Don't Shrug the Shrubs!

KCB is back this week. She is busy putting the Finishing Touches on many a landscape and she has a few great things she would like us to know!

“I don’t know about you, but my knees are sore and my back is feeling a pang or two.  I’ve done lots of planting this past week.  The rain has erased some of my concern for proper watering still I watered each plant before going on to the next.  So now what?  Patience!  There may be some blank spaces. Nevertheless, if you placed properly the gaps will soon fill in. Don’t forget to take pictures as things progress. Once a week at this time of the year is not too often. Some of the gardens I attend to have considerably changed over the past 2 weeks.  Just the other day, at the site of white & purple lollipops (Alliums) I could not help but smile.  I think it’s the constant changing that may keep me hooked most of all.

Step back, take a critical look.  While waiting for the bountiful blooms there can still be color; have you chosen plants with vibrant foliage?  Still not too late. Adding Heuchera can paint a palette of Rainbow proportions before one bud protrudes.  Sedum for the sun, Fulda’s Glow, cauticola Lidakense, Dragon’s Blood & the Variegatum stand-out sans blooms.  However don’t discount the blooms of this buxom bunch. So many choices, it could make your head spin. Stick to a couple, purchase in odd number lots, all will be fine. Still, I want more. It’s always the way. Therefore, this season I am going beyond the herbaceous for the wonderful woody. I’m looking to shrubs to fill my needs.  A woody plant is one of the best ways to incorporate multi season interest of sum & substance.  With so many options I have some tried and true favorites I’d like to share.

I never weary of Weigela.  Variegated, the new Rainbow Sensation with foliage of yellows, pale pinks and creams, and /or Wine & Roses fill larger gaps.   For smaller spaces look to the Midnight Wine, My Monet, or the new My Monet ‘Sunset’. These take up no more space than a large perennial. All sparkle on their own and the prolific blooms of May & June add to the excitement. Pruning will produce sporadic blooms throughout the summer.  Feeling a little less than angelic?  Check out the ‘Little Devil’ Ninebark. Pair with Magic Carpet Spirea for a show stopping look.  Neon Greens, Deep Plums offer a ‘no thought’ coupling.  The Smoking Cousins of Golden Spirit and Grace Smoke Bush create stop in your tracks autumn color; in the mean time, the pair offer summer fun of the aforementioned Neon & Purple foliage.  Don’t fret if your bushes don’t smoke in the first couple of seasons. Even the shrub families have their age limits before that first puff is produced, often into their 3^rd year.  Want something a little less flashy? Consider what I call, ‘The little Black Dress of the landscape’. The quiet elegance of the Black Lace Sambucas Elderberry.  Pale pink blossoms of June act as lace accents against the dark ebony plum foliage while the blackish berries can be harvested in the fall for your own enjoyment.  On the other hand, leave them for your feathered friends. Want to lighten up a shady corner?  Ivory Halo or Silver & Gold Dogwood will do the trick.  If you don’t head south for the winter you will be able to take advantage of their colorful stems of red or gold against a carpet of snow. Want more fire in the winter, than the Arctic Fire is the dogwood shrub for you.

Is your backyard becoming wetter as more trees are felled for development? Then the ‘Hakuro-nishiki’ Dappled Willow will create a back drop that neighbors will envy. No true blooms as the foliage steal the show.  Cream, white and the palest of pink on tiny leaves sway gently in the slightest of breezes. .  The more the merrier as in sweeps of plantings; it is a party of epic proportions.  A tree form is also available. Use this as a punctuation point in an otherwise ordinary landscape.

A Hedge of Dappled Willow--They Look Great as a Hedge or "by the Single"

Over the years I am including more of these woody wonders as accents in my perennial beds.  When asked why by clients and peers alike I shrug as I answer ‘why not’?  Shouldn’t a mixed bed be truly mixed?

Note:  This is just a small example of the exciting shrubs available.  Once established they often need minimal care. Perfect for the person who is, um, maturing, or those with a growing family with less time to spend gardening.  Try it and next time you won’t be shrugging the shrub.

 KCB is a professional gardener and friend who does wonderful work in the Greater Portland area. KCB is also an accredited Master Gardener by the Cooperative Extension Service and we are honored to have KCB as part of our Skillin's Garden Log family. KCB can also be found at the awesome Finishing Touches website.

KCB for Skillin's Greenhouses

June 1, 2012

Beyond the Bloom!

