Middleton Garden Center Hours: OPEN 10AM TO 5PM MONDAY THRU SATURDAY / 11AM TO 4PM SUNDAY Closed on Easter Sunday

Blog Entry

Employment

Think that you don’t have room for another new plant? Something about the promise of spring makes us think that we can, and will, find room to plant absolutely everything. After all, there are worse things to collect than new plants. And gardens create fertile grounds for dreaming.

The woody plant buyers at the Garden Center take many things into consideration when they evaluate what new varieties to introduce to you. They are gardeners themselves and are as excited as anyone when the catalogs start arriving touting the best of what’s new. But innovation is just one consideration. Customer requests and plant hardiness are another couple of the factors taken into account once we are over the initial plant lust. So here are a few of the trees and shrubs that we’ll be trying this spring.

Evergreens are the backbone of the winter garden, providing color and form. Because of size and disease issues, Blue Colorado Spruces have developed a less than stellar rep. Even the newer cultivars are growing much bigger than anyone anticipated. So we’re looking closely at Picea pungens ‘Blue Totem’, with its clear blue needles and 15’ by 5’ height and width over 20 years. We’ve always been intrigued by the adaptability of Swiss Stone Pine to some very harsh conditions. Pinus cembra ‘Prairie Statesman’ might give those upright arborvitae a run for their money. The texture is certainly more interesting and the 12’ by 6’ size means that it doesn’t need much square footage for its height.

With so many of us losing our mature ash trees, it may be that your yard needs a new shade tree. Are you old enough to remember streets canopied by the arching branches of American Elms? Ulmus ‘New Harmony’ maintains that vase shape, is vigorous and resists Dutch elm disease. But if you’d like to add some amazing fall color, it’s tough to beat a Red Maple. Acer rubrum ‘Scarlet Jewell’ is cloaked in brilliant crimson in early fall and will grow to a respectable 70’ by 30’ size.

Hydrangea hybridizers can’t seem to help themselves. Every year there are a dozen new introductions. We’re a little excited about a little variety of Smooth Hydrangea. H. arborescens ‘Invincibelle Wee White’ is perfect for a small shady space. It tops out at 2 ½’ tall and is loaded with icy white flowers on sturdy stems. Monrovia has introduced the Seaside collection. We especially like the picotee-edged, pink blossoms and surprising fall color of H. macrophylla ‘Seaside Serenade Hamptons’.

And are you the type of gardener who likes share your opinions? Consider keeping a gardening journal, observing and recording the performance of new varieties that you plant. The plant geeks at the Garden Center would love to have your feedback about our new plants.

Skip to content