Shade Plants Archives - Garden Supply Company

Winter Blooms

January 23, 2013 By Audrey

The holidays are now officially behind us, and the chill drear of winter has set in. Although it’s been a fairly mild season so far, this past week has really taken a turn for the cold. With peek planting time still a few months away, it seems like spring, and all the flowers and new growth that comes with it, is a long ways away. If you’re craving some color to chase away the winter blues, never fear. We have lots of gorgeous plants that are in bloom now that will provide some much-needed cheer all winter long.

Garden Supply Co.- Cary, NC
Hellebore (Lenten Rose)

Hellebores are perennial and largely evergreen. Their flowers provide color and interest in the shade garden when other plants are dormant. In addition, their leaf structure is interesting enough to make them a foundation of the shade garden year-round, even when their flowers are spent. Hellebores are also deer resistant and somewhat drought tolerant. We have several beautiful varieties to choose from.

Of course one of our favorite plants for winter color is the pansy. Pansies come is a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes and work well in beds, borders, and container gardens. We have several carts full of the 4″ pots.

If you’re looking to add color, flowers, and fragrance to your winter landscape, try the Winter Daphne.

Winter Daphne has rosy-pink flower buds that open to white with fragrant flowers that bloom in winter and early spring. Reaching 4 feet tall and wide, Winter Daphne is beautiful against a wall or near a patio or deck where its fragrance can be appreciated.

For blooms indoors, we also have many options to choose from, including these gorgeous Paperwhites.

For those DIY folks, we have plenty of bulbs for planting or forcing indoors. Or for instant gratification, choose from our pre-planted selections. These make a great gift when paired with one of our many decorative plant stakes or garden art.

Or add a few African Violets to your kitchen windowsill for an instant burst of brightness.

And we have tons of stunning plants to choose from in our indoor garden, including some really incredible orchids.

As always, we are here seven days a week for all your gardening needs. Stop by and see us today!

Filed Under: Garden Supply Company, new plant arrivals, perennials, Shade Plants Tagged With: Hellebore, lenten rose, pansies, PaperWhites, Winter Daphne, winter flowers

A Mother’s Day Garden

May 8, 2011 By Audrey

Cary, NC

Last year on Mother’s Day, I was fortunate enough to have my mom visiting from California. Since we live on opposite coasts, you can imagine that this was a rare and special occasion for us to be together on this day. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time we were able to spend a Mother’s Day with each other. So to mark this one-of-a-kind event, I told Mom we could do anything she wanted to celebrate. Shopping, theater tickets, a concert, you name it. What did she choose? A day at Garden Supply Company, picking out new plants to create a Mother’s Day Garden in my bare back yard.

Here’s a little bit of detail about it. We were working with a border up against the back foundation of my house. The area receives a bit of morning sun, but for most of the day, this zone is in the shade. So step one was to head to the shade plant area at Garden Supply Co, where there are so many gorgeous plants to choose from. We decided on Hostas as our main focus. Hostas are extremely popular, hardy herbaceous perennials grown primarily for their beautiful foliage. They are easy to grow, shade-tolerant plants. Leaves come in a wide range of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures and may be solid in color or variegated in different combinations of blue, green, white, and gold. The plants are low maintenance and with the huge selection of choices at Garden Supply, your options are boundless.

After weighing all the choices, we decided to go with a variety of hostas in a chartreuse-green color palette. Chartreuse foliage is highly visible, even from a distance, and brings light to low-light areas. Choosing a variety of cultivars brings some interest to the border, while sticking to a chartreuse color palette unites the border into a cohesive planting. Here is what the area looked like before we got started.

Our hosta selection included: Great Expectations, Stained Glass, Atlantis, Fragrant Bouquet, Guacamole, and Sum & Substance. We then decided on a few companion plants for our border to add more depth and interest, sticking to the shade area plantings at the garden center. We paired the hostas with the dark purple foliage of the ‘Plum Pudding’ Heuchera (Coral Bells) which do well in sun or light shade, and the light and airy foliage of the ‘Cinnamon’ Fern. The contrast of these 3 plants provides a ton of visual interest.

For my 20-foot border, we selected 9 hostas, 3 coral bells, and 4 cinnamon ferns. Allowing for adequate planting space, this was the perfect number of plants to fill the area.

Now, one year later, I don’t have my mom to celebrate Mother’s Day with. But I have my garden. And that means the world to me.

To all you wonderful women out there, a very happy Mother’s Day to you from all of us at Garden Supply Co!

Filed Under: Shade Plants

Caladiums

August 19, 2010 By Garden Supply

Hello everyone and happy Thursday to you! Today I am excited to share a really beautiful and easy to grow plant with you all, the caladium.

The caladium originated in the Amazon jungles of South America. It is a summer bulb (tuber) that will thrive in hot temperatures like ours, and it’s gorgeous heart-shaped leaves of red, white, pink, and green will paint your garden in color until the first cold nights. Caladiums offer a fabulous way to insert color and beauty without the use of flowers, providing continuous interest in the landscape well beyond a limited blooming period.

