Poundridge Nurseries, Inc. - Blog

Tradition plays an important role in every holiday celebration, especially Christmas. It may be a special food, a family event, or beautiful decorations that represent the best of the season to you and yours. I can remember when as a child I used to help decorate our tree with tinsel, carefully placing each strand one at a time on the branch tips. The result was a magical tree and a holiday vision that lives in my memory to this day. But a hectic schedule often makes it difficult to find time to pick up a Christmas tree, let alone tackle the tinsel. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a team of elves to decorate eveything for us while we sit back and enjoy the season free from the stress and strain of putting up the decorations.

Lights, wreaths, bows, and garlands are the traditional trappings of holiday decor and no home should spend the season without a little bit of such Christmas cheer. Thankfully, the creative folks at Poundridge Nurseries will gladly take all the work and worry out of preparing your home for the holidays and decorate your house beautifully, indoors and outdoors. Let our decorating elves put up the tree, string lights, hang ornaments, garlands, wreaths, and bows. They can even create a custom-made fireplace mantle piece just for the occasion.

Poundridge Nurseries would like to be a part of your holiday tradition. Call now to set up an appointment for a free consulation with a designer to discuss how we can decorate your home for the holidays. Daryl Beyers

Savvy gardeners know that fall is for planting. The milder weather is less stressful on newly installed plants, decreasing the need to water them every day to keep their roots alive and to ensure the rest of the plant will thrive. The fact that plants are beginning to enter their seasonal dormancy also helps them make the transition from pot to garden with less trauma for the plant and less worry for the gardener.

Fall is also when nurseries place their remaining stock of plants on sale. Overwintering trees, shrubs, and perennials is expensive and the fear of losing plants in the depths of January keeps nursery managers up at night. As a result, it is more cost effective (and psychically restive) to offer plants at a discount and avoid the work and worry of bedding down stock for the winter. The best part of all this is that the nurseries’ loss becomes the gardener and homeowners’ gain.

Buying plants in fall is a true win/win proposition for the plant purchaser. Not only is fall a great time to plant a tree or shrub, but the discounts offered allow you to get three trees for the price of less than two. That means you can afford ten boxwoods for a hedge instead of making do with five or six, or you can step up the size of tree you buy, turning that ordinary looking six foot pine tree into a stately eight footer.

There is, however, one caveat associated with these fall savings. The selection of plants available in fall is never as diverse as what you can find in the spring, but you will be surprised at how many great plants are still at your local nursery. It seems foolish not to take advantage of the season and add a few plants to your landscape at bargain basement prices. Come spring when that new tree, shrub, or perennial blooms you will be glad you did, and so will your pocket book, unless, like me, you contract a case of “discountitis” and go on a spree. “40% off?! That’s practically free!”

Poundridge Nurseries, Inc.
FALL SEASON SALE
Starts Saturday, October 3rd
40% OFF All Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, and Bubs
All Outdoor Furniture, Pots, Statuary, and more!

Daryl Beyers

Planting bulbs in the fall for spring flowers is a long standing tradition with many gardeners, but it is a tradition that has slowly declined in popularity. Many new homeowners–and therefore new garden owners–long for the spring show of tulips or jonquils (daffodils) that they remember from their mothers’ or grandmothers’ gardens, but most don’t know how easy it is to have the same flowers for themselves. What they don’t know is that planting fall bulbs is one of the easiest ways to grow a plant because bulbs are, quite simply, a plant waiting to be. All the plant parts and the energy needed to make a flower are stored in a self contained package, the bulb. Bury one in the ground and a flower will emerge in the spring. It’s as simple as that. There is no need to water or fertilize (though a little Bulb-tone at planting time can be helpful).

Of course there are some pitfalls when it comes to planting bulbs, such as planting them the right depth (make the hole three times as deep as the bulb is wide), and the right way up (usually self-evident, but look for shriveled roots and you’ve found the bottom). Yet, even a bulb planted too deep and upside down will struggle to right itself and push its way to the surface somehow. The best thing about planting bulbs is that it provides the satisfaction of doing something in your garden that is not a reactive “chore” like pruning a shrub or weeding. Planting bulbs in autumn is a preemptive strike for beauty and a little sweat in September will go a long way to enjoying some flowers in April or May.

My favorite bulbs for big gardens are daffodils because the deer won’t eat them and because in time they spread naturally. I like crocus for close up spots along a walk way where I am sure to see them, and swaths of scilla or snowdrops beneath a special tree. Tulips are great for a formal bed near the patio because I can enjoy their unique shades of color up close while keeping the deer at bay. Hyacinths are another great bulb to plant close to the house because their strong fragrance is always a pleasure.

So go plant some bulbs this fall. It’s your first step towards a beautiful spring garden.

–Daryl Beyers

Gardening, like most every other pastime, is an on going learning experience. Much of what good gardeners learn comes from what we read in books or magazines, which we then put to the test in our gardens. Yet, some of the best lessons are passed along to us from other gardeners. Simple lessons such as the best time to prune a hydrangea (this depends on the type of hydrangea you have), what to feed dahlias to ensure vibrant blooms, and just how much direct sun a hosta can tolerate are a few of the things learned during the regular course of a budding gardener’s career. We can learn a lot from friends who garden but those who are new to the game can find gardening friends by attending local gardening classes in their community.

Continuing education programs, county extensions, and botanical gardens all offer a wide range of courses at convenient times and locations. A few of us at Poundridge Nurseries regularly teach local gardening courses. We invite you click on the course listings in this blog which will link you to the website with more information. Or visit the website directly at www.wiltoncontinuinged.org.

