Ask Jamie

LATE WINTER

Well, after what looked like a long cold winter, early spring has rushed back to Western North Carolina. I know we will be back in our fleeces again this winter, but it has been wildly mild here at the nursery this week, and next week looks just as warm. It is quite nice to be able to walk around the garden in shirtsleeves, after trudging around in the snow and cold for most of December and January.

Tomasini's Crocus and our whole variety of Witchazels are in full regalia this week. It is intoxicating to walk into the greenhouse where the Witchazels are to smell all of the perfumey mixtures in the air. Many more bulbs and early perennials are starting to inch out of the ground, birds are chirping and the days are getting longer, all signs that winter is at least most of the way past.

We have had a busy winter. We built 3 new unheated greenhouses to expand our shoppable nursery space for visitors. Our older, PVC type greenhouses just didn't make this year's snow loads, pretty good houses though, as most of these houses had over 12 years of service. We have been able to get 2 years out of our overwintering plastics, so this is a great way to keep things out of the landfill, by just taking the time to store the plastic over the summer and reuse again the next fall, hoping to get 3 years on some of our plastics this coming fall.

We are already planning a full slate of plant sales and group visits here at the nursery this spring. If your group has been thinking about planning an outing to visit us, please check with us for available dates, as many dates are already filled.

Shipping to far southern states has already begun, and we are getting geared up for another great season, so take the time to look around the website, and let us know if we can help.

Make sure to check out all of the Great New Dogwoods, Magnolias and Redbuds that we have just added to the website. More New Stuff Coming Daily!

Thanks,
Jamie & The Staff

*** RETAIL HOURS STARTING MARCH 16, WED-SAT 9am-5pm ***

FALL 2010

I hope that everyone is feeling a little more excited about getting back out into the garden - finally, cooler weather and a little rainfall have followed the first day of autumn this week. It has been a long, hot and dry summer here in Western North Carolina, so these early days of fall are welcome to a parched landscape.

Fall Planting-Customers continuously ask me-When is the best time to plant? Believe it or not, this question has several answers.

For me, it is whenever I can find the time to work in my yard, knowing that I will have to supplement nature's watering with some hand watering of my own for the first year. I think that this holds true for most of us!

For many folks, I recommend planting in either the spring or fall, as we usually have cooler temperatures and sometimes, sufficient rainfall to make the planting process much easier. In July and August in many parts of the country it is extremely hot, and this can exaggerate the shock of transplant-the plant goes from a comfortable setting in a pot in the nursery where it is getting constant food and water to quite possibly a tougher setting in the garden. By the time September and October get here, the plants are not growing leaves or producing vegetative growth very much, so it is much less stressful on the plant, these newly planted plants can put energy into growing roots and establishing themselves in their new location. For many parts of the country-Zones 6-9 it is very easy to keep planting right up until Christmastime-for those in Zones 7-9 many folks plant all winter long with great success. In the past, when we were actively installing landscaping for customers, many of our best installations were those planted in late Nov. and early Dec. Of course, in some years, and in some isolated areas this late a planting is not feasible, but most years, planting can continue well into early winter with great levels of success, and much more comfortable weather for the gardener!

If you have a summer or vacation home that you are not always living in, later fall is a great time to plant, as winter rains and snows can provide the moisture for you when you are not there, and these untended plants will be under much less stress at this time of the year.

Our planting mantra for those who may not have heard it before: Don't Plant Too Deeply!!! This is the #1 reason for poor plant performance. Dig your planting hole 1.5 times wider but no deeper, use a good soil amendment-we recommend 3 parts of Soil Conditioner (something like Nature's Helper) and 1 part Mushroom Compost. Mulch with a nice 3"-4" layer of your choice of mulch, we prefer double ground hardwood mulch in natural colors-I don't think that I will ever get used to those red colored mulch colors! - and water well at planting and make sure that the plant roots do not dry out during the first year of establishment.

Generally in the Fall, this process is much easier to complete-Both due to less stress on the plants and the Gardeners.

Thanks for taking the time to visit with us, take a look around the website for our new plants and specials, and try to stop by the nursery if you are in the area, or give us a call or email if there is anything that we can do to help.

