7 Underused Plants To Add Lasting Fall Color

7 Underused Plants That Will Add Long Lasting Fall Color Into Your Landscape Year After Year:

• Autumn Brilliance Ferns
• Autumn Leaves Heuchera Coral Bells
• Red Wall Virginia Creeper
• Nandina Dwarf Firepower Evergreen Shrubs
• Burning Bush Shrubs
• Oakleaf Hydrangea Shrubs
• Pin Oak

Ornamental Grasses Are Low Maintenance Plants!

Ornamental Grasses are the perfect low maintenance plant for any landscape.

Our favorite ways to use Ornamental Grasses:

• For privacy 
• To define property lines
• Soften corners
• Create interest within a landscape
• Small grasses make good border plants
• Great backdrop plantings
• Create informal hedges 

Ornamental Grasses

Gardening is Good Exercise and Good for Your Health

Everyone is on a kick to be healthy, but rarely think about gardening to become healthy. Granted, the food you grow in your garden will be better than store-bought, it’s the weeding, watering, and trimming that keep your body in great shape. If you want to lose weight, garden for a month or two. 

You can’t go wrong with gardening, even if you have a brown thumb.  All plants need are light, soil, water, and nutrients.  Some plants don’t even need nutrients since Mother Nature supplies all the food they need to eat. Garden plants can easily be added to your dinner table.

If you just want to tone your body, gardening can to that, too. You lift plants around, hull the water hose around, lean over and weed, and plant seeds, which work all the muscles in your body. What a great way to lose weight and put food on your dinner table.

In several studies it has been shown that gardening help 9 out of 10 people lose inches in their waist after just one month of gardening. You can tell it helps because the next day your muscles will be sore. If you continue to garden, those muscles will tighten up and tone your body. You can have that beach body in a few months and fill your dinner table with all the food you need.

Not to mention how much fun gardening is when the whole family joins in to raise all the tomatoes you can eat or planting beans and peas for the table. The kids will love watching the seeds sprout up and spring into a veggie they like.  It also teaches them responsibly when they have to water and weed their very own garden patch.

So, you see how much gardening can help your health? Plus, it’s  fun to watch tiny seeds growing into a giant watermelon, carrot, or any other type of vegetable or fruit.  You can also garden in apartments, condos, and houses whether you have a large or small plot of land.

There are thousands of vegetables, fruits, shrubs, and trees that can make your garden a lovely place to relax, have a picnic, or grow a culinary herb garden. You can use any type of container or plant your garden right in the ground.  You can also grow vertical gardens  up walls, fences, and the side of a house or apartment.

You can let your imagination sore to new heights while supplying your dinner table with fresh herbs and vegetables or a lovely bouquet of flower for any surface. The amount of scents you can enjoy while your garden shines with a plethora of colors to lighten up any day. 

Plants That Will Grow Under Black Walnut Trees

Are you seeking plants that will grow under the Black Walnut trees on your property?

Black walnut trees can be a tricky plant for gardeners, as this species of plant produces a toxic substance called juglone via its root system. Other trees that emit this toxic substance include butternut and Persian walnut trees that are grafted with black walnut. (Notably, persian walnut seedlings that are grafted onto persian walnut rootstocks do not produce deadly toxins that kill other plants.)

The juglone leaches out into the surrounding soil and it can kill nearby plants within a period of just 30 to 60 days. Some of the most susceptible plants include: Tomato plants; Blackberry bushes; Azalea; Mountain laurel; Apple trees; Blueberry bushes; Potato plants; Rhododendron bushes.

The toxic zone can extend up to 80 feet from the trunk of a large mature black walnut tree, though the typical no-grow zone usually extends 50 to 60 feet. This tree's tendency to kill off nearby plants is enough to leave many gardeners scratching their heads, wondering "what can I plant that will grow under a black walnut tree?"

