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Fall Open House
Saturday October 20, 2007
www.landarts.com
Land Arts Nursery Fall Newsletter September 2007
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Finally, Fall Has Arrived!
Cooler Temperatures Usher in the September thru March Planting Season for our Southern Region
Doug Batchelder
Manager
Cooler temperatures have arrived at last! As the transition between the seasons approach, Land Arts has begun a transition of its own and it is a very exciting time for us. We are focusing hard on updating our nursery in an effort to make your experience a more enjoyable one. We are currently working on moving an additional greenhouse up front where the perennial tables used to be to provide shelter and shade in the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter for more plants as well as our customers. We have also computerized our inventory with a state-of-the-art point of sale system so that we will be able to assist our customers and provide constantly updated plant lists on our website www.landarts.com .
We are changing for the better and I would like to personally thank everyone who has come out despite the strange weather over the past year and send out an invitation to all to join us for our annual fall open house Saturday, October 20 in celebration of a new and exciting planting season. In fact, I want to emphasize the fact that the fall and winter are THE BEST time of year to plant your trees and shrubs. We all look forward to seeing everyone as well as some new faces and we encourage you to shop early and shop often because new items will be arriving weekly.
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New News at Land Arts
Camellias
Camellias are true southern plants. They are beautiful evergreens that have wonderful blooms when few other plants do in the late fall and winter. If located properly, in partial to full shade, they are generally disease and pest free and rarely need any pruning. Their many uses include screening, dramatic specimen planting, or just scattered about in a dappled shade area.
This fall, we will have an entire greenhouse devoted to camellias. Many newer cultivars have been ordered and will be arriving at the beginning of October. For a full list, please visit our website.
Gift Shop
This fall and winter, our gift shop will be bursting at the seams with many new items for decorating the home and garden and for decorating for the holidays. New Trapp candles will arrive soon to join your current favorites. Our popular Woodstock chimes have been replenished in time for fall entertaining. And how about bat houses and decorative [and usable] bird houses.
Fall Annuals
Our fall annuals will begin to arrive in October. We invite all to come and choose from old time favorites such as pansies, snapdragons, cabbage, kale, chard, mustard…and discover some new favorites as well! As always, Helen will be nearby to help with your selections or to do custom plantings for your individual needs. We have recently received new glazed pottery that will enhance any home or garden.
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Screenza For Your personal computer ------It’s Free
If you have a computer, then FOR FREE you can add to your wallpaper and screensaver beautiful images of gardens that change constantly. In fact, you can submit your own garden photos. There is also a personal calendar. Just go to our web site
www.landarts.com and sign up!!
Christmas Trees
With much consideration, we have decided to no longer carry fresh cut Christmas trees. Instead, we will be offering various live alternatives. In the spirit of Christmas, these trees will be ready to plant in the yard after the holidays so that you will be able to enjoy them year round. We will also have a beautiful selection of poinsettias for your home décor. Helen will have beautiful fresh greenery arrangements – or bring in your own prized vase or bowl and have one arranged especially for you!
New Plants
What is that funny looking tree out by our pond? Many come to our nursery and are befuddled by different plants but our most common question regards our specimen Cryptomeria japonica ‘Araucarioides’. It resembles a monkey puzzle tree but has finer branches. We have recently been able to acquire a few of these unique specimens.
Books
The long awaited Viburnum book from Dr. Michael Dirr will be – finally- available. Books are our most important reference materials and we try to carry an assortment appropriate to our area. We will be having a sale during our Open House on some of our favorites.
New Japanese Maples Have Arrived!!!!!!
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MANY NATIVE AND SPECIMEN PLANTS: Fothergilla, Crabapple, Sassafras, Persimmon, Sycamore, Ginkgo, Silverbell, Itea, Sweetshrub, Beautyberry, Conifers, Winterberry, Hydrangeas, Hollies, Abelia, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and much more…..
