317Grow Blog
Read . Grow . Thrive
Are you looking to get a real tree for the first time and wondering which is best? Are you a veteran live tree buyer curious about whether you're picking the best kind for you? Take a look at our list of eight of the top-selling Christmas tree species to learn more about how different all these gorgeous green options really are.
Groundcovers are versatile workhorses in the landscape. Low-growing, low-maintenance, and quick to fill in problem areas - we'd be lost without them. There are dozens of options for groundcover, but chances are most people just know English ivy and its other evergreen counterparts, vinca and wintercreeper. While these plants have a time and a place (expect for wintercreeper - it has turned out to be highly invasive, and we no longer use it even though many nurseries and garden centers still sell it), there are so many more species to choose from.
Another major tree pest has emerged: the spotted lanternfly. This striking planthopper was first identified in Pennsylvania in 2014, and while it has not yet become widespread, it has the potential to spread quickly. Tree-lovers everywhere need to be on high alert. Spotted lanternfly targets grapes, hops, and the invasive tree of heaven first, but it can also attack and kill maples, oaks, fruit trees, pines, sycamores, willows, walnuts, and poplars.
While we haven’t had a lot of huge snow events this year, almost every week there’s enough of a risk of snow or ice to put down road salt at least once. Over time, this salt can splash onto parking lot and roadside plants enough to damage the foliage, or temporarily shock the soil with too much salt for the plant roots. Salt draws water out of plant cells and leaves them looking burnt and stunted. In cases of soil salt accumulation, sometimes it just looks like a plant is smaller and struggling compared to the same plant a few feet further back from the street.
Winter is upon us, and the world outside our windows has become a lot more grey and dreary. When we approach a new design, it is not at all unusual for the client to request that we include plants that will look interesting all year round. For most, their mind will automatically turn to evergreens, but there are so many more plants that can light up the winter landscape in other ways.
We love using arrangements of fresh greenery to keep planters looking lively for holiday celebrations! The pine and holly branches might turn brown in January, but while they last they add a lot for your planters. We offer arrangement installation, but if you want to try it out for yourself we have some tips for you.
We love hydrangeas. Oakleaf hydrangeas, hardy hydrangeas, smooth hydrangeas - we love them all. Most of the year they’re easy to care for as long as they have enough water, but late in the season some weird looking things can show up on the leaves: hydrangea rust and leaf spot. The good news is that these fungal leaf diseases pose no long-term threat to the health of your plants, but there are some steps you can take to minimize the aesthetic damage.
Many of us have yards with shaded areas, but I get a lot of questions asking what the plant options are beyond hostas. Don't get me wrong, I love hostas - there are so many unique varieties, and bees and hummingbirds can't get enough of the flowers. But they are prone to slug and deer damage, and it's not crazy to want a little bit of something different. Below I've come up with 40 different plants for shade - some prefer dappled sunlight, and others can take pretty dense shade.
What is the single most important factor in the short-term and long-term success of a new planting? If you said proper watering, you're right. Newly installed plants don't have extensive root systems like more established plants, so they rely on the moisture present in their root ball. Even drought-tolerant species will need a little help at first.
CONNECT WITH US:
