, though we’re not going to turn our nose up at them – they are beautiful when grown well. But there are others too, notably the enormous Dragonwings which are available in a red and pink. If you’d prefer white, Babywing are a bit smaller but every bit as floriferous, and do very well in shade and filtered sun.

Strobilanthes/Persian Shield – you may not be familiar with this one, but you should be! Iridescent, purple leaves with silver veinings make this an absolute must for your partially shaded garden, and it can handle sun with adequate moisture too. If you already have a bed filled with perennial ferns, hostas, and other shade lovers, this is a wonderful filler and adds a silvery, almost metallic sheen.

Purple/silver strobilanthes with euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ in a bed of hydrangea and fern

Plectranthus/Swedish Ivy – beautiful variegated or silver foliage.

Swedish ivy – photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

Torenia – photo courtesy of Michigan State University Trial Gardens

Torenia – With it’s blue, white or pink blooms, torenia, or wishbone flower comes in a trailing variety or as a short, upright plant and will do best in partial shade, not heavy shade.

Mealycup Sage – photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

Salvia farinacea/mealycup sage – With it’s blue flower spkes, this salvia prefers a touch of shade in our southern heat, so it’s a very good alternative in beds that get some morning sun but shade in the afternoon – and it will need less water than your impatiens ever did!

Alternanthera/Joseph’s Coat – Photo courtesy of Erik Runkle, Michigan State University

Alternanthera Joseph’s Coat – Another foliage alternative – very pretty with the big leaves of caladiums….

We hope a solution is found to combat this disease. Until then, being informed is the best defense – and we want you to have the latest and most complete and accurate information.

Easter Flowers – Lilies and More!

The ultimate Easter flower…

We love the colors, blooms and scents of the Easter holiday…from pure white Easter lilies to the soft purples and pinks of hydrangeas, and the fragrance of stephanotis…this season speaks of new beginnings..

With the upcoming holiday and family and friends gathering for Easter, we have the plants, flowers and arrangements for your table or gifts for loved ones at this special time.

Easter lilies are the traditional Easter plant – enjoy their blooms and scent, and if you have a spot in the garden, plant your lily as soon as danger of frost is past. (Easter is late this year, but please wait until at least the end of April to early May to plant your lily outside.)

hydrangeas in the colors of Easter…

We also have beautiful hydrangeas…while these are considered florist hydrangeas, for you folks that want to try planting them out in your landscape find a spot with filtered sun, rich soil and a bit of protection. Keep them well watered their first summer in the ground.

The fragrant stephanotis wreaths are beautiful annual vines…they will bloom now and sporadically through the summer – they’re very nice in planters with other blooming summer annuals. They aren’t winter hardy though, so if you’d like to keep them be sure to bring them in for the winter.

Pastel pink orchids float above campanula, violets and selaginella in this Easter arrangement

Of course we also have long lasting and elegant orchids – let us arrange a grouping in one of your containers or ours. In addition to gorgeous orchids we also offer kalanchoes, violets, freesia, campanula, calla lilies and more!

We always have the most beautiful orchids!

If you’d rather have an Easter arrangement or basket made up of plants that you can use later in your garden and seasonal planters, we have that as well! Just let us know and we’ll offer appropriate suggestions for you.

From all of us, we hope all of you have a wonderful Easter !

These Ground Covers Are Tough!

The plants here are actually more than just ground cover, that one size fits all word that describes plants that spread and spread…(or at least we hope they will where we put them!)

Ajuga – there are some great ones!

We say they’re more than just groundcover, because many are ornamental as well as being tough. There are many, many varieties of ajuga for example, some with dark, shiny leaves, others with the tiniest of leaves that work well in containers, still others have pink and cream variegation and blend well with annuals in mixed planters to add foliage color and texture.

Golden creeping jenny is also a useful trailing plant in containes

Golden creeping jenny is very much at home in moist areas where it will spread happily – combined with golden sweet flag (Acorus ‘Ogon’) it will light up the landscape…the acorus will need occasional division and a trimming in February (at the same time you cut mondo grass).