KCB is a professional gardener and friend who does wonderful work in the Greater Portland area. KCB is also an accredited Master Gardener by the Cooperative Extension Service and we are honored to have KCB as part of our Skillin's Garden Log family. KCB can also be found at the awesome Finishing Touches website.


The following is the basis for an exciting Beyond the Bloom Class that was held Saturday, April 17 2010 at 2 PM at Skillin's Brunswick, Cumberland and Falmouth.

For a great companion article to this post click here  for a recent piece titled "Foliage takes top billing over flowers in leafy landscapes" by Valle Novak.



Who doesn’t love bright bodacious blossoms? Nevertheless most blooms of our favorite perennials are fleeting. Get the most bang for your buck by incorporating plantings that offer interest long before and after the bloom has blown.


Consider the following for a landscape that offers 4-season interest:



 TEXTURE

o Combine Strap-like spiked leaves with bold broad leaves.

 Daylilies with Heuchera

 Ornamental Grasses with Sedum

o Complement lacy greenery with succulents.

 Hosta or Bergenia with Astilbe or ferns

 Succulent

• Sedum

• Ajuga

 Evergreen - Other than the usual subjects (needle and broadleaf shrubs)

• Astilbe, Heuchera, dianthus, ajuga,

 Lacy

• Ferns, Astilbe, Yarrow and Artemisia

o Tree Bark

 Paperbark Maple

 Birch, Paper or River

 American Beech

 Winter Honeysuckle

 Shag Bark Hickory

 Hornbeam

o LOOK FOR COLORFUL FOLIAGE. Combine Silvers w/burgundy, Neon greens & yellows w/deep green or blue green.

 Silver (these also have the added benefit of ‘glowing’ in the moonlight)

• ‘Snow in Summer’

• Wormwood

• Lambs Ear

• Sea Holly

• Munstead Lavender

 Burgundy-Perennials

• Endless list of heuchera

• Sedums

• Astilbe

• Bugbane

 Variegated

• Perennial Cultivars with variant greens, creams, and yellow foliage increase almost yearly.

o Hosta, Iris, Solomon’s Seal, Obedient Plant

 Other: Japanese & Ghost ferns Silver with Burgundy-a must for any shade/woodland garden.

 Succulent

• Sedum

• Ajuga

 Evergreen - Other than the usual subjects (needle and broadleaf shrubs)

• Astilbe, Heuchera, dianthus, ajuga,

 Lacy

• Ferns, Astilbe, Yarrow and Artemisia

 Fall Color

• Ferns, bloody geranium, grasses, Hosta

 SHRUB-SHRUB CULTIVARS WITH INTERESTING FOLIAGE

• Nine Bark

o Diablo

o Dart’s Gold

o Coppertina

• Black Lace or Black Beauty Sambucus Elderberry

• Weigelia

o Wine & Roses

o Fine Wine

o Red Prince

o My Monet

• Willow

o Hakuro Nishiki Willow

• Hypericum St. John’s Wort

 Berries

• Cotoneaster, Virburnum, Winterberry, Beautyberry. elderberry, Shrub St. Johns Wort

GO BEYOND SIGHT-INCLUDE ALL SENSES.

 Plant a fragrant shrub under a window

o Clethera

o Roses

o Lilacs

o Bugbane (perennial but tall enough to reach a window

 Some ornamental grasses offer a soothing ‘swish’ sound in the breeze.

 Many plants are tactile

o Lambs Ear

o Cone flower ‘cones’

o Creeping Thyme

o Allium

o Lady’s Mantle

New Nursery Plants for Skillin's 2010, Part 2!

Hello again,

Tim Bate our Nursery Buyer and Manager has compiled what I think is a rather exciting list of new nursery shrubs and trees for 2010. We are breaking it into parts and will bring you the separate parts over the next few days.

Click HERE  for Part 1 of New Nursery Plants for Skillin's 2010!

A designation of "#2" means a 2 gallon pot; #3 is a 3 gallon pot and so forth. And now from Tim Bate:

Super Native!

HYPERICUM (Hypericum)

Blue Velvet (Hypericum kalmianum ‘Blue Velvet’) Z4

2-3’ tall and 3-4’ wide. Here is a great choice for sunny locations. This lovely shrub has narrow, fragrant blue foliage, providing the perfect complement to the sunny yellow flowers, borne July-September. One of North Americas native plant treasures, it is found in rocky or sandy soil, near streams and lakes, but tolerates dry soils as well.

