Add seasonal color to accent your existing landscape with vibrant, colorful displays all season long! Seasonal color consistently provides blooms and here in Arkansas, they just need to be switched out twice a year. Plant warm-season annuals such as wave petunias, angelonia, begonias and impatiens in the spring. These will last until fall. Plant cool-season annuals like pansies, violas, and mums in the fall and they will last until spring.

We carry a full line of warm and cool season annuals for sun and shade gardens, including the Proven Winner and Arkansas Diamonds series. Plant annuals strategically throughout landscape beds and in containers to provide eye-catching focal points. Remember to water and feed your annuals for the best color displays. Come see us for design help and what’s currently in stock as inventory changes frequently.

Here are some links to helpful blog posts, regarding seasonal color!

• Not sure how much you need? Refer to this helpful information about plant spacing or ask one of our specialists!
• Wondering how to plant professional looking pots?  Follow this link for more information on the Thriller, Filler, Spiller planting method.
• Looking for tips on planting annuals in landscape beds?  Learn more about prepping the beds, including soil amending and fertilization here.
• Visit our Combination Planters Pinterest board for inspiration!
• Please call, email or come by today for our current selection!

The post Seasonal Color appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

What does a severe freeze mean for your landscape?  Keep reading!

*PLEASE NOTE:  Below are basic tips for normal hard freezes, however, we are currently scheduled for lower than normal weather early next week (specifically on January 15, 2024).  Many parts of Arkansas are projected to dip below average lows in various USDA Plant Hardiness Zones, and windchill numbers will further reduce the temperature we will experience.  Not sure what your zone and corresponding low is?  Here is a link to the official map. Notice how we mention ‘average low’; this is the number zones are based on.  It’s important to note that plants often grow well in zones that are on the fringe of hardiness for many years, and then freeze out when we go below a zone average temperature.  This doesn’t mean the plant isn’t hardy here, it means that nature was predictably unpredictable.

Plants that are most susceptible to damage are those on the fringe of hardiness (not cold hardy in zones lower than your zone), plants in pots (as opposed to those planted in ground), plants that have existing damage (from drought, drainage issues, insects or diseases), and newly planted materials. Beside following the tips below, there isn’t much that can be done but we mention this to temper expectations.  If a plant is struggling going into this winter event, it’s possible that any additional damage sustained from this event may be too much for it to come back from. Often times, freeze damage isn’t fully realized until the summer stress of heat and drought arrive.

• Plants that are fully winter hardy in our zone should be fine; they will show normal winter damage, especially on any tender new growth. Blooms that have fully opened could be damaged as well. You will most likely see some defoliation, especially on semi-evergreen materials, after a freeze event. For recovery tips, please read our Plant Recovery After a Hard Freeze post.
• Tender, just barely hardy, and subtropical plants are the most susceptible to damage. They should be moved indoors or at the very least into a garage to keep the foliage and root balls from freezing. If this is not possible due to the size or weight of the plant they can be covered with a frost cloth or sheet to protect them.
• If you have plants that need a little extra protection, we do carry frost blankets, call us for availability. Frost blankets (ours are called N-Sulate) can trap heat from the soil, raising the temperature inside the covered area above the actual outside air temperature. The covering should be secure all the way to the ground to trap as much ground heat as possible and the colder it is, the more layers will be needed to to protect your plants, just like yourself in cold weather. Pull cover back during daytime warmer temps.
• We do not recommend plastic sheeting, since it can trap a lot of moisture and heat on a sunny day and may cause more harm than good to the plant that you are trying to protect.
• Snow can weigh down frost blankets; try to give blankets support so your plants don’t break under snow weight, if snow is forecast.
• If you are growing cool season veggies, be sure to cover and protect them.
• Plants don’t like to freeze dry. Water any dry plant material well; ideally 48 hours ahead of a severe freeze. Pay extra attention to any plantings that are under cover and don’t get rainfall (think porch pots). Water is a good insulator and the wet soil is warmer that dry soil, and this will also keep the plant hydrated during the cold dry air. Mulching around landscape plants is also recommended to protect the roots form freezing temperatures and maintain moisture.
• Winter or early spring bloomers, such as Camellia japonicas, forsythia, and deciduous magnolias, may have buds and blooms to protect. Frost blankets will protect the blooms during a frost but with air temperatures in the teens and twenties for hours, the blooms might not survive even with the blankets. Expect some flower drop after this cold spell. Tight, unopened buds should be fine.
• Mulch protects plant roots; if you haven’t mulched yet, remove any leaves from your landscape beds and add mulch.  Or, leave a thick blanket of leaves for protection and plan to clean out and mulch after leaf clean up is finished for the season. For more details, visit this blog post.
• Disconnect water hoses and protect water spigots.  Hardware stores offer a variety of freeze protection options for spigots.
• Remove your RPZ meter or protect with heat tape.  For more details on this, visit our recent video blog post on winter watering.