Caladiums are easy to plant and are wonderful as a ground cover or border, or in pots, hanging baskets and planters on your deck and inside your home. Mix several varieties in your landscaping for a colorful contrast. Look at some of the gorgeous arrangements of caladiums you’ll find down at Garden Supply.

Caladiums can be grown as annuals, or may be over-wintered as tender bulbs. Remember that they are a hot-weather, summer bulb. The bulb will be damaged, causing dwarfed leaves, if the temperatures reach below 60 degrees for a prolonged period of time. Lightly fertilize every six weeks with the fertilizer you normally use (or 6-6-6 slow release fertilizer). In the fall, let the leaves die back, then before the first freeze, dig up the bulbs, leaving the leaves on. Store in mesh or paper bags between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Or better yet, bring your potted caladiums indoors during the cooler months and enjoy their colorful foliage as houseplants. You’ll not be sorry!

Caladiums make a wonderful addition for floral arrangements, too. Cut leaves will keep indoors for 2-3 weeks and are odorless and non-allergenic. Leaves should be soaked for 24 hours before using in arrangements.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope I’ve piqued your interest for adding color and interest in your homes and landscape through the use of bright and unusual foliage. And join me back here soon for more snippets from the garden.

Filed Under: Garden Supply Company, Gardening Tips, Shade Plants Tagged With: area, caladiums, Cary, central, garden center, garden centers, Garden Supply Company, gardening, growing, nurseries, nursery, region, shade plants, shopping for, summer tubers, Triangle, tropical

Hot Summer Sale

June 26, 2010 By Audrey

Hello everyone and happy Saturday! The temperatures are sure rising these days. It has been one hot June, and we’ve got some hot summer deals to match down at Garden Supply that you will not want to miss. Stop by the garden center and enjoy 20% savings off all trees, shrubs, and home & garden decor.

And in addition, for this weekend only, we have some extra special deals to throw into the mix. We have added Hydrangeas, (excluding “Limelight” variety), Rhododendrons, and Green-leaf Hypericums, Buy one, Get one free. Those shrubs are great in afternoon shade if you are lucky enough to have some! Also, ALL perennials, mix and match, are on SALE. Choose 10 Perennials, get 20% off, choose 20 and get 30% off!

Believe or not, this still a great time of year to plant because plants “root in” quicker. Our only caution is that if you are going out of town for more than 7 days, have a friend come by to water, as everything needs an inch a week.

The upcoming forecast shows some promise of relief from the heat, so come in this weekend while it’s hot and the sales are even hotter! Hope to see you all soon down at Garden Supply!

Filed Under: Gardening Tips, Greenhouse News, Shade Plants, Trees Tagged With: area, buy one get one free, Cary, central, decorations, discount, garden center, garden centers, Garden Supply Company, gardening, gift boutique, green-leaf hypericums, Greenhouse, home decor, hydrangeas, NC, nursery, perennials, planting, region, rhododendrons, sale, shopping for, trees, trees and shrubs, Triangle

Hydrangea Heaven

May 27, 2010 By Garden Supply

Good morning everyone! What a beautiful week it is. It is so gorgeous down at the garden center right now. I hope you all get a chance to stop by and stroll the gardens and drink in the beauty down every path. The roses are blooming, the perennial and annual tables are absolutely bursting with color, and the tropicals from Monrovia are radiant and bright. Everywhere the eye can wander at Garden Supply is a sight to behold, indeed.

Some of you may have noticed on your drives around town that the early Crepe Myrtles are beginning to bloom. Crepe Myrtles are wonderful additions to your home landscape offering colorful and long-lasting flowers along with sinewy, fluted stems and branches with a mottled appearance that arises from having bark that sheds throughout the year.

Zuni Crepe Myrtle

We are pleased to bring you this Zuni variety early-blooming Crepe Myrtle down at Garden Supply. The Zuni is a special introduction featuring larger dark lavender flower trusses, improved hardiness, and handsome peeling bark. A must-have for the garden for early summer blooming.

And if you are ready for some truly gorgeous blossoms, you must come and see our hydrangeas. We have a huge selection of flower type and color, from the standard globe-like mop form to delicate lace caps. My absolute favorite variety and top find of the day is the ‘new for 2010′ Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea.

Invincibelle Spirit

The Invincibelle Spirit has rich pink flowers that bloom from early summer to the first frost. This hardy and native plant even re-blooms without deadheading, and the fragrance is out of this world.

Blushing Bride & Twist-n-Shout

In the foreground here is the Endless Summer Blushing Bride hydrangea. This lovely plant blooms with radiant pure white, semi-double florets that gradually mature to a sweet pink blush. This newest member of the Endless Summer Collection reliably blooms on both old and new growth, producing more blooms all season long. Blushing Brideʼs full yet compact habit makes it an ideal plant for decorative containers, elegant as a stand-alone shrub or combined with other garden plants.

