North Haven Gardens

What is the difference between a Meyer & Eureka Lemon?

Both Meyer Lemons and Eureka Lemons are in stock now! Plant in one our large, colorful pots and place outside in an area that receives a good 6 hours of direct sunlight. Protection from the aftrnoon sun is best. Feed spring and fall with NHG Organic Herb & Veggie Food. In winter, bring indoors and place in a bright window until spring.

All citrus attracts bees and butterflies to the garden. Plus, their blooms smell so sweet! Oranges, limes, and grapefruit also in stock.

Eureka Lemons are the lemons you might find in your local grocery store. They have a more tart flavor, bright yellow color, and are oval in shape. The plants reach roughly 10'-12' in height and have a wider growth habit.

Meyer Lemons are much sweeter than the Eureka variety. They have a slight orange tone to instead of a pure lemon, a thinner skin, and a bit smaller. The plant grows to a more compact 8'-10'.

Photo credit Former Chef (make lemonade!)
Meyer Lemon is on the left. Eureka Lemon is on the right.

Spring Will Be Here Before You Know It! Get Your Garden Beds Ready!

January is the perfect month to amend existing garden beds and create new ones for a jump-start on spring. Once the warm weather returns, you'll be so happy your bed-building, cleaning and refreshing is already done.

We recommend:

Existing Beds: Apply 1” of compost and work into the soil with a sturdy garden fork or hand cultivator.  When adding compost around existing shrubs, turn in the compost gently to be sure not to disturb roots.

Create New Garden Beds: Everyone loves fresh, new beds for perennials, annual color, shrubs, and herbs! Clear the area of debris, turf, and weeds (do not till! come into the store for great ideas to remove turf organically!) Install steel edging or pretty stones to prevent soil from eroding from the bed. Spread about 1-2” of expanded shale if you need to improve drainage, and 3-4” of compost onto the site, then till in to a depth of 6”, or hand cultivate. Once planted, topdress with 2" of hardwood or cedar mulch.

Create New Vegetable Beds: Raised beds provide the 12” depth necessary for all your favorites, from potatoes (Plant late January through February) to tomatoes (transplants arrive late-February, ready to plant!). Easy-to-assemble pre-fab raised bed kits are available here at NHG! Or, come see our Vegetable Demonstration Garden for great ideas on different styles of raised beds you can build yourself. Once you decide which raised bed you want, clear the area where it will be placed (do not till) and put down several layers of newspaper, topped with weed-block fabric. Fill the raised bed with a mixture of topsoil, cow manure, Humax Garden Soil Builder, and compost. How much of each will depend on the size of your beds. We are here 7-days a week to help you with those calculations. Using one of our pre-fab beds? We’ve already done the measurements and soil bag numbers here.

All new beds benefit from an application of Medina Soil Activator to stimulate microbial activity, reducing the amount of time it takes for the soil in your beds to loosen and break down for healthier, better draining soil. Microbes digest organic matter, releasing the nutrients for up-take by your plants. Remember, you must fertilize when planting in "new" soil, as nutrients in the soil may not yet be available to plants.

Top all beds with 2” of mulch to prevent weeds and increase moisture retention winter, spring, summer and fall. We like pine straw mulch for azaleas, hydrangeas and other acid-lovers; and shredded hardwood mulch for everything else.

We look forward to seeing what all of you will be planting this year. And don’t forget, with all the new water restrictions in Dallas, you’ll need to attend our programs on proper watering through summer and beyond. We are here to prove that with the right education and products so you’ll be able to beautifully maintain your landscape while dramatically reducing your water usage. See our Jan/Feb programs here.  

Forcing Bulbs Indoors for the Holidays

Brighten winter days with blooming bulbs indoors! They’re fun, easy, and make excellent gifts for friends and family.We have many bulbs in stock that are excellent for forcing including Amaryllis, Hyacinth, Paperwhites, Crocus and more!

If you want blooms for the holidays, you need to start your forcing this weekend. By Christmas and New Year's Eve, you'll have wonderful flowers ready for gifts and parties.

This Just In!!! We just received a beautiful new selection of festive, colorful glass vases and shallow bowls. Just add a coarse, gritty material such as expanded shale, river pebbles, or tumbled glass, place your chosen bulb with the roots burried into the growing medium, add water and voila! You're done! Easy! Add a bow and a pretty photo card from NHG and you've just created a unique, living, green gift in less than 10 minutes. Be sure to keep in a bright window away from drafts and vents. They'll need the sun to bloom.

