Long Term Care Tips For Your Poinsettia

You take pride in your landscaping and we take pride in ensuring you, our valued customers, have a positive experience in creating beautiful areas on your property.
We also know that in this area, we experience issues with deer feeding on our plants and flowers. We have compiled a list of deer‐resistant perennials, as well as some useful tips and options for keeping deer away. A deer‐resistant perennial is defined as a perennial plant or flower that deer may overlook and not eat in favor of a more preferred plant. Some deer‐resistant perennials are:
Broom (Genista tinctoria ) ‐ 3′ tall and wide, zones 3‐8, full sun. Conical‐shaped panicles up to 3″ long of golden yellow flowers adorn this deciduous shrub from spring to early summer. Adapts to poor soil.
Siberian Iris (Iris siberica) ‐ 28″ tall, zones 4‐9, full sun. Beautiful, grassy foliage makes a good contrast in any garden. Drought resistant but also does well in moist soil. Once established, there’s no weeding these expanding clumps.
Juniper (Juniperus sp.) ‐ Grows to a height of 3 to 10 feet with an equal spread. Form can be variable from low and spreading to an erect shrub. Cones are berry‐like. Leaves are evergreen needles but can turn light brown during the winter. Tolerant of a wide variety of soils. Grows best with full sun. Zones 2‐6. Native.
Peony (Paeonia sp.) ‐ 30‐36″ tall, zones 3‐8, full sun to part shade. Variety of colors, bloom times range from spring to early summer. Stunning cut flower. Avoid planting your peony too deeply and be patient with it as it can take a few years to settle in before it begins to flower ‐ the blooms are well worth the wait!
Oriental Poppy (Papaver Orientale) ‐ 30″ tall, zones 3‐7, full sun. Make your neighbors jealous with this superbly beautiful flower. Deeply cupped satiny petals, each with a pure black center, are borne above toothed, hairy foliage. Oriental poppies love to be planted in the fall for bloom the following spring. They love rich soil, feeding, and regular watering.
Potentilla (Potentilla cinquefoil) ‐ 2‐3′ tall, 5′ wide, zones 3‐7, full sun. White, pink, or yellow flowers throughout the summer. Blue‐green foliage, spreading habit. The name comes from the Greek word “potens,” meaning powerful, from reputed medicinal qualities. Enjoy the summer‐long flowering qualities of these selections and your deer will leave the taste testing to the drug companies. These tough, deciduous shrubs thrive in almost any soil.
Spiraea (Spirea sp.) ‐ Grows 2 feet high with 3 to 4 feet spread. Early bloomer with luxurious shows of white flowers. Yellow‐red new growth makes this spirea attractive all season. Best in full sun, tolerates shade, but will flower less. Moist soil. Zones 4 –8.
Ornamental Chives (Allium sp.) ‐ 6‐12” tall, zones 4‐9, full sun. Globe‐shaped flowers fascinate folks with their gravity‐defying structure. Even though many Alliums are all under a foot tall, they will catch your eye, accenting shrubs or borders. Foliage has enough onion smell to keep those deer at bay.
Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) ‐ Typically grows from 5 to 6 feet high but can reach 10 feet. Spreads easily and forms colonies. Foliage is semi evergreen, aromatic. Will grow well in dry, infertile, sandy, acidic soils. Grows best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. Zones 2‐6. Native.
Other options include deer fencing, noisemakers, and deer repellents. Fencing seems to be the surest option, but selecting deer‐resistant perennials is highly recommended. Visit the Garden Center and our staff will help you pick the right perennial for the right place.
Choose appropriate plants for where you are going to plant them. Some plants must be planted side by side, while others, such as climbing vines, can be planted vertically, giving you color and texture and saving space at the same time.
If you live in a city apartment, you may only be able to grow plants on your porch or balcony, but if you have a small yard, you may be able to plant directly in the ground. Growing can be successful in either place but location does affect what varieties of plants you can grow.
All plants need water so determine where you will get it from before you plant. Ideally, choose a growing place that is close to an outside water source or not too far from your door if you have to water with a watering can.
Some plants take a long time to produce either flowers or fruit, while others take less. Decide ahead of time whether you want to plant something that will grow and produce all season, or whether you want to rotate crops. This is true for both flowers and vegetables.
