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The Garden Club |
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We Love
Roses The Red Knockout Rose was first introduced in 1999 and has fast become one of our most popular and sought after roses. It has created an overwhelming positive response from our customers, which is a powerful testimonial given the fact that we’ve sold thousands of Knockouts for many different situations during the past several years. One customer said that her Red Knockout “thrives on neglect.” Knockout is also designated as the 2004 ARS Members’ Choice by the American Rose Society. This is exceptionally noteworthy because the ARS usually favors the more formal hybrid teas as opposed to shrub roses.
The Newest Addition to the
Knockout™
Family Just like its parent, Pink Knockout never stops performing -- blooming profusely throughout the growing season into late fall with single to semi-double 3-3 ½” rich pink blooms. It will mature into a tidy 4 foot by 4 foot shrub that is very resistant to blackspot and other nuisance diseases. Unlike most roses which require at least six hours of sun, Pink Knockout will do fine in a location with as little as four hours of sun. A moist, well-drained soil is ideal. It thrives in humid climates where most other roses need spray and maintenance and is also very winter-hardy, even in windy areas, in zones 4-10. The petals fall cleanly, never needing dead-heading - that’s right, NO DEADHEADING!
Planting and Care
Our Garden Worthy Certification means that your satisfaction is guaranteed. |
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Garden
Club Questions & Answers Question: Every year for the past several years I have bought my dad a tree for Father's Day. I have gotten several of the ones you recommended; Cardinal Crabapple, Brackens Brown Beauty Magnolia, and Weeping Katsura. He has gotten great joy from watching his little arboretum grow. What do you suggest for this year? I'd like to give something unusual. Answer: I suggest you try a relatively new Chinese introduction: Heptacodium miconioides (seven son flower). It has brilliant red buds and star-like white flowers at a time when few trees are blooming; late summer and early fall. In addition, the flowers have the sweet fragrance of jasmine. After the flowers finish in the autumn, there is a phenomenal display of bright maroon fruits and calyces. In the winter there is shaggy tan bark which peels off to reveal the cinnamon colored interior. Heptacodium matures to a small 15 foot multi-stemmed tree about 10 feet across at the crown. Question: My neighbor gave me a print out of your newsletter from last week. I am fascinated by the clematis, 'Betty Corning'. You said this clematis was smoky blue, but the picture on the print out clearly shows pink. Which is it? Answer: The problem is probably your printer, not the clematis. The bells are pastel smoky-blue with a hint of lavender and white bars in the center, if you look inside. Incidentally, not only are the flowers very delicate, but the small leaves give an overall a refined, airy appearance. If you want a pink bell-shaped clematis, I suggest texensis Duchess of Albany. Question: I am looking for a screen for a north facing woodland border. It gets about 60 minutes of morning sun, then shade the rest of the day. Would Viburnum work? Deer resistance is a must. Thanks! Answer: Viburnum Pragense is the plant of choice. It grows well in bright shade, dappled shade and partial shade; but not in dense, deep shade. It is both evergreen and deer resistant and will grow to ten feet tall. Question: Not many trees are blooming in my neighborhood now, yet I saw something that looked like a cross between a Crape Myrtle and a Lilac. Large creamy white cone shaped flowers cover the top of this tree. What am I seeing? Answer: I suspect you saw a Japanese Tree Lilac, Syringa reticulata. It is one of the few trees that bloom to fill the "June gap" in tree blooming. It requires full sun and very well-drained soil. Japanese Tree Lilac matures at about 25 feet tall and is very tolerant of poor soil. It evens thrives as a street tree where conditions are sunny, hot and the soil is poor and compacted. It is extremely winter hardy. Japanese Tree Lilac is a good replacement for Bradford pears. One of the best varieties is Ivory Silk. I am surprised you didn't mention the lilac-like fragrance, which would have been a good hint as to what you were looking at. Question: I cut back my Chinese evergreen and rooted the trimmings. I cut the trimmings into about three sections because they were so long. The top sections have developed into nice plants. The bottom sections and the middle sections have all rooted, but most of them have never sent up any green leaves or shoots. It has been over a year. Should I give up or will they ever sprout? Answer: If it has been a year, I suggest you give up. I suspect those stems were so mature that they didn't have any live dormant buds to initiate top growth. (Some species of plants have live dormant buds farther down into the old stems than others). When making cuttings, it can be a really difficult judgment call to know which pieces to root and which pieces to throw away. Question: Mushrooms seem to have sprung up overnight in whole sections of my lawn. Any idea where they are coming from and how to get rid of them? Answer: Mushrooms come from decaying wood, either remnants of a building project or old tree roots. Mushrooms usually show up after a rain. I know of no way to prevent them and the only way to get rid of them is to knock them down with a rake and either gather them up or let them dry in the sun.
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