Asparagus lovers wait no longer! We have very large bareroot plants to satisfy your passion. And we have lots of other vegetables to plant in the winter garden. Check out Sugar Snap and Chinese peas, many types of lettuce, Swiss chard, Kale, Broccoli and a most unusual red turnip. Bronze fennel is ornamental as well as edible. Do not forget the herbs for your gourmet cooking! Parsley, Chives, Thyme, and Oregano among others.
It’s time to bid farewell to the bareroot roses. This is the week they are transplanted to bio-degradable containers. But if you hurry, you might be able to save a few from the hands of the transplantors! Many lovely varieties remain.
In spite of the very cold morning temperatures, we’re trying to restock the shelves. The perennial, Silene, seems to perform admirably under these conditions. We’ve previously brought in Silene, ‘Druett’s Yarigated’, and now we are adding Silene ‘Clifford Moor’. Both of these varieties are great small ground covers, performing well in the front of a perennial border as well. ‘Druett’s’ has unusual small white puff ball flowers and white variegation. ‘Clifford Moor’ exhibits pink flowers and the variegation is yellow on green.
How about a bit of color for your indoor living? These two examples do not rival the flashy Reiger Begonia, but they endure! The Anthurium has very attractive leaves and if you are somewhat conscientious in applying a high bloom fertilizer, you should be able to encourage more blooms in the future.
The Croton, however, depends solely on the color of its leaves. Place it in a light location, water when dry and fertilize a couple times a year.
Bulbs for summer bloom will arrive early this month. Lots of choices – dahlias, gladiolas, lilies and more. In addition to these lovelies, we’ll have potato starts as well as garlic. We also have actual garlic plants of more unusual types – Spanish Roja and Early Italian Purple.
Winter persists but we need some cheer in the garden. What better than these cold hardy annuals? ‘Touch of Red’ Calendula adds a strong spot of color. The more diminutive violas have old fashioned charm. The varieties ‘Coppertone’, ‘Tiger Eyes’ and ‘Honeybee’ and the Jump-up series are prime examples.
A favorite from last season returns – Senecio ‘Angel Wings’. It’s a very eye-catching plant in the garden and seems to handle the cold well. The genus Senecio is quite diverse – it includes many succulents and also indoor plants including ‘String of Pearls’ as well as Dusty Miller and Cinerarea.
A couple of plants that enjoy this winter weather are the large family of Hellebores (shown here) and the Grevilleas. We’re just beginning to stock these durable plants. Helleborus has colors of white, pink and dark rose – single and double petals. This handsome perennial prefers afternoon shade in our area. Grevilleas (sturdy shrubs from Australia) can take heat and a fair amount of drought. Varieties include low growing ground covers and shrubs growing to 8 to 10 feet.