Jamie

August 2010

Hope the weather is starting to act just a little cooler for everyone. It has been a very hot summer here at the nursery, hot since mid-May and continuing every day. We have had one of the hottest summers on record here at the nursery. We highly suggest having something cool to drink in the backyard this time of the year, and enjoy all of the work we have all put into our gardens and plants, and get ready for the wonderful COOLER fall season of planting and enjoying the second season of our gardens as I like to call it. Even as the weather cools and the days get shorter, it is my favorite time of the year to be outside and appreciate the end of the summer blooms and fall color-these seem to me to last much longer than the spring bloom period, and there are so many complimentary plantings and textures that aren't all in display during the spring blooming period.

Sorry if we had to cut shipping season a little short this year, but it got so hot, so early that we just did not feel comfortable shipping. BUT, We will be resuming our shipping schedule starting Sept. 13, 2010. Please remember that it is the temperature inside of the UPS trucks that can really soar this time of the year, not just the air temperatures. Most of the plants are in transit for 2-3 days in boxes inside of these trucks, and summer temps can really stress traveling plants. If you see your UPS drivers, smile at them and offer them a cool drink, they are roasting in these trucks. But, not to worry, cooler temps and good shipping and planting weather are just around the corner.

We have had a sweltering summer with varied amounts of rain in our region, but generally dry. Don't forget to get out and provide ample amounts of water for newly planted plants this time of the year. Thunderstorms are a nice break, but usually the rainfall associated with these storms comes down quick and leaves quickly, it is not absorbed into the soil, as it is with a long rainy day that actually may have less total rainfall, but will soak the soil at much greater depths.

It has been a great growing summer with lots of new plants coming your way for fall shipping. We will be adding a wide variety of plants to the website for fall shipping, so bookmark our website and check back often for updates. Just a quick peek shows 65 new plants that have been added or will be added to our online catalog over the next few weeks- 2 New Acer griseums, 7 New Japanese Maples, 3 New Hydarangeas, 5 New Deciduous Magnolias, and 11 New Dogwoods, along with numerous other cool and groovy new plants (Edgworthias will be available for the first time, we have been excited about growing this great early spring bloomer for a long time!) to be added. Many of these will be in larger sizes than we have previously been shipping, so make sure to check out the sizes of some of these plants, as there will be some great bargains for the size plants we will be shipping. Also, if some of the items you were interested in this spring sold out before you got around to them, (hint, hint - Invincibelle Spirit Waiting List Folks!!) then make sure to check back, as many items that we sold out of this spring are ready for shipping again this fall.

Don't forget to bookmark your calendar with a plant sale supporting the Asheville Botanical Gardens on Sat., Sept. 11, 2010 and our annual Plantoberfest Fall Plant Festival on Sat., Oct. 9, 2010. Look for sale items, guest speakers and more - Information to follow on our website.

Thanks, Enjoy a nice cool drink and evening walk in your garden soon!
Jamie

March 5 2010 - Early Spring Planting

Hope that everyone is starting to warm up just a little. The days are getting longer, the earlier snows of this week melted rather quickly, and its starting to get just a little warmer.that may be just wishful thinking, but it's comforting to know that we can always count on spring arriving with blooming plants and emerging foliage, birds, bees and insects flying-regardless of everything else going on in our lives.

One of my favorite early season plants with one of the best names is just starting to emerge this week Spring Beauty-Claytonia virginica. Easy to grow, these Beauties grow from small corms(bulb like underground roots) that will colonize over a small area in time. Not to worry, this is not a pushy or invasive plant at all. Delicate blooms atop grass like foliage last for several weeks in the spring, and are pretty immune to frosts and freezes once they are established. They tolerate a little foot traffic, but I really like to use them in shady gardens, as an early debut in a showy garden path-side area that will hold Hostas and Ferns later in the season. About the time the Spring Beauties are finishing up, plenty of other plants will be emerging and blooming, so Spring Beauty makes an excellent native plant early introduction into your garden.

We have been busy around the nursery, tweaking the new website, finishing our new shipping barn, and doing our spring cleaning, painting and all of the assorted chores that most everyone seems to have this time of the year. Take a break from your work, and enjoy a look around at our new website, and get a taste of spring!

Lots of specials this week, we have a nice azalea selection with free shipping.

