April 2014 The GREENLEAF - irp-cdn. · PDF fileThe GREENLEAF . N E W S L E T T E R (972) 890-9820. ... Tradescantia hybrid Spiderwort ‘Magic Birdtail ... an herbaceous perennial

The GREENLEAF N E W S L E T T E R

(972) 890-9820FAX (972) 377-2022

[email protected] www.shadesofgreeninc.com

HOURS: MON - SAT 8:00 A.M. TO 6:30 P.M. SUN 10:00 A.M. TO 5:00 P.M

By Jeff McCauley

April 2014

Hurricane Hits

DFW Metroplex!

Ten Inches of Rain

Falls From Sky!

Well, we all know that’s NOT true, but what is true is that Frisco remains at ‘Stage 3’ water rationing and until we receive several inches of rain, it will remain so for the foreseeable future. Shades of Green has options for you in this situation. It’s called Xeriscaping, which means a landscape that needs little or no water. Here are some products you’ll need to get started (and that you’ll find available at our nursery):

For Bed Preparation:

Cotton Burr Compost

Expanded Shale

Landscape Mix

Texas Pure Soil Blend

So become a water conservationist like us, and come to Shades of Green for a full selection of

drought tolerant plants. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer type, we have Landscape Designers who

will draw up a Xeriscape landscape plan for your yard and install it for you so that you can enjoy

many years of beauty and satisfaction knowing you’re doing the right thing for our earth. Just

give us a call today and schedule your appointment to get started on your professionally designed

Xeriscape. Or come by and our knowledgeable staff will help you load up everything you need to

enjoy a beautiful yard year-in and year-out.

Plant Options: (we have many to choose from but here are some suggestions)

Texas Sage

Yucca

Ornamental Grasses

Lambs Ear

Desert Willow

Black Foot Daisy

Closed Easter Sunday

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PLANT… Annual Color now! Our selection and quality is excellent! Be patient and wait until the soil is

warmer to plant Caladiums, Impatiens … etc … later into April. We’ll have Periwinkles and the large flowering

Zinnias in May when the time is right – again be patient. We specialize in Native Texas Perennials and right now

our selection is OUTSTANDING. Brice always grows beauties for us. Come on in and feast your eyes. Of

course you can plant trees, specimen hollies, all shrubs, roses, vines, and groundcovers now. Tropicals are

beginning to come in now and the selection will grow as the season permits. We have several beautiful color

bowls planted up and ready for you – come on in and choose some to brighten your front porch and patio. Or let

these creations bring out your inner artist and come in and create your own from our large selection of color!

FERTILIZE… with Gardenville 7-2-2 if you did not do so in February or March. If you procrastinated, it’s

ok … it’s organic! Seriously consider avoiding any weed & feed products. We do not recommend them or trust

them – they are dangerous for your trees and shrubs. Foliar feed your plants as they begin to grow with Nature’s

Guide Liquid Fish or Liquid Seaweed, Garrett Juice, or John’s Recipe. Apply Colorscapes when

planting your annuals, perennials, and planting your color bowls. Re-apply every 4-6 weeks to keep your plants

green and blooming. It’s that easy. Don’t forget to use your Superthrive™ on anything newly planted or

neglected and stressed – it IS a miracle product!

PRUNE… to maintain form only.

WATER… keep sprinklers OFF of their ‘automatic’ setting. Run manually if we have a dry period (a couple

of weeks without rain) to supplement between the spring rains. Check and hand-water newly planted plants if

needed, every couple of days for the first two weeks to insure they get settled in. The city of Frisco emails

watering advice weekly. You can sign up for this service by clicking here. They have a weather station to

monitor conditions and provide weekly watering recommendations. Please, be active and monitor your watering

needs, and follow your city’s watering restrictions.

PESTS… look out for Cankerworms in your trees. These larva hang from your trees on thin almost transparent

threads and can strip trees of their new foliage. Use Bacillus Thurengiensis (BT) as a biological control. Safe

for people, pets, and wildlife. Control Slugs (those slimy little critters) with Sluggo. Be on the watch for Scale

on plants – especially Crape Myrtles. Use All Seasons Oil to control. We have an organic fungicide called

Serenade that can be used to prevent a wide variety of fungal diseases. We also have Ladybugs. Come see us

to learn how to use them in your gardens.