Beyond the Blushing Bride hydrangea in the above photo and below is the Endless Summer Twist-n-Shout. Twist-n-Shout boasts gorgeous season-long blooms, vivid color, sturdy red stems and deep green foliage.

Twist-n-Shout

This stunning lace-cap hydrangea is available exclusively to independent North American nurseries in limited quantities, with European distribution to follow later this year. So hurry in and get your hands on one while they last.

Another outstanding hydrangea is the Big Daddy variety, offering 12 – 14 inch flower heads which radiates blue and pink in tightly-clustered masses of gigantic blooms. Big Daddy features some of the largest flowers of any hydrangea. The plant has strong stems, making the blooms ideal for cutting.

Big Daddy

Or how about the lovely Light of Day which bears green leaves festively edged in white and flattened lace-cap flowers in shades of blue and pink.

Light of Day

The inner blooms are either pink or blue, depending on the soil acidity. Surrounding the inner blooms are bright white flowers. ‘Light O’ Day’ will reach about four feet tall and four feet wide. It prefers moist soil (not wet) in a place with afternoon shade and morning sun. ‘Light O’ Day’ makes an excellent choice for the woodland garden or along the north side of the house or garage. For maximum bloom production, choose a spot that is lightly shaded, has dappled shade or is shaded in the afternoon with morning sun.

For gorgeous repeat blooms look to the Endless Summer the Original hydrangea.

the Original

The repeat blooms of Endless Summer the Original truly offer gardeners an endless summer of incredible color. This hardy plant is perfect for everything from foundation planting to container gardening. They even make an ideal floral arrangement or table setting as cut flowers. And speaking of color – that’s also one of the remarkable aspects of this plant. You can alter the color from pink to blue. LEARN MORE

For a eye-catching white blooming variety, check out the Anabelle arborescens hydrangea.

Anabelle

‘Annabelle’ is one of the most popular hydrangeas, growing under a wide range of conditions. It has very symmetrical large flowers on erect stems. Elegant best describes this plant. Welcomed, mid to late summer flowers are white to greenish-cream and 6-inches across.

Come on down to Garden Supply and see these stunning hydrangeas for yourself, along with all our beautiful plant selections. Our experts are standing by to help you create the yard of your dreams this season. And I’ll be back here soon for more snippets from the garden. Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Filed Under: Garden Supply Company, Gardening Tips, new plant arrivals, Shade Plants Tagged With: Anabelle hydrangea, area, arrivals, Big Daddy hydrangea, Blushing Bride, Cary, central, crepe myrtles, Endless Summer hydrangeas, garden center, garden centers, Garden Supply Company, gardening, hydrangeas, Invincibelle Spirit, Light of Day hydrangea, new, new plants, nurseries, nursery, plants, region, the Original, trees and shrubs, Triangle, Twist-n-Shout, Zuni

Mother's Day Weekend

May 9, 2010 By Garden Supply

Hello everyone and happy Sunday to you! All of us at Garden Supply want to wish you mothers out there a very wonderful Mother’s Day. How fortunate we are to have these special women in our lives! If you are lucky enough to have your mom in town with you, plan on a visit today and let her stroll through the gardens at leisure. And if you’re a mom yourself, take a few minutes to unwind here. It’s so beautiful right now. I hear so many times from you how nice it is just to “come and wander around”…. I agree!

I am one of the lucky ones to have my mother visiting, and for Mother’s Day this year, we spent our time together at Garden Supply. Of all the activities we could have planned for the weekend, we both chose to spend some quality time together strolling the gardens. The excitement of all the beautiful plants in bloom is absolutely contagious. Mom and I want to make a “Mother’s Day Garden” in my backyard that we can watch flourish and grow in the years to come. I can’t think of a better Mother’s Day gift. Now I will have a constant reminder of Mom every time I look out my windows.

I would like to share with you our creative journey of this garden to perhaps inspire you if you have a similar area at your home that could use a little special touch. I am working with a border area up against the back foundation of my house. The area receives a bit of morning sun, but for most of the day, this zone is in the shade. So step one was to head to the shade plant area at Garden Supply, where there are so many gorgeous plants to choose from. We decided on Hostas as our main focus. Hostas are extremely popular, hardy herbaceous perennials grown primarily for their beautiful foliage. They are easy to grow, shade-tolerant plants. Leaves come in a wide range of shapes, colors, sizes, and textures and may be solid in color or variegated in different combinations of blue, green, white, and gold. The plants are low maintenance and with the huge selection of choices at Garden Supply, your options are boundless.

For my 20-foot border, we selected 9 hostas, 3 coral bells, and 4 cinnamon ferns. Allowing for adequate planting space, this was the perfect number of plants to fill the area.

I hope this has given you some ideas for those of you with similar planting opportunities in your yards. Come back and visit soon to see our completed Mother’s Day Garden. And in the meantime, we’ll see you down at Garden Supply.

Happy Mother’s Day!