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Naperville
location…
Fox
Valley |
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Plant News |
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Trees and Shrubs | Water
Garden | Roses
All our spring shipments have arrived and we are very pleased with our new selections. For small yards we have new dwarf evergreens to add interest to your landscape through every season. Our rhododendrons are beginning to flower so now is the time to choose the right one to coordinate with your existing beds. The Japanese maple selection has never included as many sizes and cultivars. We have expanded the numbers on shade trees to provide more alternatives for Ash trees. The new shrubs introductions highlight dwarf sizes, colorful foliage, new flower shades and winter interest. Contorted Filbert, Moras bombycis ‘Unrunyu’, is a small specimen tree with uniquely contorted and twisting stems that are especially attractive in the winter landscape. Large glossy leaves provide shade on the summer. This fast growing tree would be a good alternative for a full sun or windy area where a Japanese maple type tree is needed. Royal Burgundy Barberry, Berberis thunbergii ‘Gentry’, grows only 18 to 24” tall with a 2 to 4’ spread making it a great contrast groundcover shrub for full sun. Tiny yellow flowers in spring a re followed by bright shiny red berries that persist into winter. The rich burgundy-red foliage won’t fade in the summer heat and turns a brighter red in the fall. Perfect for the front of a sunny border of to line a walkway. Viburnums may be our absolute favorite group of shrubs and the Winterthur Viburnum, Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’, explains why. Creamy-white blooms are followed by the colorful fruit that start out white, changing to hot pink and finally to a bright sapphire blue. For an outstanding fruit display, plan on at least two of these shrubs for cross-pollination and heaviest fruiting. This 6-8’ oval shaped shrub has dark green foliage that turns a rich mahogany red in the fall. Shining Sensation Weigela, Weigela x ‘Shining Sensation’, is a vase shaped shrub for full sun or part shade. Growing 5-6’ tall with a 3-5’ spread, it is the perfect plant to anchor a perennial bed or provide contrast to a mixed border. Deep pink flowers bloom against the red-burgundy foliage beginning in mid May. It is that time of the year again when gardeners dream of "what can be". Whether you are dreaming of starting a brand new garden from the beginning, re-doing / or adding to an existing garden, or just finishing what you started last season... your perennial garden can become a reality in the upcoming months with some wise planning. With sustainability being on the minds of enviromentally conscious gardeners, the perennial department at TGP has added several new varieties to our already wide selection of earth friendly perennials. When you plan your garden we recommend that you group your plants according to your moisture needs. For areas that are hot, dry, well-drained, and/or not near a hose we suggest that you choose from among our drought- tolerant perennials. Group moisture loving plants together and near a water source and/or in an area that holds moisture. All our plants that fulfill both of these conditions are noted in our plant guide and on our signs. Some new selections for 2008 are: Eryingium planum 'Blue Hobbit'...Not unlike our native rattlesnake master (Eringium yuccifolium) in culture, this superb Sea Holly is the first true dwarf. Growing to only 1 foot, it has several light blue, thistle- like flowers that grow on short stems with blue-green, prickly, spoon- shaped leaves. It is a charming, heavily flowering, new variety that is superb for dry areas. Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies'...This is a short needled selection
of Adam's Needle. It has excellent baby blue colored leaves on
an upright, clumping plant. Like other Yucca's, it needs excellent
drainage. Salvia pratense 'Eveline'... This garden sage has attractive two-tone red and purple flower spikes and huge disease resistant leaves. It is a vigorous grower and is 2 feet tall. Like others in the Sage family, it is extremely drought tolerant. Indigofera pseudotinctora... This Indigo is a delicately textured and diminutive sub shrub. The blooms resemble upside down Wisteria flowers in a vivid rose pink. It forms a 2'-3' x 2' wide lacy clump that endures drought. Hibiscus 'Sweet Caroline'... This beauty has 6"-8" bright pink, ruffled petals with dark pink veining and eye zone. It has strong, shrub-like leaves, and is vigorous, sturdy and more compact than standard hibiscus, growing only 2'-3'.It makes an outstanding accent plant for moist areas. Hibiscus 'Turn of the Century'...The impressive flowers of this robust 6' tall plant are bi-colored ranging from dark red to light pink. The petals alternate colors, giving them the appearance of a 5 -veined pinwheel. Excellent for moist, well-drained areas in the full sun. Carex ciliatomarginata 'Treasure Island'... A stunning new woodland sedge. Each narrow green leaf is bordered with a dramatic white edge. It is a slowly spreading groundcover, eventually making a 15" wide clump in slightly moist soils . It contrasts nicely with hosta and ferns in the shade. We hope this preview of what are offering this growing season is enough to get you dreaming about your garden even though there is still snow on the ground. The Annuals department will feature a new selection of outstanding plants for your garden this spring. Pennisetum ‘Fireworks’ has vigorous growing foliage with vertical bands of burgundy, red, pink, white and green. Its pale red, purple plumes show from early summer until frost. It can grow to 4 feet in full sun for container and landscape use. We are featuring 14" Coco Liner Mixed Hanging Baskets. The mixed baskets below, are grown by us. These include:
Begonia ‘Bonfire’, New Guinea Impatiens ‘Painted Paradise Orange’, Snapdragon ‘Sultan Bronze’ and Fuchsia ‘Autumnale’. (pictured above) Another lovely combination is: Algerian Ivy, Asparagus Fern, Spider Plant and Lamium ‘Orchid Frost’. Both of these will grow well in part shade/shade. And they both have complimenting floor containers.
