Cyclamen

Soon Garden’s Gate will be transformed by our Bedding Department. There, you will find yourself lost amongst vibrant cyclamen, amaryllis, Christmas cactus, fragrant Paperwhites, ivy topiaries and more! 

As of now, we have Cyclamen galore! Resembling a shooting star and typically blooming in shades of white, maroon, pink, purple and red with often two-tone or ruffled petals, it’s one of our most popular flowers this season! And deer resistant too!

Cyclamen are tubers that go dormant in the summer (if not receiving adequate amount of water) then the fall rains will bring forth new leaves. As the days shorten, the buds will begin to form.

Adorn your table centerpiece with one of stunning cyclamen, just ensure your container has good drainage and plenty of good bright light. Remember that they like it a little bit cooler so a north-facing window or cooler part of your home is ideal.

Outdoors cyclamen like shady, woodland areas but also do well in containers. They are not particular about soil types and do not mind root competition. Therefore planting them under trees and conifers for a pop of color works wonders.

They like to be watered well and then left to dry out. If kept too moist, cyclamen can get a fungus known as Botrytis or gray mold, and the base of the stems turn soft and mushy and the leaves fall off easily. Fertilize your cyclamen with Master Bloom 0-10-10 or E.B. Stone Organics Ultra Bloom 0-10-10 every month during the growing season.

Cyclamen are one of the few winter blooming plants that are deer resistant, and add that spark of bright color during those dreary winter days - so plant away!

Stop in and see what color winter has to offer your garden today! 

Fall Garden Care

Every month we post our This Month In Your Garden (find it under the Resources tab!) to ensure you have a checklist of just want to plant and what plants need a little extra love. As we near winter, it is important to keep an eye out for anything that needs last minute attention before the weather grows colder, the days darker and we take shelter in our cozy abodes. Here are a few of our must-have garden tips we practice in our own yards, and a few things you shouldn't miss on your next visit...

LAWNS

Feed lawns with Master Nursery's Fall & Winter Feed 20-6-7. Apply monthly to keep your lawns at their best. Why apply this over regular lawn food? The nitrogen in the Fall & Winter Feed is formulated to work even faster in the colder months of the year. 

FLOWERS AND FRUIT TREES

Feed spring-flowering plants and fruit trees monthly with Master Bloom 0-10-10 or E.B. Stone Organics Ultra Bloom 0-10-10. These fertilizers are formulated with without nitrogen to boost flowering and fruiting.

We especially recommend feeding your azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons for spectacular blooms. A 0-10-10 will also improve your yield, quality and sweetness of your citrus and other fruit trees! 

PEACH AND NECTARINE TREES

We love their luscious fruit, but peach and nectarine trees are all susceptible to leaf curl, a fungal disease that causes curly, distorted leaves and reduced fruit production. Now is the time to start spraying your trees for prevention of leaf curl. Spray with Copper Fungicide at the rate of 2 ounces per gallon of water. Make your first application at 80% leaf drop, (which is generally around Thanksgiving.)

Make additional applications at bud swell (late winter), popcorn (buds just showing color), full bloom and petal fall. Remember to reapply if it rains within 24 hours of application! 

FROST TENDER PLANTS

As we approach our first frost (could be any day now!), stock up on our recommended tools to protect your frost tender plants! Apply Bonide's Wilt Stop to prevent drying out, winter kill, wind burn, transplant shock and more. 

We also recommend covering your plants with our Frost Protection Blankets. Available in a range of sizes and by the foot, we use frost blankets in the nursery ourselves to protect our plants through winter (especially our succulents and citrus) and highly suggest it for your garden. Find Wilt Stop and Frost Protection Blankets near our outside shop. 

Looking for something frost hardy for quick greenery and a burst of color? Check out our Bedding Department's stock of Ornamental Kale and Cabbage. With varied foliage and available in a range of colors, these ornamentals are one of our favorite winter plants! Questions? Stop into the nursery and let us help you get your garden winter ready! 

ONION SETS

It's not all about preventative care this month; just in at the nursery are our onion sets! Sold in bunches of 25, we also have 6-packs available. With red, white and yellow onions available, we're sure you'll find a variety to your liking. Plant now in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil (we recommend mulching!) Hurry in, they’ll go fast!

