This is a large category and contains plants that vary greatly in size and bloom color, from white to pink, purple, and reds. Gumpo Azaleas are low growing, while Formosa Azaleas get quite large in size, and there are many varieties in between!

• Part Sun to Shade
• Plant in acidic, fertile, well-drained soil
• Plant size and bloom color are variety specific

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Spring Blooming Plants for Arkansas

There is nothing like seeing the first blooms of spring to really kick off this beautiful Arkansas season.  If your landscape could use an infusion of spring blooms, check these beauties out!

Forsythia

“What are all those yellow flowering bushes I see blooming right now”? These are forsythia plants (above), and when they flower, it definitely means SPRING. One of our favorites is Magical Gold; it is a smaller growing variety that matures at 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and features extra large flowers that cover stems almost entirely!

Bridalwreath Spirea

Spirea ‘Bridalwreath’ aka Vanhoutte (above) is one of those shrubs that when people are describing them, they use their arms to help explain their 8 ft tall and 10 ft wide stature, long graceful weeping foliage covered in white flowers. A true showstopper!

Royal Star Magnolias

Another show stopping spring blooming large shrub or small specimen tree are the deciduous spring blooming Magnolias.  There are several to choose from; from purple blooms to white.  The one pictured above is Royal Star; we are sold out at the moment but have more coming in soon.  Mature size is approximately 10 to 12 feet tall and wide.  Some people shy away from deciduous plants but just take a look at how well these blooms show up on bare branches.  This magnolia has excellent heat and cold tolerance.  AND it’s fragrant!

Redbud

This has been one of our favorite small trees and for good reason.  ‘Flamethrower’ Redbud features purple spring blooms, and striking burgundy, yellow then green foliage .  We also have weeping redbuds and ones that feature purple leaves! Lots of options with this spring blooming tree.

Drift Roses

Looking for something lower growing that blooms from April until November?  Drift Roses may be your answer.  The one pictured above is Peach Drift and there are many other colors to choose from. Drift roses are easy care, vigorous growing and cold hardy.  And check out those glossy, dark green leaves.  The low spreading habit makes Drift roses perfect for small spaces, in borders or along paths.  Drift Roses work well planted around established plants.

Azalea

Ahh, Azaleas. Let’s not forget about the classic spring beauty that we all know and love. Variety is the spice of life, and in the Azalea world, we have it all. They all bloom in the spring and the Encore Azaleas even bloom in the fall.  The one picture above is ‘Fashion’, a tried and true favorite.

Camellia japonica

The Camellia japonicas are in full bloom and they keep grabbing our attention! We also have a great selection of fall to early winter blooming sasanqua camellias. Use these evergreen bloomers to accent part shade beds, or mass in foundation plantings or to create a flowering evergreen hedge. A wonderful choice for espalier to dress up a drab wall.

Saucer Magnolia

Yes, another deciduous, spring blooming magnolia because they are so wonderful!  The one pictured above is a ‘Jane’ Magnolia a class blooming in landscapes all around town right now.

Whew, these are just a few of the spring blooming landscape trees and shrubs we love so much. We love helping you figure out which plants might work the best in your space; bring a picture, talk to us about how much sun the area gets and we will give you some recommendations!

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In this blog post, we are going to talk through identifying and addressing winter damage on landscape plants.

Harden Off

Ideally, plants have a chance to ‘harden off’, which is what happens when temperatures gradually get cooler from fall into winter.  This process gets plants prepared to withstand the cold, windy winter weather.  However, for example, in November of 2019, we had low temperatures in the teens, skipping several temperature ranges.  This lack of gradual cooling meant that many plants weren’t hardened off and able to take this weather without sustaining damage.

Symptoms of Winter Damage

Gregg starts off by showing us a gardenia that has a brown section in it.  The leaves on this section are all brown and still on the plant.  He suggests leaving the plant alone for a bit longer to see if that section puts on new leaves this spring.  Some shrubs have several cuttings in each pot; and it could be that this section of the shrub had a weak cutting.  This weakness could have made the winter damage worse in that the cutting didn’t have the overall strength to handle the flash freeze we had in November.

Remember to check the plant again in a month or so and see if it has put on new growth.  If it hasn’t, cut this section of the plant out and let the remainder of the plant fill in.

