Spring Newsletter 2007

Spring is here!!

Country Calendar May 12 & 13   Spring in the Country Open House Round up your gardening friends and visit In The Country for special Mother’s Day weekend discounts! May 19   EIPS Pond Expo Cedar Rapids June 16   Hosta & Dessert Social Mingle with fellow hosta lovers while having dessert in the hosta garden! Bring a plant if you’d like to participate in the Hosta Swap (1 pm sharp!). Test your hosta knowledge to win hosta prizes! See website or call for details. July 12-15 (CLOSED)   Midwest Regional Hosta Convention Davenport, IA

This winter was a real test of endurance and determination for a lot of Iowans.  We managed to pull through without any major troubles – amazingly. Hopefully your family, home, and garden survived the brutal winter storms without too much hardship, as well!

It is time to put all the cold, wintery months behind us, because spring is here!  The greenhouse is full and blooming with exciting new plants and we have several new events planned that we think you will enjoy.

Annuals

Last year was the first time we offered Coleus and they proved to be popular. Among several new varieties this year is the citrus-themed, orange and yellow ‘Fleckles’. Another bold annual in both foliage and flower is Abutilon ‘Souvenir de Bonn’. This Flowering Maple has green, maple-shaped leaves edged in creamy-white. The 2-3 feet tall, shrubby mound blooms all summer with coral, bowl-shaped flowers that appear to be made of crepe paper.

Vegetables

Last year was our first attempt at growing vegetable transplants. We’ve adjusted our growing schedule for 2007 so the plants will be much more compact. Jim has selected a line-up of vegetables that covers everything from the basics to the unusual! Vegetables aren't normally considered ornamental, but we have several veggies that look more at home in the flower bed than the vegetable garden! The Variegated Tomato can serve both purposes with clusters of delicious red fruit and white splashed foliage. The purple, green, and white foliage of the Tri-color Variegata Pepper will really spice up a mixed container planting and the dwarf Riot Pepper makes a unique border with its small, upright, brightly colored peppers.

Hostas

Dwarf Hostas are great for small gardens and just plain fun in any garden. We bring to you several new dwarfs this year. Hosta longissima 'Akikaze' forms a petite, variegated mound of very narrow, grassy foliage. 'Little Jay' is a vigorous little plant from Europe with narrow, snow-white leaves edged with blue. The fast growing 'Dragon Tails' has long, rippled gold leaves and the adorable 'Daisy Doolittle' is worth growing for the name alone! We’re also excited to bring you a few plants that we believe will become classics. 'American Icon' and 'Journey's End' are both sports of 'Choo Choo Train' – one with a wide gold margin, the other with a wide green margin. Both form huge, impressive mounds of heavily scalloped leaves. And then there is the already legendary 'My Child Insook'. This plant holds the official record for the highest price ever paid for a Hosta – a whopping $4100! Don't worry; you can have it in your garden for a much more affordable price. Browse our online Hosta Catalog to see what other new hostas we have.

Hosta 'Journey's End'

Hosta 'American Icon'

Perennials

The new hybrid Coneflowers (Echinacea) continue to create great excitement among gardeners. These new colors are just as dependable and easy to grow as the standard Purple Coneflower. We are growing two of the latest Coneflowers for 2007. Echinacea Summer Sky is the first pastel, two-toned Coneflower with large, orange flowers with a rosy-red halo around the brown cone. Echinacea 'Pink Double Delight' is a sturdy grower with pink, double pom-pom flowers that bloom from mid July until frost. (Please note that E. 'Pink Double Delight' will not be available until mid June.) Another group of plants that are gaining momentum among gardeners are the Hellebores, also known as Lenten Rose or Christmas Rose. Hellebores are tough, long-lived perennials for shade to part sun. Once established they are extremely drought tolerant and perhaps best of all, deer will not touch them! The double flowered Hellebores are especially hot and Helleborus 'Double Queen' features double flowers in a mix of cream, yellow, and pink. Our plants are about one year from blooming, but are priced much more affordably than other doubles. The flowers open in early spring and last for months! Ornamental Grasses are popular, low maintenance plants perfectly happy in hot, sunny spots. We have increased our selection for 2007 and one of the nicest is Panicum 'Prairie Fire'. 'Prairie Fire', a Switch Grass, is bone hardy in Iowa and will form a clump 4-5 feet tall. Beginning in July, it gradually turns deep red – an intense color that rivals any of the annual purple Fountain Grasses! In the fall, the clump is topped with airy plumes that last well into the winter. If you've never grown Ornamental Grasses, this is a great one to start with!

Pond Plants

Color is always in demand in the garden, but flowers are often short lived. We have a couple new water plants that will add a splash of color to your pond even without flowers. Red Bog Lily has deep burgundy, day lily-like foliage that really sets off the light pink flowers. Taros are always popular pond plants and Taro 'Milky Way' will spice up your pond with its large green and white marbled leaves. The white and green streaking and misting of the Starburst Umbrella Palm brings another new twist to an old favorite. Tropical water lilies are nearly ever-blooming and are a great center piece for the pond, if only for the summer. 'Pink Flamingo' (bright pink flowers with narrow, pointed petals) and 'Midnight Embers' (lavender-blue with a "fountain" of smaller, frilly petals in the center) are two of the new water lilies we'll have this year.

Red Bog Lily

Tropical Water Lily 'Midnight Embers'

Gifts

To add a bit of personality to your garden, check out some of the new concrete statuary designs. We will also have hand-crafted hyper-tufa statuary and other items including spheres and decorative pillars. For a unique, vertical accent, try an iron, corn-shaped trellis! Pond owners may like to try a floating barley planter or floating cork bark island for something fun and different. Wendy has some fun, new embroidered garden shirts, too! The excitement of spring is upon us and a fresh gardening season is ahead. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Hosta of the Year – 'Paradigm'

Hosta 'Paradigm', the 2007 Hosta of the Year, is a super sport of 'Abiqua Recluse'. The moderately corrugated, slightly glossy leaves start with a chartreuse center that turns bright gold and is surrounded by a wide, dark green margin. The heavy leaves of excellent substance ensure that slugs will not be an issue. 'Paradigm' looks great all season and grows quickly into a large, 4' wide clump. Pale lavender flowers top the plant in early summer.

Spring Pond Cleaning

Ask about renting our Pond Vac to make your spring pond cleaning a breeze! The Vac is most suited for smaller ponds with few tree leaves on the bottom. Give us a call and we’ll help you decide if the Pond Vac will meet your needs.

Important Dates for Pond Owners May 5 Water Hyacinths & Water Lettuce available June 9 Tropical Water Lilies available

Find all the details on our Spring in the Country Open House!