BAREROOT ROSES AND FRUIT TREES

The deadline to receive 20% off your prepaid order of roses and fruit trees is approaching - December 1st to be exact! All stock will be arriving bareroot in January.

Our Rose List features our must-haves and several new beauties and be sure to check out our Bareroot Fruit List for your favorite farmer's market varieties. December will be here before we know it, give us a call or stop in to place your order this week! 

For more of our tips for your fall garden, be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Holiday Amaryllis

With the minimum of effort, you can bring amaryllis into bloom for the winter holidays. All it takes is water, light and about 6 weeks time. 

For a winter holiday bloom, choose an African variety. Grown to blooming size in South Africa, they are then stored and shipped under controlled conditions. When removed from cold storage, the bulbs sprout quickly and flower in 4-6 weeks. For a guaranteed Christmas bloom, plant bulbs around November 15th. 

Most Dutch and Ludwig varieties are dug and shipped from Holland in September. These will bloom 7-8 weeks after planting. 

DELAY FLOWERING

If you want to delay the flowering of any of these amaryllis until later in the winter or even until spring, wrap the bulbs in newspaper and store them in the refrigerator vegetable crisper at a temperature of around 40°F. 4-8 weeks before the target date (depending on the source of the bulbs) remove bulbs and plant them in containers. 

PLANTING

For each bulb, choose a container that allows 2 inches between the bulb and the container sides. Fill containers with the soil mix; plant each bulb so its neck and top half protrude above the soil surface.

If one bulb makes an excellent display, then grouping several bulbs together is spectacular! Try planting three, even five amaryllis bulbs shoulder-to-shoulder in a broad decorative container. The pot doesn't need to be deep, as each bulb can produce several stems in succession, with each stem topped with four to six colorful flowers. This multi-bulb approach creates a pot dense with multiple stems in various stages of growth. There is also a practical advantage to planting multiple bulbs; broad-based pots are nice and stable!

A few of our varieties!

WATERING

Water thoroughly after planting; then give you just enough water to keep the soil barely moist, but not soggy, until active growth begins. Keep containers in a bright, warm room - 70-75°F during the day (60-65°F at night). Turn the containers frequently so flower stems will grow upright rather leaning toward the light source. 

FLOWERING

Each stem will produce four or more flowers. Once the flowers open, you can lengthen their lives if you move plants to a cooler location. As each bloom fades, snip it off to prevent seed formation. When all blooms on a stem have faded, cut off the entire stem about an inch from its base. 

The show goes on! Don't assume the show is over after the first flower stem fades. Your bulb will probably produce a second stem with four more flowers. Sometimes a third stem pops up! 

Our giftable Amaryllis bow-and-all! Paperwhites also available packaged up too!

MAINTENANCE

Be wary of tipping! Sometimes amaryllis plants become top-heavy and tippy. Here are a few techniques to keep your potted plant upright:

• Top dress by adding a little more soil (and weight.)

• Stake the plant by making a corral of sticks or branches, then securing the stems to these supports with a lasso of ribbon, string or colorful raffia.

• Double pot by placing the potted plant into a second heavier pot to provide additional stability.

These amaryllis kits make the perfect gift!

AFTER INITIAL FLOWERING

Leaves appear either during or after bloom, then die back when weather cools in autumn. For good performance the following year, it's important to keep the plant growing vigorously until the foliage wither naturally - water regularly and give bi-monthly applications of liquid fertilizer Master Nursery's Master Bloom 2-10-10 diluted to half strength. 

When the weather warms, you can move plants outdoors to a spot in filtered sun, or light shade leaving it in the pot or plant into the ground for a spring bloom.  

There's nothing like a cheerful bloom to brighten the winter season! Come see our selection of amaryllis available in a variety of shapes and colors located on our bulb patio near the outside shop today! 

Forcing Bulbs

WHY FORCE?

Because newly purchased bulbs already contain the embryonic bloom for the following season, you can - with a bit of extra effort - manipulate conditions to induce flowering before the bulb's normal outdoor blooming season. This process is popularly know as "forcing." 

