North Haven Gardens

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!

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.

Delicious, Homegrown Avocados for YOU!

 
Avocado trees are in stock now! We’re very happy to introduce ‘Joey,’ ‘Lila,’ and ‘Poncho.’ All are variants of the Mexican Avocado, with fruits about 6 to 8 ounces in size. Mature trees are 15’ to 20’ tall and as wide, so allow plenty of space. Avocados perform best with a partner for cross-pollination, so allow room for two (or get a tree for your neighbor). Provide a western or south western exposure to provide radiant heat in the colder months. In winter, mulch trees above the graft union on the trunk; mulch should be cleared away once danger of freeze is past. Trees should be covered once temperatures reach the 20s. Since the trunks are susceptible to sun scald, you’ll want to wrap the exposed portion of the trunks during summer months to avoid damage.

Plant Avocados in a hole as deep as the root ball and double the width in native soil. No need to amend the soil. It’s important to acclimate trees to our soils as quickly as possible. Remember when planting you’ll want to deeply water the newly installed tree, and monitor its water needs throughout the first year. A tree gator is perfect to keep it consistently watered for it's first summer. Give it root stimulator such as Superthrive at time of planting, and once each month for the first 12 months. After the first year, fertilize spring, summer, and fall with Espoma Citrus-tone to keep them healthy.

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.

Climbing Hydrangeas: Romantic, lush and pretty

 
In stock now! Hydrangeas are so lovely in the shaded garden. They provide showy, elegant flowers in late spring through midsummer above glossy green foliage. The seasons bring golden leaves in autumn, and reveal peeling shaggy bark when dormant in winter. Wouldn’t this be fantastic as a vine for shaded areas? Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris) is a deciduous woody vine that performs well in dappled shade. Although it requires at least two years to establish, the rewards are worth it! It sports glossy, heart-shaped leaves and lacecap flowers that, in maturity, give a the vine tiered effect. It develops a substantial trunk and limbs with age, and climbs by aerial rootlets that attach to flat surfaces. It’s perfect for covering walls, sturdy arbors or screens. Climbing Hydrangea prefers rich, well-drained acid soil conditions, so amend garden beds with plenty of expanded shale and Back to Earth Acidified compost.

Go Fresh, not Fake this holiday season!

Nothing says “holiday” more than fragrant and fresh Christmas trees, wreaths and garland. Decorate your home with the real thing this year for a “green” holiday! Christmas trees are a renewable American resource. They also absorb carbon dioxide, create oxygen, are biodegradable, can be recycled as mulch and provide refuge for wildlife. The U.S. Christmas Tree industry creates as many as 100,000 U.S. jobs each year. To ensure a constant supply, tree farms plant up to 3 new seedlings for each tree harvested. Plus, fresh trees and greens will never sit in a landfill for centuries after disposal!

Here at North Haven Gardens we have the best Christmas trees in town. Each one is given a fresh cut at delivery, then sprayed with an all-natural anti-transpirant to help the tree hold moisture. Each tree is lovingly hung from our roof and set in it's own bucket of fresh water. You can spin the trees around completely so you know exactly what they will look like in your home. To top it off, each tree has it's own name tag, so you can adopt one with a name you love! When you purchase your tree from us, we'll give the trunk another fresh cut and net it for you for safe travels. We also deliver and set up trees in select areas of Dallas.

This year, we will have American grown Noble Fir, Douglas Fir and new this year the Nordmann Fir. Nordmann Firs are the preferred Christmas tree of Europe and feature long, full, lush, dark green foliage that is soft to the touch.  They have supurb needle retention.  This species is little known to us Americans, but is rumored to be the best Christmas tree around.