Hi everyone and happy Friday to you all! Another weekend has rolled around again and the grounds at Garden Supply are looking as beautiful as ever. Late spring, early summer is blessing us with tons of beautiful blossoms at the garden center, and I am so excited to share with you some of my favorites of the week.
As you can see, the perennial and annual tables are absolutely bursting with color. The roses are magnificent right now and the hydrangeas are out of this world. Scroll down a post or two to see more details on those. I also mentioned previously the early blooming crape myrtle, Zuni, which continues to wow down at the garden center. Now joining the Zuni in full bloom are the Natchez and Tonto varieties of crape.
Natchez Crape Myrtle
The Natchez Crape Myrtle is a best seller, made popular by being a fast growing tree that blooms all summer long. It grows very rapidly at 3-5 feet a year and is tolerant of many climates. The pure white blooms explode in brilliance against the tree’s deep green leafy canopy from June through September. A Natchez Crape Myrtle also gives you the unusual bark coloring of cinnamon on the trunk and stems, along with its smooth, sleek distinctive texture.
Tonto Crape Myrtle
The new Tonto Crape Myrtle gives you huge, dark pink blooms throughout the summer. This is the perfect tree if you want to add vibrant color to your lawn, but have limited yard space. This crape myrtle matures to 8-15 ft., making it the perfect tree to tuck away in tight areas. However, it will soon attract attention with its abundance of dark pink flowers that last from late spring to early fall.
Zuni Crape Myrtle
The Zuni tops out at about 12', making it the ideal choice for small yards and screening hedges. Blooming early summer through fall, Zuni features larger, dark lavender flower trusses, improved hardiness, and handsome peeling bark. Excellent fall foliage color from orange-red to maroon.
Another blooming tree that caught my eye this week is the stunning Southern Magnolia. Native to the southeastern United States, the magnolia is a large striking evergreen tree with large dark green leaves and large white fragrant flowers. Widely cultivated around the world, over a hundred cultivars have been bred and marketed commercially. We are excited to offer several varieties at Garden Supply, including this 'Little Gem' magnolia.
Little Gem Magnolia
This cultivar of Southern Magnolia has a compact, upright growth habit more typical of a multi-stemmed shrub than a single-trunked tree. It grows at a slow rate to a height of perhaps 30 to 35 feet with an 8 to 12-foot spread. ‘Little Gem’ Southern Magnolia forms a dense, dark green oval or pyramidal shape, making it suited for screen or hedge planting.
The Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora is a medium to large evergreen tree which may grow 27.5 m (90 ft) tall. It typically has a single stem and a pyramidal shape. The leaves are dark green, stiff and leathery, and the large, showy, citronella-scented flowers are white, up to 30 cm (12 in) across and fragrant, with 6–12 petals with a waxy texture, emerging from the tips of twigs on mature trees in late spring. Flowering is followed by a rose-colored fruit.
We also offer the Dwarf Southern Magnolia, a heavy bloomer with white, 6-inch flowers appearing in spring and again in summer. Its narrow, evergreen form is 20 to 25 feet high by 10 to 15 feet wide. Green leaves are rusty bronze underneath.
I wanted to share with you a fun new line of Americana home decor items just in to the Greenhouse. These adorable pieces are full of spirit and are just waiting to brighten your homes this summer season.
And don't forget our Gardener's for the Cure team, part of the 2010 NC Triangle Race for the Cure, being held June 12th. If you have not joined the team yet, it is not too late. We are getting close to our goal of raising $10,000, but we still have a little way to go. Every penny goes to research for finding a cure for breast cancer, and we appreciate each and every pledge. So much so, in fact, that we are offering a special 12% discount card for all your Garden Supply purchases for the rest of this year. Register with us at the nursery, or online here. Help us in this fight against breast cancer.
Thanks so much for stopping by everyone! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you all down at Garden Supply.