The third basket includes plants which grow best in full sun and consists of Helichrysum ‘Petiolatum’, Supertunia ‘Mini Blue’ and Supertunia ‘Mini Blue Veined’. (pictured above) Our tropical plants
will be available the first week of May.
Alocasia ‘Baroque Sword’ and Alocasia ‘Stingray’ are
two Taros that you won’t want to miss. Begonia bolivensis 'Bellfire' demands attention anywhere it is used. Coral pink, bell-shaped flowers bloom continously from late spring to early frost. They cover 50% of the rich plum, purple edged foliage. This plant can be grown 30" x 30" in full sun or partial shade.
The slow-growing succulent, Echevaria nodulosa, shows off exquisite red markings on the interior and edges of each leaf. In the spring, pinkish-white flowers appear, 10-18" tall. Rosettes grow on branching stems, 8-12" tall.
Striking large white daisy flowers with contrasting blue centers are borne on Osteospermum ecklonis 'Asti White'. They grow uniformly, upright to 17-20°± tall. This lovely plant is also heat, drought and frost tolerant.
The diminutive, 4" x 4", Sedereva hybrid, 'Jet Beads' will add a colorful contrast to any flower bed. Its tiny, pointed, nearly black leaves line up along the short, spreading stems.
A full-bodied, sweet cherry tomato with tang that everyone in the family will love is Lycopersicum esculentum, Tomato Snowberry. This indeterminate plant takes 75 days from transplanting to 1" creamy yellow fruit which is pure white within. Weather pending, the cool tolerant annuals will be out in the beginning of April. Tomatoes will be out at the beginning to mid May. Seeds for 2008 The seed packets have a wealth of information, inside and out, along with a beautiful botanical illustration on front and a plant tag on the back. The inside of each packet has a vast amount of information such as growing and harvesting tips, recipes, history, organic control of pests, diseases and weeds, as well as fertilization and general organic growing practices. Some of the most popular varieties of seeds today are heirlooms from the 18th and 19th centuries, brought to the United States by immigrants from around the world. Heirloom flower seeds include:
Heirloom vegetable seeds include:
*Indicates Certified Organic Seed Another effort in the field of disease- resistant roses is now on the market. For 2008 we are offering OSO EASY ROSES from Spring Meadow Nursery Inc. These roses have the "Proven Winner" label, which lets us know that they have passed the evaluation process for superior performance, excitement and satisfaction. Only after meeting this criteria can the plant earn the right to be a "Proven Winner". The three varieties that we will have for 2008 are: Oso Easy Paprika....has remarkable reddish -orange single blooms with a yellow eye on a plant that is only 12" to 2 feet in height. Attractive glossy green foliage accent the flowers which fade to coral. Oso Easy Fragrant Spreader...is likely the best spreader of the group with a diameter of about 5 feet, with a height of 1 to 2 feet. This low growing shrub rose has single scented blooms that form in small clusters. It is ideal for covering banks and slopes or large beds. It is fragrant from a long distance. Oso Easy Peachy Cream.... is a delicious blend of buff/ apricot. The moderately fragrant, semi-double blooms are borne in large clusters on a plant that will reach only 12" tall by 3 feet wide. This low mounding selection blooms from early summer till frost. We visited Spring Meadow Nursery on a hot summer day in mid-August of 2006. These exciting small shrub roses were on display at their facility in Michigan. We were told that they were tested for four years and were never sprayed with fungicides. We were very impressed because the roses had no sign of blackspot or mildew, plus they were blooming very prolifically. So now we are offering them to you with confidence that they will meet your needs for disease resistant roses for your residential landscape. Our Designers are very busy creating beautiful mixed
container gardens. Select one prepared ahead or request for a container
garden in the colors of your choice. Product will be available by early to mid April. Come early to get the best selection. Large plants, both tropical and hardy are arriving daily. Select from our cream of the crop for best results. Many fountains and containers are on display. They are ready for a creative touch to make a unique water feature for your garden. Ask our Water Gardening Expert when you need advice or help with a water garden.
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Viburnum ‘Winterthur’