Forcing takes advantage of the fact that bulbs have certain minimum requirements for each stage prior to bloom. Because outdoor climate slows development, bulbs in the ground usually take more time than is minimally necessary in the pre-bloom stages. But under a forcing regime, you can control conditions so each stage is completed as quickly as possible. 

For the most satisfying results, buy large top-quality bulbs. Forcing draws heavily upon a bulb's food reserves, so those that have the greatest amount of stored energy will perform the best.

TIMETABLE FOR BLOOMING

You can calculate the time to plant in order to achieve blossoms at the desired date. Most bulbs planted in potting soil will bloom 12 to 15 weeks after planting. On the other hand, narcissus grown in pebbles and water or in soil take just 6 weeks to flower. 

With the exception of Amaryllis, forced bulbs cannot be forced for a second season. After blooming is over, set bulbs out in the garden; in a year or two, they will build themselves up enough to flower at the normal time. 

3 BASIC METHODS

The method of forcing you use depends in part on the type of bulb. You can "plant" in potting soil, in a tray of pebbles and water, or in water alone. The following are descriptions of each method. 

1. SOIL

This method is especially well suited for tulips, hyacinth, daffodils, grape hyacinth, Dutch iris, scilla and freesia. 

Using potting soil, fill your pot to within 2" of the top. Set bulbs close together an equal distance apart with pointed ends up. Add additional soil to partially cover the bulbs. Soak the entire pot thoroughly with water.

Place the container in a cool, dark place for a period of 12 weeks. During this period, the soil should be kept moist and the bulbs kept cool, with temperatures below 50°F at all times. A cool cellar or unheated garage are very good locations. 

After 12 weeks the root system should be well established and 1-2" shoots should be appearing above the soil. The pot is now ready to be moved indoors to a well-lighted, fairly cool spot (55°F) for 2-3 weeks. The pale shoots will quickly turn dark green and buds will appear. When buds barely show color, move to a warm spot (72-75°F) with plenty of light (not full sun) to finish the bloom.

Narcissus planted in pebbles.

2. NARCISSUS ON PEBBLES IN WATER

The autumn and winter-blooming Narcissus tazetta varieties do not need a prolonged cool, dark period for root growth before they send up leaves, so you can easily force them indoor in an entirely soil-free medium. Most popular are the Chinese sacred lily (N. tazetta "Orientalis") and the varieties 'Paper White' and 'Grand Soleil d'Or.' For 'Paper White', the interval between starting and blooming is about 6 weeks. If your first planting is made in October, then plant at 2 week intervals until December. You can have flowering Narcissus indoor over a 2 month period. For a beautiful Thanksgiving bloom of 'Paper Whites', plant now. For a Christmas bloom we recommend planting around Veteran's Day or any time during the second week of November. 

Choose a container without a drainage hole and about 3-5" deep. Fill the bottom 2/3 with clean, smooth pebbles such as pea gravel or aquarium rock. Place bulbs in gravel so that the base is slightly covered. Fill with water to the top of the gravel and add water as needed to maintain water level at, or just below, the base of the bulbs. 

Pots can be started in a cool, well lit area until buds appear, then moved as desired. Caution; too much shade or darkness will cause the foliage and stems to stretch and become floppy. Likewise, too much warmth will force top growth at the expense of roots. 

Handblown Bulb Forcing Glass Vase via Elizabeth's Embellishments

3. HYACINTH & CROCUS IN BULB GLASSES

Both hyacinths and crocuses can be grown in water alone if you use the special glass vessels made for this purpose. These container look something like exaggerated egg cups: the bulb rests securely in the smaller upper section, while roots grow into the larger, water-filled lower part. 

To "plant" the glasses, fill them with just enough water to touch the bulb's base, then add a small piece of activated charcoal to help prevent the growth of algae. Place the planted glasses in a dark, cool place (around 55°F) until the roots are well developed and top growth has begun; add more water as necessary during this time to keep the level just beneath the bulb's base. When growth is underway, transfer glasses to a room with plenty of light and relatively cool temperatures (65 - 68°F). You can expect blossoms in 14-16 weeks.

We have an abundance of bulbs to choose from located near our outside shop. Stop in and let us help you get your bulb plantings, inside or out, started today!