Creeping jenny is also a wonderful addition to planters as a trailing element…it will also tolerate sun if well watered.

Dwarf mondo, a great substitute for grass in shady spots

Dwarf mondo is a tried and true groundcover useful as a grass substitute in shady areas. You’ll find that it is sold in 4″ pots, but when you plant, be sure to pull the sprigs apart and loosen the root system, it will establish much more quickly for you.

Creeping raspberry adds a coarse texture and reddish winter color

Another you may not be as familiar with is Rubus – creeping raspberry. This is an evergreen groundcover that spreads and roots along the stems as it grows. It can cover some tough territory, from areas under trees to rocky slopes. Once it establishes, it will spread quickly. The foliage turns a beautiful red/bronze color in the winter and it has insignificant white flowers in the spring (no raspberries though, darn!)

Carex adds a fountain like growth habit…

The Carex species are another grassy groundcover, really more clumping in habit but we include them here because they add such interest to the landscape. The one shown here is Carex ‘Evergold’ a variegated grass that really lights up shady spots and if used in a container fountains over the edge beautifully. As with the acorus, it benefits from a trimming in the spring.

Creeping fig also clings to walls using ootlets along the stem

Many of you are familiar with creeping fig…we have plenty in stock now. It prefers a shady, moist spot but will adapt to sun if given adequate moisture.

Remember, all of these are also useful as components in planters, so even if you’re not in the market for a true groundcover, you may still want to take a look at these when you’re planning your summer pots too!

Succulents = Color!

A beautiful tapestry of succulent color…

A customer’s urn filled with sedums, aeonium and other succulents

This latest offerings of sedums, echevarias, aeoniums and more from the west coast are, in a word, simply stunning. To be honest, had we known the quality, size and unbelievable color on these exceptional succulents, our order would have been much larger!

For you lucky folks who nab these now, you won’t be disappointed…hopefully these pictures will inspire you to try these or other succulents in your containers this year – we warn you though, these beauties can be addictive! While this shipment probably won’t be around long, we’re always on the hunt for these tough and durable plants.

Sunset colors…

Crassula ‘Campfire’

Any of you who frequent us can attest to the fact that because of our small size, inventory changes rapidly – what may be here today, may not be here next week…in other words, you snooze, you lose! On the other hand, what we have down the road could be even more beautiful – that’s the fun of haunting your favorite garden shop!

A silvery echevaria

Who needs flowers with color like this?

At any rate, the pictures here give you an idea of the beautiful range of color and texture in just this sampling. We hope the container plantings shown will give you inspiration to create your own this summer.

Basic care for your succulents:
1. Plant in loose, well draining potting soil. Please, no soil from your garden – it’s much too heavy for succulents. When you water, it needs to drain.
2. Water when the soil is dry, then water freely and leave it alone. If you’re not sure whether to water – wait a day. The fat leaves of succulents hold moisture. Having said that, you can’t ignore watering them either.

Echevarias and Sedum ‘Angelina’ with Stipa grass in Kris’ garden

3. Many succulents prefer a bit if shade in the afternoon – we’ve discovered the hens’n’chicks definitely do. They all tolerate a degree of shade if they are not overwatered.
4. If you want to plant some in a pot, mix it up to vary the colors and textures. Also, pay attention to their growth habits – some are more upright while others trail and would do better along the edge of your planter.
5. Top dressing your planting with pebbles or pea gravel helps keep the soil surface dry.
6. Less fertilizer is best. Once every month with a low nitrogen formula mixed at half strength is enough.
7. If leaves or stems break off as you’re planting, let them sit out and dry for a day or two, then push into a small pot with well draining mix. Keep an eye on it for new growth and do not overwater.

A customer’s urns filled with various colorful succulents

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Air Plants in Glass!

We’ve had these glass containers for a while and just haven’t had time to do them justice – until now. Layers of different size pebbles, dried peas, aquarium gravel or decorative rocks are wonderful layering options for this type of container.