1. Deer fencing is the best way to keep deer and other unwanted animals out of your garden.

2. Keeping deer off your property greatly reduces the risk of Lyme disease

3. No one likes the smell of deer repellent and with good fencing you won’t have to buy that stinky spray ever again.

4. If deer damage has turned you into a frustrated gardener a deer fence will allow you to plant many different perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees.

5. If you want to grow a vegetable garden or a cutting flower garden in Westchester or Fairfield counties a deer fence is the first step toward success.

6. There are a few options for deer fence materials but the most economical solution is cedar posts with nylon netting–also known as a C-flex.

7. Custom wood or metal fences look great and can be built by a qualified installation team, but the cost can be pricey.

8. Late winter or early spring is the best time to install a deer fence so it is ready for the growing season, but if you can’t do it then, summer is also a great time to install.

9. A designer can determine the best location for your deer fence to get the most protection for the lowest cost.

10. Most importantly - Poundridge Nurseries installs deer fences!

By Poliana Danila, Landscape Designer

The best lesson I learned along the way was that spring is for planting. Once spring finally arrives the natural tendency is for people to look to the green and growing things around them, but planting in spring is also the most sound horticultural advice you will ever receive. The cooler temperatures and typically abundant rainfall during a nice New England spring create the perfect environment to get a new plant, whether it is a twenty foot tall copper beech, a two foot juniper, or some lowly asters, off to a healthy start. After the long, cold months of winter the reawakening soil is waiting to welcome the spreading roots of a newly planted tree, shrub, or perennial. 

Although everyone agrees that April and May are a perfect time to plant, June is too. I usually choose June to complete my personal landscape projects because I am too busy in the earlier months making gardens and planting trees on other people’s properties. Come June, however, I can sometimes find a little time to plant something in my own garden. And I ask you, is there any better way to prepare for the dog days of summer than to plant a nice new shade tree in your yard? Think about it.

Hmmmmm. I think I’ll go take another look at that beech tree for sale out in the nursery.

Daryl Beyers, Landscape Designer

Perennials are not like trees and shrubs. When you buy a tree you judge their branching structure and outward vigor because when you buy a tree you are paying for the time and effort that was put into growing it for several years. That’s why the price for woody plants increases exponentially with their size. The larger the tree or shrub the older it is, and the older it is the more resources the grower has put into growing it. Perennial plants die back to the ground each year, so their value is all in the pot. When purchasing perennials you basically want to choose good roots.

As the roots of perennials grow larger they are able to support more growth and in turn produce more beautiful blooms and handsome foliage. This progression of growth is where the perennial gardener’s adage “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap” comes from. The first season after you plant a perennial it may appear to be asleep above ground, but rest assured, below ground their roots are very much awake, growing larger and spreading throughout the bed in search of nutrients. The second year, the year they creep, you will see additional growth above ground because the roots are larger and can support a larger plant. Then, in the third year, when their roots are fully formed, the perennial will seem to leap, assuming a fully mature size. So the next time you pick up a new perennial for your garden remember “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.” It will remind you to let your plants come into their own in their own time.

Not everyone knows it but the majority of the garden plants found at your local nursery originated from a few mountain valleys in China and Japan. Plant hunting, as a profession, was a popular alternative for those less blood thirsty adventure seekers of the 1800s, most notably the leisure class of England. Gentlemen plant hunters like Kingdon-Ward, Forrest, and Wilson achieved fame by discovering plants that would satisfy the growing demand of English gardeners for the new and unusual. Most of the best finds at that time were made in the mountains in China’s North-Western Yunnan Province where the ancestors of many of today’s garden plants covered the hillsides and filled the valleys. In time, as English gardening trends crossed the Atlantic to the United States, the origin of traditional garden plants, like primroses (Primulas sikkimensis) and others was forgotten. In the process beautiful plants native to our continent, like trillium (Trillium), beardstongue (Penstemon), and ginger (Asarum) were overlooked. But today there is renewed interest in plants that are native to areas throughout the United States and growers are expanding our plant palette with new varieties of native plants now available at local nurseries.

Native plants are the smart choice for low maintenance, eco-friendly gardeners because native plants are naturally suited to local soil and climate conditions. This helps them survive times of stress like drought, eliminating the need for irrigation, and helps them thrive naturally when conditions are favorable for growth. Native plants have evolved to fit the cycles of their home region and therefore they require less work to grow well. Gardeners can simply step aside and allow nature to take over.

The trick to gardening with natives is to choose the right plant for the right place. Forest dwellers like trillium are best grown in humus-rich soil in the shade of existing trees while a native grass like bluestem wants deep soil and full, hot sun to match their prairie grassland habitat. Native plants make a garden look and feel like it belongs and ironically, their less-than-perfect aesthetic is becoming the calling card of some of the most refined landscapes designs across the country.

–Daryl Beyers, Landscape Designer

SPECIAL OFFER: PRINT A COPY OF THIS BLOG AND BRING IT TO POUNDRIDGE NURSERIES TO RECEIVE 10% OFF THE PURCHASE OF OUR SELECT NATIVE PERENNIALS.

According to our calendars spring is here, and as the daytime temperatures increase it is the time of year that I walk outside with my eyes on the ground looking for signs of life from the soil. Only when I find spring bulbs and perennial plants emerging-”pipping” is the official gardener’s term-do I begin to believe that spring has finally sprung. Read the rest of this entry »

When you plan your garden landscape there are a myriad of gardening styles to choose from, some of which are sure to strike your fancy. On the other hand you might not have any idea what gardening style suits your taste. Whatever the case, allow me to mention a few of the garden styles that are available that can be implemented; maybe you’ll get inspired. Read the rest of this entry »