Not to fear! Not all plants are sensitive to the juglone that's produced by the black walnut tree. There are a number of trees, annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines and ground-cover plants that are resistant to juglone.

Some of the most popular plants that are often planted near a black walnut tree include:

Arborvitae

Bugleweed

Christmas Fern

Cinnamon Fern

Daylily

Crested Wood Fern

Eastern Redbud

Elizabeth Sedum

Creeping Phlox

Creeping Stonecrop

Grasses

Heuchera

Honeysuckle

Hosta

Japanese Maple

Viburnum

Lamb's Ear

Tartan Honeysuckle

Virginia Creeper

Forsythia

Wisteria

It appears that the black walnut tree actually enhances and promotes growth in a limited number of plant species, especially grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass.

Despite the fact that the black walnut tree's toxins can kill many nearby plants, they are still favoured by many for their beautiful appearance and their ability to prevent soil erosion and offer shade, particularly on pastures. They are especially popular in pastures.

It's important to note, though, that juglone is present in the black walnut tree's wood, bark and leaves. The wood chips can cause problems in some animals, particularly horses.

Composting black walnut leaves will result in the degradation of the juglone toxin, which breaks down in 2 to 4 weeks when the leaves are composted alone, or up to 2 months if they're mixed with soil and other compost matter. So it's generally safe to use fully-composted leaves on juglone-sensitive plants.

Planting Around the Patio

When deciding to plant around the patio, the type of patio you have is what sets the mood or tone of the landscape when using perennials. If you have a stone patio, it will be look and feel different than a wood deck patio. The type of material the patio is made from is the bones for the containers, flower beds, and borders which may or may not include pathways, trails, and walkways.

Using perennials around the patio gives you the opportunity to mix and match colors, or use one perennial with different colors or one color. Perennials are plants are hardy and will grow for many years. So, you don’t have to replant them each year. 

There is nothing wrong with growing plants for a couple of months, then replacing them with another plants. Perennials are easy to pot up for a couple of months, move to a permanent place and replace with another perennial.  It keeps a variety of colors and textures that are easily mix and matched with other plants.

Perennials are great for patios  since you can change them out with other flowering plants when the original stops blooming. Planting smaller sized blooming perennials in small pots in the ground can be swapped out with later season bloomers. Moving the spent blooming perennials to another location.  They can perk up a dull patio in the dead of winter or add a spicy look in the spring and summer.

Fragrant herbs to plant around sitting areas are oregano, rosemary, mints (in pots of course), lemon thyme, and lavender. Herbs add a gorgeous smell to a patio, plus, you can use them in the kitchen. Most perennials are great to decorate a pathway or border with such as creeping mint or lemon thyme.  They are also good for rock gardens.

There are many varieties of low and high growing perennials that can be used on a border that will bloom all summer long. When they are done blooming you can easily replace them with another perennial for fall and winter. That will bring you color and texture all year long. 

Visit Greenwood Nursery for a wide selection of plants for your porch or patio. 

Garden Plants from Online Garden Centers

The trip to your local garden center can be an incredible hassle! There's the matter of taking on the weekend garden warrior crowd, which can make for some very slow going when it comes to browsing and checkout. Then, of course, there are those not-so-bright garden center workers, many of whom have never planted or cared for garden plants -- ever!  Getting a good answer to your gardening question can be downright difficult!

And then, there's always the picked-over garden plants selection if you arrive after the crowds have already depleted the garden center's stock. You're left to choose between a partially wilted containers of hosta, a jasmine bush with a broken stem and a container of pink muhly grass that's clearly been dumped on the ground and unceremoniously stuffed back into the plastic pot.

So why not skip the garden center and turn to an online garden center, like Greenwood Nursery?

Online garden nurseries offer a wide range of benefits, including:

*       Convenience -- The Greenwood Nursery garden center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No crowds and you can select your plants from the comfort of your home. And, your new plants will be delivered to your door. It doesn't get much easier than that!