Add the air plant of your choice and voila! an easy and interesting addition to your indoor landscape. These would be fun hanging on a porch too…or make a great gift for a friend!

Herbs and Some Annuals In Stock Now!

This post is mostly about herbs, but we’ll mention a few annuals you can plant now too. Everyone is getting spring fever, but this is that tough time of year when it’s best to sit tight and wait out these last few weeks of winter…we know it’s hard! So, not to worry, if you just need to get out in the garden or maybe plant a few pots on one of those beautiful early spring days, here are some plants that will satisfy your cravings now.

First up, dill and cilantro. These are two herbs that you really must plant early, because once the real heat of early summer moves in, these will bolt, or flower.

cilantro – another one that’s best in cooler weather

dill is grown for the leaves
and dill seed

Now, with your dill, this isn’t all bad because when the flowers are spent you end up with dill seed which is great for pickles…(Let the flowers stay on the plant til you see the seeds forming.) but the cilantro will flower, or bolt, and give it up once summer arrives. So, plant now and enjoy if you like these two!

Leaf lettuce – yum!

Next up, not an herb but we’re going to put it in this post anyway, is lettuce. If you didn’t plant it this fall it’s not too late to get a late winter crop going that you can enjoy until the heat sets in.

We have some beautiful red and green leaf lettuce – it’s ready to go in the garden, grow a bit and end up in your salad bowl! If you plant it in a spot with a bit of afternoon shade it will last longer before it finally bolts in the heat. (Yes, lettuce flowers too!)

We’re just beginning to get in some thyme – there are so many varieties! Right now we have ‘Silver Posie’ and ‘Red Creeping’. We’ll have plenty of culinary thyme, lemon and silver thyme in the coming weeks too.

Creeping red thyme

If you don’t have at least one rosemary in your landscape, try to find a sunny spot for one this year, either in the ground or in a pot…rosemary is really a big shrub and of course it has great culinary uses as well as being ornamental – there are many varieties of rosemary – what we normally have in stock is a mix of upright and trailing. At this time we have the more upright growing varieties. Rosemary blooms in the early spring with purply/blue blossoms that compliment the gray-green foliage beautifully.

Yes, that is one rosemary!

We have mint too – ‘Kentucky Colonel’ is the prettiest and best tasting there is. Remember to keep your mint contained in a pot unless you want it to take over your garden! Mint is also happiest with a bit more moisture than other herbs and it can also take a bit of shade…you’ll be set for the Kentucky Derby and your mint julep – or maybe a mojito?

Mint ‘Kentucky
Colonel’

Parsley, both curly and flat leaf is also available – all the best cooks say flat leaf is the tastiest…but curly is very pretty in the garden and in pots, so we’ll have both and leave it up to you which one – or both! you want in your garden.

Lavender and ornamental variegated oregano round out this first list of herbs…these are really for blooms and foliage more than culinary use. Lavender can be tricky in our heat and humidity, ‘Goodwin Creek’ lavender pictured here does well if given adequate drainage.

Lavender ‘Goodwin Creek’

Be sure not to crowd your plants (Yes, we know it’s difficult when things get wild and wooly in the middle of summer but try to give them a bit of room if you can…)

variegated oregano

The variegated oregano one the right is one we really like in pots…it adds a bit of foliage interest in herb containers and in mixed annual plantings as well. We’ll have the culinary oregano in soon also.

Nasturtiums are so much fun we had to include them in this post. Ok, technically they’re an annual but you can eat them too! They’ll add a peppery bite and some color to your salad! If you plant nasturtiums, don’t baby them too much.

nasturtiums

Don’t fertilize them – they’ll bloom better if you don’t. Enjoy them til the heat of summer takes them out, then replant them again in late summer to bloom for you through the fall.

Whew! This is just the beginning! So, there are some things you can do now while we wait for the last of winter to get out of here…happy planting!

