Bare root fruit trees have arrived!
Forsythia, lilacs and a large selection of flowering cherry trees have just arrived from the best growers and are ready to be planted in your yard.

Across the country, more and more people are discovering the satisfaction of landscaping their homes with native plants. Many native plants are attractive ornamentals and adapt easily to local gardens. Now you can easily create a woodland, wetland, or meadow in your own back yard.

Native plants are those that evolved naturally in North America and which occurred within the state before humans introduced plants from distant places. Native plants typically grow in communities with species adapted to similar soil, moisture, and weather conditions. Native plants include ferns, grasses, flowering perennials, woody trees and shrubs.

Native plants are naturally adapted to perform well in our local climate. They require less water than most non-natives once they are established and resist native pests and diseases better. Many help to enrich the soil. Their root systems help rainfall percolate into the soil, reducing erosion and runoff. A side benefit of using native plants is that they improve water quality by needing less fertilizer and no pesticides.

Many native plants attract beneficial insects which help control pests, creating habitat for "good bugs." Native plants also provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat favored by our local wildlife. This can help you make your garden a sanctuary for songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other desirable wildlife.

Native plants are fairly easy to care for. Using slow release or (preferably) organic fertilizers will keep plants healthy without providing a flush of nutrients that would give weeds a competitive edge. As with any other plants in your garden, keeping the soil covered with decorative mulch will keep your plants happy and provide some extra control of weeds. When landscaping with native plants, it is important to choose plants that will grow well in your garden: wet or dry, shade or sun, acid or neutral soil.

Native plants not only suit today's interest in low maintenance gardening but they also can provide us with a tangible link to the past. Many species have reported value as food, medicine, textiles and other domestic purposes. Our staff of nursery experts will be happy to make recommendations for your particular needs.

Perhaps no other single plant or tree can add as much value to a garden landscape as a Japanese maple. They look great planted as a centerpiece in mounds or garden islands, plus they make excellent container plants for a patio or terrace. Japanese maples are also used quite extensively as bonsai specimens.

What makes this tree so popular is that it is available in many sizes, colors, leaf shapes, and growing habits. The color of Japanese maples ranges from bright green and variegated to shades of orange, red, and purple. The fall foliage on most varieties is beautiful. You can find single-stemmed specimens, multi-trunk, and low-growing mounded varieties.

This versatile tree can be planted any time of the year in most regions of the U.S., as long as the soil is not soggy. They require a location with good drainage and prefer protection from the wind. Avoid planting them in lawn areas, because lawns receive more frequent watering than Japanese maples require. Use red- and purple-shaded varieties against light-colored fences and walls, or to set off other plants. Use green-leafed varieties in shadier areas, against plain fences or darker shaded walls.

Most Japanese maples prefer a morning sun/afternoon shade or full shade location but will acclimate quite well after a few years planted in full sun, provided the soil around them is kept consistently moist. The key to watering Japanese maples is slow, deep and regular waterings. Never let the tree dry out. The soil should be kept moist, not wet.

Japanese maples are not heavy feeders, and can burn from too much or too strong a plant food. We recommend feeding twice a year during the growing season with Happy Frog. It is important not to cultivate around the root zone. A 2" layer of mulch such as Gardner & Bloome acid planting mix will help keep the upper layer of soil moist and help prevent soil crusting and weeds.

Just click on this gallery link to get an idea of the wonderful varieties of Japanese maples. Pay us a visit and let one of our nursery experts help you pick the perfect Japanese maple tree for your garden.

Product Spotlight: Dr. Earth's Starter Fertilizer

If you're looking for a great starter fertilizer look for Dr. Earth's Starter Fertilizer. Use it to feed all of your vegetables, trees and shrubs, in all early planting stages. Even drought tolerant plants like succulents and cactus, and plants which require a low N-P-K love Dr. Earth.

You enjoy exceptional results because the nutrients are released quickly, yet Dr. Earth's Starter Fertilizer is safe to use for all tender transplants (even pony pack and 4" container plants). Dr. Earth's Starter Fertilizer reduces transplant stress.

Eight select strains of Ecto and Endo Mycorrhizae contribute to drought tolerance, enhanced nutrient availability and increased plant performance. The 100% natural and organic formula provides optimum levels of essential plant nutrients, including important micronutrients and minerals, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers when used as directed.