*       Selection -- You'll enjoy a wide selection of supplies and garden plants, from ornamental grasses to herbs, annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs and beyond. No more settling for a plant because it's one of the only healthy garden plants left in the shop!

*       Great Price -- Enjoy great prices and discounts when you shop an affordable online garden center like Greenwood Nursery, which even has an “under $10” deals section!

*       Healthy Plants – Greenwood Nursery and many other online garden centers offer premium, healthy plants from strong genetic lines.

What's more, if you're uncertain about whether a particular plant is right for you, feel free to contact the Greenwood Nursery team to ask questions! Our experienced gardeners and experts are on-hand to provide you with plant care tips, advice, and recommendations for your unique gardening needs. No more dealing with a 16-year-old garden center employee who thinks lavender is anything more than a color!

To contact the pros at Greenwood Nursery, visit our website or call 800-426-0958.

Best Spring Garden Clean up Tips

Spring has sprung and it’s time to get that garden in tip-top shape and here are your best spring garden clean up tips!

Spring is the ideal time to perform a thorough clean up and overhaul on your garden and yard to help it recover from the long winter.

The first step to spring garden clean up is removing all the debris. This includes sticks and broken branches, leaves and other miscellaneous debris.

If you’re going to use a rake to remove this debris, it’s best to do this task before those spring crocuses and other plants have started to sprout. Otherwise, you may damage the foliage. If you absolutely must use a rake, be very gentle and whenever possible, don gardening gloves and clear the area around new sprouts by hand.

Using a leaf blower is the ideal option if your spring sprouts are up; just be careful to avoid placing the leaf blower nozzle too close to fragile new greens so as to avoid breakage. The downside to using a leaf blower is that most don’t do a good job of clearing away sticks, so those will need to be cleared away by hand.

This yard pick-up is absolutely essential because once the foliage comes in and starts growing more aggressively, it becomes very difficult to clean up garden beds and other areas of your yard. The foliage and growth snags leaves and debris, making it more difficult to collect the debris and there’s greater risk that you’ll damage the various plants.

In addition, it’s important to remove dead growth, particularly on any ornamental grasses that weren’t trimmed down in late fall or early winter. Otherwise, the new growth will come in and it will be intermingled with the dead growth, which then becomes extremely difficult to eliminate.

If you use bark mulch around your garden plants, it’s important to put down a new, fresh layer of mulch so your garden will absorb and retain the spring rains, which will really jumpstart your growing season.

Many garden experts recommend waiting until mid-spring or even early summer before fertilizing your garden, as the fertilizer will not be properly absorbed by plants that are still in a semi-dormant state. The general rule is that you can begin fertilizing when you observe new growth.

Of course, spring is also a great time to add new plants to your garden and Greenwood Nursery has a wide range of annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses and many other plants that will bring your garden to life!

7 Berry Growing Tips for You!

Tip #1: All blackberry and raspberry plants are self-fertile and will have good fruit production on their own. However if a second variety is planted nearby, they will have heavier fruit production.

Tip #2: Avoid planting strawberries in very low-lying areas prone to spring frosts.

Tip #3: Mulch strawberry plant rows and aisles with hay or newspaper to keep weed population down.

Tip #4: Do not plant strawberry, raspberry or blackberry plants where eggplants, peppers, potatoes or tomatoes have been grown within the past 3 years.

Tip #5: Pinch off any strawberry blooms on your first year planted strawberry plants. This allows them to put efforts into growing larger for second year production.

Tip #6: Plant blackberry and raspberry plants 2 to 3 feet apart with rows that are 3 to 5 feet apart.

Tip #7: Plant strawberry plants 1 to 1 1/2 feet apart with rows approximately 2 feet apart.

What to Plant Under Black Walnut Trees

What are plants to plant under black walnut trees? This is a question that we at Greenwood Nursery hear quite often. It is a good question, because not all plants thrive begin planted near or under black walnut trees.