Boxwood Tips From The Boxwood Doctor, Dave Bradford!

This is a portion of Bradford Horticulture’s newsletter. Dave Bradford is a former Birmingham area extension agent. His newsletter would be a good one to sign up for if you’d like timely information for our area! (Now between Oak Street Garden Shop and the Boxwood Doctor, you should be covered!)

We have a good supply of boxwoods in now if you’re needing some for your landscape. Or, if you’d like us to order some of his boxwood fertilizer for your existing shrubs, let us know and we’ll be sure to get some for you. We also have pinestraw rolls in stock if you need some to mulch your existing or newly planted boxwoods.

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There are plenty of garden projects to do in March. I talk about Boxwoods often. Last year I sent out a list entitled “Seven Deadly Sins in Caring for Boxwoods” I’m not sure you can ‘sin’ against a plant. I revised and edited that list:

Seven Deadly Mistakes in Caring for Boxwoods

Planting Boxwoods in the wrong location. Some Boxwood varieties will tolerate a little more sun and heat, but in our area, they all like a little afternoon shade if they can get it.

Planting Boxwoods too deep. They should be planted slightly higher than they were grown in the Nursery and it’s critical that the soil is well drained.

Overwatering Boxwoods. Maybe the most common mistake. Put your hand down into the soil. If it’s wet, cut back on the irrigation. If it’s dry, adjust the irrigation up. Find the right schedule for your soil. Drip Irrigation is a good way to water them.

Applying too much mulch around Boxwoods. They should have about one inch of a good clean mulch. Pine straw is an excellent mulch. Deep mulch causes the Boxwoods to root out into the mulch and that’s not good.

Not feeding and liming Boxwoods correctly. The only way to know what they need is to soil test. Boxwoods like a soil pH of 7.0, which is higher than what most shrubs like. Boxwoods respond well to good nutrition. We have formulated a fertilizer called Boxwood Special Care (BSC). Boxwoods love this stuff and over time they generally look much darker green and healthier.

Poor pruning of Boxwoods. They look more natural when hand pruned. Shearing to prune is best for edging type Boxwoods. Learning to do this is as much an art as it is a science.

Failure to provide good pest management on Boxwoods. Some Boxwoods look good with no pest management, but most of them look more healthy and ‘happy’ on a regular maintenance program. Check out the website www.BoxwoodDoctor.com to learn more about our Boxwood Program. This program is not a ‘magic bullet’, but Boxwoods on some type of a pest management program tend to look better than those that are not.

Have fun in your garden.

Dave

Bradford Horticulture LLC
2004 Madison Circle
Chelsea, Alabama 35043
www.BradfordHorticulture.com
www.BoxwoodDoctor.com
205 706 3413

Tabletop Fountains – Just The Right Size!

We love these tabletop fountains – and they’re just the right size for a porch, patio or sunroom. The only requirements are a power source and water! The one shown in the lower right of the picture below is designed to hold houseplants around the base, so you can have water and indoor plants at the same time!

These three are cast stone, but because of their size, they’re not prohibitively heavy to move and are really lovely. The soothing, calm sound of water is so relaxing after a stressful day. Simply add a glass of wine and a book, kick back iin your favorite chair and enjoy…

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spring Shrubs! From Azaleas to Vitex…

some of our hollies…
fresh off the truck!

Recently some of our favorite nurseries in Alabama sent spring shipments of shrubs, a few trees and the beginning of our perennial stock…perhaps you’ve seen the mass of green in the parking lot!

In addition to old southern favorites like oak leaf hydrangeas, gardenias and azaleas, (among them the deciduous, fragrant Florida Flame and ‘Varnadoe’ azaleas) and sweet tea olives, including Osmanthus fragrans ‘Fudzhingou’ (a particularly floriferous selection), we also offer the tough, tried and true cleyera, some pyramid hollies that would be great in containers, and the blue flowered butterfly and bee magnet, Vitex ‘Shoal Creek’.