Bulbs may also be forced in a vase sized to hold the bulb upright. Popular bulbs for vases are Hyacinth, Narcissus, and Amaryllis. Provide enough water in the bottom of the vase or bowl to just wet the basal plate … do not submerge the bulb! Place bowl indoors in bright, indirect light, away from drafts and heat registers to keep bulbs from becoming too dry, and to prevent the bulbs becoming too warm, too quickly.

Love to Cook? Plant Fall Saffron Crocus!

Here at NHG, we know you love pretty blooms that are easy to plant, easy to maintain and perform double duty -- beautiful AND edible! One of our favorites is Saffron Crocus. It's a  drought tolerant, hardy perennial that blooms in fall.  Plant the bulbs in clusters about 3"-4" deep in sunny to partially sunny spots in your garden. The stamen of the Saffron Crocus is the spice that is used in paella and other Spanish and Indian dishes. Each bloom provides 3 saffron threads. Plant now through winter. Fertilize at planting time with NHG Organic Bulb Food.

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There is also a spring blooming crocus. Unfortunately, it does not provide the same delicate, sought-after spice, saffron. However, it is an equally lovely drought tolerant, easy-maintenance bloom for your garden.

Spring Crocus: Beloved by children for being just the right size to pick, spring blooming Crocus bloom in late winter and earliest spring. They provide bright, cheerful blooms in yellow, white, purple and pinstriped. Planted in drifts and masses, they’ll get you through the winter doldrums and into spring with style. Adorable planted directly into your turf. Just like the Saffron Crocus, plant 3” to 4” deep.

 

It's Not Too Late for Your Lawn!

Yes, this past summer's heat was brutal on our lawns. But that doesn't mean we can't nurse them back to health! Simple things like properly mowing, fertilizing and watering through winter will help heal stressed turf and their roots. One of our favorite organic products to use is Hu-Max Turf Soil Builder.

If your lawn is showing a lot of thatch or brown out, now is the perfect time to repair it! Hu-Max Turf Soil Builder adds organic matter, encourages microbial activity in the soil, and encourages root growth to get your lawn back on track. Gently rake out any thatch or dead grass and apply a thin layer over damaged areas. Overseeding your lawn for the winter? Hu-Max Turf is an excellent topper that will help establish healthy grass and keep the birds from feasting on the seeds.

In-stock now! Need more help rehabbing your summer stressed landscape including trees, shrubs and perennials, we're here 7 days a week to answer all your toughest questions.

Masdevallia Orchids: Alien Blooms!

Looking for a cool, unique houseplant for your favorite gardener, or even yourself? Look no further than the alien-like blooms of the Masdevallia Orchids, in stock now!! These wonderful orchids prefer cool homes and offices, bright diffused light and even moisture. They'd make a great gift for a new homeowner, a plant collector, a neighbor or a co-worker.

Care: Drench the plant in the early morning and let it dry out. Water once a week during the winter and twice a week during summer. Humidity is important to sucesfully grow your Masdevallia. You can offer good humidity by setting plants on trays of gravel filled with water. We even have colorful crushed glass you could set in the tray to color coordinate with your blooms. Plant in Hoffman Orchid Mix or Fafard Orchid Mix. Both are in-stock. Feed with Carl Pool Orchid Food.

New to orchids? We'll make sure you are armed with all the best info, tips and products for growing successful indoor blooms!

Plant Fruit Trees Now!

 
Here at North Haven, we knoow you love to eat fresh edibles grown in your own backyard. With harvest time just around the corner, many are dreaming of fresh fruit and homemade pies. Why not plant your very own urban orchard this weekend? Not only will you be devouring the mouth-watering fruits of your labor for years to come, you will also have delightful blooming trees to decorate your yard early next spring.

 

Fruit trees require 6 or more hours of sun a day, but may not require as much space as you think. There are dwarf varieties of many favorites available, such as peaches ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Bonfire’. Other space-saving options include container growing, growing on an espalier, and columnar apples that grow full size fruits on very narrow trees. It’s worth noting that most fruit trees can easily be kept pruned to the gardener’s desired height. Some folks may also be concerned with how many trees they can fit in their yard and still get fruit. Its true that most trees require a cross pollinator, and those that don’t will still produce more heavily with one. However, there are some exceptions such as peaches, pomegranates, and plums. If your neighborhood has a lot of fruit trees, they may cross-pollinate each other, allowing you to cheat a bit.

