Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Wildflower seeds can be broadcasted now on hillsides for colorful blooms and erosion control.

• For blue hydrangeas, apply “Hydrangea Bluing Formula” or aluminum sulfate around the plants this month.

• Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and other cool season crops should be planted now for delicious spring harvests.

• Prepare for planting season! Turn in cover crops and do a soil test if your garden had trouble last year.

• Potatoes like to grow in the cool weather of spring. Plant them as soon as possible.

Lovely Flowering Cherry Trees

One of the most beautiful sights in the spring is the profusion of flowers on the flowering cherry trees. These trees have been cultivated over the centuries in China and Japan, and the Japanese have named over 120 varieties. There are about 50 varieties grown in this country, but many of them look very much alike.

The flowers are either single or double, white or pink, and on most varieties they appear before the leaves. The branches can be either upright or pendulous.

All flowering cherries need good drainage. If your soil is heavy, then planting them on a mound or in a raised bed is critical. They like full sun and some summer watering.

The most popular of all flowering cherries is ‘Kwanzan.’ The large, double deep pink flowers are over two inches across with 30-50 petals and are borne in clusters. The tree grows about 15 to 25 feet tall with upright branches in a vase shape. The new leaves are a coppery bronze, adding to the colorful display of this tree. It does not bear fruit.

‘Akebono’ cherry tree, also known as ‘Daybreak’ flowering cherry, produces abundant single pink flowers that gradually fade to white as they open. The upright-spreading crown eventually becomes an umbrella-shaped tree, 25 feet tall and wide. Glossy, dark green leaves turn bright yellow in fall. Small fruit is enjoyed by the birds.

The pink flower buds of ‘Shirotae’ open to fragrant, white semi-double flowers. Its name means “snow white” and it is considered the finest of all the double white Japanese cherries. It has a strong horizontal branching habit and grows to 20 feet tall and 25 feet wide. The variety ‘Mount Fuji’ has pure white flowers with a sweet fragrance. The new leaves are bronze, turning green in summer and yellow to orange in the fall.

The weeping flowering cherries are especially beautiful when given room to grow. They have graceful branches that sweep down to the ground, which creates a rounded form. They bloom very heavily and early.

Weeping cherries are available as high or low-headed trees. A high-headed tree is grafted at five to six feet and will bloom with a profusion of double, rosy pink flowers. They can grow to 15 feet. The low-headed variety is grafted at 30 inches and has single pink flowers. It will make a lovely six-foot mound. Be sure not to top these trees as it ruins their graceful form. These trees are grafted onto upright rootstock, and any undesirable upright shoots arising from the understock should be removed.

The flowering cherry is the quintessential symbol of spring in a Japanese garden. Flowering cherries make an outstanding focal point for any garden.

• Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and peas grow best in the spring and don’t mind a little frost. Set out plants now and grow your own!

• Potatoes like to grow in the cool weather of spring. Plant them as soon as possible.

• Summer flower bulbs can be planted now. Choose from gladiolus, dahlias, begonias, lilies and more.

• Plant artichokes now. Fill a hole with one part humus and two parts soil and set out plants in full or part sun.

• Last call for bare root fruit trees. This is the most economical way to plant an orchard, so choose your trees now.

Growing Beautiful Azaleas

Some of our loveliest spring flowers bloom on compact plants called azaleas. These garden gems are evergreen and easy to grow given the right conditions. They cover themselves with beautiful flowers each spring and live for many years in gardens or in containers.

Azaleas should receive partial shade, or filtered shade all day. Plant them with rhododendrons, pieris, Japanese snowball or Japanese maples for a harmonious garden design.

Azaleas are fairly hardy plants, however they have a reputation for being difficult to grow. Most azalea deaths occur from faulty planting. In their native habitats they are found growing in loose, porous soils. So it is best to plant azaleas in a well-drained site with cool, moist, acidic soil.

The planting hole should be 18 to 24 inches wide but only as deep as the root ball. Use peat moss, planting mix, or ground bark to amend the soil up to 50%. Plant the azalea higher than the surrounding ground level and build up to the sides with the soil mixture. One of the quickest ways to kill an azalea is to bury the plant by putting soil on top of the root ball. The surface of the root ball should still be showing when you are done planting.