Viburnum ‘Awabuki’
Beautiful as a screening shrub

If you need even more tough plants we have ‘Mary Nell’, ‘Nellie Stephens, and ‘Emily Bruner’ hollies. Or, if you have a spot or large planter for a specimen plant, the limbed up Burford hollies are beautiful. ‘Snowball’ and ‘Awabuki’ viburnums, anise and leucothoe…so much more that could be beautiful additions to your landscape!

Knockout roses have been around for a few years – if you haven’t tried the yellow or white selections, we have them now. And, if you need more ornamental shrubs have you tried blueberries? In addition to white blooms in the spring and delicious fruit in early summer they also have wonderful fall color – we have some beautiful plants here if this is something you’d like to try.

These blueberries are loaded with buds!

Finally, what could be more southern than a magnolia? The hybrid Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ is a small, deciduous magnolia with fragrant, white blooms in early spring…

Fragrant tea olives…
Osmanthus ‘Fudzinghou’

This is a small sampling of what we have in stock. Please stop in to see the other offerings – new arrivals will be coming in weekly!

Magnolia ‘Butterflies’

Succulents Coming Soon

This planter shows what we did with some of the succulents we’re beginning to get in – this definitely means spring is coming! Echevarias, rhipsalis, sedums, cryptanthus, these are all plants that take our summer heat in stride. Some are annuals and only grow through the summer, while others will survive winters for us as well.

Mix them with a few herbs – think thyme, oregano, chives, sage, trailing rosemary (we’ll give you examples down the road!) or other sun lovers – a pretty variagated yucca would be interesting, or you could go with a different contrast in leaf form and soften the look with some asparagus fern…the possibilities are endless and so much fun!

You could even include some houseplants – pepperomias in particular work well as do some pileas. An interesting plant you may not have seen much of is one called rhipsalis, with light, thread-like foliage. Remember, these will add a lot of color all by themselves. If you would like some flowers in the mix, purslane, narrow leaf zinnias (cut them back if they try to take over), and mecardonia (tiny yellow flowers on a low growing, trailing plant) are a few you could start with.

rhipsalis

Pepperomia

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spring Statuary Shipments Have Arrived!

Each year, the arrival of the spring statuary shipment signals the beginning of a new growing season. We like the way the clean lines of these planters work in the context of a variety of home styles. The cast stone pieces are of the highest quality and won’t crumble in inclement weather like cheaper versions.

cast stone urn

A sampling of cast stone planters

We also offer lightweight planters – easier on the back but still the same quality. Ranging from bowl shaped planters to those that are a classic pot shape, they are definitely moveable!

Lightweight Planters in a classic shape

Lightweight bowls & square planters

So, whatever you’re looking for…planters, bird baths, or something else – perhaps a Japanese lantern, celtic cross or Saint Francis, come take a look. Don’t worry about getting them home – we deliver! We’ll put them just where you want them at your front door or along a garden path…then you can sit back and enjoy!

Celtic Crosses

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Oak Street Garden Shop and Local Market

Voted "Best Garden Shop in Birmingham" for quality plants, creativity, and excellent customer service

Author Archives: Kris Blevons

Phlox divaricata – a must have for the woodland garden!

The Market – Our Red Table Produce Is Back!

A Look At The Nursery – Come See!

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More Cork Bark Planter Inspiration – We’re Having Fun!

More Select Shrubs And Vines Available Now!

Select Shrubs To Plant Now!

Cork Bark Pieces – These Are Planters!

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Try These Impatiens Alternatives (Impatiens Downy Mildew Info)

Easter Flowers – Lilies and More!

These Ground Covers Are Tough!

Succulents = Color!

Air Plants in Glass!

Herbs and Some Annuals In Stock Now!

Boxwood Tips From The Boxwood Doctor, Dave Bradford!

Tabletop Fountains – Just The Right Size!

Spring Shrubs! From Azaleas to Vitex…

Succulents Coming Soon

Spring Statuary Shipments Have Arrived!