Plant of the Month

As winter begins to make its appearance again, we have selectedJapanese tassel fern (Polystichum) as our plant of the month. Native to Japan and Korea, yet hardy in zones 6-8, this plants grows in ‘clumps’, which are actually called crowns. Tassel ferns exhibit a glossy shimmer and look very nice mixed amidst your hosta garden or shade garden. The pictures we have included for you are of the species polyblepharum, which means “many eyelashes.” Look closely and you will see why!

In the Garden With Ellen   

With a lot of talk still revolving around Super Storm Sandy, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t take a storm like Sandy to wreak havoc with your landscape. Snow, heavy rains, wind, ice, and extreme fluctuations in temperature play in your yard and damage both plantings and property. Here are a few simple tips from Custom Gardens:

1) Keep branches and shrubs off the house, ensuring that trees overhanging the house are cut back.

2) Prune trees and shrubs with dead/dying branches or stems, or remove the plant before it falls and causes damage.

3) Use a broom or other appropriate tool to brush heavy snow off of shrubs to avoid damage.

4) Don’t plant under power lines if the plant will grow into the power line–the result is either jeopardized power or a tree fated to be butchered to keep it clear of the lines.

5) Ornamental pots, planters, lawn furniture, etc. can cause major damage in a high wind; take them inside, cover them up, or secure them in some way so they don’t become missiles.

In the News

I’m delighted to be a board member of Healing Art Works, a local organization that raises funds to commission original works of art. These pieces are then donated to healthcare facilities to aid in inpatient healing. Is it any surprise that many of them are the artists’ renditions of various landscapes? The reasoning is simple–whether you are looking out your own window or within a work of art–landscapes, nature, and the plants contained therein offer a uniquely peaceful healing experience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Believe this newsletter may interest a neighbor, friend, or associate? We will be happy to add them to our contact list at your or their request. 

 Plant of the Month   

Goldenrod (Solidago) is just perfect for this time of year in our area and anywhere else zoned 4-9. Luckily for onlookers, it’s not the allergy source that many believe it to be! Blame those sneezes and stuffy noses on ragweed instead. Goldenrod, which means “to make whole,” is low maintenance, attracts butterflies, and fares well in clay soil. This hearty perennial provides late summer color and wonderful cut flowers for your indoor decor. And what a multi-tasker! It is also often used as a diuretic and topically to heal wounds. While it comes in all shapes and sizes, I particularly enjoy the little lemon goldenrod (Solidago hybrida “Little Lemon” ‘Dansolitlem’). This dwarf version grows to be about 24 inches tall.

In the Garden with Ellen 

Now that the temperatures are getting cooler, it is time to start thinking about what plants to cut back in the fall. However, some plants do not want a fall haircut. These plants do much better when they are cut back in the spring. The following are some popular plants that will really reward you if they are cut back in the spring:

Lavender: Wait until spring to cut these beauties back after the plant has put out new foliage. If you cut in the autumn, you run the risk of them not wintering over at all.

Caryopteris: Leave this late bloomer alone until spring as well. In fact, we recommend that you wait until the month of May makes its entrance to head out and cut your caryopteris way back–almost to the ground–to pave the way for a full, luscious shrub … instead of one that’s woody.

Buddleia: Chopping into this too early will also result in a plant that looks sparse and woody. You can cut this one to the ground in May too, and by June or July, you will find a 5-6 foot established plant, covered with flowers!

Red Twig Dogwood: The secret to keeping this plant red in winter is quite simple; it is the new, young stems that turn red in the winter.Leave the plant alone for about three years and enjoy the winter color. After that, cut the plant to the ground in the early spring. You will be rewarded with a full, shrubby plant that very season, one which has brilliant red stems in the winter.

Interested in learning how to care for the plants in your landscape? Give us a call at 610.613.7506, or reply to this newsletter.

Plant of the Month   

We’re taking somewhat of a different approach to our plant of the month for August — types that fare well in dry conditions, and specifically in this climate area, Zones 6-9.

There are many different kinds of plants to use in your landscape that do well in dry areas. And we’re not just talking flowers! These include shrubs, grasses, and even trees. To the left, you will find beautiful examples of a perennial (Creeping Phlox), a shrub/tree (Dynamite Crape Myrtle), and a tree (Eastern Red Bud) that fit the bill. Like a number of xeriscape plants, the Crape Myrtle comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Even last month’s plant, the day lily, falls into the category of not needing large amounts water to sustain itself. 