The next plant that Gregg he discusses is an azalea.  This azalea is an evergreen azalea… but it’s lost about 90% of its foliage.  This is pretty common after an early flash freeze and most likely the plant will be fine.  One way to know how the plant is really doing is to scratch the surface bark off and check to see if there is green tissue under it.  There is on this plant and it should flush out with new growth when temperatures start warming up this spring.

Feeding Winter Damaged Plants

Next, Gregg and Jeff discuss fertilizers Cottonseed Meal and Good Earth brand Jump Start; these are wonderful natural fertilizers to help get the plant growing this spring.  You will want to apply this fertilizer when temperatures start warming up so that the nutrients are present when the plant breaks out of dormancy and starts putting on new growth.  Mid-March should be fine.  Later on in the growing season, you can also apply Ferti-Lome Start-N’-Grow.  You want to use Start-N’-Grow once the chance of frost is past and you want to encourage more top growth.

Last but not least, Gregg shows us winter damage on an Emerald Green Arborvitae.  The winter damage shows up as brown tips on the ends of branches.  He brushes through the foliage and shows that it will fall off and encourages the same fertilization method as mentioned above.

Now you know how to identify and address winter damage on landscape plants! Bottom line, usually winter damage doesn’t kill plants but it can set them back.  Knowing what to do this spring to get them started out right this season is key!

For more information, watch this video as well.

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Learn about fertilizer, azaleas and crabgrass here!

Apply Fertilizer in Summer

Summer chores can make all the difference this fall.  Remember to fertilize azaleas several times through the end of summer.  Apply Ferti-Lome Azalea/ Evergreen Food Plus; this will both feed your azaleas and control lacebugs.  Lacebugs are the most common insect pest on azaleas.   For more information on growing azaleas, visit this blog post.

Lawns also benefit from summer fertilizer applications.  Apply Good Earth brand Weed Preventer with Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer every 60 to 90 days during the growing season.  This will provide nutrients for your lawn and prevent weed seeds from germinating.

Kill Existing Weeds

A post emerge weed killer, such as Ferti-Lome Weed Out will take care of many broadleaf and grassy weeds.  Image or Sedge Ender may be necessary for nutgrass and other difficult to control weeds.

Treat for Fungus

If you had lawn fungus issues last fall or this spring, stay diligent.  Apply fungicide through fall to keep fungus from spreading.  We have both fungicide granules and sprays available.

Finish the season strong by fertilizing azaleas and treating for weeds, such as crabgrass, and fungus in lawns!

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Choosing an azalea  Native and old fashioned azaleas such as formosas and gumpos require afternoon shade; plant in a location with morning sun or dappled afternoon sun should be fine for these varieties.  Encore azaleas are very popular; they are called Encore because they bloom in the spring and then again in the fall.  Encores can take more sun but will require more water than if planted in a more shady area.  All azaleas will do better with afternoon shade here in Arkansas.

Planting  Proper placement of azaleas is key; watch the area to see how much sun it receives before choosing your plants.  Azaleas also require well drained, slightly acidic soil.  The best formula formula for successful azalea planting here in central Arkansas includes:

• Doing a soil test to learn pH; soils tend to be acidic here but checking is recommended
• Amending the soil by adding organic matter (such as Organic Compost) to increase soil drainage
• Applying Good Earth brand Jump Start with mycorrhizea for best root establishment
• Planting with the root ball slightly above grade (about an inch)
• Add mulch
• Watering thoroughly at planting and regularly thereafter
• Keep mature plant size in mind; azaleas need good air flow to cut down on insect issues

Care  Although azaleas like well drained soil, they require regular watering.  Plan to hand water your plants if the area isn’t watered by a sprinkler system.  Regular watering with alkaline water can alter the soil pH; perform a soil test occasionally.  Fertilize with Ferti-Lome Azalea/ Evergreen Food with Systemic Insecticide after the spring bloom season has ended.  Another good product for azaleas is Espoma Holly-Tone, which is an all natural fertilizer for acid loving plants. This will both feed and protect your azaleas from their most common pest, the lacebug.  After spring bloom is also the time to prune.  Azaleas have a wonderful natural form so it’s best to work with that when pruning.  Look for the tallest branches that need trimming back and follow the branch down under the canopy height you are trying to keep.  Prune just above a fork in the branch to encourage further branching.  As a good rule of thumb, do not remove more than 30% of the plant at any one time.   Since azaleas should be pruned mostly for shaping reasons, this shouldn’t be an issue.

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