Determine how much you want to spend and then find the best price. Sales around holidays such as Memorial Day, Father’s Day, or July 4th are great for saving you a little money.
If you’re short on time as well as space, choose plants that require less for daily maintenance, are drought and disease tolerant, and can be planted in pots where weeding will be less of a concern.
Before shopping, decide whether you want plants that provide function, beauty, or both. For example, some lilies are beautiful to look at but can also be put on top of salads so you get two-for-one in the same space.
Pay close attention to how much sun your chosen garden spot gets every day and at what time of day it gets it. This will help you choose whether you need to buy full-sun plants or ones that are shade tolerant.
Look at how you can add to or enhance existing landscape features. Planting vines that grow up a wall or annuals around an existing lawn statue can provide more color and texture without taking up a lot of space.
Gardening should be enjoyable so have fun with it! Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time- evaluate what works and what doesn’t and soon you’ll be gardening like a pro!
Now, it’s time to get to work! Following these simple tips will get you growing in the right direction but if you still need a little help, give us a call or stop in to the garden center.Plant (Vegetable) |
| Bad Companions | ||||
Asparagus |
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Beans |
| Onions, garlic, gladiolus, chives | ||||
Beans, bush | Potatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries, celery, summer savory | Onions | ||||
Beans, pole | Corn, summer savory, sunflower | Onions, beets, kohlrabi, cabbage | ||||
Beets | Onions, Kohlrabi | Pole beans | ||||
Cabbage family (cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, broccoli) | Aromatic plants, potatoes, celery, dill, hyssop, chamomile, sage, peppermint, rosemary, beets, onions | Strawberries, tomatoes, pole beans | ||||
Carrots |
| Dill | ||||
Celery | Leeks, tomatoes, bush beans, cauliflower,cabbage | |||||
Chives | Carrots, tomatoes | Peas, beans | ||||
Corn | Potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash | Tomato | ||||
Cucumbers | Beans, corn, peas, radishes, sunflowers, lettuce | Potatoes, aromatic herbs | ||||
Eggplant | Beans, potatoes, spinach | |||||
Leeks | Onions, celery, carrots | |||||
Lettuce | Carrots and radishes (lettuce, carrots, and radishes make a strong team grown together), strawberries, cucumbers, onions | |||||
Melons | Corn, Nasturtium, Radish | |||||
Onions(garlic) | Beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, summer savory, leeks, chamomile (sparsely), pepper | Peas, beans | ||||
Parsley | Tomatoes, asparagus | |||||
Peas | Carrots, turnips, radishes, cucumbers, corn, beans, most vegetables and herbs | onions, garlic, gladiolus, potatoes, chives | ||||
Potatoes | Beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish (should be planted at the corners of the patch), marigolds, eggplant (as a lure for the Colorado potato beetle) | Pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, sunflowers, tomatoes, raspberries | ||||
Pepper | Onion | |||||
Pumpkins | Corn | Potatoes | ||||
Radishes | Peas, nasturtiums, lettuce, melons, cucumbers | Hyssop | ||||
Soybeans | Grows with anything, helps everything | |||||
Spinach | Strawberries, eggplant | |||||
Squash | Nasturtiums, corn | Potatoes | ||||
Strawberries | Bush beans, spinach, borage, lettuce (as a border), onions | Cabbage | ||||
Sunflowers | Cucumbers | Potatoes | ||||
Tomatoes | Chives, onions, parsley, asparagus, marigolds, nasturtiums, carrots | Corn, Kohlrabi | ||||
Turnips | Peas |
Water It Right
Most gardeners, whether novice or an expert green thumb, know that watering your garden, flowers and plants within your landscaping is vital to their survival and nutrition. Inside and out, you can easily spot plants that have not received enough hydration and are showing signs of drying up and dying a slow death. When the summer months arrive, gardeners all over the country share the same concerns – what the high temperatures and potential water restrictions could do to their plants and flowers. When heat and drought put water supply sources in danger, municipalities must find ways to limit water use in their region to protect the supply and prepare for the demand. Knowing how and when to water your landscaping is important in order to survive the summer months.
Properly watering your garden means taking the time to reflect on your watering practices. In many cases, we know that many gardeners are wasteful and inefficient when it comes to watering plants and flowers. It is important to know your landscaping needs and follow these simple guidelines. In exchange, you will conserve water and bring your garden to life.