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Dealing With the Weather and Watering Restrictions
Doug Batchelder/Jane Bath
Manager/Owner-Author
I am sure that many of you are feeling reluctant to plant anything that you are not able to adequately water. Unfortunately for us, watering restrictions have been imposed by the local governments of almost every county in the State of Georgia. Unless we get any really significant rainfall this season it is very likely that these restrictions will persist in to 2008. Short of writing your congressman and practicing rain dances, there is nothing that the average homeowner can do to lift these restrictions. The purpose of this article is to offer you alternatives to dealing with the watering restrictions so that your garden does not have to suffer.
Nowadays, there is a buzzword about which many of you have probably heard on your local news. No, I’m not talking about rain-catching barrels which work well and are a tried and true method of collecting surplus rain water from the roof of your house. The solution that I am talking about requires a little more research. Xeriscaping is term coined in the late seventies by the Denver Water Department in Colorado. Its definition is a simple one, and it involves landscaping in a way that requires very little if at all supplemental irrigation. This involves using plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate and care is taken to avoid losing water to run-off and evaporation.
The first place in which to start is always the site of the planting. Jane and I have this conversation all the time and we believe that many people don’t take the time to properly prepare the planting site. The name of the game in preparing our hard Georgia clay soils is to simply break up the top 8” to 10” of the entire area of the planting bed.
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For most of us, this means acquiring a tiller and a sturdy mattock. But believe me the work is worth it and you can avoid pulling the hose out later to water your plants. Fundamentally, our clay soils have the ability to hold an incredible amount of water in them that, when properly mulched, will hold this water in even during a drought. However when compacted, the roots of many hardy shrubs cannot grow and water run-off is a serious problem. To correct this, we offer a product called Permatil. Permatil is crushed form of expanded slate that resembles pea gravel and is completely inert and chemically inactive. It creates microscopic air pockets allowing roots to breathe and grow allowing a drought tolerant plant to develop. Adding about 2 inches across the planting site and digging it in would be adequate. For most plants, no other soil amendment is needed. Some exceptions include annuals, perennials, azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and hydrangeas which do better with an additional amendment such as CLM, mushroom compost, and woodland soil mix.
The next important decision is choosing the right plant for your particular site. This is where our educated staff comes in. We are here to answer any questions you may have about any plant and help you in choosing the right plant for your site. We work very hard to locate many native species and keep them in stock. Natives are already adapted to growing in our soils environmental conditions and many of them establish rapidly with relative ease. In fact, most of the perennials, shrubs, and trees that we sell are plants that we know do well in the south and when planted properly with careful consideration to each plants unique individual requirement will establish rapidly and require little or no care. THIS INCLUDES SUPPLEMENTAL WATERING.
Mulching all plants is equally as important an element critical for xeriscaping.
The final step is equally important. I cannot tell you how many sites that I have been to where plants were planted and the surrounding ground was left exposed to the elements.
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Mulching is extremely important and must not be overlooked.
Mulching is a simple term which includes a variety of products. Composted plant debris, barks, and pine straw are all effective mulches. I should emphasize the fact that any plant debris such as leaves and yard waste should be composted before being used as mulch. Composting kills disease and acts to sterilize the medium so that a build-up of microbes does not occur which can rob the soil and plant of nutrients and water. A relatively thick layer of mulch should be applied to the entire planting site directly after planting but leave a small opening around the base of the plant so that the mulch does not come into contact with the trunk. Several inches of mulch will do wonders in preventing the evaporative loss of water from the soil, the run-off from excessive irrigation or rainfall, also help to keep the newly disturbed soil in place, prevent weeds from germinating, and prevent further compaction of the soil. Remember that mulching is a process that should be continued over time. All natural mulches break down over time and need to be replenished every six months or so to maintain an adequate layer.
I hope that this article is of great help to you in your gardening pursuits and these tips are universal in that they can be used in time of a water surplus to help conserve water for future periods of drought. We want your garden and landscape to be a great success and for you to be able to enjoy it for many years to come.
Xeriscaping is just another word for good common sense. The right plants selected for your landscape, planted with proper planting guides and kept mulched will thrive without excessive watering. Your beautiful garden will be low maintenance AND doing its part to conserve water.
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[Fall 2007] |
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Please note that at this time we are unable to ship any plant materials. We can deliver plants regionally. Please call or stop by for details.
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