 
Once you’ve selected your site, plant into native soil, or use North Haven Organic Potting Soil in containers. Mulch well wherever you plant. All fruit trees will benefit from a feeding of Espoma Tree-tone, and how often will depend on the variety of tree. During late December, you should spray with organic Dormant Oil to help head off any pest problems that might otherwise develop later in the season.

 
 

After choosing from all the exciting fruit tree varieties at North Haven Gardens that perform well in our area, you can have your backyard orchard planted in no time.

Plant NOW: Golden Fall Color! Sumac 'Tiger's Eye'

 
Photo Credit: Growing is Beautiful

The glorious, gold fall foliage of Sumac ‘Tiger’s Eye’ is a true eye-catcher and crowd-pleaser. It positively glows in the landscape through fall. But don’t let the graceful, delicate appearance of this cultivar fool you; Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’ is a stellar performer in a North Texas Garden, and NOW is the time to plant them!

These Sumacs belong to a small class of deciduous shrubs native to Eastern North America. Local artisans in these regions use the leaves and stems of many varieties to make dyes. They have a reputation for their ability to adapt to a wide range of soil types, although they perform best in well-drained beds amended with compost and expanded shale.

 
Photo Credit: Fine Gardening

The Sumac ‘Tiger’s Eye’ matures to a 6 foot tall and wide mound comprised of  feathery, light leaves on furry, coral stems. That adds an extra contrast to the foliage in all its stages of color, whether the red-tinged appearance of new spring growth, the bright green of summer, or the eye-popping gold of fall. The bare winter branches are very sculptural and architectural.

If you have longingly admired the autumn brilliance of Japanese Maples, but have too much sun for them to thrive in your garden, this Sumac could provide that late season color you desire. They will grow in full sun, but will also perform well with a few hours of afternoon shade. They can also be used as a container specimen to stunning effect. Follow NHG’s First Year Care Guide  to get them off to a successful start. At planting time, add a root stimulator such as Carl Pool Root Activator. Little maintenance is required after establishment other than an early summer and a fall application of a balanced, slow release fertilizer like Texas Tee, and some shaping.

Plant NOW! Sweet Olive

 
Photo credit: Forest & Kim Starr

Osmanthus fragrans, or Sweet Olive, is a heavily fragrant part-shade shrub. It’s sweet, orange-scented blossoms permeate the cool fall and spring air. It’s a scent you’ll come to find very familiar and look forward to each season. You'll love these evergreen shrubs beautiful, glossy foliage that drips with clusters of small, creamy white blooms.

Sweet Olives will mature to 8 to 10 feet high, and 6 feet wide, so be sure to provide plenty of space, or plan on pruning away lower limbs to create a tree form. The ideal planting area should receive 5 hours of morning sun and be shaded from direct afternoon summer sun. If you are planting in a prepared bed, amend with compost or composted cotton burrs, and expanded shale. If you are planting as a specimen or hedge, you can plant directly into the native soil. Apply root stimulator such as HiYield Root Stimulator every 4 weeks during the first 12 months. Water regularly with deep infrequent waterings.

 

Beginning in the second year after planting, around the last week of August, give them a cleanup with your hand pruners. Remove any broken branches, lightly tip them to promote fullness, and shape as desired. Follow up with an application of a slow-release fertilizer just after Labor Day. Here at North Haven Gardens, we love Espoma Holly Tone.

Plant these scented beauties this now and start to enjoy fragrance this fall!

5 Favorites: Plant Now to Look Gorgeous Through Fall

 
Yes, it's hot, but what you plant and maintain now, will be beautiful for fall. It will be well worth the minimal effort and you'll be able to relax and enjoy it all when the cool season arrives.

 

 
Petunia 'Picobella White' White flowers bloom on a lovely compact, mounding form. Perect for containers. Heat tolerant. Beautiful and blooming until first frost. Annual color.

 
Caesalpinia gillesii Native, heat tolerant plant with striking yellow and red blooms in fall. Perennial.

 
Chasmanthium latifolium - Inland Sea Oats Native - grass that grows in partial shade. Delicate, breezy, cascading seed heads summer through fall. Very striking. Perennial.

 
Salvia 'Mystic Spires' Very heat tolerant. Spikes of blue flowers bloom heavily all summer. Perennial.

 
Hosta 'Honeybells' Shiny green leaves and fragrant, pale lavender flowers attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds now through fall. Excellent for partial shade.