Juglans nigra, commonly known as black walnut, is the largest of the twenty species of Juglans native to the United States. It easily grows to a height of 100 feet; its strong, straight trunk and magnificent canopy enhance most any landscape that has an appropriate scale for the trees massive size.

It is prized by the high-end furniture market because of its uniformity, durability and the luxurious chocolate-brown color of its heartwood. Many landowners, who have a few acres to spare, are planting genetically superior black walnut trees as an investment which will mature in 25 to 30 years.

Horticulturists discovered that certain plants did not do well, while some withered and died, when planted close to or underneath the canopy of black walnut trees. Black walnut trees secrete a biochemical substance known as Juglone. These secretions sometimes drip from the leaves down onto plants and ground below and leaches out from the roots below ground as well. The process is known as allelopathy.

Though Juglone is a poison to many plant varieties, making it difficult in planting under black walnut trees. However, there is still a large number of shrubs and perennials that can be safely planted under the canopy or near black walnut trees that are resistant to the effects of Juglone.

Avoid planting the following near or under the canopy of black walnut trees: Apples, white birch, mountain laurels, blackberries, blueberries, tomato plants, azaleas, chrysanthemum, crocus, hydrangeas, lilacs and rhododendron. 

And now for a few plants that can be planted near Black Walnut trees: most grasses, aster, shasta daisy, vinca, hostas, phlox, wisteria, Morning Glory, ajuga, solomon's seal, and Virginia creeper.

Tolerant trees and shrubs include arborvitae, white ash, american beech, catalpa, black cherry, flowering dogwood, forsythia, hibiscus, red maple, japanese maple, oaks, privet, eastern redbud, sumac, sycamore, tulip tree, euonymus, rosa rugosa, viburnum (except maresii), and heucheras.

A word of caution: Many factors, other than the presence of Juglone, will affect the viability of your trees and plants. Soil, moisture, temperature, shade and sunlight all play a role so results in growth may vary.

Visit Greenwood's page on Planting under Black Walnut trees for a selection of plant varieties that will grow under the canopy of the black walnut trees.

More info on plants that will and will not grow under or near black walnut trees:
Purdue University 

For more information on growing black walnut trees as an investment, visit Greenwood Nursery GSP Black Walnut Trees.

Common Black Walnut Trees

Plants used in French Gardens

Adding a touch of France to your garden  with our best plants for fall color will bring life to your fall landscape. Take some ideas from French gardens and liven up your landscape with new plant colors, fragrance and texture to add a touch of France to your garden. The location of France is much like that of New England making it perfect for experiencing the colors of fall foliage. The most popular flowering shrubs, trees, along with some of their favorite smaller growing evergreen perennial plants,  are used in French gardens are listed here.

• Red Barberry
• Smoketree
• Tulip poplar
• Rosa rugosas
• Viburnums
• Petiolaris
• Wisteria vines
• Hydrangea bushes
• Narrow evergreens - such as juniper skyrocket and thuja north pole
• Boxwoods
• Salvia
• Veronica
• Ornamental grasses - new varieties in smaller sizes

Herbs are everywhere, planted in landscapes, huge pots in the courtyards, window boxes. Most days warm days, apartment windows are open. How wonderful it must be inside with slight breezes brushing over the thyme, rosemary and mint carrying the fragrances throughout the living spaces.

It is ironic that we travel to exotic destinations for new experiences and scenery, but, once there, we find certain familiarity which is probably what most of us enjoy most. Whether you are in Paris or Nashville, autumn is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere.

Time to plant, time to enjoy!

Enjoy Strawberries from Your Home Garden

Just the thought of strawberries brings to mind summer, strawberry shortcake, strawberry jelly and chocolate covered strawberries. Bite into a big red juicy strawberry and it explodes in your mouth making your tongue tingle with delight. With the red heart shape of the strawberry, no wonder it’s the symbol for Venus, the goddess of love. Maybe that’s why strawberries go so perfectly with chocolate and champagne.

