Fab, Fab, Fall Foliage: Rhododendron 'P.J.M.'

Three to six feet tall and wide, spring flowers, a second bloom in fall, minty scented leaves, and stunning fall color... too good to be true? No: Rhododendron 'P.J.M.'!

This is what it will look like in a couple weeks:

Fab, Fab, Fall Foliage! 'Green Cascade' Japanese Maple

As you can see, anything BUT plain old green now.

Our number one, top fall foliage pick in the nursery right now is 'Green Cascade' Japanese Maple! And the pictures don't do it justice. The variations and intensity of the color - reds, oranges and golds - are blowing our minds. With a mature size of only 6' tall by 10' wide, this small tree packs some serious autumn wow into a very diminutive form.

Watch Out For Frost Warnings!

Watch out for frost warnings. It will soon be time to bring houseplants back inside.


If your house plants' are rootbound when you pull them from their pots, they need to be stepped-up to a larger size pot with fresh soil. Victoria Gardens has everything you need to step-up any root-bound plants – planters, potting soil, plant stands, and plant caddies, as well as organic, pet-safe/ kid-safe, indoor fertilizers and pest controls to battle aphids and white fly.

Fall Bulbs: Plant into Fall, Spring into Color

When we choose which spring-blooming bulbs to bring into stock, we choose the flowers that have performed the best year after year here in Ulster county. We have the benefit of field-testing new varieties and watching some varieties naturalize and bloom again and again for the past twenty years. Here are just a few of our favorites:

For those of you with gardens in the middle of deer territory, not to fear, we have a wide assortment of deer resistant bulbs. One of the most under-used (but awesome) deer resistant bulbs is Allium ‘Ivory Queen.’ Every May when they bloom at the nursery, everyone asks, What’s that plant? We planted three bulbs in this spot three years ago in full sun, and every year they have multiplied and the foliage and flowers have gotten bigger. Read more about Allium 'Ivory Queen'.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’, ‘Gladiator’, and ‘Globe Master’ stand as tall as their masculine names imply. Plant in groups of five or seven and the spherical clusters of blooms will be a focal point in your garden late spring to early summer.

Fritillaria persica (also deer resistant!) is very sculptural with tufts of green pineapple-like leaves on top of the large (2’ to 4’ tall) hanging bell-shaped flowers. A stunning companion to white tulips, hellebore or the coveted, greenish-white Fritillaria persica ‘Ivory Bells.’

Another deer resistant beauty, Camassia 'caerulea' which put up lovely spikes of lavender blue flowers. Ideal for heavy clay to loamy soils! Camassia can tolerate full sun to part shade and can grow pond side or stream side. The flowers are very long lasting making them ideal for cut flowers to be used in flower arrangements. Camassia 'Semiplena' produces tall spikes of large, white, semi-double flowers.

Both naturalizing and deer resistant, Daffodils are the reliable gold standard. Diminutive varieties like Tete a tete and Jet Fire can planted at the front of beds while taller varieties like Dutch Master and Hawera can be used throughout your perennial border. And not all Daffodils are gold in color, white, peach and and soft pink are also available.

Banja Luka is a wonderful tulip for cutting. The flower is incredibly, enchantingly big. Last year Victoria was stunned when the blooms opened even bigger as they sat in a vase on her desk. If you like cutting from your garden, you will love this tulip. Fantasy, Green Wave and Texas Gold are all exotic feather-edged, multi-colored tulips that will dress up your garden or your table. Tulips, unfortunately need to be protected from critters (see sidebar) and deer, so if you don’t have a fence you will have to diligently spray deer repellent.

Not all bulbs bloom at the same time, so you can choose a variety and have a constantly blooming show of bulbs from early spring to early summer. Stop by the nursery and we’ll help you plan your spring blooms.

Ten simple ways to stop wild animals from digging, eating or stealing your newly planted tulips & crocus.

Ten simple ways to stop wild animals from digging, eating or stealing your newly planted tulips & crocus. Save your bulbs from hungry wildlife or destructive critters!