Do you have Rose Rosette on your roses? We have a product to help control the spread of the disease. It’s called

Bayer ‘All-In-One’ Rose & Flower Care. Control fungal diseases on your roses with an application of

Horticultural Corn Meal … apply on the root zone and lightly scratch it into the soil. There’s still time to

apply Dry Molasses for Fire Ants. They hate it and it increases the microbial activity in the soil. Plus, before

you know it you’ll have a large population of earthworms, which is a really good thing!

OTHER…

Get outside with your family … this is the absolute best time of year here in North Texas to enjoy your

outdoors. Grill up some dinner and eat ‘al fresco’ in the backyard!

Maintain 1-1½” mulch on your beds to conserve water.

If you grow more than enough veggies, share them with your neighbors, or with the food pantry at

Frisco Family Services.

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R e m e m b e r T o V i s i t w w w . S h a d e s O f G r e e n I n c . c o m F o r P r o m o t i o n s a n d E v e n t s !

It was a

Good Day

for a

Garden

Show!

Thank You For Your

Participation At Our

2014 Open House!

Thank You For Your

Participation At Our

2014 Open House!

The weather was a little on the chilly

side, but we had a great turn out!

Hope to see you all again next year!!

The weather was a little on the chilly

side, but we had a great turn out!

Hope to see you all again next year!!

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‘Cottage Pink’

By Brice Creelman

Achillea ‘Peachy Seduction’ USPP#22262

Would a Yarrow be so good, or better than other Yarrows that it would

be awarded a patent?? I hope so too! Peachy pink flowers all season long

on 24” tall x 24” wide plants. Cut back after bloom for more color. Full

sun to part shade. Loved by butterflies. Great plant for those who want to

garden without the garden work.

Cymbopogon citratus Lemon Grass (edible!)

Clean and upright -- like a mini-pampas grass. 2’-3’ tall and 18” wide.

Does well in full sun to shade. Light green leaves have a strong lemon

scent. Said to repel biting insets. Also great for centerpieces in combo pots for some

height. Enjoy for the season and then figure out how to cook with it since it’s not

hardy enough to get thru our winters. Or over-winter inside by a sunny window. Or

spread over some chicken.

Delosperma hybrid ‘Jewel of Desert Topaz’ PP#23,492

Would an Ice Plant be so good, or better than other Ice Plants that it

would be awarded a patent?? I hope so too! This new hybrid Ice Plant has

smaller foliage than the ice plant we know (D.cooperi). 4” tall by 12” wide

with marmalade-orange with white center flowers. Will it bloom as long as

cooperi? No say. Will it hold up in the brutal heat? No say. Is it so new

we don’t know anything about it? No comment. Adventure seekers only ...

may thrive, may not.

Dianthus hybrid Scent First™ Pink Fizz Looks like the days of seeking a plant with one name are gone. I counted 42

varieties of new Dianthus in one catalogue recently. Why? I don’t know. Guess we

love Dianthus! Pink Fizz is a little taller (6”-10”) than D.Firewitch, so it can be used

as a cut flower. And it’s fragrant as all get-out. Assume butterflies will love it if it

has any nectar. Double pink blooms. Sun to part shade. Can’t have that English-

Texas border without some “Pinks”.

Oxalis crassipes Cottage Pink Of course your grandmother has/had good taste in plants. And it was

free, so she prolly had a big old order of it. Naturalizes in east Texas and

will re-seed in your land-scape if you let it. Hardy winter and summer.

Sun or shade. Makes a 6’-10’ tall perfect little clump. Pink flowers, green

foliage. Special because it lives. Wet, Dry, Sun, Shade. Definitely a green

side up plant. Good luck killing it, can’t be done. (I’m gonna wish I didn’t

say that.)

‘Pink Fizz’

Jewel of Desert Topaz

‘Peachy Seduction’

Lemon Grass

Continued on pg. 5 ...

PLEASURE YOURSELF

WITH THESE PERENNIALS ... (in alphabetical order)

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Petunia ‘Laura Bush’ Do you think Laura Bush knows there is a petunia in Texas named after her? Gee,

most important people get a rose after them. Anywho ... ‘Laura Bush’ is a real good re

-seeding all season long blooming petunia. Found by Greg Grant, has good Texas

roots. Grows fast and is fragrant. Butterflies all around. Vivid magenta flowers show

up all spring into fall. Excellent in combo pots or in the ground. Our most heat

tolerant petunia. Is it planted at the Bush Library??

Salvia greggi ‘Fancy Dancer’ What? No patent?? As you know, we love each and every Salvia greggi.