This offer is a great way to get into the world of deciduous azaleas. We also have several great plants on special at great prices, take a look at the plants marked SALE on our new plants and specials page. We will continue to have various sale pricing on some great plants throughout the year, so check back often to see what specials we have in store for you! My favorite color of rhododendron, a peachy orange/yellow-Percy Wiseman is being offered at an outstanding 40% off price of $14.00 this week.

Hope you have a chance to get outside and enjoy your garden this week- Thanks for taking the time to visit with us,

Jamie

Late Winter/Early Spring Gardening

Finally, some warmer and snow free weather to get out into the nursery and begin the enjoyment of early spring bulbs and wildflowers. The Tomassini's Crocus have all come into full bloom and the Snowdrops are almost fully emerged. The Hamamelis vernalis 'Sachet' which is located almost in the front door of the nursery has remained in bloom and FRAGRANT since Christmas, and the warm days of last weekend really wafted the scent throughout the nursery, I mean you could smell it several hundred yards away. Its fantastically smelling to walk into the house which holds the Witchazels for shipping-a barrage of sweet smells attack your nose, and make you smile and think, spring is coming! Even though it is supposed to snow again on Weds of this week, it will be gone and spring will be here before we know it.

Toad Trilliums are starting to slowly emerge under the leaf litter and snow cover, its always fun to pull back the leaves in your garden where you know that the trilliums and other ephemerals are growing and find the early emergence of green coming from the ground.

Our Royal Heritage Hellebores are just now beginning to bloom for us here in the Nursery gardens, one of the latest times that I remember them blooming in many,many years, but we have had a REAL winter here in Western North Carolina this year, and it has reset the clocks on many plants.

Back to getting the nursery ready for spring-Winter's Snow has required a new roof on the barn, and we have moved our shipping area into a larger space in the barn to make sure that we continue to carefully pack and ship your plants in preparation for their trip to your garden. It makes it a lot warmer and drier for us as well!

Get out in your garden for just a few minutes this week, even if the weather may be a little less than perfect, it will do wonders for the winter doldrums to look under the leaves and begin to see nature emerging for the season!

Thanks for spending some time with us.

Our Website is New for 2010

Hey there - Welcome to our New Website! We hope that you will enjoy the new look and that we can help with your plant needs.

Well, since prior to the holidays, here in the sunny South, we have had a real winter-snow, sleet, rain and plenty of it. Snow has been on the ground since mid-Dec.and more is forecast. No worries, our plants are all safe in unheated greenhouses, ready for shipping in late winter. But, usually, we have kind of a mild winter here in Western North Carolina, and this year reminds me of some of my winters in CO-where by the way, they are lacking snowfall for the year. Oh well, our onsite Polly Spout is running strong for the first time in many years. Don't want to jinx anything, but we finally have ample water supplies! Get ready for Great Planting Conditions this Spring!

Our Witchazels are starting to bloom around the nursery-regardless of whatever winter weather gets thrown at them. What a fantastic and easy to grow plant that is sure to brighten up any drab winter's day! Tons of colors, LONG Bloom times and many have spicy fragrances that make these one of our favorite plant groups. We have an outstanding selection to choose from, and our 2 gallon plants are a bargain due to their large SIZE-They are ready to plant in your garden and take off for blooming next winter. Once they are mature, cut branches brought into the home really brighten up the dark corners and add a great fragrance. One sure way to help cure any Seasonal Affective Disorder is to have some colorful, blooming plants brought into the room!

When you visit the nursery this spring, you will find I have finally understood how to garden with Black Walnuts-With a chainsaw!! During the first winter storm in December, we had one of our older greenhouses, very gracefully, succumb to the heavy snow. No plants were hurt, but the greenhouse had seen better days. After moving the plants to other greenhouses, we decided after many years of trying to understand what might grow in our Juglans grove, the chainsaw was administered to around 40 of the Black Walnuts. Wow, what a difference light makes! I think that we still have plenty of shade for our Ephemerals and Ferns, but we won't have all of the limbs, nuts and allelopathic affects of Black Walnuts on our display gardens. Now, we are excited about planting new gardens to showcase our great plants. Plan on coming out to see the transformation this spring!