Bulbs Now, Spring Later
We’ve written this article before and we’re printing it again for one reason. Every Spring sends customers in to the nursery looking for a plant they’ve just seen blooming in a neighbor’s yard. They come in excited to buy and are saddened to learn the neighbor planted last November. Now is the time to get bulbs and flowering annuals in the ground for a dazzling display in the Spring.
Planting Spring annuals now will not only produce a beautiful garden, it will also give you Fall and Winter color as well. Many Spring annuals, and especially the cabbages, kales, and mustards, look great in the Fall and Winter, only to reach their zenith in the Spring. Violas, pansies, Allysum, Diacia, Lysimachia, and Lobelia
(pictured) will all offer blooms in the Winter. The only Spring annuals you really have to wait on are snapdragons, petunias, and foxgloves, but planting them now will get you such good results in the Spring, you won’t mind the wait. When you plant annuals, use Purple Martin Mix to amend the soil as you plant. Almost all cool weather annuals should be planted in full sun, in well-drained soil. If you want to plant in part shade, we recommend cabbages, kales, mustard, and Violas only. Don’t try and fool yourself that you have enough sun, if it’s shady just admit it and buy something that will perform well.
There is no instant gratification when it comes to bulbs. They are brown, and they go underground. A gardener planting bulbs is planning ahead. The results are worth it. At the Purple Martin, we carry select bulbs that have been proven to perform this far South (most bulbs need a chilly Winter to succeed). There are several daffodil and narcissus that will come back year after year. We recommend you plant them in groups of 20 or more, and use the scatter technique. It's easy. Simply take your bag of bulbs and scatter handfuls on the ground. Then plant them where they land. This will yield a random, natural look that is charming in the Spring landscape. Most daffodil and narcissus need to be planted about 6" deep, and we recommend a bag of bone meal to fertilize as you plant. Aside from that, just sit back, make sure your bulbs don't stay too wet over the Winter, and they will do the rest.
LOSE THE LAWN
Things you can do to go green in the garden.
Everyone has heard the buzz about "going green.” Many assume that when it comes to the environment, any plant is a good plant. While it is true that all plants produce oxygen, there are definitely good and bad choices gardeners can make. In this article, we will offer advice on how to choose plants and products for your landscape that look great and help out Mother Earth, too.
Tip 1: Go native. Why are native plants so great? A native plant has evolved to survive and thrive in local growing conditions. A well-chosen native plant requires less water and fertilizer over the years than an exotic. Many native plants have also evolved resistance to native pests, which is great for both gardener and environment. Just make sure when choosing a plant is to get one native to your area. For instance, a plant native to the sandy, salty coast is probably not going to be the best choice for a home on a clay hill in North Tallahassee, and a native found on the banks of the Wakulla River might not succeed on a dry, flat, full sun lot in Crawfordville. Some of our favorite natives at the Purple Martin include: Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Maidenhair fern, Yaupon holly, Gallardia
(pictured), Cordgrass, and Muhly grass.
Tip 2: Choose wisely. The biggest mistake gardeners seem to make is incorrectly assessing what it is they need in a plant. A plant should be chosen based on the amount of sun, water, nutrients and type of soil, and amount of nutrients needed. If you choose your plants based on these requirements, you will spend less water, fertilizer and time in your landscape. When purchasing containers, outdoor furniture and garden tools, it’s a good idea to go ahead and spend the extra dollar for a quality product. A cheap garden hose will cost you so much more in time and frustration than a hose that cost
more but doesn’t kink as often, and inexpensive plastic Terracotta pots quickly become brittle in full sun. So spend the extra dollars and have the product for years, not having to replace it every season! In addition, plastic is petroleum based. Try to choose metal, ceramic, wood, and glass for outdoor goods.
Tip 3: Lose the lawn! Like it or not, the lawn is the most environmentally unfriendly part of any landscape. Lawns require exponentially more water and fertilizer then landscaped or natural areas. The practice of dumping cheap fertilizer on a lawn to turn it green is one of the worst things Floridians can do to harm our local water supply and wildlife. Here’s one recommendation for your lawn... stop fertilizing! I have a lawn of St. Augustine that hasn’t been fertilized in two years. My neighbor also has St. Augustine and it demands more of his time and energy. Our lawns look identical; the only difference is that he has to water and mow a lot more because of the extra nutrients he provides. Cut your grass on the high side, and a little less often. This helps grass photosynthesize more light and better compete against weeds.