Have questions?  Give us a call!

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What is an Arkansas Diamond plant?

Arkansas Diamonds are locally grown plants proven to be tough in Arkansas. New plant selections have been chosen and released each year since 2015! Arkansas gardeners now have quite a proven selection of plants to choose from with confidence in plant performance.

How were these plants selected?

Arkansas Diamonds have been chosen by local growers, along with horticultural educators, gardeners and independent garden center team members to highlight outstanding plants that consistently perform well in Arkansas.

Where can Arkansas Diamonds be found?

Find Arkansas Diamonds at your local independent garden centers! Look for the Arkansas Diamonds logo when shopping, and feel confident that you are both supporting local growers AND purchasing a plant that will be successful in your garden.

What is the goal of the Arkansas Diamonds program?

This program is a partnership of the Arkansas Green Industry Association, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, local growers and local independent garden centers. The goal is to educate Arkansas gardeners about plants that consistently perform well here so that gardeners are more successful! The Arkansas Diamonds program also serves to promote local growers and local independent garden centers in our state.

Without further ado… meet our Arkansas Diamonds!

2023 Arkansas Diamonds include:

This was yet another first for the program; our first perennials!  Since the program goals include both education of gardeners AND promotion of local Arkansas growers, which tend to grow mostly annuals, perennials haven’t been in the mix. The perennials chosen include two tough, beautiful selections; purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Golsturm’).

There have been foliage plants chosen before, but this is maybe the first year that a very commonly used but somewhat overlooked plant was chosen; asparagus fern. Last but not least, the Cora series of upright vinca, which has excellent disease resistance and heat tolerance.  Polka Dot Cora Cascade, a trailing vinca, was chosen as a 2015 Arkansas Diamond, the very first year of the program (scroll all the way down for 2015 AD plant selections).

A description of these plants, along with a photo below:

2022 Arkansas Diamonds include:

This was an exciting year for the Arkansas Diamonds program as it brought the first herb plant to the table!  Lemongrass offers a variety of benefits, not only is it wonderful for adding flavor to various recipes, the plant repels mosquitos.  It is considered an annual but can be brought indoors to overwinter. Lemongrass does well in full sun, growing to a size of 3-5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  Water as needed, and fertilize every few weeks for best success.

‘Honeybells’ Cuphea was the other warm season Arkansas Diamond selection in 2021.  This sun to part sun loving bloomer keeps going all summer, even in high heat weather. Deadheading isn’t necessary for vigorous blooming. Honeybells is a great pollinator, and grows to approximately 1 foot tall and 1 1/5 feet wide. It’s perfect in container plantings, or as an annual edge.

In 2021, the entire Cool Wave Pansy series was chosen as cool season Arkansas Diamond plant!  Cool Wave pansies have a spreading and trailing growth habit, making them perfect for container plantings AND in ground landscape plantings.  They require six hours of sun for best growth and blooming.  As far as spacing goes, planting three in a 10 or 12 inch container.  In the ground, they can spread anywhere from 18 to 24 inches in width.  Avoid letting these plants wilt or letting plants freeze when dry.  Water well at least 24 hours before freezing temperatures, paying special attention to containers that don’t receive rainfall.  At the time this series was chosen in 2021, there were 14 different varieties (color options) and 3 mixes.

2020 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2019 Arkansas Diamonds include all the plants listed below. This was the first year to introduce cool season Arkansas Diamond selections!

2018 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2017 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2016 Arkansas Diamonds include:

2015 Arkansas Diamonds include:

The post Arkansas Diamonds Program appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Butterfly Gardening

Creating a garden or habitat for butterflies can be an exciting and rewarding project for you and your family.  These beautiful insects add active beauty to the garden as they feed, roost, and fly from bloom to bloom.  Many of the flowering shrubs, annuals, and perennials that provide food and shelter for butterflies can be found at the Good Earth Garden Center!

