We Had Beautiful Fall Color

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

The spectacular fall color put on by blazing trees and shrubs is just about over. The color was outstanding this year. Aspens were a brilliant yellow with tints of orange;  maples were everything from yellow orange to red; beech trees turned red, and a host of other trees and shrubs contributed to the array of fall color.   One of the most spectacular trees planted by a staff person last year was an Autumn Radiance tree. The color on this tree is just amazing, a neon glowing red. Plus this leaf color held on for over two weeks.  Another staff person planted a Brandywine a few years ago and it is putting on a show of fiery red. If you did any leaf peeping this fall and fell in love with some of those colorful trees, stop in now as we may have a tree or two left, otherwise next year get that fall color tree planted so you, too, can enjoy that fall color right in your own yard.

Click on the name of the tree below and you will find more information on this tree.

 

 

Last Chance: Hurry In!

Posted on by Beth

 

Tick tock, tick tock!  ⏰ ⏰

The time is drawing near to Halloween and before you know it, Thanksgiving! Have you decorated your home yet? If not, never fear, Trees Today is here! We still have a great assortment of decorating and Halloween pumpkins still available. Stop in and grab yours before you are left behind in the great decorating race.

 

Wilt Pruf & Why You Need It

Posted on by Alexis Stout

If you, like many folks this season, had one or a few too many plants struggle with this season’s drought or you want to prepare your new plants for winter, then you may want to look at applying Wilt Pruf to your plants.

Wilt Pruf can keep plants healthy year-round, providing multiple layers of protection against transplant stress, seasonal drought, and winter burn. A few items that Wilt Pruf can be applied to include boxwood, rhododendrons, and evergreens. It can also be used on your holiday decorations too! Extend the life of your garland, wreaths, porch pots, and Christmas Tree! 

Wilt Pruf should be applied to the point of run off and allowed to dry outdoors in daylight for 3 to 4 hours. One application will last three to four months.

Make a plan to stop at the garden center and pick up a bottle of Wilt Pruf for year-round protection for your plants.

Wilt Pruf Ready to Use or Concentrate

Fall Tree Protection

Posted on by Beth

Fall is in full swing. As you begin to check off your fall to-do lists around the yard, don’t forget to protect your trees for winter. What exactly are you protecting your trees from you may ask?

Young trees benefit from having their trunks protected with either a trunk guard or tree wrap. This protective covering keeps deer from rubbing their horns and tearing the bark during rut and rabbits from potentially girdling your trees.

Another benefit of protecting your trees is reducing the risk of sun scald. Sun scald occurs during winter when the sun’s heat reflects off the snow, warming the bark, and the trunk freezes overnight. This repeated thaw and freeze can cause a crack to form and the bark peels away from the tree. This result does not threaten the tree but is typically an eyesore.

We can help you cross off this task from your list! We have both tree wrap and guards in stock.

The breathable fabric tree wrap comes as a 3″x50′ roll and the corrugated tree guards come in sizes of 2″ diameter up to 4″ diameter to fit a large assortment of trees.

Stop at the garden center and let our staff assist you in protecting your trees for fall and winter.

 

Fabric Tree Wrap 3″x50′ Roll

Trunk Guards Available in 2″-4″ Diameters

Fall Planting

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Why Plant in Fall?

There are many reasons.  The soil is still warm enough to encourage roots to grow whereas in spring the soil is still warming up from the winter.  Due to the fact that the plant no longer produces many flowers or foliage, the plant is able to spend a lot of its energy building roots.  There is less shock and stress to the plant as it is about to go into dormancy.  Planting in fall gives your plant a 6 month head start against spring plantings.  Your plants will have less insects to deal with.  Then there are the benefits of less weeds and less watering.

Fall is also a time to divide some  perennials.  Some perennials that benefit from dividing in fall are asters, native coneflowers, monardas (bee balms), day lilies, liatris, peonies, black eyed susans, garden phlox and creeping phox, siberian iris, bearded iris and veronica.  This is not an all inclusive list but tries to list the most common perennials.  If you are unsure if your plant should be divided in fall, google the plant or talk to a knowledgeable person.

Fall planting is not just for perennials, but shrubs and trees also benefit from fall planting.

Our nursery still has lots of perennials in stock available for immediate planting.  Stop in before fall turns into winter.

 

Ornamental Grasses

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Did you know that there are cool season ornamental grasses and warm season ornamental grasses? Following are some warm and cool season grasses.  The ornamental grasses we carry are all clump forming meaning that every few years they should be divided to prevent  no grass growing in the middle of the clump.

Cool Season Ornamental Grasses:
These grasses start growing in early spring, usually erupting from the ground in May. They generally are shorter then the warm season grasses. When the weather becomes very hot and dry they will go dormant.   Cool season grasses generally start blooming late June or early July. Some cool season grasses that we carry and are in stock are:

Karl Foerster feather reed grass

Avalanche Feather Reed Grass
Photo courtesy of  Baileys

 

Warm Season Ornamental Grasses
These grasses usually do not erupt from the ground until Late May or June, or when the soil has warmed up.

