North Haven Gardens

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.  

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!

Stay Hydrated! Summer Watering Tips for Plants

 
This article was taken from our July-August 2007 Newsletter. Our archived newsletters here are an excellent resource as we try to offer fresh, timely information each year.

• Add 2"-3" of mulch to all plantings, including veggies, shrubs, trees, etc. Mulch retains moisture in the soil, regulates soil temperature (cooler in summer, warmer in winter), decomposes into the soil over time to increase soil health, and gives your garden a finished look. We have a variety of mulches available.
• Water every corner of your garden! Make sure you have the proper hose lengths to reach every area of your garden. Add a water want to the hose to get the water where it's needed most, at the base of the plants.
• The best time to water is during the early morning hours. A 6am start is ideal. Drink coffee...water plants!
• Water well! 1"-1.5" of water per week minimum. With our extreme temperatures, you will need to offer supplemental water every few days, and in some case daily (tomatoes!), to new plantings. Get out there and test your soil. If it's dry past 2 knuckles, you must water asap.
• Don't forget containers and hanging baskets. They will dry out much faster. A simple drip-irrigation will help. We carry Plant Nannies that can help and the Gilmore Plant & Deck sprinkler system as well.
• Use soaker hoses to provide a slow drip watering. These can be run any time of day.
• Tree Gator Bags  are a great drip irrigation bag that is perfect for newly planted trees.
• Planting new color containers? Add Soil Moist or KoKo Chips to retain moisture. Top off the container design with 2"-3" of mulch.

Need more help? We are here 7 days a week to help keep your plants hydrated.

 

 

 

Heat Stressing You AND Your Plants? We Have a Solution!

Is your turf tired and yellowing? Is water just sitting on top of your soil? We have two organic options in-store that will reduce heat stress on your plants, therefore easing your stress, too!  

 
Enviro Raindrops: We've all seen garden soil so dry that water literally rolls off the top without even wetting the surface. Or, container plants that have reached a state of dryness so severe that the media has shrunk away from the sides of the pot and water merely flows out the sides without actually watering the plant. When mixed with water, Enviro Raindrops overcomes the surface resistance of dry soil particles and allows water to seep in. Applied to a neglected landscape or to trouble spots in the yard, it reduces plant stress, enables and encourages root growth, allows for enhanced water uptake, and reduces runoff/waste.

 

 
Agrispon: A biostimulant applied to soils that are low in microbial activity. Agrispon forms a symbiotic relationship between the plant and the soils. This relationship assists in nutrient uptake, plant health, and resistance to environmental stresses such as heat and drought stress. Additionally, a biologically active soil has better granular structure, and better water absorption. Agrispon is a concentrate and can be easily applied using a hose-end sprayer. When added to an existing maintained landscape on a regular schedule, it enhances necessary nutrients in the soil, allows for better water absorption, encourages root growth, and promotes overall plant health.

What's Pretty at NHG?

Well, I could say "EVERYTHING!". But, I'll narrow it down for you.

 
Japanese Maples. Every home lucky enough to have some shade should have at least one Japanese Maple. Feed with Espoma Holly-tone and it'll offer gorgeous color spring, summer and fall. Right now, my personal favorites are 'Coral Bark' and 'Bloodgood' (above). The color on these is gorgeous!

 

 
Roses. Right now, most of the roses are blooming. Get them in the ground this weekend and you'll still be able to enjoy the color. Especially if you plant any of the Knockout Series in red, pink and yellow. These are some tough roses that need minimal maintenance. Our best recommendation for all roses is to amend the soil with at least 2 bags of Vital Earth Ready Rose Mix and feed with NHG Organic Rose Food. Prune around Valentine's Day (we always offer a class on pruning right before then).

 

 
Purple Perennials. Purple is such a glorious color in any garden. It's a great contrast alongside oranges and yellows. Or, plant with pinks and whites for a softer palette. Right now, the Society Garlic (above) is blooming gracefully. Perennial Verbena is glowing. And, the Scabiosa is exploding purple! I have planted and loved all three of these. They perform especially well in the drought tolerant garden.

 

 
Achillea. This is one of my favorite plants! The first year I had it in the garden it was not the graceful plant I had imagined. But, the next year and each year since, it has gotten fuller and bloomed bigger. 'Pomegranate' is absolutely gorgeous and in stock now. Lots of colors and varieties.

We have a huge selection of perennials and annuals for sun and shade. Plus, shrubs, fruit trees, herbs, vegetables, trees, vines. Whatever space in the garden you want to enjoy more, we'll help you get there. Open 7 days a week for you! Including at 8am on Saturdays.

Happy Gardening!
Nikki

Instant Serenity: Japanese Maples

 

Japanese maples are magnificent small trees to help create your zen garden along with water features, Buddha statues and shaded sitting areas. Japanese maples are slow growing, have many different growth habits, a huge variety of leaf shapes, and spectacular fall color that ranges from golden yellow to fiery red. They perform best as a unique specimen plant in well-amended beds where they will receive no more than 4 hours of morning sun. Plant into existing beds or build new ones amended with expanded shale and lots of acidified compost. Dig your hole twice as wide and just as deep as the root ball. Place into the hole and backfill with existing soil. Water thoroughly and apply a 2”- 3” layer of mulch. Add root stimulator when you plant and monthly thereafter for the first year. Apply Cloud Cover in May to prevent leaf scorch due to our warm summer temperatures. Smaller varieties of Japanese maples also work well in containers. We have a fresh, new selection of pottery in stock now.

Take a look at our Japanese Maple List here. Visit the store to see what varieties are in stock now. More arriving through spring.

School of Gardening at NHG

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that we're filling up our 2011 School o f Gardening calendar and many classes are already listed online here: Events

Be sure to check out the additional vegetable gardening classes in January!