Creating a Butterfly Habitat

A habitat for butterflies is an environment that provides food, shelter and other things necessary…from eggs to larvae to pupae to adult.  Several of the components of this habitat are as follows:

• Sunny Areas: Butterflies are coldblooded and need sunlight to absorb warmth for flight and other activities.
• Water and Moist Areas: Most butterflies obtain water and nutrients/minerals from the moist areas found in and around your garden.  Swallowtails and other varieties will congregate around the edges of shallow depressions filled with water.  This behavior is commonly referred to as “mud-puddling”.
• Shelter areas: Butterflies seek shelter on shrubs, log piles, stone and mortar walls…where they can bask in the sun, seek refuge from bad weather and predators, or hibernate.
• Flowers:  Butterflies are attracted to a wide variety of flower shapes, colors, and nectars.  Mass plantings make it easier for the butterflies to discover the flowers.

Host Plants for Butterflies

After mating, the female butterfly searches for the proper “host” plant on which to deposit her eggs.  These host plants meet the needs of the butterfly during all four stages of its life cycle; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult.  Some of the host plants you can provide are:

• Butterfly Weed (Monarch) * A MUST for butterfly gardens; read all about milkweed in this post!
• Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Rue (Black Swallowtail)
• Tulip Tree (Tiger Swallowtail)
• Passion flower (Gulf Fritillary)

Nectar Flowers for Butterflies

There are many flowering shrubs, annuals, and perennials that supply food (nectar) for butterflies.

• Annual Flowers: Penta, zinnia, marigolds, lantana, cosmos, impatiens, verbena, salvia, petunias, dianthus, torenia, celosia and ageratums.
• Perennial Flowers: Coneflowers, asters, black-eyed susans, coreopsis, verbena, butterfly weed, cardinal flower, primrose, joe pye weed, agastache, bee balm and goldenrod.
• Flowering Shrubs and Vines: Azaleas, butterfly bush (buddleia), hibiscus, white or pink viburnum, wisteria, honeysuckle, lilac, mock orange, clethra, Invincebelle Sublime hydrangea, and bougainvillea.

Planting Your Flowers and Shrubs

The staff at The Good Earth Garden Center will be glad to help you with all the plants and materials necessary for attracting butterflies to your garden!

The post How to Create a Butterfly Garden! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Photo by Sara Reeves

1.    Spring is a great time to plant all the things! Trees, shrubs, sod, perennials, veggies, herbs and annuals…all of it! The soil temperatures are warm, which encourages root development.

2.    Look at the area before planting to learn how many hours of sun the area gets and whether it is afternoon or morning sun.  This determines whether to shop for sun or shade plants.

3.    Think about your goals; are you looking for evergreen plants… or ones that bloom… or ideally both?  This will help us guide you to the right plants for your landscape!

4.    Bring pictures of your landscape in to The Good Earth so we can best evaluate your space and provide accurate advice and recommendations.

5.    A few landscape design tips would be…

• a. Create focal points near your front entrance.
• b.  For visual interest, vary the colors and textures of landscape plants.
• c. Have pockets of annual  and perennial color.  A few large areas of color stand out better than many small areas.
• d.  Plant in odd numbered groups like 3, 5, 7, etc.
• e.  Avoid the runway effect created by putting plants in straight rows (unless you have a formal landscape).

6.    Soil preparation is the most overlooked part of landscaping.  Arkansas soils are not great; mixing in compost can make all the difference.  In annual and perennial areas, add a good potting soil blend to lighten the soil.  The Good Earth brand potting soil is a great choice; it contains pH balancers, Actino Root protection, perlite and even a light fertilizer charge.

7.    Plant with Good Earth brand Jump Start for best root development.  This contains mycorrhizea with can increase the amount of water and nutrients the plants can uptake by up to 1000 times! Here is a link to a blog post with more in depth information about how Jump Start works!

8.    For best blooming on annuals, apply a water soluble fertilizer such as BR-61.  Seriously, it’s  like a steroid for your plants!

9.    Apply pre-emerge such as  in your landscape beds before mulching.  This will keep weed seeds from germinating and really cut down on summer work.  Hi Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper is a great pre-emerge for landscape beds.

10.    Apply mulch; it helps the soil retain moisture and reduces the occurrence of weeds.  Be sure that the mulch is at least three inches deep.

11.    Have a watering plan in place. If you have a sprinkler system, run through the zones and make sure all the heads are working and reach your plant materials. If you are going to be hand watering, make sure you have a good water hose and some Dramm watering tools (we use and love them!)

12.   Ok, you have all the information you need to get going on your landscape project!  Except one more thing; The Good Earth is ALL stocked up with plants right now and not only is it a great time to plant, it’s a great time to shop our wonderful selection of healthy trees, shrubs, and perennials.  As of right now, mid-March 2023, annuals are rolling in slowly as temperatures warm up.  A great way to stay in the know about what we have in stock is to follow us on social media!