A member of the rose family, it is documented that strawberries have been enjoyed as a domesticated fruit as early as the 1400’s. Now, we know the nutritional value of strawberries. They contain amino acids and beta-carotene as well as A, C, E, K, B-complex vitamins.  An excellent source of calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, copper and zinc, strawberries are high in sugar so should be eaten in moderation.

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy the fruits of strawberry plants are serving on waffles (Yummy!), in a spinach salad with walnuts, in a cucumber & strawberry salad, or served with only a splash of balsamic vinegar. Harvest strawberries in early summer and freeze to preserve them for future use.

Tips for enjoying strawberries:

• -Do not wash strawberries until ready to eat
• -Remove caps after washing
• -Store in colander (or vented container) in refrigerator for air circulation
• -Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving
• -To whiten teeth – mash one strawberry and mix with baking soda, brush on teeth and leave on for 5 minutes then rinse

Links:

• Planting and Growing info for strawberry plants
• Freezing information and recipes

How You can Have a Healthy Lawn, too!

Building up your soil naturally is the key to healthy lawn care. Following these lawn care tips will provide you with the information to build a healthy lawn that is not only a maintenance free lawn, but a safe lawn for your family, pets and the environment.

Whether you refer to it as natural or organic, it really comes down to the fact that so many of us just want to participate in healthy lawn care. In order to get the desired results, it takes up front dedication, time and knowledge. Much like when someone must change their diet to become healthier, not only do they change what they eat, but there are other alterations within their lifestyle that are made and it takes dedication and time for the change to take place.

We know that we are going to make the change to healthy lawn care, so where do we start?

Improve Your Soil - Healthy soil contains everything needed to grow healthy grass and, as an added bonus, weed seeds don't germinate as well, so less weeds. A soil test can give you a starting point. This can be arranged through your local conservation district office or local agricultural extension agent's office. The results of the test should give you needed amendments to put your soil back into a neutral pH.

Select the Proper Grass for Your Area- Once your soil has been amended, you are ready to sow the seed. A visit to your local hardware store is needed here and should be educational. Visit one of the locally owned stores such as Ace Hardware or True Value Hardware or even your local Farmer's Co-op as these stores typically have staff that is knowledgeable about these things. If you have shaded areas, you need to let them know as they will need to help you select a seed blend especially for that area. After sowing the grass seed, covering the newly sown area with a light layer of straw can prove beneficial as it will help to keep birds from eating the grass seeds, protect the area from washing should there be heavy rainfall before the seed can germinate, provide light shade and keep the soil moist. All of these factors, including warm weather, will help to speed the germination of the grass and it decomposes into the soil.

Mow less with taller grass- Allow the grass to grow a bit more before mowing. Set your mower blades for 3 inches and let the grass grow to 4 or 5 inches before mowing. Cutting grass down much lower can damage the roots and dry out the soil.

There are many organic lawn care products on the market that will naturally help your plants grow, keep weeds down and assist in building up the soil. Calcium, specifically, helps to energize plants and reduce weeds. Soil Conditioners helps to percolate and aerate the soil. Some are also available that contain biological components that can help to detoxify chemical applications from fertilizers and other products as well as help to keep flying insects at bay.

Now that you have healthy soil and grass is growing, how often do we water? Well, that will vary, but the University of Missouri Extension will help guide you through that process and give you tips on watering your lawn:

Home Lawn Watering Guide

Natural or organic lawn care isn't completely without work, but it is certainly worth the initial effort to know that your lawn is healthy naturally and safe for humans, animals and the environment.

Planting Strawberry Plants

To plant and grow strawberry plants is an wonderful way to garden and quite easy when following just a few simple steps.

Here are a few gardening tips that will get your strawberry plants off to the best possible start. Soon you will be enjoying the strawberry fruits of  your labor.

