Flowering Shrubs


MARCH 18 2015 FILED UNDER Flowering Shrubs Plant of the Week Shrubs	Plant of the Week: MEDITERRANEAN PINK HEATHER We're happy to share our plant of the week -- Mediterranean Pink Heather. This mounding, evergreen shrub establishes quickly for a fine, dense ground cover or border. It offers terrific winter color with lavender-pink flowers that last through early spring. Mediterranean Pink brings you tough little flowers in the winter when not much else is blooming. Once it stops flowering, this plant still offers a beautiful evergreen foliage that can be enjoyed in all seasons. To plant this in the ground, select a sunny to partially sunny spot. Dig a hole 3x the width of the container and set the top of the root ball slightly above ground level. Then combine the planting mix and soil and fill it in around the plants’ roots. This plant needs a lot of water, especially when newly planted. Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system and then, sit back and enjoy this year-round beauty! Check out more of our favorite plants! OUR PLANTS OF THE WEEK >>
NOVEMBER 12 2014 FILED UNDER Flowering Shrubs Landscaping Plant of the Week	Keep Things Blooming AUTUMN ROCKET CAMELLIA It can be tough to find a plant that blooms during the fall months, but camellias can fill the gap. Fall-blooming camellias bring a splash of color to the autumn landscape when you need it most. These flowering shrubs not only offer beautiful blooms but feature glossy, evergreen leaves that bring a welcome touch of color to your garden. One of our favorite camellias for fall is Autumn Rocket. This heavy bloomer features semi-double, white blooms with just a hint of pink at the edges. It has an upright growth habit making it ideal for screening and hedging. We also love these in containers to add vertical interest. Try pairing them with pansies for an easy cool weather container. Give camellias the conditions they need, and they’ll reward you! This hardy camellia prefers full sun to shade and a spring fertilization to keep it looking healthy. Prune it back in the spring to ensure dense leaves and numerous flowers. So, if your looking to keep things blooming this autumn... consider Autumn Rocket.
JUNE 9 2014 FILED UNDER Flowering Shrubs Plant of the Week	A Summertime Favorite ENDLESS SUMMER ORIGINAL & NANTUCKET BLUE HYDRANGEAS Hydrangeas are the perfect hues of summer. Cool and refreshing like the water, these shade loving bloomers will give you repeat flowers all summer long. These two traditional reblooming Hydrangeas perform well in Hampton Roads. *Endless Summer Original.* It's a mop-head variety with the unique ability to bloom consistently on both old and new wood. The result is a plant that provides beautiful flowers all summer long. The flowers grow up to 8" in diameter, with PINK blooms in alkaline soils or BLUE blooms in acidic soil. The green foliage is a beautiful contrast to the lacy bloom. And, who doesn’t want an Endless Summer? *Nantucket Blue.* A repeat blooming selection with dense leathery green foliage. This shrub will produce an abundance of summertime flower clusters that last until frost. Sweeten the soil with lime to turn the blooms pink, acidify the soil and it should intensify the blue color. This fast growing shrub will get to be 4 to 6 feet, so be sure to give it plenty of room. Blooms on both old and new wood. How-to Plant: Dig a hole one and a half times wider than the plant's container. Place plant in the hole, keeping the top of the root ball at ground level; and back fill the hole with dirt. Water thoroughly and then mulch around the base to conserve moisture and reduce weeds. Remember, new plantings require more frequent watering than established plants especially during the summer. How-to Prune: We suggest pruning these hydrangeas in the fall once it they have finished blooming. In this fall pruning, cut the canes back about half way. This encourages stronger, thicker plants. After winter, trim back the dead canes to the ground. As the blooms begin to wilt, be sure to dead head the old blooms off of the plant to encourage reblooming. Learn more on turning your Hydrangea blooms pink. >>
JUNE 3 2014 FILED UNDER Flowering Shrubs Shrubs	A Sweet Summer Treat ALTHEA... the NEW Smoothie Collection There’s nothing better than a summertime smoothie and our NEW collection of Smoothie Altheas is no exception! These shrubs feature double-bloom, ice cream colored flowers all season long. Althea, also known as Rose of Sharon, is highly adaptable and easy to grow. We suggest growing these plants in full sun to part shade. As an upright shrub, they will grow to be a height of 8 feet and width of 4 feet and boast large, double blooms giving you a super summer show! They are perfect for hedges, beds, borders and mass plantings. As a heat-lover, this shrub is a treat for Hampton Roads gardeners who crave plants that can stand up to summer's heat. Try one of these new smoothies in your garden: Raspberry Smoothie - features double, fuchsia-raspberry blooms Blueberry Smoothie - features double, bluish-purple blooms Strawberry Smoothie - features double, light pink flowers
