The post Grasses appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Choose winter hardy plants for containers that offer interest all winter long!  The key is to choose evergreens, perennials, groundcovers and seasonal color that can last throughout our coldest temperatures in containers.  If you typically plant tropical plants in your containers, and aren’t sure about planting evergreens and perennials in them, just remember you can remove and plant these shrubs and perennials in your landscape next spring!

For evergreen height, consider yews, hollies, camellias, boxwoods, junipers, arborvitaes and Alberta spruce.  Surround evergreens with cabbage, carex, sweetflag, dusty miller, ajuga and English ivy for filler. Add Cool Wave pansies for cascades of blooming color!  For more fall and winter combination planter ideas, visit this blog post or our Finally Fall Pinterest board.

Try to plant winter pots this month (November) so the roots get established before the weather gets too cold.  For professional results, use the products that we professionals use!  Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix and Jump Start plus Ferti-Lome Premium Bedding Plant Food for pots that contain pansies or other cool season bloomers.

Don’t forget to water your pots this winter.  Plants do not like to freeze dry; plant cells actually explode if they do, which causes visible and potentially deadly damage.  Winter watering is especially important for containers located under covered areas; these are only getting the water you give them since rain won’t reach them.

The post Winter Combo Pots appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Benefits of Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are tough, easy care plants to grow in Arkansas landscapes.  There are many different kinds that grow to a variety of sizes and offer interesting plumes.  Plumes are what grass blooms are often called.  While grasses may not have the showy petals and sepals of more traditional flowers, these plumes are unique and often show stopping!

Although most of our winter hardy ornamental grasses are not evergreen, most turn an attractive tan color when they go dormant.  The plumes that are so showy during the fall remain on the plant during winter as well.  The winter look of ornamental grasses is as interesting as an evergreen shrub.

Pampas grass, as described in this video by Gregg, has large feathery plumes and can tolerate both wet and dry soils.  Most grasses prefer well-drained soil, and don’t thrive in wet soils.  All are drought tolerant once established.  Pampas grass can get quite large but dividing it periodically will keep the size in check.

Planting ornamental grasses in the fall is recommended because not only do you get to enjoy the plumes all season, the plant roots also have time to get established before going dormant.  Use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting to help roots establish even faster!

Caring for grasses is easy; cut back in mid-February, and fertilize with a balanced fertilizer such as Start-N-Gro during the growing season.

The post Ornamental Grasses appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Encore Azalea

Encore Azaleas were developed from a variety of older types of azaleas and have several unique and attractive qualities.  These evergreen shrubs can thrive in more sun than traditional azaleas, provided there is good drainage and adequate, regular watering.  As the name Encore would indicate, these plants offer encore seasons of blooms, with a full bloom in the spring, sporadic flowering in the summer and another full bloom cycle in the fall.  There is an Encore azalea for everyone with colors ranging from white to pink, red, and even purple and bi-color.  As with traditional azaleas, prune after spring blooms fade, and apply Ferti-Lome Azalea/Evergreen Food with Systemic Insect Control several times throughout the summer to both feed and protect the plants.  We just stocked up again and have many available!  See our current Encore Azalea inventory here.

‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum

‘Sunshine’ ligustrum is one of our favorite new plants of the past few years!  The vibrant golden foliage is present year round, and the small, oblong leaves provide a fine texture to landscapes.  This from the Southern Living plant collection, which features plants that grow well in the southern states. ‘Sunshine’ Ligustrum works well as a hedge, planted as accents, mass planted and also in container plantings!  Pair it with one of the other plants mentioned here for maximum contrast and outstanding visibility!

Drift Rose

Who doesn’t love roses?  Ok, who doesn’t love easy roses?!  Drift roses are low growing, easy to grow, and easy to care for roses.  Only two feet tall and three feet wide at maturity, Drift roses make a wonderful border for sunny landscape beds.  Prune hard in February and enjoy blooms from April to November.  Apply an all in one rose food with insect and disease control throughout the growing season for maximum blooms. Drift roses are also disease resistant!  With many colors to choose from, including this lovely Coral Drift, this series is a winner!  See which Drift Roses are stock now.

Loropetalum

‘Purple Diamond’ loropetalum is also from the Southern Living plant collection.  When you think of loropetalums, you may think of the 8 feet tall, traditional varieties but there are smaller ones available such as ‘Purple Diamond’ which is only 4-6 feet feet tall with a spread of 4-5 feet wide. It can be kept at a 3-4 ft height. The purple foliage and hot pink blooms in spring contrast well with the bright foliage of some plants… such as ‘Sunshine’ ligustrum!  There are actually several newer varieties of smaller sized loropetalums such as Crimson Fire and Cherry Blast.  See our complete inventory here.

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses may not bloom all season, but they absolutely shine in the fall!   Ornamental grasses are easy care, drought tolerant, showy and unique, which is why they make the list.  Even in the winter when the grass blades have turned a wheat color, they offer visual interest.  Every fall, we get many questions about the purple blooming grass at Pleasant Ridge Town Center just up the road.   Purple Muhly grass, with its showy purple clouds dancing in the breeze, is stunning and we are very well stocked at the moment.  We also have many other ornamental grasses, both in 3 gallon containers and for the first time, quart size grasses, which are perfect in fall container gardens or in areas where compacted soil makes for difficult digging.    Check out our inventory here.

This isn’t a complete list, of course; there are so many new and exciting shrubs to choose from!  We invite you to take some pictures of your landscape, take note of how much sun your area gets and come see us for more possibilities!

The post Top 5 Shrubs with Long Season Color appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.