Here's a Shady Idea! Plant shade trees this fall!



Autumn Blaze Maple

 If you're tired of suffering though long, hot summers there's no better time to plant shade trees and plan for next years cooling effect than this fall! 

Norwegian Sunset Maple

















There are so many benefits of planting shade trees for example, they add oxygen back into the air, they create beautiful visual screens and of course, they add color into your landscape! With so many benefits, every homeowner should have one or more!



Satin Shadow Linden



The logic of  "Fall is for Planting" is especially true with shade trees because they enter a stage of dormancy, or as one would compare it to like a bear when it hibernates. Trees slow their growth functions and concentrate on building a strong root system which better supports the new foliage in spring. 

While many shade trees have green leaves during their primary growing season in spring and summer, they will no doubt surprise you with beautiful fall foliage with hues of oranges, yellows, reds and every shimmering color in between this palate of colors! 

What are the most popular shade trees? 

Pin Oak

- Ash

-Maple

-Linden

-Oak

-Honey Locust

Making the investment this fall is the best time to ensure a shady, cooler, more enjoyable summer next year and at terrific prices!

Today in the Gardeners Journal - October 17

Sunday, October 17

Although it was a stunningly beautiful fall day, perfect for doing yard work and fall clean up I decided to put my tasks aside for the day and enjoy nature at its fullest. I grabbed my camera and ventured into the woods behind my home.

It's the area that I've always only looked upon from the edge of my yard and not fully appreciated. Today was different though as I saw the sun shining through the trees I felt an uninhibited need to explore nature and appreciate what grows wild and lays quietly in the unsuspecting parts of my world.

There was no judgment, no thoughts of "I need to change this or that", only enjoyment and looking at nature from the ground up. What I found surprised me as I walked through the woods.

As I walked towards this part of my yard I found my first unexpected surprise, a woolly bear caterpillar crawling hastily through the grass as if he was leading the way!

As I entered into the heavily wooded area I came across another friendly creature, none other than one of the frogs that I hear singing every night. How perfectly he stood until I captured this picture.  It was then that I realized that this was going to be a great exploration and looked with new eyes at the beautiful woods that edges my property.

It's amazing how tree trunks can present such stature in nature. I wondered if squirrels enjoy shelter in this old broken trunk and then noticed a nail on the side. Who put it there I wondered as these woods have not been touched in years?


Perhaps the same person that enjoyed this old bottle of soda?

As I walked throughout the sticker bushes and brush I realized what beautiful foliage can be found just by looking in the most unexpected places. Moss growing on logs sets a beautiful picture just waiting to be noticed!

Surprise! I found this salamander basking in the sun!

My intentions of this visit was to appreciate nature and view the day as simple as possible.

As gardeners sometimes we are so focused on the work in our gardens that we often forget about the beauty that comes naturally without the everyday labor or planning. 

While walking further I found this incredible stump that provided a perfect back drop and shelter to the fern that gracefully leaned against it. I was taken back by the peacefulness that this area provided. A place that I will definitely visit again.


While walking back towards my home, my eyes were intrigued by this beautiful cluster of red berries. Alas! they were Arum italicum berries which appear after the flowers! As a young child I remember my mother showing me these plants in the woods and cautioning me not to touch the berries because they contain Calcium oxalate which is a poisonous substance that can produce sores and numbing when ingested. Did you know that Arums are members of the Araceae family along with native skunk cabbage?

While looking at my garden from the edge of the woods I realized I have beauty inside and out, inside my garden where I tediously plan, weed and harvest, and then out in the wooded natural area that I've always considered an area of future transformation. I've decided that this area will stay as it is so I can enjoy nature at its most untouched innocence.

How to Grow Mums as Perennials

Mums 'Chrysanthemums' are a wonderful addition to the garden in fall! They are beautiful, colorful additions to a garden that has lost its pizazz from tired annuals.


While many will put mums in their gardens as a final burst of color and treat them as annuals they can absolutely be grown as perennials too!

It's easy to do in four steps!

1) Plant your mums in a sunny location in soil that has been amended with compost or other organic materials.

2) Once the mums have finished blooming at the end of fall, cut them back to the soil line. Mulch over the entire plant with leaves, mulch or even pine branches.  By doing this, you are protecting the root system from damaging frost.

