Archives

Plant Spotlight: Echinaceas

Echinaceas have long been a favorite of many gardeners.  Years ago, the cheerful daisy-like pink or white blooms would appear in mid to late summer.  The seedheads, if left up over the winter, would provide food for the birds in our chilliest months.  Perhaps the reason some people like them so much is how low [...]

What’s Blooming at Schmalz Garden Center?

Even with the high heat and humidity, plants are continuing to bloom in the garden center.  A new shrub we got in this week that blooms from June through August is Hydrangea ‘Cherry Bomb’.  The bright pinkish-red blooms cover the 3′ tall plant.  Since it’s a macrophylla type, it does best in part to full [...]

Drought Tolerant Plants

With the Fox Valley area in a moderate drought this summer, it’s important to keep your landscape watered.  If you have clay soils, 1″ of water each week is best for the health and vigor of a plant.  If it’s not raining, you should water your plants with a hose or 5 gallon bucket.  To [...]

What’s Blooming at Schmalz

When gardening, it’s important to design a landscape with all four seasons in mind.  Many people get the gardening bug in May when the weather gets warm, and they buy perennials that are blooming in May.  That often proves to be a problem come June, July and August when their garden’s flower show stops and all [...]

Hydrangeas: A Plant for Every Landscape

As spring wraps up and temperatures rise, people are eager to get their summer landscape projects started.  Spring blooming shrubs and trees are fairly easy to find; crabapples, ornamental pears, serviceberry and  lilacs have all bloomed and filled the air with their fragrance.  However, finding a tree or shrub that blooms in summer is a little [...]

Plant a Family Garden!

Many people have fond memories of helping Grandma and Grandpa, or Mom and Dad, plant and weed the vegetable gardens when they were young.  It’s very easy to continue this tradition in the 21st century by encouraging your own children to help you plant rows of beans, squash or tomatoes.  It’s easy to get started; [...]

Complement with Ornamental Grasses

Perennials add splashes of color to the landscape, adding purple, yellow and pink in the summer and fall when trees and shrubs have finished their bloom cycle for the season.  However, ornamental grasses provide tall structure to garden beds and are a beautiful backdrop to perennials’ summer blooms.  In addition, many homeowners leave certain varieties [...]

Edible Gardening: Fruit for The Home

Edible gardening has become a fast growing trend the last couple years.  With prices of produce skyrocketing, it’s easier and cheaper for homeowners to pick their own apples, raspberries or blueberries from their backyard than spend money at the grocery store. Fruit trees are very popular at the garden center, especially in spring.  12 different [...]

A Taste of the Tropics

In Wisconsin, we love to have a taste of the tropics in summer, planting annuals and tropicals in pots or filling spaces in gardens.  Many people are familiar with the stand-bys, such as petunias, marigolds, or impatiens.  However, there are other plants that should earn a place in your gardens too, whether it’s foliar interest [...]

Spring Blooms: Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and Lilacs

  Rhododendron ‘PJM Elite’ Wisconsinites crave color by spring, ooh-ing and ah-ing when spring bulbs or woodland plants bloom, and pointing out the different colorful shrubs leaping to life.  A few popular shrubs that bloom earlier in the year are the evergreen rhododendrons and their cousins the azaleas.  Rhododendrons are giant shrubs out west, producing large [...]