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Gardeners and their Gardens

Our weather has been bizarre lately. We have had a string of dry, sunny 70+ degree days in December followed by a series of unusually cold snaps. In fact just this week our temperatures plummeted over 50 degrees within an 18 hour period  –  from 60 degrees F in the afternoon to 4 degrees F the next morning. Realizing the toll this weird weather is having on my psyche, I began to wonder what was happening to my landscape. What effect would these temperature fluctuations have on my plants  – especially my newly planted perennials? What can I do to minimize any negative effects to my plants? 

Everyone here at Embassy Landscape Group wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

A few close friends and I were having coffee the other morning when the conversation drifted off to holiday gift-giving and how difficult it can  be to find that exactly “right” gift for the “right” person. We started reminiscing about some of the gifts we have received through the years, usually from our husbands. Some were sweet, some were strange and some were absolutely hilarious

It’s November. The daffodil bulbs are all tucked in the ground and ready for a spring showing. The overgrown perennials have been pulled, trimmed and replanted. The iris beds have been cleaned out for weeks. There really aren’t any other chores that have to be done this minute, but the sky is bright blue and the temperature is perfect and the fanatical gardeners of the world absolutely must take advantage of one more day working in the yard (It could be the last perfect day of the year, you know….) And in their need to garden just one more time, they too often reach for a potentially dangerous and deadly tool -- their pruners.

Until recently, residential landscape lighting was primarily held to various shades of white light. Colorful outdoor lights showed up during the Christmas season and then disappeared until the next year. With the introduction of colored LED and halogen lights, as well as a variety of easily used colored lens covers, white lights are no longer the only option for homeowners.

While we’re on the subject of bulbs   -  be sure and read last week’s article on alliums, -  I thought that it might be fun to showcase some of the less well-known specialty bulbs.  I discovered them a few years ago while pouring over a catalog from one of Embassy’s garden products suppliers, ordered a few varieties and have been hooked on them ever since. From the ones that peek out while the snow is still falling to those that herald the beginning of a long, lazy summer,  they are all worth a prime spot in the landscape.  

Boxes of fall bulbs ready for planting have begun to appear in the big box stores. As I’ve looked around here, I’ve seen a satisfying variety of daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus available. Even some of the smaller, less familiar bulbs like Galanthus (Snowdrops) are well represented. Sticking just to these varieties, you could have the beginnings of a beautiful spring garden, but you’d most likely miss out on one of the most dramatic, and under-appreciated stars of the spring and summer garden, the allium.

The first of the spring blooming bulb catalogues landed in my mailbox yesterday. That means it’s time to start seriously planning for those early bursts of color. Ten years ago that simply meant deciding which new variety of tulip to buy and whether to plant single or double cupped daffodils. Now my choices aren’t quite so clear cut; the best selections have to not only add beauty, but also nurture early appearing pollinators.