Two Months Left in the Gardening Season

I know most of you don't believe it, but there are still two full months left in the gardening season. There are still pleasant sunny days to be spent outdoors enjoying your yard and garden. If we throw our hands up and say it's over, winter will be upon us that much faster!

"SPENDING EVEN JUST A few minutes of quality time in nature each day can have a profound effect on both your psyche and your health. No one knows that better than Charles Cook, a Pomona, N.Y.-based nature guide and author of Awakening to Nature (McGraw Hill, 2001). Cook has lead more than 1,000 hiking and camping trips since 1980 to help people enjoy nature and show them that being outdoors can make them feel good. Here, Natural Health asks him why being in nature is so vital to your well-being.

Natural Health: Why is being in nature so good for us?

Charles Cook: Nature provides many of the things we need, like fresh air and sunlight, but there's also an energy in living things that we connect with [when we're outdoors]. You can definitely get an endorphin high from being outside. Just moving around in nature makes our bodies feel good.Tune into Nature

1. When you first step out of your door, pause for a minute and close your eyes, recommends Charles Cook, a nature guide in Pomona, N.Y.

2. While your eyes are closed, allow your hearing and sense of smell to heighten, Listen for birds singing nearby. Breathe deeply and notice any scents.

3. Open your eyes and remain still for a few more moments. Continue to notice the sounds and scents, and look closely at your surroundings before moving on."

For the full article by Amanda Lyndon click here.

So get out in your garden and dig in the dirt - plant bulbs, mums, ornamental cabbage and kale, perennials, trees, and shrubs! Fall is a great time to plant: cooler nights mean less watering. Victoria Gardens can help extend the gardening season with late, fall-blooming plants.

Bright Red Fall Folliage: Itea virginica

For bright red fall foliage, Victoria recommends Itea shrubs –and to avoid the invasive euonymus (burning bush). Itea, as you can see, produces ravishing red fall color.



"Little Henry' Itea virginica.



'Henry's Garnet' Itea virginica.

Why should you avoid planting 'burning bush'?: "The invasive euonymus (burning bush) was introduced into the USA from northeastern Asia about 1860 and the bright red fall foliage makes this shrub a popular ornamental; burning-bush planted near woodlands, mature second-growth forests, and pastures can be a problem. It has escaped from cultivation in the Northeast and Midwest, notably in Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.

The earliest evidence of naturalized populations of winged euonymus in eastern Pennsylvania dates from the 1960s. Today it is found with increasing frequency in moist forests throughout the eastern United States.

Winged euonymus is a threat to mature forests and successional fields and woodlands because it out-competes native species. It is adaptable to various environmental conditions although it generally does not do well in very dry areas. It grows well in a variety of soil types and pH levels, has no serious pest problems in North America, and most importantly of all, is tolerant of full shade. It has invaded moist forested sites creating dense thickets that can shade out native herbs and shrubs.

Seed production is prodigious; many germinate where they fall close to the mother plant creating dense beds of seedlings. Others are spread by birds that are attracted to the seeds by their nutritious, fleshy, red covering (aril). Seeds dispersed this way germinate easily and spread the infestation rapidly. Wide usage of this a popular landscape ornamental increases the probability that more will escape from cultivation.

Winged euonymus should not be planted anywhere near native forest stands because of its invasiveness and prolific seed production.

The following native shrubs are suggested as alternatives:

winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata),
red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia),
Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica),
arrow-wood (Viburnum recognitum or V. dentatum),
blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium),
gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa),
kinnikinik (Cornus amomum),
ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius),
witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana),
bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)."

-SOURCE: The following information on this species is taken from the Delaware River Invasive Plant Partnership, Invasive Plant Fact Sheets.

Blooming Now: Clematis paniculata

One blogger writes of this "Crushing Beauty":

"Sweet autumn clematis in my garden, one of my favorite of all plants. Exuberant at a time of year when I am mourning the end of the basil and need exuberance. Though I cut both plants off knee-high this spring, they are nonetheless taking down my nice Smith & Hawken iron arch."

Clematis paniculata

Height: 20-30 ft. (6-9 m)

Spacing: 9-12 in. (22-30 cm)

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

Bloom Color: White/Near White

Flower Fragrance: Very Fragrant

Bloom Diameter: Small - less than 2 inches (5 cm)

Bloom Time: Late Summer/Early Fall/Mid Fall

Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade

Other details: Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Danger: All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction

Pruning: prune hard in early spring

Pink, white, green and 20% off, oh my! Japanese Maple: Acer palmatum 'Harriet Waldman'

Acer palmatum 'Harriet Waldman' as you can see is a glorious variegated variety with pink new growth. A rare and hard to find variety, we are lucky enough to have a grower who propagates this beautiful tree. I mean look at the color of the branch!

Mature size: 15'to 15' tall and wide
Light: Full sun to partial shade (light exposure will affect variegation).
Cold hardy: Zone 5
Leaf color: Pink, white and green - oh my!

The ones we have in stock stand about 4' now. $52 plus 20% off!

Full Moon Maple: 20% off: Japanese Maple: Acer japonicum dissectum 'Green Cascade'

Acer japonicum dissectum 'Green Cascade', also called Full Moon Maple, is a lovely tree that stays small and can be easily shaped to your taste. This cultivar maintains a growth habit like the palmatum dissectums, although it tends to be an aggressive weeper with a good strong structure. It loves to be pruned, so go ahead, give it a hair cut and experiment with a large-scale bonsai! Its natural shape tends to be mounding with a mature height to 5'. It’s foliage is a rich green color that turns a beautiful combination of red,orange and yellow.


Mature size: 5' tall and wide
Light: Full sun to part shade
Cold hardy: Zone 5
Leaf color: Fern-like leaves - bright green with red, orange and yellow in the fall.

The ones we have in stock stand about 4' now. $52 plus 20% off!

The many shades of 'Shirazz' : 20% off: Japanese Maple: Acer palmatum 'Shirazz'

Our grower says about Acer palmatum 'Shirazz', "The striking feature of this cultivar is the ever changing colors from spring through summer to fall. Each tree seems to have its own particular variegation depending upon the amount and type of sunlight. Summer heat creates a dark maroon color for the new growth with existing leaves turning to various shades of green. Trees that are grown in more shade will display new growth with lavender highlights. Recommended sun exposure is in the morning with some shade protection in the hot afternoon sun."

The tree will display a weeping habit as it matures.

Mature size: 15'to 15' tall and wide
Light: Prefers morning sun.
Cold hardy: Zone 5
Leaf color: New foliage maroon, then various shades of variegation.

The ones we have in stock stand about 6 1/2' now. $150 plus 20% off!

Famous for its foliage and 20% off: Japanese Maple: Acer palmatum 'Trompenburg'

Acer palmatum 'Trompenburg' is a fast grower similar to the 'Bloodgood' variety, but with better color.

One grower, Maple Ridge Nurseries says, "The 3 things for which Trompenburg is most famous all have to do with the foliage. The first is the spring color which is a dark purple sometimes almost appearing brown or chocolate and holds a nice color well into even a hot summer. The second is the very sharp serrations to the lobes of the leaf. The third is the way the lobes curl at the ends, but this does not always appear until the tree somewhat matures. Trompenburg will tolerate full sun to partial shade. Fall color is a brilliant scarlet red."

Mature size: 15'to 20' tall and wide
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Cold hardy: Zone 5
Leaf color: Dark purple/chocolate in the spring, burgundy in summer and red in the fall.

We have two sizes in stock. The smaller trees stand 4' tall now - $55 plus 20% off, and the larger trees stand 6' tall (really nice specimens) - $220 plus 20% off!