3) In late March, remove the mulch from the plant and water. Soon you should start to see the green foliage emerge. 

4) Once the mum is more than 12" you should start 'pinching back' in May until July 4th. You should keep pinching them back to a height of 6" to 8" and do not allow the buds to form. Remember not to pinch after July 4th. This will ensure full and heavy flowering in September.

Just remember that mums will take up space in your garden and will only remain green for the spring growing season where you may have otherwise planted other colorful annuals. Bear this in mind when designing your garden beds and planting mums this fall!

Today in the Gardeners Journal - October 13

Wednesday, October 13th

It was a good brisk morning to start my fall cleanup. I had four things to accomplish today. 1) Bringing in the Australian Tree Fern and the Passion Flower, 2) Cutting back the front perennial bed and 3) Cutting back and storing my tropical elephant ear and 4) Planting garlic in the vegetable garden.

1) Realizing that earlier this week we had our first frost I decided not to temp fate and bring in the tropical plants. While the Australian Tree Fern can take some cooler temperatures, the Passion Flower can not thus it was time to make room for them inside. The Australian Tree Fern enjoys a shady position in the home that has good air circulation. I decided on the perfect location, even though the room does get some sun mid day, for the most part it is a perfect spot for this beautiful fern. The Passion Flower was easy as that enjoys a very sunny window and constant monitoring as it will not tolerate going dry. The next time I water both I will be sure to apply some Bonide Systemic Houseplant Insect Control to ward off any insects that may have laid eggs in the soil.  Task one complete!

2) The front perennial bed while seemingly small, holds a lot of perennials that each has their time to shine, however, with the recent cooler weather everything has looked rather tired and deserving of a long winter rest. Cutting back the perennials was easy and methodical. However, the mission I set forth on next was the most intriguing to me and so out of character. I am one of those 'neat' gardeners who likes everything neat and orderly, blows the leaves out of the perennials and garden beds as if they were litter. However, this year I decided to do something totally out of the norm for me. While looking at the beautiful yellow and gold maple leaves in a nearby bed I suddenly had an entirely new perspective and purpose on falling leaves.  I decided to let nature help me with my chore and used the leaves from this particular area that is also riddled with pine needles and humus to help me mulch in this perennial area.

This particular perennial bed is always the area that I shovel all the snow on to so this year I figured, let me cover the bed with these wonderful leaves, pine needles and humus as I've always read that just these three organic items make a perfect winter mulch in protecting root systems.  The perennials will thank me next spring I'm sure! Although more work than I had originally anticipated, I do think it will benefit me in the long run, besides, the yellow and gold colors are a welcome change from the browning, tired looking perennial leaves (at least for the time being). Task two complete!

3) My next project was tackling this enormous Black Magic Elephant Ear.  While this plant started out small when planted in this container, it surely lent its ear to my beckoning of 'show me your stuff!'.  By the end of summer this colocasia was enormous and triple this size. A show stopper indeed and a plant I am determined to welcome back next year. 

I was fully prepared to empty out the container and find a large bulb inside, but rather, to my surprise what I found was very large, healthy root systems. I quickly did some online searching and did just what it described. I cut off the tops, shook out the soil around the large tuberous roots and laid to dry in a shady area. In a couple days I will put the roots in a box filled with peat moss then store it in a cool dry area until next year when I can plant them again. Task three complete!

After spending so much time on the unplanned leaf mulching I realized that the day went much faster than anticipated. Thus, my last project for the day did not get completed. Isn't it amazing how fast time can fly by when your gardening! 

Well, there's always next week to plant the garlic as I have until the end of October to get them in the ground!

Tree of the Week: Autumn Glow Zelkova

The Autumn Glow Zelkova Zelkova serrata is an elegant, deciduous shade tree that has a more compact growth habit than the Green Vase Zelkova. Growing 35' tall x 25-30' wide the Autumn Glow Zelkova is perfect as a street tree or an attractive addition to the landscape that needs shade.