APRIL 28 2014 FILED UNDER Annuals Flowering Shrubs	Lemon Slice Million Bells Bermuda Beach Petunias Blue Sky Lobelia Pomegranate Punch Millions Bells Bloomerang Lilac Royale Chambray Verbena Royale Iced Cherry Verbena Proven Plants from Proven Winners It’s time to get your garden growing! Take your pick from these proven performers. Sweet Potato Vine This great foliage plant in chartreuse is the perfect addition to combinations. It has excellent heat tolerance and is a vigorous grower. This trailing plant tolerates full to part sun. Lemon Slice Million Bells Looking like little Petunias, the unique bicolor pattern of white and bright yellow make these million bells a sunny choice for your containers. Covered with hundreds of flowers in yellow and white from early spring all the way through those first light frosts. With long, trailing branches these blooms cascade over the sides of hanging baskets and other containers, and spread over flower beds. Plant in full sun and tolerates the heat well. Bermuda Beach Petunias This salmon, coral petunia will make you think of the beaches in Bermuda. With tons of blooms this low maintenance beauty will be the star in any container or hanging basket. Attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, this bloom is a must have. Blue Sky Lobelia Soft blue flowers will bloom all season. This annual offers cascading, well-branched plants and is the perfect trailer in a combination planter or hanging basket. A great summer performer and wow maintenance these blues will make you happy. Pomegranate Punch Million Bells This million bell offers rich deep red blooms with a black-red center. It offers a long blooming season and it is a continuous bloomer offering color all season long. The bold, bright color of this mounding plant never fades. It is a winner for both baskets and beds. Bloomerang Lilac This reblooming lilac blooms from spring and again from mid-summer to frost. With its small growth habit it fits into any garden. Super fragrant, this is a great shrub for cutting. Best of all it is deer resistant and attracts butterflies. Royale Chambray Verbena Just like the light blue fabric, this verbena is a beautiful color and offers scent. As a superbena, is a vigorous, heat tolerant, and mildew tolerant beauty. Great in containers this Verbena is also fantastic in landscape beds. While naturally well branched, trimming them back will encourage additional branching, fuller plants, and ultimately more flowers. Royale Iced Cherry Verbena In all shades of bright cherry pink, this Superbena is a vigorous, heat tolerant, and mildew tolerant beauty. Great in containers this Verbena is also fantastic in landscape beds. While naturally well branched, trimming them back will encourage additional branching, fuller plants, and ultimately more flowers. Images provided by Proven Winners
APRIL 22 2014 FILED UNDER Flowering Shrubs Plant of the Week Shade Gardening	Classic Color that Reblooms BLOOM-A-THON PINK DOUBLE AZALEA Azaleas are the quintessential southern flower. Speckled along the foundation of houses, in beds marked with pine trees and magnolias, these classics are a staple in the garden. But, did you know that all azaleas are not created equal? We love reblooming azaleas because as the name implies they flower for up to FIVE months... much more than the traditional azaleas. You'll definitely want to make room for the our new Proven Winner variety, the Bloom-a-Thon Pink Double Azalea. This rebloomer boasts large, double flowers that appear in April, then rebloom in early July, and continue through fall until hard frost. This medium-sized evergreen shrub will grow between 42 - 54 Inches. For best performance, we recommend planting it in shade to part shade in moist, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic. The high summer temperatures won’t stop this great shrub from producing loads of late summer and fall flowers. Plant in borders, woodland gardens or in containers. We love pairing azaleas with Crepe Myrtles and Magnolias for a classic southern look. Or, pair with other evergreen shrubs to create a hedge. You can also plant azaleas in containers for a stunning thriller plant. This enchantress of an azalea will charm your garden with months of colorful flowers!
JUNE 13 2012 FILED UNDER Flowering Shrubs Plant of the Week Shrubs	Love at First Blush BLUSHING BRIDE HYDRANGEA With June being peak wedding season, we thought it fitting to showcase the Blushing Bride Hydrangea. Endless Summer® Blushing Bride will add life and love to your garden and home virtually all summer long. Reliably blooming on both old and new growth, you can experience the beauty of Blushing Bride again and again, all summer long. This garden standout boasts pure white mopheads of showy, semi-double florets that gradually mature to a sweet, subtle pink. The brilliant blooms are showcased against the stunning foliage in deep, dark green. Strong stems and branches keep the plant sturdy and upright in the garden, and make the flowers perfect for cutting. Blushing Bride is very forgiving and will not suffer if left unpruned, or if it's pruned at the wrong time. In fact, young, recently planted shrubs are best left alone. Unlike other Hydrangeas, your Endless Summer varieties will bloom on both old and new wood. Its ability to rebloom all summer long make this a favorite among Hampton Roads gardeners. These shrubs make an excellent wedding present or anniversary gift. TIP: To encourage reblooming, remove spent flowers. Because Blushing Bride blooms on new growth, you don’t have to wait until the next season to see baskets full of new blooms.