#2 – 29.99
#3 – 34.99

VERY nice new Winterberry:

Berry Nice (Ilex vert. ‘Spriber’) Z3

6-8’ tall and 3-5’ wide. This selection of our native Winterberry is more than “nice”.

The vivid red berries set it apart from others in the group, and the foliage drops quickly in the fall, the better to enjoy the seasonal berry color. It loves a moist, sunny spot, and should be planted near an early pollinating male winterberry like Jim Dandy. This winterberry is “very nice”.

#2 – 28.99

Distinctive Evergreen:

Tolleson’s Weeping (J. scopulorum ‘Tolleson’s Weeping) Z3

20’ Tall and 10’ wide. This eye-catching evergreen, also known as Weeping Rocky Mountain Juniper, has
beautiful cascading silver-blue branches, reminiscent of Spanish moss, which provides lovely texture in the garden year round.

#15 – 245.00

A returning favorite:

GOLDENCHAIN TREE (LABURNUM X WATERERI ‘VOSSII’)Z6(5)

15’ tall and wide. A stunningly beautiful small tree for the garden if you have the right climate. Long yellow, wisteria-like blooms dangle from green branches in mid-spring.

Plant in well-drained loam in a spot protected from wind. One of our longtime nursery experts, Ginny, has a beautiful specimen in her garden that she has enjoyed for 15-20 years, so come on in for some of her excellent garden advice!

#15 – 125.00

Long Bloomer:

LEPTODERMIS (Leptodermis) Z5

Leptodermis oblonga- also known as leptodermis oblonga Z5

2-3’ tall and wide. The name doesn’t do this sweet little gem any favors, but as soon as you appreciate its lovely violet pink blooms, all summer long, you may be inspired to rename this garden worthy treasure. Late to leaf out in spring, but boy, does it make up for the late arrival.

8” pot – 26.99

Huge fall color:

Gibraltar (Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Gibraltar’)Z5

5-6’ tall and wide. A stunning show of pinkish-purple blossoming ramps up the fall color show, and the fountain-like effect from this plant make it an excellent choice for the back of the shrub or perennial border. This shrubby bush clover is actually best used as a perennial here along the Maine Coast, so cut it right to the ground in the spring.

#3 – 32.99

An oldie and much sought after goodie:

Elizabeth (Magnolia x ‘Elizabeth’) Z4

30’ tall. This yellow hybrid was first introduced by the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in 1950. Many more have been developed since, but this selection remains one of the hardiest, and a beautiful specimen is thriving at Everlasting Farms, in Bangor. Large, butter-yellow flowers appear ahead of the leaves in spring and finish among the emerging green foliage.



#5 – 110.00







Elizabeth Magnolia full tree (top), flower (bottom)

Yummy, yummy!



Pink Lady Apple

An Australian cross between Yellow Delicious and Lady Williams that keeps well. Tangy and sweet. One of the latest to ripen. Zone 5 hardy, but we recommend a zone 6 site and/or espalier treatment against a cozy south or southwest wall to give it a long enough season to ripen the fruit.

Royal Gala Apple

A New Zealand cross between Kidd’s Orange and Golden Delicious. A great early season apple with crisp firm fruit. Z5

“There’s gold in them there trees!”

Gold Rush (Metasequoia gl. ’Ogon’) Z5

50’ tall and 25’ wide. We saw a grouping of these planted at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. What a striking specimen accent in the landscape! Beautiful, yellow needled foliage, changing to orange in the fall, on a slower growing tree than the species form of Dawn Redwood.

#7 48” – 115.00

Monkey-ing around

BANANA

Japanese Fiber Banana (Musa basjoo) Z5

12’ tall. O.K., maybe we’re the ones who are bananas, but what fun! After seeing a monster plant at an inland Connecticut garden, and after reading of tropical plant enthusiasts’ successes via their weblogs in Zone 5 gardens around the country, we had to give this one a try. It dies to the ground in Maine, and needs to be thoroughly mulched for winter survival, but it is hardy to -20F. Growth begins with warmer temperatures in spring, and can reach 9-12’ in one season. You can also grow it in a pot and move it inside for the winter. While it does produce bananas if the growing season is extended by bringing the pot indoors, this variety is not one of the tasty, edible types.

#5 – 45.00

Newer Andromedas for your garden

Silver Flame (Pieris jap. ‘Flaming Silver’)Z5

5-6’ tall and wide. A lovely evergreen shrub that features bright reddish-pink growth in spring, backed by beautiful, silvery variegated foliage. Plant in a location away from winter wind and strong winter sunlight.