Common uses:
Street Tree
Shade Tree




Requirements:
Full Sun
Well drained soil, but will tolerate moist soil conditions
Once established is drought and wind resistant

Foliage:
Serrated foliage
Green leaves during Spring & Summer

Fall Color:
Outstanding fall foliage with leaves that turn shades of purple to reddish orange

The Autumn Glow Zelkova is an outstanding, relatively slow growing shade tree that has beautiful autumn color, thus the name "Autumn Glow".  Zelkova's are the number one replacement for Elm trees and an easily transplanted tree. They are valued for their stately wide spreading canopy and excellent fall color.  

Visit our online store for more information on the Autumn Glow Zelkova

Why So Many Acorns?

Have you noticed an increase of acorns this year?

If you have established oak trees in your yard surely during a windy day you've been tempted to walk through the yard with an umbrella over your head just to protect yourself from falling acorns!

It's amazing how many acorns have fallen this year and many have been much larger in size than in recent years!

But why? Mother Nature provided the set up of such a banner year for acorns.

One reason is because last year we had a very rainy season, which gave Oak trees a huge drink of water. Then, this year we had weeks of windy, sunny and hot days which is perfect for pollination and growing numerous, fat acorns.

However, there is also another phenomenon that happens with white and red oaks which is called "masting". Coincidentally, we happen to be in a masting year, which mysteriously occurs every four to seven years in cycles.  During this time, oak trees churn out an abundant crop of acorns.  Needless to say, this is an oak tree making sure that there will be future years of oak trees. They drop their acorns, which produce seedlings, thus the survival of their species. Clever!

Thankfully, the masting process lasts approximately 10 days where you'll see the most acorns falling. Afterwards, it will be a food festival for squirrels and deer as acorns are a major food source for them.

Did you just plant an oak tree? Plan on seeing acorns developing in about 20 years as that's how long it takes for an oak tree to produce an acorn!

Fall Wreath and Centerpiece Workshop

Here's a sampling of one of our workshops! We have workshops and seminars throughout Spring, Summer and Fall! Would you like to join in on the fun and learn from knowledgeable staff? Sign up to receive our seminar emails by sending an email to LBoss@rutgersLN.com today! 

Today's workshop was on Fall Wreath and Centerpieces! Rutgers Nursery is a FUN place to shop!

Click on the picture to see all the pictures from todays workshop!

The Top 6 Fall Foliage Shrubs

Are you looking for a way to make your garden pop in fall? Perhaps you're looking to add a plant that will show its true beauty in fall when all the other plants have slowed down? Need some color to brighten up a dark corner of your home?  Why not consider one or more of our "Top 6 Fall Foliage Shrubs"! 

While many of these plants also have praiseworthy traits in Spring and Summer, during the Fall, they can add a powerful presence to your landscape as well.

Let's get started!


#1 Burning Bush
Euonymus alata  Also known as Spindle Tree or Winged Euonymus
Mature height: 6-10'
Growth Rate: Moderate
Light Requirements: Full Sun
Soil: Well drained, will not tolerate excessive wet areas
Foliage: Green during Spring and Summer, vibrant red in fall

Noteworthy facts: Burning Bush is one of the most beautiful shrubs of the autumn season! Can be used in mass plantings, borders, hedges or as an accent plant.

#2 Gulf Stream Heavenly Bamboo
Nandina domestica
Mature Height: 3-4'
Growth Rate: Moderate
Light Requirements: Full to Partial Sun
Soil: Well drained
Foliage: Green in Spring, new growth is scarlet maturing to blue green in summer. Intense red fall color is one of its hallmark traits. 
Noteworthy facts: Heavenly bamboo is a beautiful evergreen dwarf mounding plant. All season interest hardy shrub that provides white flowers in spring and magnificent color in summer and fall. Ideal for use around foundations, hedges, or mixed borders.

#3 Leatherleaf Mahonia
Mahonia japonica 'Bealei'
Mature Height: 6-10'
Growth Rate: Moderate
Light Requirements: Partial Sun
Soil: Well drained
Foliage: Green, spiny leaves which turn yellow, orange and red in fall

Noteworthy facts: This attractive evergreen shrub is gaining popularity due to its year-round interest. Clusters of fragrant yellow blooms in spring are followed by powder-blue to black grape like clusters then, in Fall its leaves turn beautiful yellows, oranges and reds. A deer resistant specimen that is used in borders, containers, privacy screens and woodland gardens.

