Heavenly Hydrangea

The hydrangea are finally in bloom! We love them all but here is a sampling of our favorites:

Hydrangea 'Quickfire'



An early bloomer, the flowers bloom white and then turn rich pink, then red. Versatile, cold-hardy shrub, really pays its rent in your garden. Will reach 6 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide in maturity. Cold hardy to zone 3.



Hydrangea LET'S DANCE™Moonlight™

Hydrangea LET'S DANCE™Moonlight™ is strong rebloomer with large, rich rose-pink (or blue depending upon pH) mophead flowers that are held on sturdy stems. Moonlight™ has a wonderful compact habit, growing to only 2-3 feet tall. In autumn, the healthy foliage takes on rich bronze red tones for additional interest late in the season.





'Twist-n-Shout' Hydrangea

The Twist-n-Shout, the latest release from the Endless Summer® Collection, is the first reblooming lacecap hydrangea. A true re-bloomer that is hardy to Zone 4 and grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide in maturity.

The Twist-n-Shout flowers on both old and new growth all summer long. Gorgeous blossoms of pink or periwinkle blue, depending upon your soil type (make them blue with a sprinkle of aluminum phosphate or a mixture of citrus peels and coffee grounds).




Oakleaf Hydrangea:

Oakleaf hydrangea is native to the United States and can take the most shade of all the hydrangeas. It can also tolerate dry sandy soil, better than its "mophead" cousins. But what is really attractive about this shrub (besides the dramatic cone-shaped flowers) is its knockout fall color. Grows 6 to 8 feet high and 4 to 6 feet wide in maturity.

Ugh...Sulgs!

With all the rain we've had, slugs are everywhere!!! And for being so small, they can do a lot of damage.

Fear not, we have some tips and solutions to help fight the slimy little suckers.

First, we have Slug Magic, an all natural, pet safe, proven snail and slug killer. As it says on the bottle, "makes slugs disappear!" One package covers 1,000 square feet, and it remains effective through the rain!

Another way to bait and kill slugs is with pans full of beer. The slugs are attracted to the yeasty smell and then drown in the brew. The only problem with this home remedy is that with all the rain we've been getting, the beer may get diluted, or flooded out entirely.

Another tip is to pick off the slugs in the early morning or evening with chop sticks (so you don't get the slime all over your hands) and drop them in a bucket of salted water. Or pick them off with your clippers, and cut them in half as you do. (I know, so gross.)



Other tips:

Use cocoa mulch. Slugs don't like the smell or the texture. (Dog owners beware, dogs will sometimes eat the cocoa shells, and it can make them sick.)

Put very finely crushed eggshells around plants you wish to protect.

Spread coffee grounds or aluminum sulfate around plants.

Listen to Victoria on the Radio

Listen to The Garden Show 8 am on Sunday June 21st when Victoria will join Sally Spillane on WKZE! You can listen on 98.1 FM or online.

And then join us for our Father's Day Weekend Tree Sale: 20% off all trees!

Need a tutorial on how to pick and plant a Tree?

Victoria will be giving a talk and demonstration 2 pm both days:
Tree Planting 101

Tree Planting 101 Sat & Sun 2pm

Victoria will be giving a talk and demonstration "Tree Planting 101" both days this weekend at 2pm.

She will cover the basics of preparing the soil, choosing the tree, and many ways to ensure a happy and healthy tree.

Plus, Father's Day weekend only: 20% off all trees!

To see plant profiles on our favorite trees click here.

Adorable greeting cards by Local artist

Just in, these wonderful greeting cards from local artist, Amy LeFerve based in New Paltz, NY.

Hand-cast Bird Baths by Local Artist

We are lucky enough to have a local artist who has cast bird baths from rhubarb leaves. These beautiful works of art will stand out in any garden.

Come in and see them for yourself.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)

Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood)










Dawn Redwood Growing Zones: 4-8
Mature Height: 40-50 ft.
Mature Width: 20-30 ft.
Sunlight: Full or Partial
Soil Conditions: Very Adaptable
Drought Tolerance: Good
Fall color: Orange and yellow

The Dawn Redwood tree, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, is a deciduous conifer, with soft needle-like leaves that look like evergreens, but are bright green in the spring and brilliant orange/red in the fall. The needles are shed in the cold season of winter. Dawn Redwood trees are a very ornamental and interesting large tree, one of the few deciduous conifers in the world. It is feathery pyramidal in form with a straight, fluted trunk. It grows very fast to 40’ and can grow to 70’.

Low areas, that puddle after heavy rains, will kill almost any tree, except Dawn Redwoods. Metasequoia even grow in standing water.

Dawn Redwoods are considered by many to be the Fastest Growing Conifer. Under ideal conditions they have been reported to grow up to 5 feet per year.

Once very hard-to-find trees, but recent demand has boosted cultivation so that everyone can have access to this beautiful tree!

The Dawn Redwood’s beautiful, fern-like foliage develops in the spring and turns a gentle gold in the fall.

Great when planted alone as an ornamental tree or in groupings. A great tree for borders and fence lines. Grows consistently into a pyramidal form and makes an attractive shade tree.

Plant away from foundations and plan for it eventually being a large tree.

Adaptable to almost any soil - except desert sand … can withstand both moderate flooding and drought.