#2 – 34.99


Valley Valentine (Pieris jap. ‘Valley Valentine’) Z5

5-6’ tall. A relatively slow-growing choice for the garden, reaching 4’ tall in 10 years.

Maroon buds open to charming pink, long-lasting flowers in spring. Plant in a location protected from winter wind and strong winter sunlight.

#3 – 49.00

Tim Bate
Skillin's Greenhouses
April 1, 2010

New Nursery Plants for Skillin's 2010, Part 1!

Hello again,

Tim Bate our Nursery Buyer and Manager has compiled what I think is a rather exciting list of new nursery shrubs and trees for 2010. We are breaking it into parts and will bring you the separate parts over the next few days.

A designation of "#2" means a 2 gallon pot; #3 is a 3 gallon pot and so forth. And now from Tim Bate:

New Kiwi varieties:


Pasha (Actinidia kolomitka ‘Pasha’) Z4

A stunning, decorative vine for fence, trellis, or wall. This male variety of the arctic Kiwi
pollinates September Sun Arctic Kiwi, and in addition, puts on quite a show of green, pink and white foliage in late spring, early summer. The coloration becomes stronger as the plant matures and when soil is not overly fertile. Plant in full sun. #2 – 34.99

September Sun (Actinidia kolomitka ‘September Sun’) Z4

Yes, you can grow delicious kiwi fruit in Maine! This Arctic Kiwi vine produces tasty, smooth-skinned, grape-sized fruits. Yum! Plant in full sun with the male variety, Pasha, as the pollinator. #2 – 34.99

New Azalea:


Pink Mist (Rhod x viscosum ‘Pink Mist’) Z4

5-6’ tall. This New England native is a pink form of our exceptionally fragrant and popular swamp azalea. Blooms in early summer.

#2 – 34.99

New Weeping Birch:

Summer Cascade (Betula nigra ‘Summer Cascade’) Z3

A lovely, vigorous weeping tree, perfect for adding a graceful touch to the garden year-round. Sensational shaggy bark, and a rugged constitution, make this adaptable tree an easy choice for any garden situation, wet or dry.

#15 - 185.00

2 recent Butterfly bush intros:

Blue Chip (Buddleia x ‘Blue Chip’) Z5

Buddleia Blue Chip

24-30” Tall. Finally, a selection that leaves room in the butterfly garden for other plants. This tidy variety from the new Lo & Behold series is covered with lavender blooms and loves sun.

#2 - 26.99

Miss Ruby (B. ‘White Ball’ x B. ‘Attraction’) Z5

6’ tall and wide. Provides some the brightest reddish-pink flowers found on a butterfly bush. A visitors’ favorite at the UK’s Wisley Garden’s 2008 garden trials.

#3 - 29.99

(Buddleia Miss Ruby)

                                                                    

2 Sweetshrubs to love:


Venus ( Calycanthus x ‘Venus’) Z5

5 Tall and wide. This outstanding new hybrid sweetshrub offers up magnolia-like white blossoms that perfume the air with scents of strawberry and melon in late spring. Flowering continues sporadically throughout the summer until the large glossy foliage turns brilliant yellow in the fall.

#3 - 34.99

Hartlage Wine (X sinocalycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’) Z5

6-9’ tall. This outstanding, and much sought after hybrid, offers the most beautiful, lightly scented, raspberry to wine-red colored flowers. Fall foliage color is an outstanding yellow. Flowers best in sun to part sun locations and favors rich, well drained soils.

#2 – 44.00

Cool Native:

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus) Z4

Sputnik (Cephalanthus occidentalis ‘Sputnik’) Z5(4?)

6’ Tall and wide. A must have magnet for the butterfly garden! Tiny tubular flowers are clustered into 1.5” spherical arrays that get the word out to the butterfly world: “Plenty of nectar here!” This plant also thrives in wet situations, and in much of the eastern U.S. the wild form can be found growing along the edges of ponds and lakes.

#2 – 29.99

                                                                   (Cephalanthus Sputnik)

New Clethra:

Vanilla Spice (Clethra aln. ‘Caleb’) Z4

3-6’ Tall and wide. A compact grower that provides a long season of bloom and fabulous fragrance near the end of summer. This blossoming beauty is a major butterfly attractor and grows well in almost any garden situation, but especially thrives in moist, part sun locations.

