Author Archives: Kathy Bark

Practicing Patience with Perennials

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We all love our annual flowers, reliably producing a glorious display all season long.  They are perfect for containers or filling in areas of the garden beds.  While annuals truly are amazing, don’t discount the predictable perennial plant.  You can easily create a dynamic display of color and texture by positioning your plants according to bloom time.

The majority of perennials will bloom during a specific amount of time during a specific part of the season.  Knowing which plants bloom when will assist you in creating your plan.  In addition, choose perennials that will stay in place and don’t “walk” around (via seeds or runners).  Using ever-blooming shrubs like a selection from the new Easy Elegance® Collection of roses as a backdrop for your perennial display for added wow factor.  Filling in and blending your “masterpiece” with foliage plants such as Heuchera will guarantee visual interest all season long.

Suburban Lawn & Garden grows the majority of our own Perennials for you.  These plants have been started right here, in our zone, ready to enter your garden without a fuss.  There is a general rule, however, which applies to nearly all perennials.  When first introduced into your garden, they like to “check things out”, dip their “toes” in and get comfy.  In doing so, you may not see an exciting amount of activity from them.  We like to refer to this as “sleeping”.  The following year, they tend to “venture out a bit”, peeking around the corners, becoming introduced to their neighbors…basically getting better acquainted with their environment. We refer to this as their second year “creeping” stage.  The following year, stand back!  If you have found an acceptable spot for your perennials, they will explode with growth and color!  They “leap” to their full potential.  Time to sit back and enjoy your handiwork…

Our stores are FULL of perennials for every spot in your garden.  Don’t be afraid to add them to your containers as fillers, too.  You can enjoy them all season, then install them in your garden beds in the Fall.  Enjoy your new-found passion for Perennials!The Garden that is Finished is Dead

The Insect Brigade

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We ALL have birds that occasionally visit our yards.  Songbirds, Woodpeckers, Birds of Prey…they all pass through from time to time.  Some will stick around longer than others depending on what your yard has to offer.

When we receive mounds of snow (like we have recently), all of these birds (with the exception of maybe the woodpeckers and the birds of prey) will have a VERY tough time finding food.  It is very helpful to supply them with supplement through these harsh times.  Suburban Lawn & Garden carries a variety of foods, each designated for a specific type of bird.  For example, Cardinals will LOVE you for setting out a mix that contains Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.  If you don’t know which types of birds you have, you can use a general mix which should contain a bit of something for all of them.  We do think highly of Wild Delight around here…their food is a very nice quality and they present a wide assortment of mixes.

Some of you may be thinking, how are these “seed-eating” birds going to help my garden?  The majority of birds (even those that eat seeds) will feed insects to their young.  They are softer, pack more of a protein punch AND in the Spring and Summer, they are much more plentiful than seeds are.  So, if you attract all types of birds, they will reward you greatly!  Even hummingbirds eat their fair share of flying insects…capturing those which are difficult for other birds to snag.

When selecting a bird feeder, try to find one that is suitable for the types of birds you will be catering to, as well.  If in doubt, just go with a general type, but make sure it has a roof to protect the seed from getting wet.  We, of course have a large variety of bird feeders and houses to choose from.  Setting out some houses, will also guarantee that a few families will “move in” and become your “outdoor pets”.  Be sure to clean them out after the fledglings have taken flight.

A small amount of effort this winter assisting our feathered friends will bring you much joy and a healthier garden, to boot!  Enjoy!!

The Garden that is Finished is Dead

Who’s Ready for Spring?!

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I know I am!  This month’s issue will be very image intensive and will showcase many of the highly anticipated new plants for 2013!  While I realize this is only January, we only have about 6-8 more weeks of winter before we can, once again, beautify our outdoor living spaces!

To begin, I wanted to share the selected colors for 2013…they tend to set the tone for women’s fashion and home decor during the year (other colors are selected for men’s fashion, etc).  What do you think?

Quite lovely…though not enough jewel tones, in my opinion.  This seems to be a rather muted selection (compared to last year).  Oh well…on to more exciting news!

We are anxiously awaiting several new arrivals for Spring of 2013…they are currently in production at our growing farm and we can’t wait to give these great plants a try!

Simply gorgeous Primulas!!

Now for a few lovelies to brighten those shady spots…

…can you believe these new Impatiens?!?

This seems to be the year of the trailing begonia…we have quite a few joining our line-up.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

And now for some Spectacular foliage!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out these fantastic Salvias and a Petunia that will rock the neighborhood!


Last, but certainly not least, Suburban Lawn & Garden is proud to introduce the Mighty ‘Mato!  A grafted tomato which bears 2-3 times more fruit.  We will offer 6 great varieties including Heirlooms, as well as, hybrids.  Keep in touch with me on Facebook and I will fill you in on all of the details!  Not only that, you can have a sneak peek of many more plants arriving this spring…don’t miss out!

