Tools We Love: Part 2

In March only all tools are 15% off at Victoria Gardens in Rosendale, NY.
Here are some of our favorites to help with container planting:


Japanese Planting Knife – The Garden Warrior:



After you start to use this tool, you will find many more uses for it than you could have imagined. It is an essential, all-purpose tool for transplanting, weeding, cutting, and so much more. “I like it for planting in the garden,” Victoria says, “And also for the potting shed.” The knife can cut open a bag of potting soil, loosen soil in an old container, cut through pot bound roots, and then be used like a trowel. It doesn’t bend or break, even in rockiest, root-choked conditions. It’s a true garden warrior.


You will find 101 uses for these – TubTrugs:



Tubtrugs are lightweight and almost indestructible containers with heavy duty, comfort grip handles, and best of all you can use them for everything! Tote soil or mulch to another part of the garden or transport weeds to the compost pile. Use them to harvest veggies from your garden or apples from the orchard. The food-grade material can be used inside or out as ice buckets for tailgating or camping, or even as a large flexible dustpan. Victoria loves these Tubtrugs and even uses them instead of watering cans. “I also love the shallow ones for repotting house plants and for letting potted plants soak in a shallow bath of water and fertilizer.” The Tubtrugs are available in recycled plastic and six different sizes.

Tools We Love: Part 1

In March only all tools are 15% off at Victoria Gardens in Rosendale, NY.
Here are some of our favorites. These four in particular help with spring clean up:

The Amazingly Astounding, Magical Expanding Rake – It Changes Right Before Your Eyes:

You can adjust the width of this rake to easily fit in between shrubs and plantings. It’s lightweight and easily adjusts from 7” to 24” with the pull of a lever. Solid steel tines, coated in rustproof zinc. Try not to step into your garden when the ground is still super muddy and soft. You can compress roots and damage plants, so use this rake, and stand at the edge of your garden, unless you have a path or stepping stones placed where you know you won't be stepping on the crowns of as yet unseen perennials.



Once you've raked out your garden, pick up the pile with these:
Hand Rake “Grabbers” – Pick Up More:

Not only do these durable “grabbers” aid in picking up large amounts of leaves and debris, they protect your hands form sticks, thorns, needles, and slimy slugs! Spring, summer, and fall, you will find these “extra hands” indispensable -
especially for leaves, compost, mulch, and muck.



Weeders – You won’t believe how “hooked” you’ll be!

If you’ve never used a weeder before, you are in for a treat. “Both are great. I haven’t decided which one I like best.” Victoria says. The hand-forged Dutch weeder was recommended by another professional landscaper, who swears this tool becomes “an extention” of her own body. These metal weeders have a nice weight and reach to them, and are available in a “left-handed” or “right handed” configuration.



The other weeder is called the Cobra, because of the sharp, heart-shaped end of the curved tool. The point easily penetrates deep into the soil and with a twist of the wrist tap roots, crab grass, and all other manner of dastardly garden thugs are snatched out of the soil.



These weeder tools also make handy helpers when sowing seeds directly into the garden. The nifty point easily makes furrows as deep or as shallow as you like.

Large scale evergreen shrubs: Pieris 'Scarlet O'Hara', Pieris x 'Karanoma', and Pieris 'Summer Hill'

Large scale, spring blooming, deer resistant, shade-loving evergreen Pieris shrubs offer privacy and screening in shady spaces, where other shrubs would struggle.







Pieris 'Scarlet O'Hara': 8 –10’ tall and 4 –5’ wide. Prominent flower buds all winter. White flowers in April. Reddish bronze new growth.




The hardiest of all Pieris, Karanoma grows quickly to 10' x 6'. Offers upright panicles of white flowers and handsome evergreen foliage year-round.




Pieris 'Summer Hill': 9-12’ tall by 6-9’ wide. Thick, lustrous leaves emerge brick red - excellent branching, fast grower. White flowers.

Medium-large scale evergreen shrubs: Pieris japonica 'Mountain Fire' and Pieris japonica ‘Valley Valentine‘

These two shrubs are two of Victoria's favorite Pieris varieties. The young foliage emerges bright red and then turns green as it matures, displaying shades of pink peach, yellow and every shade in between.



Pieris 'Mountain Fire': 6’ tall by 4’ wide. Brilliant red new foliage turns dark green with maturity. Drooping clusters of showy white.




Pieris ‘Valley Valentine‘: 6- 7’ tall by 4- 5’ wide. This shrub has brilliant, saturated pink blooms and the sweetest springtime fragrance.

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ and 'Diane' (Witch Hazel)

Pictured above: Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’

Hamamelis x intermedia hybrids are a cross between Hamamelis japonica (Japanese witch hazel) and Hamamelis mollis (Chinese witch hazel). They are one of the first shrubs to bloom in the garden and the flowers have a fresh spring fragrance that will permeate your entire yard.

HAMAMELIS X INTERMEDIA 'ARNOLD'S PROMISE'

FULL SUN TO PART-SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE
zone 3
10' - 20" tall and 15' wide
blooms: golden yellow, early spring


Pictured below: Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’





HAMAMELIS X INTERMEDIA 'DIANE'

FULL SUN TO PART-SHADE PLANT - LOW MAINTENANCE
zone 3
10' - 20" tall and 15' wide
blooms: red, early spring

Medium scale evergreen shrubs: Pieris japonica ‘White Cascade‘, Pieris japonica 'Dorothy Wyckoff', and Pieris japonica 'Variegata'

Pieris ‘White Cascade‘: 4- 5’ tall by 4-5’ wide. Unlike most other Pieris, it will quickly drop any browned flowers. Super easy!






Pieris 'Dorothy Wyckoff': 5’ tall by 5’ wide. Produces reddish-purple buds, which open as soft-pink blooms, and then mature to white.





Pieris 'Variegata': 5’ tall by 5’ wide. Best known for the attractive leaves that are green with white margins. Flower clusters are white.

Small scale evergreen shrubs: Pieris japonica 'Pygmaea', Pieris japonica 'Spring Snow', and Pieris 'Purity'

Pieris japonica 'Pygmaea': 3- 4’ tall by 3- 4’ wide. This is a very cool Pieris with very fine, feathery leaves. Pinkish buds open pure white in spring. Slow growing.








Pieris japonica 'Spring Snow': 4’ tall by 3’ wide. Pink buds open to bright white flowers.








Pieris 'Purity': 4’ tall by 4’ wide. Light green foliage with white flowers.