Crocuses
Mums and bulbs have been ordered and should be at the nursery sometime during the second week in September. We will also have ornamental Kale and Cabbage, home-grown pumpkins, straw bales and cornstalks to provide you with your fall decorating needs.
Back by popular demand are the giant Amaryllis bulbs. Our customers had huge success with these last year–bulbs resulted in up to 8 flowers at a time. They were gorgeous!
Call us to check on availability. Our phone number: 260-637-5816
Here are some September yard work suggestions:
Arbor Farms Nursery is celebrating our 11th year in business! There will be a special celebration on September 24th and 25th–watch for details via email, our website, Channel 15 and the newspaper.
Here are 10 things you might not know about the nursery:
1. The nursery is locally owned.
2. There are a total of 22 acres at the nursery site.
Arbor Farms Nursery Growing Stock
3. Plants are irrigated from a 2 acre pond that was originally a site where peat was excavated. In 10 years we’ve pumped somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 million gallons of water which recycles back into the pond.
Arbor Farms Nursery Pond
4. There are 10 employees at the nursery–3 have been there since the beginning and the majority have been employed there for 4 years or more. (That’s a lot of experience!)
5. Aside from shrubs and trees the nursery also carries perennials, annuals, tropicals, vegetables, fruit plants, herbs, containers, fountains, benches, tools and chemicals, stone, soils and mulches.
Fountain and Shrub Display
6. We grow a lot of our own trees in containers and in the field.
7. We have planted topiaries in the shapes of a flower, horse, and a deer (which has been here from the very beginning–it’s gained weight just like the rest of us.). We have topiaries for sale in the shape of a llama, chicken, swan, cactus and elephant.
Original Owners/Original Deer
8. The “Red Barn” is over 100 years old and is still used every day by our staff.
9. We were selected as one of the FW Newspapers Reader’s Choice Winners this year for “Best Home Garden Center” by our loyal customers.
10. We have 2248 people signed up for our Garden Rewards Program.
Come in to the nursery to see examples of the grasses mentioned here that are planted in our landscape.
This time of year is when landscape grasses really start to shine. Seed heads develop, the grasses start to take on color, and then the winter frosts and snow cover can make them even more beautiful.
Some of our favorites include:
Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis) We usually stock several very different types of Maiden Grass. In general they are clump forming perennial grasses that bloom August into October. They have a yellow to amber fall color with some purple; and have a good winter presence. They are used often in Japan along with Japanese Maples as a symbol for Autumn. They often thrive in challenging conditions; starting late in spring, but hit their stride in the summer warmth. Prefer sun and less fertile soils as these will cause the stems to flop.
'Gracillimus' Maiden Grass and Japanese Maple
Variegated Maiden Grass
Morning Light Maiden Grass
Similar to Gracillimus, but with narrow white variegations on leaves that make it appear silvery. A little more upright than Gracillimus and can take a bit more shade.
We also carry a variety of other grasses:
Dwarf Fountain Grass “Hameln” (Pennisetum alopecuroides) Approx 2-3 feet tall. Gold color in autumn. Narrow leaves and seed heads are spikelike, dense and cylindrical (like a foxtail or caterpillar). Creamy white flowers. Full sun to light shade. Very popular for groundcover use.
'Hameln" Dwarf Fountain Grass
Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) Native to prairies. Major component of tallgerass praries. Easy, durable. Usually clump forming. Long-lived. Emerges late in spring and flowers in July or August. Airy flowers are pink tinted.Stands well in winter. Not a vigorous self-sower.
'Shenandoah' Switch Grass
Green summer foliage that turns dark red/green in July then turns intensely red in autumn. Upright to approximately 4 feet.
Feather Reed Grass (Clamagrostis x acutiflora) Rarely self sows. First to emerge in spring with bright green growth. Upright.
Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass
Nearly care-free. Clump forming and very upright. Narrow plumes of wheat-colored flowers. Use in singles or masses. Makes a great screen due to fast growth and reliability. Will tolerate heavy clay and light shade.Plants may survive winter in containers without protection.
