Get Ready to Spice Up Your Garden: A Green Adventure Awaits!

Hold on tight, nature enthusiasts! After a rollercoaster of weather shenanigans, spring has finally sprung, and the green industry is booming like never before. It’s like a wild frenzy out there, with everyone and their third cousin twice removed rushing to garden centers, snatching up everything in sight after a taste of warmth.

From vibrant plants to luscious trees, hanging baskets to nutrientrich soils, this green extravaganza has something for every budding gardener. It’s the hottest trend right now—landscaping and turning our outdoor spaces into picturesque havens. Thanks to our Dad’s wise teachings of planning ahead and treating suppliers like VIPs, we’ve managed to keep a steady stock of all the goodies our customers desire.

But let me tell you, folks, this surge in demand is wiping our shelves faster than a tornado on a sugar rush. Reordering feels like playing darts in the dark while wearing a blindfold— hit or miss, baby! Peat moss is as rare as a unicorn these days, but fret not, we foresaw this shortage and stocked up like it’s the doomsday. Potting mixes are vanishing in a blink, but we’ve got your back. Mulches are next in line, as everyone plants their precious blooms and craves that finishing touch. And speaking of mulch, buckle up for a wild ride through the land of “mulch madness.”

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry seems to be selling bags of mulch these days, from gas stations to grocery stores to hardware shops. They stack ‘em high, creating colossal mulch castles with flashy signs promising great deals...or do they? Prices are all over the map—3 bags for $10, 4 bags for $10, even 5 bags for $10. It’s a mulch price party! But hold on, my friends, a closer look reveals the sneaky truth. Bag sizes vary like a chameleon on a rainbow. We’ve always sold generous 2 and 3 cubic feet bags at our store. But out there, you might stumble upon puny 0.75 cubic feet bags, or maybe a 1 cubic foot or a deceptive 1.5 cubic feet bag.

Beware! If you opt for these miniature bags, you’ll need to buy more to cover the same area. Remember, you get what you pay for! Many customers have learned this the hard way, falling for a seemingly sweet deal that turned sour like a spoiled lemonade.

Now, let’s talk about the mulch itself. Oh boy, the game has changed since the introduction of dyed mulches. Any old mulch can put on a fancy color show with a little dye magic. Back in the day, sawmills would toss bark away, which was then transformed into mulch. It gained popularity, and soon enough, tub grinders were invented to shred all kinds of tree branches, limbs, and even colossal tree stumps, turning them into shredded mulch. And if that wasn’t enough, they started dyeing the mulches too. But here’s the catch— sometimes they use fresh green wood. When you lay down layers of this mulch, it craves extra nitrogen, which it might snatch from your soil and plants. Those cheaper hardwood mulches can also invite slimy molds and shotgun fungus to the party. Yes, you read that right—slimy molds and shotgun fungus. These unwelcome guests thrive in rainy weather, resembling yellow or white dog vomit and a tar-like substance respectively. Yikes! But fret not, dear readers, for I have a secret weapon to share: cypress, cedar, or pine bark mulch.

The cypress and cedar seem to have an almost water repellent nature. They allow water to percolate through the mulch into the soil. Pine bark mulches are the best soil amendments I have ever found. Their chocolate brown color and easy to spread nature provides acidity to your soil as they break down which 90% of plants like. I love this as a soil amendment when planting. This is kind of a “growers secret” as all the fifty plus nurseries we buy from use pine bark mulch mixed into their soil media as part of their soil-less media to help plants grow. Use it in your garden and this will improve your soil there as well.

These aged organic mulches improve soil and encourage all around plant growth. As it breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil. Wood chips should be used in areas where you want to control weeds and improve appearance but are not concerned with soil improvement. They will last longer as they will need more time to decompose. Different river stones can be used as mulch in areas vulnerable to washout. A layer of weed fabric should be placed underneath to stop stone from settling into the ground. This barrier will stop this from happening. I do not recommend weed fabric under mulch. After a few years, this fabric will cause more harm than good, and weeds will begin to grow on top of the fabric barrier. It ultimately creates a big mess!

I am often asked what mulch holds its color the best. Organic vegetable dyes are used in tumbler machines and any of the dyed mulches will hold their color for the year, sometimes a little longer. My personal favorite is dyed cedar mulches. They are available in red, brown and black and natural. As for the longest lasting mulches, the bigger or chunkier the mulch, the longer it will last. Pine bark nuggets in large sizes will decompose the slowest of all mulches.

Keep in mind, mulch reduces maintenance but doesn’t eliminate it. Mulch helps to give a finished look to your landscaping. It helps prevent weeds from growing and keeps moisture in and around your plants. A yearly light layer reinvigorates your landscape and makes old, new looking again. Get out and mulch this weekend. Your plants will appreciate it when it gets warm.

As for pests emerging this week, be prepared for:

Euonymous scale in their crawler stages happening now, Boxwood and Locust leaf miners will be emerging next week. All of these can be controlled with a systemic insect spray or malathion by Hy Yield brand or Bonide Spray when wegelias are in bloom, this is the time the adult flies emerge and is best timing for application.

A quick diagnosis of a leaf will confirm the presence of larvae by cutting open or holding up to a light. The yellow larvae can be seen inside. This confirms you have it and should spray.

I would also like to mention a few of my clients had found ticks on their property this past week. . I say this as a reminder to treat your lawns for ticks. Hy yield’s Bug Blaster II works well for eliminating ticks. It seems a bit early for this but mother nature’s hot days really are accelerating the season. We are really close to the same growing degree days as last years.

The other item I have had a ton of people ask about is Lichens on tree limbs. Lichen are non-destructive, living organisms of a fungus and algae which help each other out. They grow in colonies on tree limbs, trunks and even rocks. They can be grey, green, white, or yellow. Some are just spots, others are an almost hairy, coral like substance which grows in a contorted form. Many of my clients panic when they see this. Lichens are often blamed for killing a tree but this is absolutely false. It is my experience they do like slow growing or declining trees and shrubs. I recently found that the ruby-throated hummingbird likes to line their nests with lichen.

Apart from that, most want to eliminate it as soon as they see it. The products to use are Bonide brand Moss MAster or Safer brand moss and algae killer. Just spray on or hook up to your hose and your lichen will be gone. A couple applications may be needed for the thick crusty lichens so don’t give up hope if it’s not gone in one application.

It looks like nice weather is here to stay over the next 10 days (Although as I write this article a frost is predicted for tonight. Ugh!) You know as a nursery owner, we are never happy. It’s too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. I finally have learned to deal with what I am given. I can’t change it so best to embrace it. A wise man once told me, you can go through life mad that rose bushes have thorns or be happy that thorn bushes have roses. It’s all perspective.

If you have not been out to see us, stop out and get some plants before they are all gone, we keep planting more but sooner or later, we will run out. We have an awesome variety of trees, shrubs, evergreens for screens, vegetable plants, gorgeous hanging baskets, herbs, water plants, and perennials on our 14 acres of nursery. Don’t forget to say hi to the goats!! I can promise you if you have never been here before, you WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. I guarantee it. Stop out today.