Here are some suggestions for how to prevent wild animals such as mice, voles, moles, woodchucks, chipmunks, skunks, and deer from digging up or eating or otherwise destroying your newly planted bulbs (without the benefit of Ewoks to stand guard of course).

1. Dip your bulbs in animal repellent before planting. We carry an organic animal repellent liquid that smells like peppermint, so it will keep the critters away, but it won’t make you gag.

2. Plant pellets of mole and vole repellent in the hole with your bulbs. The organic pellets contain castor bean oil, which keeps the critters at bay.

3. Water well to firm in the soil around newly planted bulbs. Nothing calls to chipmunks like soft, freshly dug ground.

4. Another strategy to guard your bulbs from scavenging chipmunks is to trim the stakes of a gridded peony support and push the shorted plant support into the dirt over your bulbs, so the metal grid is flush with the soil. You can leave it in the ground all year long, and your bulbs will grow up in between the grid.

5. Line your planting hole with old window screen or chicken wire, cover with a layer of soil, and plant your bulbs within the protected hole.

6. Plant sticks with your bulbs, criss-crossed and pointing in all directions to discourage tunneling moles and voles.

7. Get rid of moles and voles permanently by killing the grubs they feed on. Use Milky Spore (organic, kid-safe, pet-safe) on your lawn. The spores kill the grubs, and as the grubs decompose, the spores multiply. One application of Milky Spore will stay active in your soil for years to come. This has the added benefit of reducing the Japanese Beetle population.

8. Plant your bulbs in a pot in your garden. By sinking a plastic pot into your garden soil, you can deter moles and voles from getting at them them from below.

9. Plant sharp shards of broken terracotta pots in the hole with your bulbs.

10. Plant Daffodils instead. Daffodils are toxic (when ingested) and that’s why the deer also leave them alone.

In the spring, as soon as you see green breaking through the soil, spray deer repellent and enjoy your spring blooms!

Try one or all of theses organic, kid-safe/pet-safe techniques to guard your precious spring color from the wild animals and hungry critters!

For more Star Wars vs. Chipmunk images: http://www.parsingnonsense.com/ttdnst-chipmunk-whimsy/

Hudson Valley Magazine

This was a nice little blurb about the green wall in the Hudson Valley Magazine "Best of 2010" issue. (Double click on the picture to enlarge).

If you haven't stopped by yet, the sedum planted vertically on the front of our building will be changing colors in the cooler weather. Varieties like 'Sexangulare' and 'Orange Ice' will turn from a lime green to orange in fall weather, while Sedum 'Dasyphyllum Major'takes on a mauve cast during cool weather. (So cool!)

Other Rosendale businesses featured in HVM's "best of" issue were The Postage Inn, The Alternative Baker, and The Rosendale Cafe. Pick up an issue, and visit us all in Rosendale!

Fall Color: Fruiting Shrubs - Ilex x meserveae (Holly)

Meserve Hybrid Holly
Ilex x meserveae
Hardiness Zone: 5 - 8
Mature Height: 6-8 Feet
Mature Width: 6-8 Feet
Lustrous, blue-green, evergreen foliage all year; stems are reddish purple; bright red fruit on female plants.Prefers full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil is best.
Cultivars:

* 'Blue Boy' - 10-15 feet tall; dark green leaves (male).
* 'Blue Girl' - 8-10 feet tall, dark green foliage and bright red fruit (female).
* 'Blue Prince' - 8 inches-2 feet tall, and very dense, with dark green foliage, very cold hardy, (male).
* 'Blue Princess' - 15 feet tall, dark blue green foliage and an abundance of red fruit (female).
* 'Mesdob' (China Boy®)- 10 feet tall, good cold hardiness, (male).
* 'Mesid' (Blue Maid®)- 15 feet tall, red fruits (female).
* 'Mesog' (China Girl®)- 10 feet tall , green foliage and abundant red fruit (female).

Mature Form: Rounded
Native To: Of hybrid origin
Soil condition: Moist Well-Drained