#4 Viburnum Opulus
Xanthocarpum European Cranberry Bush
Mature Height: 8-10'
Growth Rate: Average
Light Requirements: Part Shade to Full Sun
Soil: Well drained, will tolerate some clay soil conditions and moisture
Foliage: Dark green, turning yellow, red to purple in fall

Noteworthy facts: This attractive deciduous shrub blooms white flowers in late spring then produces a red-berry like fruit in fall. A great multipurpose shrub used in borders, groupings and accent plantings.

#5 Red Tipped Photinia
Photinia fraseri
Mature Height: 12-15'
Growth Rate: Fast
Light Requirements: Part Shade to Full Sun
Soil: Dry to moist, can tolerate clay soil
Foliage: Glossy green leaves give way to bright fiery red leaves, especially with new growth.
Noteworthy facts: Where ever you plant photinia the foliage is an eye-catching spectacle. To encourage the red leaves, pruning is recommended. Produces small, creamy white flowers in spring. Use as an extremely durable screen, hedge or in mass plantings.

#6 PJM Rhododendron
Rhododendron "PJM"
Mature Height: 4-6'
Growth Rate: Slow
Light Requirements: Partial to full sun
Soil: Moist, Well drained
Foliage: Small green leaves turning purple-plum in fall into winter.

Noteworthy facts: The PJM Rhododendron is the most adaptable and easiest rhododendrons to grow. It's a dependable early spring bloomer. Because PJM's are a group of hybrids, flower colors are unique to each plant but tend to be in the lavender-pink family.  Avoid hard, dry windy locations. Use in group or mass plantings, shrub borders, woodland settings. A beautiful dependable evergreen shrub that will provide wonderful winter foliage color too!

Have we intrigued your fall foliage interests? Stop in the nursery and see all the other wonderful fall foliage shrubs and trees we have. Bring your camera as there's plenty of color to enjoy!

Tree of the Week: Korean Sun Pear

The Korean Sun Pear Pyrus fauriei is a beautiful ornamental deciduous flowering tree. This tree performs all season long with a finale in fall with green foliage that turns red, orange and yellow.

Growing to 15 feet in height by 15 feet in width the Korean Sun Pear is excellent for smaller landscapes.  It has a small rounded head growth pattern which would be perfect for lining driveways or around a patio.




Common uses:
Ornamental Tree
Specimen planting
Driveway planting
Small areas and around patios

Requirements:
Full Sun
Well drained soil

Foliage & Flowers:

Glossy, green foliage from spring to summer
Small white flowers that bloom in late spring
Sparse, non-edible black fruits

Fall Color:

Magnificent combination of red, orange and yellow foliage

If you're looking for a beautiful ornamental flowering tree, consider the Korean Sun Pear as it is not to be confused with other Pear trees as it leafs out first then produces flowers and is a much smaller tree and as its name suggests, when in peak fall color, the show it puts on reminds one of a bright reddish-orange sunset.

Visit our online store for more information on the Korean Sun Pear

Today in the Gardeners Journal - October 6th

Wednesday, October 6

After a few days of much needed rain I walked around my gardens and realized that even with the harsh summer heat and drought, the garden is still abundant with interest. 

There are still plenty of flowers that are popping with color and a joy to see such as Autumn Joy Sedum, Monkshood and Toadlily. 

I think the Monkshood and Toadlilys are slightly confused with the weather since both should have bloomed much earlier than this, however, it's a welcome sight no matter when they decide to bloom!

While the impatiens did well this year, the recent rain has diminished their flowers but there's plenty of seed heads to have fun opening and spreading around the garden for next year! The seed head resembles a bloom waiting to open, however, if you touch it, the head will burst open and disperse many tiny seeds. 

I did this last year and to my surprise beautiful impatiens plant grew in a secluded area near the corner of the house. There was no work involved but just the joy of watching it grow and flower and seemingly healthier than any other impatiens I planted this spring!

During my walk I found several large white mushrooms which have cropped up with all the recent rain. Upon further investigation, these appear to be "Horse Mushrooms" and intriguing specimens with such large caps on them.

Another sign of fall is the extreme amount of browning needles on my pine trees. Needle shedding is very common during this time of year as it drops its oldest needles so I'm not worried, but rather will embrace the fact that it's making way for new growth next year.

It's time to give the compost heap a good turn!