From our Garden to Yours

March 4, 2010   

"These plants are strong" is this week's theme. We've been on the hunt for plants that can tolerate the cold temperatures that everyone's experienced this winter and that can stand up to hot, sunny summers and regular thunderstorms. Below is a list of some of the coolest that we've tracked down so far. Give some of them a try to create a hardy landscape able to withstand anything mother nature can come up with!

If you need a little kick in the "plants" to help you get your garden back in shape, then come out for our Cold Hardy Landscaping workshop this Saturday at 10am. You'll learn how to make sure your plants are at their strongest, and see all of the new plants that we've found to make your garden the hardiest ever.

Happy Gardening,
Kim, Joey and Mark

In This Issue
Cold Hardy Plants

Upcoming Events

 

Cold Hardy Plants

How do you create a colorful landscape without using plants that are tropical? It's easy! Check out the hardy plants below that we've discovered. You'll find that with a little creativity, you can turn your yard into a colorful paradise, without even having to cover it in the winter.

Loropetalum - always makes the favorites list, and this season, you'll find new varieties in different sizes and colors, including the compact and deeply colored Daruma, Emerald Snow, a white-flowering, tall growing variety, and Ever Red Sunset, a tall variety with beautiful red flowers.  This plant is heat and drought tolerant and cold-hardy for this area. It should be your first choice for sunny areas.
 

Color - Who says flowering plants can't be cold hardy. Strawflower and gaillardia (pictured) are two bright flowers that survived well in some of our test gardens this winter. Dianthus, bulbine, lily of the nile, and african daisy are also great plants for adding delightful, hardy color.     

The Knockout Rose - A tried and true rose for our area, with great disease resistance. It is also drought tolerant and cold hardy. It makes a beautiful, bright landscape centerpiece with deep pink blooms covering the shrub almost all year long. It is easily maintained at 3' x 3'. 

Palms - Nothing says tropical like a stately palm tree, but many of the popular varieties have not done well in recent years because they are not tolerant of frost and freeze. That doesn't mean palms are out! There are some great palms that are making a comeback because they are low maintenance and cold hardy. For a large space, try queen, pindo, windmill or Chinese fan palm. For a small space or pool area, try a European fan or needle palm, or the extremely hardy silver saw palmetto. A little cold can't scare tropical away.


This list doesn't come close to mentioning all of the cool new hardy plants that have arrived at the nursery. Come on out and let us show how strong and beautiful your garden can be.

Upcoming Events
 

Workshop: Hardy Landscaping
Saturday, March 6th at 10:00 am

Looking to freshen up your landscaping after winter? Look no further. We'll show you all of the hardy alternatives that you can use to make your garden beautiful all year long.

Kerby's Turns 30
Friday - Sunday, March 19 - 21

It's hard to believe that this year will be Kerby's 30th birthday. We're celebrating with a weekend-long birthday bash on the boardwalk, complete with fresh-spun cotton candy and hot popcorn. And of course the boardwalk will be bursting with color, so come out and celebrate with us.

Workshop: Tropical Fruit Trees
Saturday, March 27th at 10:00 am

Juicy and delicious, there is nothing like picking fruit from a tree you've grown and eating it on the spot. Whether you like mangos or jakfruit, kiwi or papaya, or nance and custard apple, there is a fruit to fit every taste. After the workshop, you'll be able to sample some of the delicious fruits that can be grown in our area.

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