Miscanthus Flame Grass
Photo courtesy of Baileys

Northwind Switch Grass
Photo by Trees Today Nursery

 

Switchgrass Shenandoah. Photo courtesy of Monrovia Nursery

Prairie Dropseed grass
Photo courtesy of Baileys Nursery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Heaven Little Bluestem,  Photo courtesy of Baileys Nursery

Red Silver Japanese Grass, Photo courtesy of Baileys Nursery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooray for Hydrangeas

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Hydrangeas are perhaps the most showy, prolific and easy growing shrub around.  They come in many sizes, colors and appropriateness for different soils.  The shrubs are long living and extremely vigorous.  The mopheads offer up some astonishing huge blooms that you can see from some distance.  Some want only morning sun whereas others want full sun.  They make great foundation plants or look terrific in pots.  Some of the types of hydrangeas that grow in our area are the big leaf mophead (Endless summer), the smooth (Annabelle), and the panicle (the woody type like Limelight).  Because there are so many varieties we recommend you talk to a staff person who can direct you to the right hydrangea to plant for your conditions.  The following plants are some of the hydrangeas that we have carried.  These plants may or may not be in stock.

 

hydrangea paniculata strawberry shake

hydrangea seaside serenade newport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endless summer summer crush hydrangea

 

Invincible Ruby hydrangea

Berry White

 

Vanilla Strawberry

 

Hydrangea blue enchantress

Cut back perennials in fall or winter?

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

We have prepared a chart for you in hopes it may help you determine which perennials you should cut down before winter.   If you still are uncertain, you can always “google” your perennial for more information.

 

Click on the “cut back perennials in fall or winter” below and the chart should appear.

 

Cut back perennials in fall or winter?

Fall Favorites

Posted on by Beth

Another growing season is almost in the books as we near the middle of October, but there is still time to plant. Here are a few fall favorites our staff highly recommend adding to the landscape. Check out the links for more information on these fall favorites!

Viburnums 
This plant definitely fits into almost any landscape. Great on their own or combined to create a hedge or screening, viburnums provide interest spring through fall. Flowers, fruit, and fall color are some of the attributes you can expect among the different varieties of viburnum available at the garden center.

Lo Scape Mound Chokeberry
Compact and sturdy plant. Dainty spring flowers precede a small fruit ideal for jams and jellies. Berries are persistent, making this plant a spectacular four-season interest plant.

Hydrangeas
Although recognized for their summer blooms, hydrangeas continue to bloom well into fall. Not only do they maintain their blooms late into the year, but their fall foliage is also worth their weight in gold.

Dwarf Burning Bush
Boasting brilliant red foliage, the burning bush will be the spotlight of your fall landscape! Neighbors and passersby will stop to enjoy the vibrant color this plant offers.

Grace n Grit Roses
There are many different roses at the garden center, but the current showstoppers are the Grace n Grit Roses. They are currently available in pink, pink-bicolor, red, and yellow. These plants are still covered in buds and waiting to bloom!

Stop by the garden center and let us introduce you to our favorite plants for fall! Maybe you too will find your new fall favorites!

 

Pumpkins Galore

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Have you done your fall decorating yet? Or need a pumpkin for Halloween carving?   We have pumpkins:  Colored, Warty and Large and Small.   Stop by soon, especially if you are after the colored ones as they are selling fast.   Enjoy fall with decorations that may include pumpkins, mums, witches, etc.  Also before you know it Halloween will be here, so get your carving pumpkin now.

September has Arrived

Posted on by Marietta Buchner

Some of us are happy and some of us are sad to be leaving summer behind. How did your garden do this summer? Lots of mildew due to all the rain we had? The heat and torrential rains were hard on gardens this year. Some of us even had to deal with hail.

Currently roses are blooming, (after August 15 they should no longer be fertilized as they need to go dormant), asters are just beginning their fall show, Black Eye Susans are still blooming, and grasses are spectacular (especially the Shenandoah). Coneflowers are fading fast. Be sure to leave some dried coneflower heads on the stems for the goldfinches to eat over winter.

Were you satisfied with the way your garden looked this summer? If you feel it was missing something, it may be that your garden needs some shrubs. Monrovia Nursery says that experts agree that shrubs are essential to a beautiful garden design. If you are starting a new yard/garden, trees and shrubs should be the first things to be planted. It is also recommended to plant a couple evergreens, shrubs or trees, in your garden for winter appeal and for some summer texture. Also, your house will probably have more curb appeal if you add a few evergreens to the foundation plantings. So, take a look around your garden and if you need some shrubs, Trees Today Nursery has a multitude of shrubs. September is a great time to plant as they will have plenty of time to take root before winter. Come see us for some shrubbery ideas to make your garden look spectacular next year.

 

 

 

Autumn Watering

Posted on by Beth

Cooler weather is coming and before you know it we will reach regular freezing temperatures. Just because it is time to put the garden hose away does not mean you can stop watering your plants. Although there may be fleeting blooms and leaves your trees, shrubs and perennials still require a sip of water every now and again.

A general rule of thumb would be to water your trees and shrubs about twice a week with the current temperatures we are seeing this late in October. As we progress into November and have colder temperatures that may be bumped down to once a week dependent upon conditions.

Happy watering!