Strawberry plants grow best in well drained soil that has been amended with lots of organic matter. Do not plant strawberry plants in or near soil where eggplants, peppers, potatoes, raspberries, or tomatoes have grown over the past 3 to 5 years, because strawberry plants are susceptible to verticillium wilt. It is also advisable to move strawberry beds whenever verticillium wilt appears. Soils with high lime content may also be unsuitable for this plant. Protect strawberry plants from freezing during the winter months. In addition to mulching, planting your strawberry plants at the top of a gentle slope helps minimize winter kill and frost damage to blossoms.

Plant strawberry plants in rows or hills in areas that receive at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Plant the plants 15 to 18 inches apart in rows spaced about 2 feet apart. When planting bare root strawberries, be sure to trim the roots to six inches long. Dig holes deep enough to accommodate the roots. Inside the hole, mound enough dirt to be able to have the plant sit on the mound with the roots spread evenly around. The base of the crown should sit at the soil level. If the crown is set too high above the ground, the plant will dry out. Smooth and water to settle the soil. If your plants experience a drought immediately after planting, it may stunt the growth of the plants. Inspect after frost to see if any plants were lifted out of the soil. If they were, gently push them back into the soil and cover.

Once strawberry plants have begun to leaf out, fertilize can be applied. A balanced 10-10-10 blend can be added according to directions on the label. When the plant begins to form blooms until harvest is complete, is the time period that the plants will need the most water. One to two inches of supplemental watering a week may be necessary to keep the plants hydrated. Check the soil for dampness if in doubt.

Their first growing year in the ground, pinch off any strawberry blooms. This will force more growth into the plants size, creating larger plants with the potential for more blooms producing more fruit the next growing season.

Greenwood Nursery Online Garden Center

Greenwood Nursery is a certified Tennessee nursery since 1979, and online plant store since 1998, with just the right plants for your landscape ideas and gardening projects that you might have as well as providing knowledgeable customer service to help with your planting questions.

A new homeowner or refreshing your old landscape with new foundation plantings? Our article on "How to Landscape Design", will get you started on thesteps to landscaping.

Brighten up your yard from our plant selections of flowering shrubs, including some of the most popular flowering shrub varieties such as lavender plants,golden forsythia shrubs, shrub roses, and red twig dogwoods.

Check our bare root trees for many fast growing trees varieties such as willow hybrid, maples, poplars, and thuja green giant.

Looking for plants for specific purposes? Visit our Landscaping Ideas category with our many sub-departments categorizing our plants according to their varied uses like Small Yard Plant Ideas, Spring Flowering Shrubs, Deer Resistant Plants, shade plants, and Drought Tolerant Plants.

Remember, at Greenwood Nursery, we make it safe and easy to buy plants online. You will find the Greenwood staff helpful, knowledgeable, and ready to answer your planting questions. Our online plant catalog is open 24/7 for your gardening needs. We're here to make sure you're successful with your Greenwood plants.

Choose from our great selection of plants and we'll carefully pack and ship them right to your door.

Greenwood Nursery is a certified Tennessee nursery since 1979, and online plant store since 1998, with just the right plants for your landscape ideas and gardening projects that you might have as well as providing knowledgeable customer service to help with your planting questions.

A new homeowner or refreshing your old landscape with new foundation plantings? Our article on "How to Landscape Design", will get you started on thesteps to landscaping.

Brighten up your yard from our plant selections of flowering shrubs, including some of the most popular flowering shrub varieties such as lavender plants,golden forsythia shrubs, shrub roses, and red twig dogwoods.

Check our bare root trees for many fast growing trees varieties such as willow hybrid, maples, poplars, and thuja green giant.

Looking for plants for specific purposes? Visit our Landscaping Ideas category with our many sub-departments categorizing our plants according to their varied uses like Small Yard Plant Ideas, Spring Flowering Shrubs, Deer Resistant Plants, shade plants, and Drought Tolerant Plants.

Choose from our great selection of plants and we'll carefully pack and ship them right to your door.