Even if they go to England and come back all cultured and bi-colored. For

instance, ‘Fancy Dancer’ has pink-salmon flowers that may not be as bold as

our single color species but they bloom all season long and the hummers and

butterflies ain’t picky. They love it! I know your garden could use some

‘fancy pants’ plants so have at it. Don’t judge me.

Tradescantia hybrid Spiderwort ‘Magic Birdtail’™ I don’t know exactly what they did to our native Spiderwort, but I like it! Leaves

have a blue-ish cast and come out and curve all over the place like ah-ah-ah magic bird

tail or something. Same lavender-pink flowers as ‘Concord Grape’. 12” tall. Shade

mostly. Even though label says sun. Some sun is ok. Blooms all season long. Odd,

but fits in at Shades of Green (home of the misfits).

Verbena ‘Seabrook’s Lavender’ USPP#19879

Would a Verbena be so good or better than other Verbenas that is would

be awarded a patent?? (Is there an echo in here?) Lavender flowers with

darker eye. Not as gaudy as ‘Homestead Purple’. Hope it is as showy. Still

grows fast and holds up a little better in our heat. 3” tall by 22” wide. Sun

to part shade in the ground or combo pots. Butterflies are free. Hope it’s not

named after that English gardener dude, but I feel like it bloody well is.

... Continued from pg. 4.

... THESE PERENNIALS ... (in alphabetical order)

By Brice Creelman

‘Seabrooks Lavender’

‘Magic Birdtail’

‘Fancy Dancer’

‘Laura Bush’

April Coupon Specials

Please Present Coupon Can Not Be Combined With Any Other Offer Expires April 30, 2014 One Coupon Per Customer

$10.00 Off — Any Purchase Over $50.00!!

$15.00 Off — Any Tree Purchase $100.00 or More!!

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NICE! (N at ives In st ea d of Comm o n Ex o ti c s !)

Plant Of The Season – Spring 2014

MMEALYEALY BBLUELUE SSAGEAGE Salvia farinacea

A Low-Maintenance and Long Blooming Perennial

Written by: Dr. Becca Dickstein

Description: Mealy Blue Sage, Salvia

farinacea, also known as Mealycup Sage, is

an herbaceous perennial. It is native to New

Mexico and Texas; its native habitat includes

prairies and the edges of woodlands. Its

names “Mealy” and “farinacea” both refer to

the way the sepals (the parts around the

flower petals) look, which is as if they were

dusted with flour or meal and is caused by

tiny hairs on them. Mealy Blue Sage grows

18-36 inches tall and 18-36 inches wide. Its

leaves are usually about 3 inches long, grey-

green to green, and lance-shaped.

Flowers and Seeds: Mealy Blue Sage

blooms from April until frost with a bloom peak in April and another in late September or October.

Flower spikes with many florets are held above the foliage. The flowers range from white to violet-blue

and are 2/3–3/4 inch long, with two stamens and a pistil. Seeds may be collected following flowering.

Planting Sites: Mealy Blue Sage thrives in full sun and partial shade, although it blooms more

profusely with more sun. It tolerates a range of soil pH.

Watering Instructions: Like many Texas natives, Mealy Blue Sage may need supplemental water

during its first season in the garden, but after it is established, it will only need water in an extended

drought. Too much water will result in it being “leggy”. Mealy Blue Sage should be planted where it

will receive adequate drainage; it will not tolerate “wet feet.”

Comments: Mealy Blue Sage is a great plant for North Texas. It has a nice fragrance, is deer resistant,

blooms for a long time and is drought resistant. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds and has been

recognized by ecologists for its value of attracting native bees. Several named cultivars are available in

nurseries including both “Henry Duelberg” and “Augusta Duelberg”. These selections were found by

Greg Grant in a non-irrigated section of a rural Central Texas cemetery in mid-summer around the

graves of the Duelbergs. “Henry Duelberg” is deep blue, while “Augusta” is white. All Mealy Blue Sage

varieties may be pruned to about half their height in mid-summer to encourage more compact growth in

the fall. In addition to propagating it through seed, Mealy Blue Sage may also be propagated via

cuttings.

Plant of the Season Sponsored by the Trinity Forks Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas Operation

Trinity Forks Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas Meetings are the 4th Thursdays in Jan, Feb, Mar,

Apr, May, Jun, Sep & Oct at 6:30 pm, in TWU’s Ann Stuart Science Complex, in Denton, TX.

www.npsot.org/TrinityForks

Photos courtesy of Fonda Fox: Mealy Blue Sage flowers.

Left, unnamed variety; Right, Augusta Duelberg.