#2 - 32.99

(Clethra Vanilla Spice)

Terrific tree:

Golden Glory ( C. mas ‘Golden Glory’) Z4

20’ Tall. Also known as Cornellian Cherry Dogwood, this upright growing shrub or tree is a prolific bloomer, and brings welcoming, cheerful yellow, long-lasting flowers to the spring garden. Fruit is a glossy cherry-red and used for syrup and preserves.

#10 – 135.00

It is a Hydrangea World!

Incrediball (H. arborescens ‘Abetwo’) Z3

4-5’ tall. This is an improved Annabelle-type Hydrangea. The goal was to get sturdier stems so the plant wouldn’t flop over after rain, and the result was just that, with the bonus of each bloom having 4 times as many flowers. As they say, “Incrediball”! Thrives in moist soil in part sun, but adaptable to many sites. Can be cut to the ground in spring without diminishing summer flowering.

#2 – 34.99

#3 – 42.00

(Hydrangea Incrediball!)

Invincibelle Spirit (H. arborescens ‘NCHA1’) Z3

3-4’ tall and wide. The most exciting new plant for Maine gardens in years! The white form of hydrangea arborescens, ‘Annabelle’, has been a popular garden staple for years, and finally, after years of work, plant breeders have brought us the gift of this sensational new pink variety. It is super hardy, with extremely prolific blooms that are produced from July right up until frost. And it can be cut to the ground in spring without diminishing the flower show. On top of all that, Proven Winners is supporting a campaign to raise 1 million dollars for breast cancer research, and will donate $1 for every Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea purchased to the nonprofit Breast Cancer Research Foundation. There are so many great reasons to make room for this plant in your garden, or share it with a friend.

#3 – 44.00

(Hydrangea Invencibelle Spirit!)

Vanilla Strawberry (H. paniculata ‘Renhy’) Z4

6-7’ tall and 4-5’ wide. Imagine a bowl filled with vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry sauce. This tempting hydrangea is a treat for the eyes. Blossoms begin a creamy white in summer, change pink and finally end with a delicious display of strawberry red for the fall garden. You may want seconds, and we won’t stand in the way!

#2 – 34.99

(Hydrangea Vanilla Strawberry!

                                                                 
More new plants soon here at the Skillin's Garden Log! And come see these plants for yourself soon at our nurseries. By mid April we should be very well stocked in most of these plants!

Tim Bate
Skillin's Greenhouses
March 29. 2010

Hot!!! Summer Specials

Hello again,

Tim our Nursery Manager just bought in some gorgeous shrubs from a terrific grower in Pennsylvania. These plants are fresh, fantastic, functional, fun and will grow great in your yard:

Mops Goldthread Falsecypress Only $25 reg. $44

Euonymus Emerald Gaiety Only $25 reg. $54

Dappled Willow Only $25 reg $49 (click http://skillinsgardenblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/dappled-willows-great-idea.html for a great past discussion about Dappled Willow at the Skillin's Garden Log!)

Mayflower Viburnum Only $35 reg. $59

Come check out these deals plus we still have fresh grown hanging plants, annual flats and seed geraniums on sale at Skillin's.

We look great and we are looking forward to you and us Having the Best July Ever!

Mike Skillin
Skillins Greenhouses
July 10, 2009

The Very Nifty Nine Bark

Sheliah checks in with the Very Nifty Nine Bark. The Nine Bark's name comes from the appearance of the bark which is flaky and can peel away in many layers as the plant gets a little older. The botanical name of the many varieties stems from Physocarpus.
Sheliah does her gardening high atop the hills of Raymond ME and if you can grow a green garden there you can grow one anywhere!
Here is Sheliah:
"If you have room for a big beautiful plant try this Nine Bark. It grows extremely fast and will top out at eight to ten feet tall. The burgundy color stands out so beautifully. I love the look of it planted with evergreens. This picture is of my Diabolo Nine Bark. This easy to grow plant is a zone 3! That means you can plant it a your camp on Moosehead Lake and it will thrive! It needs at least six hours of sun a day. It has creamy white flowers in the spring and berries that the birds love in the fall. The leaves are fabulous! Nine Bark is a native plant. Tim has brought in some of the new hybrids of this plant that will not get as big and have coppery colors. Last year we had a limey green variety too. If you are looking for a no care, easy and fast growing plant (that your neighbors probably don't have) check out the beautiful Nine Bark!"
Sheliah for Skillin's Greenhouses
High atop Raymond ME
March 22, 2009