Too much fertilizer will also kill an azalea. These plants have tender fibrous roots which are easily burned by high-nitrogen fertilizers. Use a non- burning organic fertilizer like cottonseed meal or a chemical fertilizer labeled for azaleas once a month in April, May and June. Then switch to a 0-10-10 fertilizer for the months of July, August and September.

Azaleas are often the victims of overwatering. Water the plants as you would any other plant to get them established, and then check the soil to keep it moist but not soggy wet. If kept too wet, or grown in poorly drained soils, azaleas can be killed by root rot fungi. The leaves will wilt and then dry up on the plant.

Not all azaleas are hardy to the cold temperatures in our area, but there are varieties that can take temperatures down to 5°F. Look for names like Kurume and Satsuki to be sure you are buying a cold-hardy plant. Belgian Indicas and Southern Indicas will grow where temperatures don’t fall below 20°F. Below that the bark will split and the plants will die.

Kurume azaleas have very dense foliage and small flowers that completely cover the plants in spring. They come in all shades of red, pink, lavender, purple and white. Satsuki azaleas have a looser form and large flowers in white, pink or red that are sometimes striped or have multiple colors on one plant.

With a carefully chosen plant and proper planting and care, azaleas will live for many years, in the landscape or in containers, showing off their colorful flowers each spring.

• Plant potatoes! St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day to plant potatoes, so the season is upon us now.

• Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and other cool season crops should be planted this month for delicious spring harvests.

• Apple trees are still available as bare-root trees, but only for a short while longer. Start your orchard now!

• Last chance for asparagus roots this year. Prepare a fertile bed for these long-lived vegetables.

• Thin raspberry canes to 4-6 inches apart. Cut back remaining canes to 3 feet tall.

Elegant New Roses

Oh My! Wait till you see the new roses. Yes, one of the new roses this year is named ‘Oh My!’™ and it’s a beauty. This velvety red Floribunda is loaded with clusters of 3 to 4-inch ruffled flowers that look gorgeous against the glossy dark red-green leaves, which have very good disease resistance. Plant it as a flowering hedge or as a single handsome shrub and enjoy its rich red flowers in the vase.

If you think roses are too much work, try the new rose ‘Take It Easy’™. You won’t have much work to do in the garden with its wonderful disease resistance. This classic red shrub rose has elegant pointed buds that open into 3½-4 inch velvety dark red blooms with lighter pink reverse. The plant’s excellent vigor and the naturally self-maintained habit are other reasons to enjoy this beautiful rose.

The warm colors of ‘Sedona’ are reminiscent of the craggy red bluffs and high desert sunsets of the Southwest. The pointed, sculptured buds spiral open to reveal layers of reds, corals, and orange tones in the stunning 5-inch blossoms. Add a strong, fruity fragrance and you have a tower of jewels on these tall Hybrid Tea bushes. The large, full flowers on straight, sturdy stems are excellent for cutting.

For a more subtle beauty in a new rose look to ‘Crescendo’™. The elegant, creamy white, pointed buds open to reveal enormous, 5-inch blooms are that are white, blushing to light pink at the edges. The strong spicy fragrance of this shapely Hybrid Tea rose, with superb disease resistance and an attractive, medium-tall form, provides a perfect ensemble of beauty, elegance, and outstanding garden performance.

‘Above All’™ is a new hybrid with large clusters of salmon-orange blooms that cover the branches of this tall climber. The old fashioned style flowers, 3-4 inches in diameter, are produced in large clusters. With a nice fruity fragrance, good disease resistance, and continuous blooming from spring to fall, it will brighten up a fence all summer long.

If fragrance means the most to you in a rose, add ‘Perfume Delight’ to your rose garden. This bright pink Hybrid Tea rose has large, full flowers with a strong, damask fragrance. Introduced in 1974, it is still a beautiful rose with excellent form and good disease resistance. Established plants will produce blooms up to 6 inches across. Try that on your table!

‘Midnight Blue’™ brings us a dark, velvety purple rose with a spicy clove fragrance. The 2½-3½ inch blooms come in big clusters on this shrub rose that is grown on its own roots. The compact rounded plant will lend itself to smaller spaces and enrich any landscape.

It’s time to add a new rose to your garden and enjoy their classic beauty.