This message contains images and links.  If you cannot see the images or click the links, please click: http://www.carrollgardens.com/eNewsletter/031114/email031114.html or copy and paste the link into your browser address bar.

November 14, 2003

www.CarrollGardens.com

Endless Summer Hydrangea - Back In Stock

Featured Items

Endless Summer Hydrangea is clearly the most important plant introduction of 2003. Endless Summer is the blue/pink (depending upon soil) mop head hydrangea that blooms all summer and fall. In some gardens in Maryland, it is still in bloom even now in mid-November. In the summer we were allotted 400 Endless Summer Hydrangeas by the developing nursery and we sold out in 2 weeks. The reaction from customers has been overwhelmingly positive; they love the continuous bloom and rightfully so.

Endless Summer Hydrangea is incredibly scarce and I have been searching for more since September. Well, the gods have finally shone upon us and we now have 150 additional Endless Summers in 3 gallon pots. To my knowledge these are the only Hydrangea Endless Summer available anywhere worldwide for retail sale until spring 2004.

These Endless Summer Hydrangeas can be planted outside, right now, if well mulched. They are also suitable for holiday gift giving. I suspect if the recipient kept them in a sunny window, they would bloom in the house in late winter. But this is only a suspicion.  A few actually have buds and blooms now.  I am still doing more research and the plant is brand new with the chief difference being the bud setting and blooming characteristics. Endless Summer will definitely bloom in the garden next year once it is planted; of that I am sure. In any event, Endless Summer is so new and so good that you can be reasonably certain that your gift recipient doesn’t have one and will enjoy its uniqueness for years and years.
 

Endless Summer
Hydrangea

Garden-tone®
 

Gift Certificates
20% OFF

Rutgers Hybrid Dogwood rutgersensis Celestial

Rockin Rollers
Snowman

20% Off All Espoma Products & fertileGRO™

For a very limited time we are offering a 20% discount on all Espoma products and fertileGRO™.  Take advantage of our shipping special and receive no shipping charge for orders over $99. 

Our selection of Espoma products includes:

Bulb-Tone®     Flower-Tone®     CottonSeed Meal    Holly-Tone® 
Plant-Tone®     Tree-Tone®     Espoma 100% Organic®     Rose-tone® 
Kelp Meal     Garden-tone®     Turf-Tone®
 

Teacher Gifts

I was at a social gathering this summer. In attendance were several grade school teachers and the subject of teacher gifts came up and how every teacher has a closet filled with duplicate gifts from over the years.

Recently I ran across some manufacturer’s samples of sleigh bells. Most are mounted on harness leather. These are made in Pennsylvania Dutch country by the same man who makes them for the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses. They have a loop so that they hang over the door knob; so when the door is opened, the bells jingle. They were originally made for high-end exclusive department stores. Because they are manufacturer’s samples, no two are alike. The good news is that we are selling them for about 1/2 the price of what they sold for in the department stores. There is an assortment of sizes and prices starting at only a couple of dollars.

To learn more about these great gifts, visit our garden center in Westminster, Maryland or call  (800) 638-6334.
 

Christmas Time at Carroll Gardens

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Carroll Gardens garden center in Westminster, Maryland.  With each issue of our newsletter between now and Christmas we'll feature a number of great gift ideas. 

Check out our Department 56® Collectables and our Amaryllis Kit - 'Christmas Gift', and stay on the lookout for more great ideas coming soon.
 

Question & Answer

Question
I have noticed (and I think because we are having some warm days) an increased number of lady bugs around the front of my house, near the bushes and windows. Some have even made it inside. I don't mind insects outside, but once they make their way in, I have a problem. Do you have any suggestion how I can get rid of these???????  Thanks in advance.

Answer
Lady Bugs are harmless and beneficial. I wouldn’t spray; it’s not worth the danger to your health. I suggest you just vacuum up any that get inside your house. The lady bugs will survive the trip down the hose and into the vacuum cleaner. If you empty the bag out of doors, they will fly away.

Question
I would love to try and grow an indoor orchid but need to know how hard this would be and how much light do they need. Love your radio show. Thanks for your help.

Answer
I suggest a moth orchid (phalenopsis) for starters. They are very easy; whereas many other orchids are much more difficult. Moth Orchids will do in "African violet conditions”. Morning sun in an uncurtained east window or a west window with sheer curtains are both ideal. Nighttime cold can be harmful if you turn the thermostat too far back at night.

Moth Orchids are one of the most reliable and spectacular of the easy-to-grow flowering house plants. And, they bloom for a long time. The first crop of moth orchids is usually available in early December.