13.   No, really, this is the last thing… if you haven’t ever planted a plant or haven’t had the best success, knowing HOW to plant a plant is crucial to success.  Here is a blog post with a video tutorial, featuring a step by step demonstration.

The post Top 10 Spring Landscaping Tips for Arkansas…plus a few more! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Pruning is a great place to begin the process of getting that landscape back on track.  Prune back struggling and heat stressed perennials.  Then fertilize perennials (by early September) with a natural slow release fertilizer like Espoma Plant-Tone or Milorganite.  Shrubs and trees will also benefit from a slow release fertilizer application.

Rain and frequent watering means your last fertilizer application was used up long ago and fungus has also been a big issue this year.  To insure that your lawn greens up nice and healthy next spring, treat fungus now with Bonide’s Infuse or Hi-Yield F-Stop, and add nutrients back by applying slow release fertilizer such as Milorganite (by mid-September).  Spray existing weeds with Ferti-Lome Weed Out and prevent weeds by applying weed preventer every 60-90 days in both lawns and landscape beds. Use Good Earth brand Grass & Weed Preventer with Slow Release Nitrogen Fertilizer in early fall.  As the grass begins to go dormant, switch to Hi-Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper.

As temperatures cool down and we get more natural rainfall, sprinkler water times can be reduced.  Watch your landscape carefully to make sure you aren’t over or under watering.

It’s time to get rid of summer annuals!  If you wait until temperatures are much cooler to plant, the soil will be cooler as well, resulting in less root establishment before winter arrives. Bring on the pansies and mums! Prep your color areas by removing the summer annuals, and breaking up the existing soil.  Breaking up the soil adds oxygen to the soil, increases water percolation, and increases nutrient levels, all of which will help the roots of your fall plantings grow and get established quickly.  Next, it’s time to do some soil amending. For perennial and annual color areas, we suggest using what we professionals use; Good Earth Brand Professional Growing Mix.  Its mix of organic matter, perlite, pH adjusters and Actino root protection provide an optimum growing environment.  Now you are ready to shop, plant, fertilize and mulch!

Speaking of shopping and planting, now is the best of year to plant trees and shrubs!  The warm soil temperatures encourage root establishment, which means you get an extra season of growth.  Use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting to further increase root development.  Jump Start contains mycorrhizae, beneficial fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, and increasing the root system surface area exponentially.  Bottom line, mycorrhizae can increase the absorption of water and nutrients by up to 1,000 times.  The stronger root system means that the plants will be able to withstand environmental stress, such as summer heat, with more success.

The post Fall Tips for Your Landscape! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

It’s a great time to start transforming your warm season annual combo pots into fall combo pots!  Whether you are re-working existing containers or starting fresh, here are some tips from the professionals at The Good Earth:

Fall combo pots provide bright color all fall.  Consider plant options such as crotons, ornamental peppers, ornamental cabbage/ kale, rudbeckia, celosia and pansies.  And if you aren’t familiar with Cool Wave pansies, check them out.  Cool Waves trail over container edges for cascading color all winter long!

Keep your crotons!  With their colorful orange, red and yellow leaves, crotons fairly shout fall.  But they aren’t winter hardy so often times, people let them freeze.  There is another way!  Pop them out of your combo pots, pot them up and bring them inside when temperatures start dipping under 50 degrees at night.  They grow well as houseplants in areas with bright, indirect light.

Use evergreen plant shrubs or perennials, pansies, violas, panolas or Cool Wave pansies to fill in where crotons and other non-winter hardy plant materials have died back to give you color all winter long.

Use drainage rock, Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix, and Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting.  For containers with flowering annuals, use Ferti-Lome Premium Bedding Plant Food.

Don’t forget to water your pots during the winter; plants do not like to freeze dry.  The is is especially important to remember for pots placed in covered areas.

Not sure where to start?  Bring us pictures and measurements of your pots and we will help you.  Also, don’t forget, our Potting Pavilion is open.  Bring your pots and plant them up here!  For more information about the Potting Pavilion, click here.

The post Fall Combination Planters appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Nothing says fall like mums! Ever wonder how long will it take a mums to bloom out? Is it better to get ones with no blooms open or showing some color?  Want to brush up on your knowledge about these seasonal blooms? Check out this video, where Gregg and Jeff break down different varieties of mums, as well as zinnias and marigolds!

A quick note; some older varieties of mums are winter hardy but more and more, mums are developed for bloom color and less for cold hardiness.  That being said, you can always plant them after they fade this season, and cross your fingers… you never know!