Dr. Earth's Starter contains a superior blend of alfalfa meal, fish bone meal, feather meal, mined potassium sulfate, soft rock, phosphate and seaweed extract. It also contains PRO-BIOTIC™, seven champion strains of beneficial soil microbes plus Ecto & Endo Mycorrhizae.

Description:

• A superior blend of alfalfa meal, fish bone meal, feather meal, mined potassium sulfate, soft rock, phosphate, seaweed extract and PRO-BIOTIC™, seven champion strains of beneficial soil microbes plus Ecto and Endo Mycorrhizae.
  

Primary Uses:

• Feed all vegetables, trees, and shrubs.
  
• All early planting stages.
  
• Drought tolerant plants (e.g. cactus and succulents)
  
• Plants which require a low N-P-K.
  
• All transplants.
  

Benefits:

• Contains PRO-BIOTIC™, seven champion strains of beneficial soil microbes plus ecto & endo Mycorrhizae.
  
• Exceptional results because nutrients are released quickly.
  
• Safe for all tender transplants, e.g. pony pack and 4" Containers.
  
• Reduces transplant stress.
• Eight select strains of Ecto- and Endo-Mycorrhizae contribute to drought tolerance, enhanced nutrient availability and increased plant performance.
• 100% natural/organic formula provides optimum levels of essential plant nutrients, including important micronutrients and minerals.
• Eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers when used as directed.

Available Sizes:

• 4 Pound Box
• 12 Pound Box

Outside of the easily-identified blueberries and strawberries, the world of berries can be very confusing. You have blackberries, black raspberries, red raspberries, and yellow raspberries. And don't forget boysenberries, loganberries and marionberries, which are all closely related. How do you tell them apart? Berries whose core stays intact are blackberries. Berries that lose the core and resemble a thimble are raspberries. But then...a few berries are a cross between the two!

The similarities don't stop there. All bear fruit on two-year-old wood, except for the ever-bearing raspberries that also fruit on first year growth. These are also called two crop raspberries because they bear a late summer or fall crop on the first year growth and a second crop the following spring on the two-year-old wood.

Different types of wood? What's that all about? Ok, it may help clear up a lot of confusion about blackberry and raspberry culture if one remembers that after flowering and fruiting, any cane that bore fruit dies back to the crown. All the new growth will rise out from primary buds just below the soil line.

Now here's the good news, blackberries, raspberries and any other favorites will thrive in most locations and soil types, but good drainage is desirable with most varieties. Just give them some room to ramble because they do like to spread out. As far as cold-hardiness goes, raspberries tolerate very cold temperatures better than blackberries.

Most berries like being fed at blooming time, with a follow-up feeding in early fall after the plants have finished fruiting. Just use a well-balanced fruit food such as Dr. Earth Tree Fertilizer. They prefer staying moist, and should be watered regularly if rainfall is insufficient.

The new canes that grow out each spring will not bear fruit until the following summer when they are two years old. After harvest, the two-year-old fruiting canes will start to die back and should be removed as close to the ground as possible without injuring the new canes.

In mild climates berries can be trained to stakes or trellises in late summer or early fall, after the fruiting canes have been removed. In colder climates, the canes should be left on the ground over winter--making them less likely to be damaged by cold. The ideal time to "spring train" is after the danger of freezing weather and before the leaf buds begin expanding.

We have berry plants that grow well in our local area (click here for a list of our varieties). The bottom line is that all berries are easy to grow and they taste great. So don't stress about all your different choices. Just plant some berries and enjoy!

What's the best type of mulch to use in a garden?

Answer:

There are many types of mulches available; it all comes down to the look you want in your garden--natural or manicured?

• For a more natural look, use shredded redwood or shredded cedar. Shredded redwood is deeper in color and mats up more, making it an excellent choice for hillsides. Shredded cedar is lighter in color and an excellent choice if you own a dog--because it also repels fleas.
• For a more manicured look, use small or medium pebble bark (pine or fir), mini mulch (also called "orchid bark"), or cocoa mulch, which smells like chocolate and also deters cats and snails.
• We don't recommend large pine or fir bark, except for playgrounds. The air space is too large, so it is not very effective for retaining moisture in the soil or controlling weeds.