Question
I had a pin oak tree that was struck by lightning. It was 4 plus feet in diameter at the base and probably 70 plus feet tall. All the bark was blown off for about 20 feet from the ground. Two tree people looked at it and said it was going to die, and since it was close to the house they recommended removing it. This was done and I have a big pile of sawdust from getting rid of the stump. Is that material suitable for using as mulch around other trees and plants or would it damage the plants? Should I just get rid of it?

Answer
The stump grindings are suitable as a one inch deep under-mulch, covered with an inch of seasoned mulch. Be sure to fertilize your plants appropriately for fall before using this "green" mulch. Un-composted mulch robs nitrogen from the soil as it de-composes. I would not use this mulch in foundation plantings around buildings. Even if covered, the danger of artillery fungus is too great.

Question
I have several mums people have given me in pots. I want to know if I should plant them in the ground now. I guess if I leave them in the pots they will die. Will they make it if I plant them in the ground and come back and bloom next fall? Some of the Single Apricot mums that Carroll Gardens planted for me in 2001 are asking to be divided. The plants are huge, and made it through last winter to bloom this fall, but there is a deep cleft in the middle.

Answer
The mums stand a much better chance of survival if they are planted now. Choose a spot in full sun that is well-drained. Even so, they may not make it; many varieties are not winter hardy—no matter what the tag says. Mums get divided in early spring; however Single Apricot rarely needs dividing and will do fine without division for years. Division is indicated by smaller, less profuse blooms in the center.

The cleft was probably caused by the cloudy, wet season. Your mums will be more compact if they are cut back by two thirds around Memorial Day and then again by one-third around the 4th of July.

Question
You kindly answered my question by phone last week regarding whether it was OK to plant some really old peony bushes I was given. Could you now help the family who gave them to me? They are building a patio and need to move about 3 dozen bushes, some of which are more than 50 years old. There are so many they are unable to replant theirs now. Is there some way to over-winter them without planting them in the ground?  Thank you again.

Answer
The peonies can be laid on top of the ground and covered on the sides and tops with 3” of mulch. Check frequently for rodent damage. The peonies will deteriorate badly if you try to store them dry and/or warm. A basement will not do. A shed is a possibility if you put them upright in baskets and cover them with mulch and keep them moist. As soon as it starts to warm up in the spring, you must move the baskets outside so that growth does not begin (If growth begins, a hard frost will kill the tops. Peonies do not have a second set of leaf buds; so they will either perish or recover very slowly and weakly if the tops freeze off).

In short, because of the danger of early spring growth in the shed, I feel storage outside, on top of the ground, buried in mulch, is a much better choice.

Question
I lost a Bradford Pear tree in a storm last summer. The tree was 15 yrs old and provided privacy and shade to my deck. The area is in complete sun. There is about 15 ft. between my deck and my neighbor's deck. What would be a good replacement tree/shrub to use in this area? Since my deck is about 6ft. up off the ground, it will have to be something tall growing. I have thought about a crab apple, but do not want one that bears fruit. Will appreciate any suggestions?

Answer
There is a crab apple that is virtually fruitless - Spring Sensation. But it only grows to 8 feet tall. I suggest you consider Rutgers Hybrid dogwood, a kousa (Chinese) dogwood, a Japanese Red Maple, a Styrax (Japanese Snowbell) or a Japanese tree lilac. Incidentally, you can still plant this fall. We can show you pictures and trees at the store.
 

Follow Up:  Black Widow Spider

The exterminator came and there were literally hundreds of males and youths under the vinyl siding. It is my understanding that these are harmless and only the mature females with the red hourglass mark need to be feared.
 

Gift Ideas for Holiday Shopping

The Garden Club Radio Show

Every Saturday morning from 7:00 am to 9:00 am (Eastern time) you can listen to the highly acclaimed Garden Club Radio Show online through WCBM's website.  Click here for more information about the radio show, including how to listen online.

If you live in or will be traveling in the Maryland or Washington DC area, you can also listen to the show by tuning your radio to 680 AM. Any local listeners that may be traveling out of the area can still tune in to the show online, as mentioned above.  We invite you to call in with your questions at 410-922-6680 or
1-800-922-6680.
 

Happy Gardening,

Alan Summers
 

Visit Our Online Catalog
2300+ Perennials
175 Roses
600+ Woody Plants
100's of Vines
60 Varieties of Herbs

America's Broadest Selection of Garden Worthy Plants
CarrollGardens.com

Please forward this newsletter to a friend. If you received this message from a friend and would like to receive your own complimentary subscription, please click HERE.

This message has not been sent indiscriminately. Your email address is included among those individuals who have at one time indicated interest in receiving information related to this message. If you would like to remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to: unsubscribe@carrollgardens.com.

This message contains images and links.  If you cannot see the images or click the links, please click: http://www.carrollgardens.com/eNewsletter/031114/email031114.html or copy and paste the link into your browser address bar.