Schedule for Sundays with Mr. Ed

Join Mr. Ed as he continues his series of informal seminars on Sunday mornings at 10 am in the nursery this Sunday, July 12.

These informal seminars allow gardeners of all experience levels to ask questions and get hands-on experience. The schedule and topics for July and August are:

Farmer’s Markets and green grocers have a number of hard to find varieties of fruits that you might want to add to your home orchards. Now is the perfect time of the year to check out your favorites. But where do you get the bare root stock to grow your own?

First Pick availability list and order form for ordering heirloom and hard to find varieties of apple, apricots, cherries, figs, jujubes, nectarines, nectaplums, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, pluots, pomegranates, and quinces is now available.

Wegman’s is once again partnering with Dave Wilson Nursery to take pre-season orders for individual bare root stock trees. Through the First Pick Program, you can special-order single trees of taste-test winners, heirloom varieties, early and late-maturing, novelty and specially adapted varieties - many grown on a choice of rootstocks.

You can download the 2010 First Pick Worksheet and Order form by clicking this link. The worksheet/price list has over 200 varieties of fruit and nut bare root trees to choose from. By visiting the Dave Wilson Nursery website you may view the fruit and its characteristics. Finally, either come into Wegman’s with the completed Order Form or fax it to us at 650-368-0403. Orders must be placed by November 9, 2009.

Your bare root stock will arrive at Wegman’s between mid-January and mid-February 2010. We will contact you either by phone or email to pick up your order, just in time for the perfect planting conditions.

Previously, we suggested using Japanese maple trees to provide a privacy screen for the "quiet place" in your garden. If you have decided to use a large Japanese maple as the starting point or keystone of your design; Acer palmatum will be your tree of choice. There are more than 250 different varieties of Japanese maples. For example, Acer palmatum, variegatum has variegated leaves, Acer palmatum, Coral Bark has stems with a coral color, Acer palmatum, dissectum has fine, feathery leaves and so on. These are all mutants of the original, wild form of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). Mr. Ed refers to this original form as ‘plain vanilla.’ It is the fastest growing and becomes the largest of all the Japanese maples. When mature, it would not be unusual for this tree to be 40 feet tall with a crown diameter of 40 feet. The leaves are green through the summer and turn red and yellowish-orange during the fall. Its leaves have the typical five lobes and are about the size of the palm of your hand. Acer palmatum can grow in full sun and will tolerate light winds at the same time. Strong winds and full, hot sun will cause some of the upper leaves to scorch but that could be expected of almost any tree.

Among the 250 varieties of Japanese maple are those with bronzy or burgundy colored leaves throughout the summer such as: Bloodgood, Atropurpureum, Crimson Queen, Ever Red, Garnet, Red Dragon, and many more. All of them develop bright red leaves before they drop in the fall.

Another group of Japanese maples are those with very finely divided or feathery leaves. The leaves on these plants may be green or burgundy colored. This group will have varietal names such as Dissectum, Burgundy Lace, Dissectum Atropurpureum, Filiferum purpureum and more. Plants with finely divided leaves are most susceptible to leafburn problems. The more finely divided, the more severe the problem so these varieties must be in a protected area.

All the varieties of Japanese maple respond well to the same kind of correct care. As always, the first step is soil conditioning. Ideally, the entire area should be amended and treated with gypsum. Secondarily, each hole should be similarly treated before planting the trees (see our Care Guide on Planting Trees & Shrubs). Each tree needs its own irrigation source, preferably two bubblers per tree. Remember, the trees must have their own dedicated irrigation station and cannot be on the same schedule as the lawn, for example. The trees should be fertilized with Camellia, Azalea and Gardenia Food twice a year (about Memorial Day and Labor Day).

In designing your island of tranquility, it is advisable for you to make a sketch outlining the placement of your trees. On the sketch, you should have the names and a brief description of the plants. The sketch should be somewhat to scale and the laceleaf varieties in the most protected places and red leaved varieties used as accents. If you are using several varieties of Japanese maple, your sketch will show the tallest varieties on the periphery of your "quiet place" and the smallest varieties nearer the trunk of the keystone tree.

Some gardeners will choose to make low mounds (6 to8 inches high and 8 or 10 feet in diameter) throughout their ‘quiet place’ and plant their maple trees on these mounds truly making an island of tranquility. This is an excellent option since it ensures that the trees will have optimum drainage.

Need some new ideas for shade areas of your garden? How about some 4 inch perennials from our Bedding Department. Try heucheras, ferns, fuchsias or impatiens.

If the name "heucheras" isn’t familiar to you, you probably are familiar with Coral Bells. Native to the U.S., they form mounds of rounded evergreen leaves, and dainty bell-shaped flowers held above the foliage on thin stems. They are very attractive to hummingbirds. They are perfect at the front of the border where they can soften the edge of a pathway or gently cascade over a wall. For sheer drama they are hard to beat. While they are often recommended for full sun, we have found that they do better in light shade. They will do well in most soils, but their shallow roots require good drainage. The plants should be divided after 5 or 6 years, as they tend to get woody and flowering diminishes.

Ferns also add texture to the shade garden. With the popularity of a more single color garden ferns are perfect because of their varying textures and color variations—yellow green to deep green.

Fuchsias are a shade loving favorite with their graceful lines and brightly colored flowers.

Impatiens do well in the shady parts of your yard and are very showy in hanging baskets. They provide non-stop, show stopping color from spring until frost. You can take your pick of a wide variety of colors, and some bi-colored varieties.

Tomato & Blossom Set Spray RTU
Tomato & Blossom Set Spray makes blossoms set fruit despite poor weather. Nearly every blossom will produce larger, meatier, almost seedless tomatoes, ripening up to 3 weeks earlier. Also for use on other vegetable plants! Tomato & Blossom Set Spray comes in a handy ready to use spray container. This product contains the natural plant growth hormone Kinetin.