The post All about MUMS! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Does fertilizer matter?  Take a look at the image above; one was fertilized regularly with the appropriate fertilizer where as the other received no fertilizer at all.  Guess which is which.  And no, that isn’t a new chartreuse leaf vinca featuring smaller blooms… that plant is just starving for nutrients.

The natural next question is ‘what is the appropriate fertilizer?’  With so many fertilizers out on the market, we understand the confusion.  Here is a simplified plan for fertilizing annual color:

At Planting

When planting annual color, apply a time release, balanced fertilizer.  For blooming annuals, use Ferti-Lome Premium Bedding Plant Food (7-22-8).  For annuals with foliage interest such as coleus, cabbage, kale and others that blooming isn’t encouraged, use Ferti-Lome Start-N-Gro (19-6-12).  Both of these are granules that are sprinkled on the ground at the appropriate application rate listed on the bag.

The three numbers on fertilizer labels stand for Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, in that order.  A simple way of looking at these numbers is that Nitrogen helps encourage leaf growth, Phosphorus encourages stem strength and bloom production and Potassium promotes root development and health which increases overall hardiness.

Notice the ratio difference in the two fertilizers mentioned; see how we have recommended the Bedding Plant Food for blooming plants?  Now you know why!

Good Earth brand Jump Start

Good Earth brand Jump Start at Planting

Jump Start is another kind of fertilizer and the benefits are simply amazing.  This natural fertilizer contains mycorrhizae, which actually changes the structure of roots and allows them to uptake 1,000 more nutrients and water. It’s a great product to use at planting of trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, vegetables, and annuals.  Jump Start can also be used for additional feedings throughout the growing season.  Jump Start can be used in addition to the Ferti-Lome products mentioned above.

Throughout the Growing Season

BR-61 (9-58-8) is our go-to recommendation to encourage outstanding blooming all season.  It is a water soluble fertilizer, which means you mix it with water and apply with with an applicator sprayer or water into the roots.  For best results, this should be done every couple of weeks throughout the season for warm season annuals.  For cool season annuals, use BR-61 during times the temperatures are 50 degrees and above; they will be taking in nutrients at this temperature range.  If your annual color display is mostly foliage plants, we suggest using a lower phosphorus fertilizer.

Time release fertilizers such as the Ferti-Lome products mentioned at the beginning of the article, as well as Osmocote, can be applied during the growing season at longer intervals.

Natural/ Organic Fertilizers

Our Jump Start is a natural fertilizer and we carry others too, such as the Espoma fertilizers.  We offer a variety of Espoma specialty fertilizers for all kinds of plants such as Holly-Tone, Tomato-Tone, Rose-Tone, in addition to the Plant-Tone for seasonal color.  Hi-Yield Bone Meal and Blood Meal are additional natural fertilizers.

This is just a quick overview of how to feed your annuals to have the best color in the neighborhood!  We are here to answer any questions you have.  And remember, with all fertilizers, follow application instructions carefully for best results!

The post Flower Power: How to Keep Annuals Blooming All Season Long! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Thriller

Thrillers are taller plants that add vertical drama to a container planting.  They can be flowering plants, foliage plants or even ornamental grasses.  For containers that will be viewed from all angles, place the thriller in the middle.  For containers that will only be viewed from the front, place the thriller in the back.

Filler

Next, it’s time to add your filler plants.  Fillers are rounded or mounded plants that are placed around or in front of the thrillers.  Place the fillers mid-way between the planter edges and the thriller to leave room for the spiller.  Some great filler options include Diamond Frost euphorbia, petunias, calibrachoa, and many more!

Spiller

Add the spillers next!  Plant spillers around the edges of the container; all the way around if it will be viewed from all angles or around the front if it will only be viewed from the front.  Spiller options include sweet potato vine, ivy, bacopa, vinca vine and that is just to name a few!  Water the container well right after planting.

Done!

The Thriller in this container is Angelface Blue angelonia, Filler is Supertunia Bordeaux petunia, and Spiller is Illusion Emerald Lace sweet potato vine!  Other key tips include using Good Earth brand potting soil (yes, it really is better than the more famous yellow and green bags of soil), use Good Earth brand Jump Start at planting, check soil moisture often and fertilize with BR-61 for amazing blooms!  The annuals mentioned and the images are from Proven Winners; a great line of successful annuals that we carry here at The Good Earth!  Check out our Pinterest board called ‘Combination Planters’ for more ideas and read our container gardening blog post for more planting tips!

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