One of Our Favorite Local Photographers on Display

Photographs by Bonni Leu Banyard at Emmanuel's Marketplace - June 9th through July 13th

We also carry Bonni's photograph's here at Victoria Gardens, as well as an amazing calendar of her work.

New Varieties of Heirloom, Organic, Locally-Grown Veggie Starts!

Check out the new varieties we got:

Peppers:


Bridge to Paris-A long red sweet Italian frying pepper that cooks up as sweet as candy. Originally came from untangling a hybrid pepper called Paris. Phillies Bridge Farm in New Paltz has been continuing to grow this popular pepper, hence the name Bridge to Paris.

Jimmy Nardello-This variety of pepper was originally from Basilicata, a southern region of Italy. It takes its name from seed saver Jimmy Nardello, who brought the seeds from Italy while immigrating to Connecticut in 1887. The Jimmy Nardello's pepper is sweet and light when eaten raw. It is considered one of the very best frying peppers as its fruity raw flavor becomes perfectly creamy and soft when fried

Chervena Chushka Pepper-Bulgarian heirloom, traditionally used for roasting but also a great sweet pepper. Flesh is bright-red and very sweet, almost candy-like. Tapered fruits that are 2" at the shoulder by 6" long, ripens from green to brown to bright red

Cukes:

National Pickling-the firm black-spined dark green fruits are usually quite sweet, rarely bitter. Plants are vigorous dependable producers. This cucumber was developed with the home gardener in mind and has become the most popular home and garden type. Solid and crispy fruits are harvested for their canning quality for both sweet and dill pickles. Fruits average 6-7 inches with blocky ends and pack up perfect in canning jars. Can be harvested early for smaller pickles. Heavy yields over long period of time.

Cross Country-bears abundant blocky straight dark green white-spined fruit of uniformly good quality with very small seed cavities. Crunchy and cool. Has good yields (5.5 lb. per plant), appearance, and long uniform fruit. Has been highly rated in brine tests. Named for its widespread adaptability. . Resistant to diseases. One of the most highly rated and widely used pickling cucumbers in the country.

Early Fortune-Introduced in 1910 by the Jerome B. Rice Seed Company of Cambridge, New York, who described it as "the earliest and best white spine cucumber ever offered." Selected by George Starr at Royal Oak, Michigan from a single plant found in a crop of Davis Perfect (now extinct). Fruits are 7-8" long by 2" in diameter.

Melons:



Collective Farm Woman-his heirloom from the Ukraine was collected in 1993 by Seed Savers Exchange. Very popular on Island of Krim in the Black Sea. Melons ripen to a yellowish-gold and the white flesh has a very high sugar content, a favorite among heirloom gardeners and growers alike. Ripens early, even in Russia.

Banana Melon-Banana-shaped fruit, smooth yellow skin and sweet salmon flesh. 16”-24" long, 5-8 lbs. It was listed in 1885 by J. H. Gregory’s Catalogue, which said “When ripe it reminds one of a large, overgrown banana... It smells like one, having a remarkably powerful and delicious fragrance.” This is one of my all- time favorites, being very sweet

Missouri Gold-produces round, 20-lb melons with pale green skin and bright golden-yellow flesh that is crisp, sweet and refreshing. A really nice yellow type that is hard to find.
Golden Gopher-6 in. fruit with deep-orange flesh and superb flavor. Resistant to fusarium wilt. Developed by the Univ. of Minnesota in the 1930s.

Summer Squash:

Round light of tuscany- yeilds a round light green fruit as well as a profusion of blossoms good fro stuffing.

Early yellow crookneck-Traditional bush type, light yellow bumpy skinned fruit with creamy, white, mild sweet flesh. Harvest when fruit skin can easily be cut with a fingernail. North American, 1700. Heirloom.

Bennings Green Tint Patty Pan- Colorful light green scalloped shaped fruit, tender and good quality, excellent yields, easy to grow.

Yum! Are you hungry yet?

Cabbage:

Mammoth Red Rock-tightly packed, 8-lb heads hold their high quality during storage. Slightly flat heads are solid red to the core. Great for pickling and for slaw.

Danish Ball Head-A hardy late type ballhead cabbage with heads 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Excellent for eating fresh or cooked, great for sauerkraut or winter storage.

Broccoli:

Piriciacaba-About halfway between a heading broccoli and a broccoli raab, these succulent tender small green heads with very large beads make delightful raw eating. Very loose heads, lots of side shoots, sweet stalks. Even the fairly large leaves make excellent greens. Good hot and cold temperature tolerance.

Waltham- Developed in 1951 and long considered the standard open-pollinated fall broccoli. A reliable strain which consistently produces 6" heads with medium beads on attractive stocky 20" plants. Many hybrids make bigger central heads, but Waltham delivers a goodly number of side shoots.

Brussels Sprouts (both open polinated varieties which is harder to come by):

Gronigers-produces small button sprouts with a sweet and peppery flavor. Heavy yeilds from autumn to christmas.

Roodnerf-Roodnerf is the real deal. By late September 2007 these vigorous medium-large plants had set plump green sprouts along their stems. No wimps here, these were robust and flavorful sprouts.



This is in addition to all the veggie varieties we have!