Plant of the Week: Crocus

Look for this weeks Plant of the Week to start popping out in the coming weeks, signaling the arrival of spring. Crocus are one of the most popular types of bulbs because they are so easy to grow and because they come in a wide variety of colors. In our climate, they bloom in late/winter to early spring and are actually one of the first bulbs to bloom. Crocus are ideal for bordering landscape beds and even woodlands and should be planted in bunches.  Plant crocus corms 2 to 4 inches deep, 3 to 5 inches apart, in a sunny, well-drained area. Plant winter- and spring-blooming crocuses in fall and fall-blooming crocuses in late summer.

 

Mulching - Beware DIY Landscapers

This week, we have begun to clean and edge our customers' landscape beds in preparation for Mulch Installation.  Mulch not only presents a clean appearance throughout your home’s landscape, but it is also very beneficial to your plants and soil. Here are a few good reasons to mulch apart from the apparent aesthetic value:

• Protects shallow-root plants from freeze damage and frost-heave
• Discourages weed growth
• Improves nutrient availability as the material decomposes

Some homeowners prefer the DIY approach to landscaping, however, improperly mulching your landscape beds can have serious negative impacts, especially when too much mulch is applies. The industry standard is to apply mulch to a depth 1 to 2 inches. Over-mulching, commonly referred to as “Mulch Volcanoes” (See Picture Below) can lead to many including:   

• Excessive moisture
• Excessive root rot
•  Suffocation of plant roots
•  Stem or trunk issues involving bacteria and fungus
•  Creating habitat for insects and pests 

Plant of the Week: Garden Snowdrop

This week's plant of the week is dedicated to New England's snow storm over the weekend.

Garden Snowdrops are about 4-6 inches in size and look like three drops of milk hanging from a stem. This accounts for the Latin name Galanthus which means "milk-white flowers".The major benefit of planting Garden Snowdrops is their early arrival. They can show up weeks before crocuses do, and will often poke through a covering of snow. In the South, snowdrops may even bloom all winter long.  Since they are small, you probably need to plant a large number to make a dramatic effect.  They are especially attractive in rock gardens, under trees and shrubs, at the fronts of borders or in front of flowering shrubs, in lawns, or along woodland paths.

Gardening Enthusiasts

Are you ready to take your gardening to the next level? Three years ago, the Kane Team constructed a Garden for one of our clients who is an avid gardener. We designed the garden to mimic those of old England with wide decorative gravel paths bordered in curbstone to allow easy access to the carefully planned garden plats.  A custom built garden room, with bright red French doors,  to keep all the tools, supplies and that ever-so helpful potting bench was centered along the back of the garden and acts as the focal point.  A 54” tall synthetic fence with closely spaced pickets and a metal border along the bottom was installed to keep the deer, rabbits and other hungry critters at bay.  A water line was extended to the garden from the garage and there was even an area designed for a bench under one corner of the garden, which receives some shade in the afternoon.

The Original Garden Installation

Now we are in the final stages of upgrading their garden to include masonry walls and fencing to protect the garden from critters. In addition, we created a small patio sitting area covered by an arbor. Below are progress pictures of the renovation:

Cinder blocks for the front wall of the garden and the pillars are being installed.

Construction of the dry laid flagstone patio.

The garden is starting to take shape as the fencing is installed.

The wall from the inside of the garden, as construction continues.

The walls and fencing are up, just doing a little clean-up before the installation of sod.

The arbor is up over the small patio, now we only need paint and plants.

We will install grape vines and other plants once spring comes around. The grape vines will be planted at the base of the arbor.  In years to come they will grow up the arbor, creating an enclosed space with an inviting shade in the summer.  The homeowner, once we have completed our decorative plantings, the homeowner intends to fill the beds with all organic edibles.

Plant of the Week: Winter Snowman Camellia

We have had plenty of snow flurries in the past couple of weeks, but so far not enough accumulation to build a decent snowman. In the hopes that we get at least one good snow storm this year, we are making this week's plant of the week the Winter Snowman Camellia.

Snowman Camellias are evergreen shrubs that grow to be about 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide. This particular genus of camellia has lovely white flowers that bloom from late fall through the winter. Camellias are a striking shrub and serve as a great focal point in the landscape. To be rewarded with the best green foliage and white flowers, these Camellias should be planted to face east. Not only do these "snowmen" provide color and interest to your winter garden, the blooms and foliage are fine additions to winter flower arrangements inside your home.

Indoor Flowering Bulbs for Winter Interest

Are you missing your beautiful flower garden and highly anticipating spring so you can get your fill of flowers? Here are some great ideas for indoor flowering plants that offer winter interest.

You can purchase a variety of bulbs (Tulips, Narcissus, Amaryllis) and follow these steps for care to have them bloom in the winter. If you already have bulbs planted in your garden that previously bloomed, you can dig them up and take them inside to force them into a dormant state. Most bulbs need at least four to six weeks before they can re-produce flowers. Just place them in a dark closest or storage room to let all foliage die back. But don’t forget where you put them!

When the bulbs are ready to bloom again you can place them in a glass container with rocks or other decorative materials and add water. Within the next seven to ten weeks, your bulbs will begin to shoot out new green leaves and eventually beautiful flower stalks. Deborah Hamilton, an avid gardener, said this about Amaryllis bulbs: “Watching something grow and bloom with flowers more than five inches wide during the dreariest part of the year can lift anyone's spirit. It’s also fun to see the water in the stem fluctuate when the light is bright enough.”

Deborah Hamilton's Amaryllis Bulbs

 Once the bulbs have finished flowering you can start again! Please feel free to post pictures of your blooming bulbs.

Wrtten by: Amanda Hamilton

One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure!

One item we have in abundance here at Kane Landscapes is pallets. A lot of our materials are delivered on pallets (sod, pavers, ect.) and we often cannot return or recycle them to our vendors. Inevitably, we end up trying to find community groups or clients who want to re-use the pallets for their own needs.  

A fun way we have found that people re-use pallets is by turning them into a decorative planter box. You only need a few simple materials to do this; a pallet, landscape fabric, staple gun and staples, potting soil, and flowers/herbs. Here is a link to a great tutorial for completing this project! http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-turn-a-pallet-into-a-garden/#

Please let us know if you are interested in picking up a pallet to make a container garden of your own!