In the Garden with Ellen

As the climate is changing, we are experience more periods of heat and sustained drought. Landscaping with xeriscape plants is an excellent way to conserve water while enjoying an attractive landscape.

You may remember our newsletter from June of 2011 that spoke of xeriscaping. For those of you who are new to the Custom Gardens newsletter or would like a refresher, xeriscaping is an increasingly popular style of landscape design involving little or no irrigation or other maintenance after the initial season.

This type of landscaping actually reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. Not only is this style environmentally responsible, but the types of plants used to xeriscape often have an extended bloom time, which is particularly attractive to garden owners.

Plant of the Month  

Our plant on spotlight this month is the Hemerocallis, or daylily. We have found that many people who don’t like orange make an exception for this daylily. If you’re a fan of this perennial in your own garden, you might be aware of the reason behind its common name — they bloom for a day! Because orange daylilies are so widespread and common to woodlands and roadsides, many people believe they are native to the United States, where they grow best in zones 3-9. This is not the case. In fact, they came to our country along with seeds of other plants brought by early English settlers.

Daylilies come in many different heights, colors, and bloom periods. What’s particularly exciting about this is that, even though the bloom time isn’t incredibly long, you can plant various cultivars of this plant to bloom one right after the other! Love the idea but not up to the planning challenge? Call Custom Gardens to do it for you!

In the Garden with Ellen

Plant of the Month    

Our plant on spotlight this month is Knautia macedonica. Hailing from the Caucasus (mountainous region bordering Europe and Asia), Knautia macedonica is not only deer resistant, but it also fares beautifully in our local landscape. Flowering longer than almost any other plant, its seed heads then provide winter food for birds. The shape and color of this dainty beauty make it a wonderful accent to larger leaved foliage, as well as flat or daisy-like flowers. Like our last plant of the month, we suggest you consider incorporating these underutilized additions into your landscape design!

Plant of the Month  

For May, we would like to highlight Lonicera pileata and Lonicera nitida ’Baggesen’s Gold’. These luscious plants offer punches of green and gold. They’re wonderful in the shade, deer resistant, and require very little attention. Lonicera pileata leaves are small, simple, and a shiny, dark green. Baggesen’s Gold looks very similar, but lends a softer gold and green coloring, and it brings lots of color to your landscape! Don’t make the mistake of missing out on these underutilized plants.

In the News

You may remember a number of months ago an article and photograph in the Philadelphia Inquirer that featured a house landscaped by Custom Gardens. That house, at 1 Sabine Avenue, is going to be on the Narberth Garden Tour — June 10, 2012! Get your tickets by clicking here. Proceeds benefit the Narberth Library. For a glimpse of the home and its landscaping, see below!

Narberth Garden Tour House Landscaping by Custom Gardens, LLC

I am pleased and honored to say that I graduated with a Certificate of Achievement from the Barnes just a week ago. My time at the Barnes was wonderful and enlightening. I have learned a great deal there, and I am excited to continue applying that knowledge to my craft.

The Barnes Foundation Graduating Class of 2012!

In the News

Custom Gardens has launched a facebook page! Please click here and ‘like’ our page. We welcome you to post pictures of your garden, showing and telling us what you love about it. Invite your friends to share too! In addition to our excitement in being able to display and share your pictures and stories, we are also very excited to answer your questions, as well as offer you updates and pictures from our gardens.

Plant of the Month 

Instead of our traditional plant of the month, we’ve decided to highlight our Outdoor Potted Plants. Beautiful additions to any home, we personalize each to recipient taste, just as we do with ourIndoor Specialty Gardens.

 Outdoor Potted Plants, by Custom Gardens

Fall and Winter Blooming Pansies and Camellias

 

These beautiful creations provide a lovely accent to the front or back of any home, particularly by a porch or steps, in a garden, at the mailbox–and places where you lack grass. They are brilliant in helping to sell a home (and portable, so they’re able to come with you after you settle), great branding for storefronts, and wonderful gifts–just in time for Mother’s Day! What’s more, they can be ‘all season’ additions to your home, which means that we can come out each and every season to offer you a new look.

All the Time

Custom Gardens invites you to contact us at 610.613.7506 to schedule a complimentary consultation on your property. Available to discuss indoor and outdoor specialty gardens and landscapes, we are in the business of making your home or office–your everyday view–more attractive and enjoyable.