Hardy Pampas Grass (Saccharum ravennae or Erianthus ravennae)
Largest of our grasses up to 14 feet tall. Grow in place of the tender true pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), which cannot survive winters in Indiana. Pink tinted flowers then silver. Superb as a cut flower. Red to orange tones in autumn. Full sun and fairly long season to bloom. Will grow in wet or dry sites and isn’t particular about soil, but too much moisture and fertility cause it to flop. Will self-sow.
Autumn Moor Grass (Seslaria autumnalis)
Up to 12 inches tall with blooms in mid summer that are narrow, cream-white to silver. Easy in full sun or part shade. Very drought tolerant and semi-evergreen.
Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca) Clump forming and dense with narrow, blue foliage. Neat mound. May remain evergreen through winter, but may become dormant in summer if there is excessive heat and humidity. Cut back in summer if this occurs. Must have well-drained soil—drought tolerangt. Full sun, but can tolerate light shade. Elijah Blue Fescue is the most reliable and durable. 6-10 inches tall.
Little Bluestem (Schizachrium scoparium)
Native to prairies. Tolerant of moisture conditions and soils. Upright and clump-forming. Fine textured 2-4 feet. Gray blue foliage with some red-purple tints. Orange to red fall color. Blooms in late summer. Usually remains standing through winter. Full sun.
Little Bluestem
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
Native to prairies. Very elegant and narrow leaves. Has a flowing look in masses. Approximately 15 inches tall. Green in summer turning deep orange in autumn. Fragile flowers in early fall that are strongly fragrant. Relatively slow growing but long lived without center dieback. Easy in full sun or light shade on wide range of soils.
Variegated Sedges (Carex morrowii )
Everest and Evergold
Evergold Sedge
are two types of clump forming grasses with narrow leaves to use as ground covers. Everest has white variegation and Evergold has yellow. Use in light shade best to avoid scorch.
Ice Dance –spreads by rhizomes.
Ice Dance Sedge
Wider leaves with cream white margins. Not invasive and fills in nicely as ground cover.
(Source: The Encyclopedia of grasses for Livable Landscapes by Rick Darke, Timber Press, C 2007)
We often get asked if it’s OK to plant trees during the summer months. We continue to plant trees throughout the summer. It’s important that the trees being planted have been removed from the field in the spring, or started in containers in the spring or previous year. During the summer there will be more stress on the plant, but careful monitoring of watering will help the plant develop strong roots and overcome the stress.
Some interesting trees that are available at Arbor Farms:
Autumn Gold Ginkgo
45 feet tall and 35 feet wide at maturity. Gold fall color. Upright, broad shape as it ages. A hardy male tree (doesn’t produce fruit). Use as a street or lawn tree.
Pyramidal European Hornbeam
Pyramidal European Hornbeam
Ft. McNair Horsechestnut
Fort McNair Horsechestnut
Weeping Japanese Larch
Weeping Larch
Stake to desired height with a weeping form. Bright yellow fall color. Unusual looking specimen with a highly weeping form. All the pendulous branches will droop down from the staked plant in a dramatic fashion. Foliage will drop making it an interesting specimen even in winter.
This is the time of year brings out some of the worst garden pests. We’ve included links to Ohio State University Fact Sheets about each pest. These fact sheets include identification information and methods of control for each. We can also provide identification and solutions to your problems here at the nursery. Bring in a sample of the plant with the damage and include samples of the insect if possible.
Japanese Beetles
These shiny, rainbow-hued beetles can defoliate plants quickly. They are easily spotted, and their damage is very visible. Defoliation can stress a plant enough that it might cause serious damage. The easiest method of ridding yourself of these insects is to knock them into a solution of soapy water and allow them to die there. Insecticides can also help to eliminate them, but the beetles drop quickly from plants so it might be difficult to catch them in the spray. These beetles love all members of the “Rose” family and particularly love plants that are already in stress due to lack of water.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2504.html
Aphids
These insects suck fluids from plants, and can also transmit viruses to plants. They are very small and are difficult to see. Often the best indication that you have Aphids is the presence of “honeydew” which is the excrement from the insect. The honeydew can cause mold with a sooty look to grow, or it can look white and slightly fuzzy. Close looks at your plants will show aphids lined up on the underside of leaves and along stems. Often leaves will be unnaturally curled and discolored.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2031.html
Mites
These extremely tiny relations to spiders suck on plants. Mottling/stipling on leaves of plants and browning on evergreens (Dwarf Alberta Spruce are particularly susceptible) can be an indication of mite damage. To check for mites hold a white piece of paper beneath the branches of a plant and gently tap the branch—mites will show as very tiny black or red dots on the paper. If you look closely they will move.