Tip 4: Cycle your water! Water soaks for about ten minutes before the top of the soil is saturated, then the water begins to run off. Instead of watering thirty minutes a day, try watering for ten minutes, three times a day. Use the same amount of water, but get more of it into the ground. This efficient use of water stimulates plant to grow deep roots making them more drought tolerant. Practice this water cycling technique and find your lawn’s watering minimum. And lastly... get rid of that grass! Every square foot of lawn you remove helps reduce water and fertilizer consumption. It also means less work, and may result in a nicer looking landscape. A trick landscape designers often use is to design a lawn in a shape that compliments the landscape, instead of just blanketing the entire property in grass. This makes the lawn a design feature, and a small, well- designed lawn can please the eye and save time on maintenance.
Tip 5: Use high quality, slow release granular fertilizers. Do not use cheap, box store brands, and do not use liquid feed. It's just a waste of nutrients that end up in our lakes, rivers, aquifer, and ocean.
Funding The Florida Center
Purple Martin Nurseries and Capital City Bank are thrilled to announce their joint sponsorship of the first Wakulla County event to support The Florida Center for Performing Arts and Education. The event will be held at Purple Martin Nurseries, 1554 Crawfordville Highway, on Thursday, November 13 at 6:00pm. We are inviting all our friends, family, and clients to enjoy food, drink, and live entertainment while participating in The Florida Center’s membership drive.
The Florida Center is the most ambitious project ever in our area. When built, The Florida Center will include a multi-purpose theatre and a large concert performance hall. The proposed Gaines Street location is in downtown Tallahassee, just a few blocks south of the Florida Capitol. In addition to providing state-of-the-art venues for many kinds of entertainment, it will offer educational and community outreach programs, as well as economic growth and development.
At Purple Martin Nurseries, we welcome the prospect of a new venue for the performing arts, and we encourage everyone to join us in supporting The Florida Center. The center will bring $120 million to our area during its construction, and millions per year once complete. It will be a great draw to North Florida, especially to potential retirees along the Forgotten Coast.
Glenn’s Plant Picks
Loropetalum ‘Purple Pixie’ Finally! A true dwarf Loropetalum. ‘Purple Pixie’ has a mature height of 2 foot. This makes it perfect ground cover or a foundation planting for under low windows and porches. Vibrant pink blooms; deep burgundy foliage will add year round color to your landscape. Plant in full sun and water often until established. Once established Pixie is very drought tolerant. Try planting Pixie containers!
Myer Lemon Florida is synonymous with citrus. Myer Lemon is a cold hardy citrus tree that can grow in our area (zone 8b). This citrus has something happening all year long. If it is not covered with very fragrant flowers, it is loaded with fruit. It’s lemons are sweet, have few seeds and its thick skin is easy to peel.
Viola For flower color all Winter and well into late Spring nothing outperforms Violas. Often called Johnny Jump Ups, Viola flowers are like miniature pansies. The blooms are about the size of a dime. The hundreds of blooms per plant make up for their size. We plant both Violas and pansies in our landscape every Winter. Every year the Violas outperform the pansies. For best performance, plant in full sun. However, Violas will tolerate some shade.
Saturday Designing
Design your landscape on a Saturday! Our landscape designer Ed Blissard will be at the Purple Martin on Saturdays to help you make the best selections for your landscapes. Bring your pictures, measurements, and imagination, and let us help you make long term, sustainable landscape choices!
SATURDAY CLASS SCHEDULE:
Class begins at 10am. Call (850) 926-8335 to reserve a seat, or just come by on a Saturday morning.
November 15th: CONTAINERS IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN When it comes to containers, many people cannot break the idea of using containers just to frame patio doors or a garden path. Ed will share his experience in using containers to create accents and focal points in traditional and contemporary landscapes. Attendees may redeem the coupon below.
November 29th: HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE It's a wonderful time of the year! Finish your turkey sandwich, stop by the Purple Martin Nurseries for a little of the festive spirit and browse our newly renovated gift shop stocked full of the best ornaments, candles, pottery, gifts, and decor for your home and family. No class today, but our staff of designers will help transform your house and garden for Winter. Bring pictures, measurements, and pots to be filled with plants, and enjoy refreshments and music all day.
December 6th: SHADE TREES In North Florida, the cool Winter months are the best for installing new trees and shrubs. Cooler weather means plants need less water, and plants can develop a root system before the heat of Summer. Come visit us and get tips from Ed on choosing trees that will provide shade and beauty to your landscape, help reduce your cooling bills, attract wildlife to your yard, and redeem the coupon below.
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PRINT, CLIP AND REDEEM
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PRINT, CLIP AND REDEEM
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PRINT, CLIP AND REDEEM
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