Welcome
to Hamlen's second Spring Newsletter!
We
hope to see many of our customers at the Garden Center happily
shopping for their spring annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs.
In
this issue...
New Perennials for 2001
New Trees for 2001
New Shrubs for 2001
New Store Items This Season
Good Bug/Bad Bug
Hamlines
Did You Know...
New
Annuals for 2001
|
Butterfly
Flower or Butterfly Weed
(Asclepias Incarnata - "Ice Ballet")
This
member of the Milkweed family can grow up to 4' tall. "Ice
Ballet" blooms from June-August. The blooms are white
and fragrant, and attracts butterflies as the name implies.
Asclepias is a very easy perennial to grow, doing well in
both dry and wet soils. However it is late to sprout in
the spring and should be marked so it won't be damaged.
|
Foamflower
(Tiarella 'Cygnet')
A
woodland perennial very useful as a ground cover in partial
to deep shade and moist soil. The variegation will remain
lush throughout the season. The flowers are tiny and form
airy sprays of pink flowers from May to June. Tiarella is
a very easy perennial to grow. It does best in moist loam
rich in organic matter and are easy to dig and divide in
the spring.
|
|
Siberian
Bugloss - Heartleaf Alkanet
(Brunnera Macrophylla 'Langtrees')
A
good border plant Brunnera grows 12-15" tall. Large
dark green heart shaped leaves have silvery white spots
along the edge, and remain attractive all season long. While
Brunnears generally are moisture-loving, this particular
variety is slightly more drought tolerant. The sky blue
blooms appear generously from April through May and somewhat
resemble forget-me-nots. The plant will expand outward slowly
and is long lived without division.
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New
Trees for 2001
Ginko or
Maidenhair Tree - A spectacular tree with fan shaped leaves
and hardy to zone 3. Ginkos were growing on earth 150 million
years ago. Just for this reason alone it is worth planting.
Autumn Blaze
Maple - A cross between red maple and silver maple this gives
the tree fast growth and the strength of a red maple. Has excellent
red-orange fall color. Hardy to zone 4. Grows 50 feet high x 40
feet wide.
Ruby Frost Maple
- Has great red fall foliage on a broad oval head. The tree can
grow to 45 feet and exhibits extreme drought tolerance. Hardy
to zone 4.
New Shrubs
for 2001
Buddleia Pink
Delight - Buddleia is not hardy to VT, so why do we
carry it? Someone suggested why not sell it as an annual plant,
it will go well in a container. Buddleia attracts butterflies,
they really love this plant. It will bloom from late august through
the fall with fragrant pink flowers. Its quite inexpensive and
considering there is not many plants blooming that time of year
its well worth having on the patio or in the garden.
Adelaide Dunbar
Lilac - Bright purple flowers make this a distinctive lilac
for the garden.
Arch Mckean Lilac
- A good bloomer with reddish purple flowers. A good lilac for
those looking for a deep purple lilac like grandmother used to
have.
Blizzard Mockorange
- This mockorange was found in Alberta, Canada and is hardy to
zone 3. It has single white flowers that bloom profusely in clusters
for up to four weeks.
Gro-Low Fragrant
Sumac - Grows 2.5 feet high and is excellent for bank control
and in mass plantings. I have seen this plant at the Tower Hill
Botanical Garden in Worcester, Massachusetts with its reddish-orange
fall color and it was spectacular.
Autumn Jazz Arrowwood
Viburnum - Hardy to zone 3. Has white flowers in May-June,
then blue-black fruit, followed by yellow, orange, red, and burgundy
fall color. Good for attracting birds. A really nice plant.
Nishiki Willow
- Grows 4-6 feet with pink stems. The buds open to dappled green,
pink, and white foliage. Does best in partial shade. Hardy to
zone 5 possibly zone 4.
New Store
Items This Season
Aquatic Soil
from Schultz is new available at Hamlen's. Use for all water plants.
Spitters
by Laguna are garden ornaments used as small fountains. They came
in a variety of styles, at very affordable prices.
Upcoming
Events at the Garden Center
June 2, 2001 - Free
Seminar 10 a.m. "Ask the Master Gardeners." Join our
panel of Master Gardeners they answer your tough gardening questions.
Call the Garden Center in advance to pre-register.
June 9, 2001 - Live
auction to benefit Northwestern Counseling and Support Services.
Event begins at 10 a.m. Choose to bid on new, used and unique
items.
June 23, 2001 -
Free Seminar 9 a.m. "Medicinal Herbs." Learn about the
healing power of plants. Call the Garden Center to pre-register.
20% off all herbs.
June 23, 2001 -
Free Seminar 10 a.m. "Tree, Shrub and Hedge Pruning."
Please call to pre-register.
There is no charge
to attend these seminars, please call ahead to pre-register. For
a full list of this season's events, please visit our events calendar.
Good
Bugs/Bad Bugs
As summer approaches
and our gardens begin to bloom and produce harvest, the avid gardener
turns his/her attention to pest control. Insects can wreak havoc
on our gardens by chewing and sucking the life from our plants.
However, not all insects are harmful to our gardens. It is important
that we learn that there are good bugs and bad bugs.
Insects are beneficial
to the gardener in several ways:
They
aid in the production of fruits, seeds, vegetables, and flowers
by pollinating the blossoms. Most common fruits are pollinated
by insects. Vegetables such as melons, and squash require insects
to carry their pollen before fruit sets. Many ornamental plants,
both outdoor and in the greenhouse are pollinated by insects.
Insects
improve the quality of soil and promote its fertility by borrowing
throughout the surface layers. The dead bodies and droppings
of insects act as fertilizer for the soil.
Insects
devour the bodies of dead animals and plants and thus perform
a valuable service as scavengers.
Some
of the greatest good insects provide is by fighting among themselves.
There is no doubt that the greatest single factor in keeping plant
feeding insects from overwhelming the rest of the world is that
they are often fed upon by other insects.
Chewing
off the external parts of the plant. Examples of these bugs include,
cabbageworm, army worm, grasshopper, and Colorado potato beetle.
Piercing-sucking
insects- these bugs pierce the epidermis (skin) and suck the sap
from the plant cells. They have slender and sharp mouthparts.
Examples include aphids, squash bugs and leafhoppers.