THIS SEASON'S HOT PICKS


*SHISHI GASHIRA CAMELLIA
Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira'



- Key Feature: Fall Flowering
- Plant type: Camellias
- Cold Hardiness Zone: 7-10
- Light needs: Partial sun
- Sunset Climate Zone: 4-9, 12, 14-24, 26-31
- Mature size: Moderate growing 4 to 5 ft. tall, 6 to 8 ft. wide.
- Growth Habit: Spreading
- Flower Color: Pink
- Blooms: Early to mid season, September to December
- Foliage Color: Dark Green

A versatile performer displaying profuse, hot pink, semi-double blooms with golden yellow stamens in the center and glossy, dark green foliage. Flowers are perfect for cutting.  Excellent choice for a colorful low hedge, espalier or high profile groundcover.   Early to mid season bloomer.  Evergreen. Moderate growing 4 to 5 ft. tall, 6 to 8 ft. wide.  Partial sun.  Cutting grown.


*AUTUMN BLAZE MAPLE


   

- Key Feature: Fall Colo
- Plant type: Trees
- Cold Hardiness Zone: 3-7
- Light needs: Full sun
- Mature size: Rapid grower 50 to 60 ft. tall, 40 ft. wide.
- Growth Habit: Erect
- Blooms: Flowers are not noticable.

An improved hybrid with brilliant, long lasting orange-red fall color, a uniform branching habit and rapid growth rate. Thrives in much warmer climates extending well into the deep south and west. An excellent lawn, park or street tree. Deciduous.


*LOROPETALUM "PURPLE PIXIE"

        


- Key Feature: Pink with purple foliage
- Plant type: Groundcover, shrub
- Resistant to: Deer, disease, drought, heat, insect
- Light needs:Full sun, mostly sun, morning sun
- Mature size:1' - 2'
- Growth Rate: Moderate
- Blooms:Pink flowers

'Purple Pixie' Loropetalum is dwarf, spreading form that boasts some of the most intense purple foliage color of any plant on the market. Vibrant pink, witchhazel-like, fringy blooms are heavy in Spring, appear occasionally in Summer and again in Fall, providing a stunning contrast with the purple foliage. An easy to grow, low maintenance groundcover/shrub useful as a border edger, accent, in small groups, in mass plantings or to cascade over walls in landscape beds and foundation plantings.

Dwarf and slow-growing conifers are durable by nature. they are successfully used in home landscapes, rock gardens, trough and container plantin gs. Dwarf conifers are also excellent candidates for Bonsai culture, as well as around water features.

Patio container gardening is becoming more popular as traditional garden space gets smaller and smaller. Japanese maples and dwarf conifers adapt very well to life in a container offering the patio gardener an exciting assortment of plants to work with. Many garden enthusiats are using dwarf conifers and other diminutive and alpine plants in an assortment of small containers or troughs to create miniature landscapes. Traditional terracotta pots or fine glazed pottery, natural stone troughs or those hand-crafted from readily availble materials, and wood boxes of various shapes and sizes are all suitable containers for a patio container garden.

Dwarf conifers will grow for many years in a container. When planted with companion plants, delightful miniature landscapes can be created. Dwarf conifers will provide year-round color and texture in the patio container garden. Some cultivars may require annual shearing to maintain their size or shape, but with the vast selection of true dwarf and miniature conifers available, your container garden can be almost maintenance free.

Edward Remsrola is highly respected at Iseli Nursery, Inc., an early contributor to the American Conifer Society Bulletin, and was a soul mate of the late Jean Iseli. Copyright 1999-2009 Iseli Nursery, Inc. All rights reserved.

Click here to visit Edward's blog.

    

Finally, fall is here. The weather is becoming slightly cooler, and gardeners are slowly migrating back outdoors after record-breaking heat this summer. Now is a perfect time to add a new tree or a grouping of shrubs to the landscape. Or perhaps you have an area in the landscape that needs "remodeling" or rejuvenating. The fall may be the best season to plant, surpassing even the spring.

When buying plants for your landscape, be sure to get healthy, well-grown plants. Always buy from a reputable dealer, like Atlantic Avenue Orchid & Garden. Because we are in the plant selling business year-round, we depend on repeat customers, and only by selling customers quality plants can there be assurance of future business

"Plan before you plant" is always a good rule of thumb. Whether you are planting a single plant or an entire landscape, plan first, then plant. Good planning is a worthwhile investment of time that will pay off in greater enjoyment of attractive and useful home grounds, and in increasing the value of your home. It's much easier to move plants on paper than to dig them after planting in the wrong place. A plan saves many planting mistakes.

Every plant in the landscape should serve a purpose. Ask yourself if you want a plant for screening, for privacy, or for shade. How large will it be five years from now? Plants, like people, grow up. Remember, that a small one-gallon size plant will look entirely different after a few years of growth in your landscape.


Plant properly for success.

Here are a few guidelines on getting the job done right:



1. Dig a hole large enough in diameter so that the root system has at least six inches of clearance on all sides. The root ball should rest on a solid soil foundation, so don't dig the hole much deeper than the ball.

2. Carefully place the tree or shrub in the hole. Handle the plant by the root ball, not by the trunk. Always remove any container before you plant.

3. Backfill the hole, using only the native soil removed from the hole. Fill the hole, and firm the soil around the plant. Water thoroughly to settle the soil around the roots and to eliminate any air pockets.

4. Watering has been and remains paramount in transplanting. At the time of transplanting, soak the root ball and surrounding soil. A thorough watering every 7 to 10 days dramatically increases the success ratio. More frequent watering may encourage root rot. Remember more trees and shrubs fail from over watering than from under watering.

5. Before calling it a day, add 4 to 6 inches of mulch around the base of newly planted trees and shrubs. This helps to keep down weeds and conserve soil moisture. Use pine bark, compost, grass clippings, or leaves.

Fall is for planting. Visit Atlantic Avenue Orchid & Garden today, beautify and add value to your home.