 

The Garden that is Finished is Dead

Pesky Critter Season

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It’s that time of year, again!  The weather will get colder, food will become scarce and the critters begin moving in on your prized plants…aak!  Rabbits and Deer can be horribly destructive to annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.  During the winter, it becomes extremely important to protect your young trees from hungry critters, as well as, sun scald which can cause irreparable damage.

There are several methods you can use to protect your new trees, some are better
than others for serving a dual purpose.  There are tree wraps, screens, paint and fences.  It is suggested to choose a method which suits your fancy and then check frequently for damage to the tree.  The best time to install your wrap is after a few lengthy nighttime freezes.  The majority of the insects will be gone and no longer post a threat to the tree for the season.  Tree wraps come in varying forms, are readily available (check the tree care section of our garden pharmacy), and extremely easy to install on the tree.  The brief video provided is an excellent tutorial on the process.

The tree wrap is only designed to be

applied to the point where branching begins on the tree.  Granted, deer may cause damage to the branches of the tree, but this will not usually be a fatal attack.

And then there is the well known saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”… if you grow plants which are undesirable to critters, you will have much less damage (in a normal year).  There seems to be very few “immune” plants to munching, however if there are enough alternatives in neighboring properties, they should ignore these plantings.

Deer tend to do more fatal harm to trees and shrubs, so this list is primarily focused on those categories.  As stated before, they avoid these plants….this doesn’t guarantee they will remain chomp-free.

The majority of the plants found on the rabbit list are those which both tend to avoid.  In addition to these plant lists, most spring and fall bulbs are safe from being grazed or browsed, soooo plant away!  

If you reside in what feels like a heavily “infested” area, consider making a switch to some of these beautiful plants which naturally ward off critter attacks.  Keep us posted!

The Garden that is Finished is Dead

Holiday Decorating with Fresh Greenery – How To

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The Holidays seem to sneak up on us every year….how does that happen? Thanksgiving is actually very early this year considering the first of the month fell on a Thursday.  We have one weekend left to complete our decorating before the festivities begin…can we get it done?  Yes, we can!  Poinsettias and Fresh Greenery are coming this week with Christmas Trees to follow!  I believe we will have everything needed to complete your design ideas.

If your Christmas Tree is the artificial type, but you still

 want the aroma and ambiance of evergreens, use fresh greenery within your decorations.  The possibilities are endless: swags, wreaths, outdoor pots, indoor pots, table toppers, mantle runners, not to mention a myriad of accent uses.  You can even display an arrangement in a small space such as a guest bathroom…makes a great air freshener, too!

If you love to be creative, these arrangements are not very difficult to make.  You will need a plastic pot (we have some in our plastic pot recycling bins), a plastic liner, enough florist foam to fill the pots completely, florist picks, hot glue, ribbon (if you wish to make your own bow), pruning shears, fresh greenery and other ornaments/accents you wish to use.

Insert the plastic bag into the pot, then soak your foam.  Fill the pot with as many large pieces as possible, but be sure to fill it completely with pieces cut to size.   Next, cut a bit off of the stems of the greenery at an angle.  This will insure two things: ease of insertion into the foam and the fresh cut will absorb available moisture more readily.

You will want to decide whether you want your masterpiece to be viewed from one side or all sides.  Keeping this in mind, begin with your largest, tallest or center-most pieces of greenery first and work towards the edges of the pots (you can always fill in voids later with additional evergreen or alternate accents).  Once you are satisfied with your base, begin adding filler (various accents and small pieces of greenery to hide the pot edges).

Use hot glue to attach ornaments to the florist picks for easy placement into your design.  You may even wish to collect interesting seed pods or other nature items from your garden for additional interest.  Paint them with metallic spray paint for a bit more pizzazz!  These items can add more of an earthy tone to your arrangement.  Once you are finished, add a bow (if desired) and give yourself a pat on the back!  You did it!  Don’t forget to keep them well watered to last throughout the season.

Alternately, you may wish to use a Poinsettia as a centerpiece within the pot and then add fresh greenery around the plant OR you can use various annual or tropical plants to accent your gorgeous Holiday beauty.

Consider using small containers in the same way for accent pieces throughout the house!  How lovely!  If you would prefer to not tackle this project yourself, come on in to one of our stores (they are assembled at our Martin City location at 135th and Wornall) and we should have several to choose from.  If you don’t see something you like, ask if we can create a few custom pieces for you!  Either way, your home is guaranteed to be beautiful this season!

For inspiration, visit our Facebook Page and flip through our photo albums, we have several pictures to jog your creative juices!

Have a marvelous Holiday season!!

The Garden that is Finished is Dead