I wanted to see a caterpillar turn into a Monarch and discovered how easy it was. First, into my new garden I planted some bright annuals to attract Monarchs and some Swamp Milkweed (red milkweed) for the Monarchs to lay their eggs on. I also planted some butterfly weed to feed the future Monarch butterflies. About a month later I discovered several Monarch caterpillars on the milkweed. I ordered a net cage from Amazon and put a caterpillar inside the cage with leaves from the milkweed plant. The caterpillar ate voraciously for the first couple days, then stopped eating. The next thing that happened was that he was hanging from the top of the net cage and then formed a “J” shape. A few hours later when I looked he was in the halfway point of spinning himself into a cocoon. On the 11th day when I checked, he had just emerged from the pupa into a butterfly but since he was still wet, I kept him in the cage for another hour and then released the Monarch. Stop at Trees Today Nursery as we have many, many varieties of butterfly plants in stock in spring of the year.
We just wanted to share a picture of this gorgeous lantana tree taken by a customer last summer. The tree was purchased from us in spring of 2021. They are always in bloom, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. Each year we get a few of these trees in. They are a tropical tree but customers have had luck in carrying them over thru winter. Just google “Lantana trees” for some information if you are interested in trying to carry one over thru winter. Place them on your deck or patio and you will find hummingbirds visiting them within a couple feet of you. We have just a couple of these trees left in stock.
This week (June 1st) we unloaded two semi’s full of perennials, shrubs, roses, and etc. So if you are looking to update your yard or replace those tired, old looking shrubs, stop in and shop at Trees Today Nursery. The products we just received are high quality and beautiful. We must have over 200 coneflowers in stock. Our Blue Marvel Salvias are an intense blue and blooming along with the yellow tickseed. What a striking combination the blue and yellow will make. The peach drift/carpet roses that arrived are to die-for. We carry so much more then the normal run-of-the mill plants. Our variety of shrubs and perennials is huge.
Oh my gosh, JUST BEAUTIFUL. Two words to describe the roses we have in stock. In our opinion, never have we seen such beautiful roses for growing in Zone 4. These new varieties, Grace ‘n Grit and Nitty Gritty roses are wowing everyone with their superb performance. They bloom all summer, in fact well into fall; they come back in spring; and they are available in pure, bright colors of red, pink, yellow, and peach. The Grace ‘n Grit roses have long stems so you can pick them and put them in vases. We have over 100 roses on hand. Stop in and let a staff person help you pick the perfect rose for your location. The following are actual pictures taken from our stock roses.
Grace ‘n Grit red rose Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Nitty Gritty yellow rose Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Niitty Gritty peach rose Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Now is the time of year when the crabapple trees are taking center stage. This year is a beautiful year for them as most of them are truly full of blossoms. Purchasing a crab apple tree now means you get to choose the color of blossoms as you will see most of them blooming at our garden center. There are many various shades of white to a dark pink, possibly close to red. Following are a few of our crabapple trees blooming.
Emerald Spire Crabapple Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Royal Raindrops Crabapple Photo by Trees Today Nursery
If you found this past winter that your yard looked kind of blah, then plant this new variety of dogwood. In winter it provides dramatic color with striking bare red stems that will put that needed punch in your dull landscape. It gets about 24 – 30 inches tall and wide with a rounded shape. Foliage grows all the way to the bottom of this plant. It is great for erosion control and tolerates wet soil. Very hardy to Zone 3.
Our famous mums have arrived. We have over 400 hundred mums in red, orange, white, yellow and various shades of these colors. It may be time to replace some of those tired annuals with colorful fall garden mums and enjoy them as we head into Fall.
Did you know that most modern shrub roses bloom well into Fall? Many are still blooming at the end of October. Granted you won’t have the orange and rust colors associated with fall, but you will get deep reds, bright reds, pinks, yellows, whites and peach colors from these blooming roses. Check out our vast array of roses and talk with a staff person about what type of rose best suits your need and how easy they are to grow. You will enjoy their color from mid-June through October. At present, we have 19 varieties of roses in stock. Check out our latest rose to arrive, the “Nitty Gritty Peach” rose.
Nitty Gritty Peach rose Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Nitty Gritty Peach Rose Photo by Trees Today Nursery
We just received a shipment of some unusually beautiful perennials and shrubs. Ann Magnolia shrubs arrived in two different sizes, therefore they have two different price tags. There are some blooms on them and are very nice and full. To me the Ann Magnolia is by far the best of all the Magnolias. Then we have lots of Zagreb and Moonbeam Coreopsis that are blooming their heads off. I’ve been working here a decade and the best looking Artemesias are here now! We have more giant, zone 4 hardy hibiscus in red and rose color. Presently they are not blooming but are loaded with buds ready to open. We also have gaillardias, hydrangea trees, White Fringe Trees, Yellow Grace n Grit roses, plus many, many more plants. Stop in!!
Artemesia Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Zagreb and Moonbeam coreopsis Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Grace n Grit Yellow Rose Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Gaillardia Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Quick Fire Hydrangea tree Photo by Trees Today Nursery
What an outstanding and gorgeous small shrub this is as it has unique yellow flowers in summer followed by rose colored berries in fall. The branches are thick with dark green foliage, making a wonderful hedge. We recommend covering it with mulch in fall as it is a Zone 5 and we do not warrantee it. However, we have grown and warranteed other Zone 5, St. John’s Wort shrubs as they have proven to survive our winters. The flowers also make great cut flowers. For more information, click FloralBerry® Rosé St. John’s Wort
Floralberry Rose St. Johns Wort Photo courtesy of Monrovia
Sneezeweed (Helenium) is an undeserved name for this great plant. Years ago the leaves and flowers of the plant were ground up for snuff, thus causing a sneeze. Sneezeweed blooms from late summer up until frost, nonstop. A great wildlife plant for bees and butterflies. In fall when some of our perennials are drying up, the sneezeweed will provide food for those butterflies and bees. Then in winter birds will pick over the seeds. Sneezeweed is also a great plant for medium to wet soil (will not tolerate dry soil). A must for clay soils. Another plus, Sneezeweed is deer and rabbit resistant. At present we have three varieties of sneezeweed in stock. They are Mariachi Bandera Sneezeweed, Mariachi Sombrero Sneezeweed and Mariachi Salsa Sneezeweed.
Look at all the buds on this year old Sneezeweed:
Helenium or Sneezeweed Photo by Trees Today Nursery
Hydrangeas have become a favorite shrub among gardeners due to their low maintenance and the colorful blooms they put out for weeks. Try some of the new varieties (over 20) that we carry. Many are rebloomers. Our staff will explain the difference and help you choose which variety works best for you.