Mites are easily knocked from plants using water. When watering your Dwarf Alberta Spruce lightly spray the branches with water.
Many of our customers bring in maple leaves that are covered in little red, bumps. They are worried that the maples have a disease that will kill them, or damage them in some way.
These red bumps (Maple Bladder Gall) are caused by a small mite, and are actually the result of previous damage by the mite. Major damage to the trees is rare.
See this link for further information:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2004.html
Snow Fountains Weeping White Cherry
Many of our customers find that their space for trees is limited by the size of their yard, or by the location of buildings and other features. We do have a variety trees that can fill these spaces beautifully. The Snow Fountains White Weeping Cherry is a tree that will reach 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide while providing an abundance of white blooms early in the spring.
Measure your space carefully to make sure that your trees will fit the space as they grow. A common mistake is to place a tree too close to a structure when it is young, and where pruning will ultimately become a burden and will affect the beauty of the tree.
Bring us the dimensions of your landscape bed and note where windows, doors, sidewalks and other building features may affect the placement of your new tree. Sometimes a tree isn’t the proper solution to your landscape problem, but read on for a list of small trees that can fit most tight spaces happily.
Take a look at our tree lists to find the perfect fit for your landscape.
This spring we had warmer than usual temperatures during some days with very cool, damp nights. Though plants in general have been beautiful this year; this kind of weather can lead to very specific problems with some. We have been having many questions about ninebarks with a white, fuzzy substance on the leaves. This is powdery mildew.
There are some general care tips to keep powdery mildew from spreading:
Hedgehog Spruce
Hedgehog Spruce. Low, cushion-shaped plant. Greyish blue-green, thin, short needles. Excellent for rock or trough garden. Slow-growing to 1.5’ X 2.5’
Slowmound Mugo Pine
Slowmound Mugo Pine. The dense, dark green mound is one of the best, with highly reliable color, texture, growth rate and habit. Beautiful year-round, it produces many showy buds and matures to a wide, even shape that is naturally compact. Slow-growing to 1’ -2’ tall.
Golden Sprite Hinoki Cypress
Golden Sprite Hinoki Cypress. A rounded, little bun-shaped plant with small, thin foliage tipped bright yellow gradually shaded to green. Can take some shade. Very slow-growing to 1.5’ X 2’
Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce
Tom Thumb Oriental Spruce. Striking golden fingers of tight foliage point out from the center of this attractive layered globe. Desirable for small garden spaces, tucked beneath taller trees or in trough or rock gardens. For best color, site in plenty of sun, but protect from super hot conditions. American Conifer Society 2007 Collector’s Conifer of the Year. Prefers ample moisture and rich, well-drained soil in full sun or part shade. Slow-growing to 1.5’ X 2.5’
White Pygmy Sawara Cypress
White Pygmy Sawara Cypress. Tiny strands of feathery, white-tipped foliage that produce a fine, velvety texture. Unique white color provides year-round color in the rock garden or trough and maintains its size without pruning. Growth tends to be more open in shadier sites, but plants prefer protection from scorching sun. Slow-growing to 1’ – 3’ tall.
Pixie Dust Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Pixie Dust Dwarf Alberta Spruce. Extremely dense, compact and slow growing—miniature Dwarf Alberta Spruce with yellow new growth in summer. Contrasts dramatically with the deep-green, mature foliage. American Conifer Society 2006 Collector’s Conifer of the Year. Trough, container or rock garden. Provide ample moisture and full sun for the best color. Slow-growing to 3’ – 5’ tall.
Watch for a new blog posts on small deciduous shrubs, shrubs that are short but wide, long and lean shrubs and trees, and small ornamental trees. Our staff members are willing to help you select the shrubs and trees that fit your space requirements. Also take a look at the product sheets that are available on our website.
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