Japanese Maples: A Spectacle of Vibrant Color

Surround your maples by the lush foliage of conifers typically found in a Japanese garden.

 Japanese Maples - 

Green thumbs and novice gardeners alike covet these chameleon like trees because of their showy display and diversity in shape, size, and color. Leaves among varieties can reveal colors of scarlet, burgundy, crimson, orange, gold, yellow, wine, plum, jade, lime, white, and blush; just to name a few. Some varieties bear colorful leaves spring, some in summer, and others in fall. These trees can grow upright or spread and cascade. Varieties can be fast growers, and others grow only two inches in a year, like the dwarf maple. Because of the maples many characteristics it is important to narrow down just what you want when selecting the right Japanese maple for your garden.

Keep in mind: Most Maples like part sun and their soil should be well drained and moist. Prune in spring after the leaves emerge. Pruning in late winter is not a good idea as the cuts may bleed sap.

Creating a focal point in your garden to display your maple’s gorgeous color is key. Even when barren, these magnificent trees create picturesque branching patterns that will take center stage in any winter garden. Look for varieties with colorful yellow or red branches and twigs like the coral bark maple. 

"Even when barren, these magnificent trees create picturesque branching patterns that will take center stage in any winter garden."

A Maple's fiery foliage is best shown against a green backdrop. Surround your maples by the lush foliage of conifers typically found in a Japanese garden like cedar, pine, cypress, and spruce. Gardenia, loropetalum, and holly make nice broad leaf selections to cushion the red, orange, and golden display of the maple. Introduce feathery leaved autumn ferns to soften the vignette in autumn and winter.

Don’t forget to finish off your maple garden with well dressed containers. Dwarf maples and semi-dwarf maples are ideal for dropping into pots. Complete the container with contrast in foliage. Highlight the seasonal color changes of your maple using lime green creeping jenny, caramel heuchera, or a purple potato vine.

"finish off your maple garden with well dressed containers."

Let us help you choose the ideal maples to add a spectacle of color to your garden! While there are thousands of maples to choose from , these are Some of our Favorite Maples at GSCO: 

-          Fullmoon

-          Autumn Fire

-          Bloodgood

-          Bihou

-          Burgundy Lace

-          Coral Bark

-          Crimson Queen

-          Crimson Prince

-          Emerald Lace

Primitives by Kathy Fall Designs

Primitives by Kathy- Autumn Designs- Garden Supply Co

Primitives by Kathy box signs long adored for their whimsical, sentimental, witty, and romantic sentiments in traditional black and white , are now available in fun fall designs. Choose from a variety of autumn and Thanksgiving themes in a new cream and brown color palette. The perfect addition to your harvest home decor this season.

Primitives by Kathy- Autumn Designs2- Garden Supply Co

Mum's the Word-Care Tips

Good morning everyone! Yesterday I shared with you some of the beautiful autumn mums we've received this week at the Garden Center. Mums are, without a doubt, one of our most popular fall bloomers. They look equally great in containers on your front porch as in borders in your mixed beds, and come in a rainbow of autumn colors. The garden mum just cannot be beaten for beautiful fall color. And now that you've picked up a few mums for your yard, I have a few tips and tricks for keeping your new plants looking in tip-top shape.

Fall planted mums need a little attention to help them make it in the landscape through the winter. Get these fall-blooming perennials in the ground as soon as possible. If using mums as container plants, it’s unlikely they will make it through winter, so enjoy their seasonal color as you would annuals.

Plant mums in full sun, in well-drained soil that is moderately moist. If the soil is too wet or too dry, the mums will suffer. Keeping the soil moist will ensure good root development on the plants as they go into winter, even after the tops have gone dormant. They tolerate part shade, but if it is too shady, the mums will get leggy and have smaller flowers. If your area receives at least half a day of sun, your plants should do fine.

Plant the mums in your flower bed at the same depth that they were growing in their pots and mulch them to help stabilize soil moisture and temperature. Be sure to cut and loosen the outer root system of the plant to maximize root growth before planting. Do not plant chrysanthemum flowers near street lights or night lights: the artificial lighting may wreak havoc with the mums' cycle.

Do not fertilize your plants until you see new growth next spring. Use a general purpose fertilizer such as 5-10-5 at the rate of 1 lb. per 100 square feet. Fertilize once per month through July.

Removing the spent flowers, called deadheading, will keep your plant looking neat and tidy and will help promote more blooms. Once your plant has gone dormant, do not cut back the dead growth. The dried flowers and stems serve as insulation to protect the plant during winter. When you see new growth in spring, cut the dead stems as close to the ground as possible.

Be sure to give your mums plenty of space in the garden. They can grow and multiply rather quickly. An added benefit, in my opinion. By every third spring, divide your mums to rejuvenate them.

With these care tips, you'll be enjoying glorious fall color from your garden mums for years to come. Enjoy!

Mum's the Word

Isn't it refreshing to feel the slight crisp edge to the air these last few mornings? The nights are coming earlier in the evenings, too, and the temperatures are definitely beginning to drop.  Seems that fall is truly in the air. And if you stop by the Garden Center, you will find signs of autumn everywhere. The Greenhouse is filled to bursting with gorgeous seasonal decor and gift items, and new plants are arriving daily, just in time for your fall planting. Just this week, we've received a shipment of some of our most popular autumn bloomers, Mums, in all your favorite seasonal colors. From sunny, golden yellow, to orange, to deep red, to raspberry and violet, we have a shade for every taste.

We are proud to offer lush and full 8" pots of the following varieties.

'Barbara'- raspberry purple 'Red Daisy'- deep red 'Sunny Ursula'- golden yellow 'Hannah'- burnt orange 'Beth Violet'- purple

This year we are also bringing you several choices from the Igloo series of mums, 'Cool Igloo' and 'Rosy Igloo'. The Igloo series is a new, mum like perennial that blooms for weeks in summer and fall without pinching back. This mum is in the Dendranthema plant group, which is looks a lot like members of the Chrysanthemum family. Dendranthema is truly hardy and makes it through winter as smoothly as other perennials in the garden.

Mums look fabulous in container gardens on your front porch and deck, mixed in with your fall decor, as the centerpiece for your table settings, or planted in your borders and beds. Stop on by Garden Supply to see these, and all our gorgeous new plant arrivals. And be sure to come on back here tomorrow when I'll be sharing tips on caring for your newly purchased, fall-blooming mums.

See you all soon!

Getting Crafty

Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday to you! Today I have a few fun home decor and gift items to share with you that are perfect for all you Do-It-Yourself folks out there. If you are looking for that personalized touch to add to your homes or that special one-of-a-kind gift idea,we've got you covered. And if you haven't been into the Greenhouse lately, do stop by. We've got new goodies arriving daily that you won't want to miss.

Like these adorable scarecrow kits that will add a charming touch to your harvest decor.

Young and old alike are going to love these metal gourd kits. Simply insert the pieces as you like into a pumpkin or gourd, creating a smiling face in no time. This kit can be reused year after year, and works equally well in real or faux pumpkins. Doesn't this scarecrow look adorable in the planting basket with a touch of recycled paper as a ruff?  And if you like this guy, you'll love the turkey kit, too.

The turkey kit comes complete with metal head, feet, and tail-feathers to make one adorable, re-usable turkey decoration every year.

Another wonderful do-it-yourself project in the Greenhouse right now is the Remake It wine cork trivet.

Recycle your old wine corks into a trivet with this easy kit. Simply twist your corks onto the metal trivet, and you are done. It's as simple as that. What a perfect way to showcase corks from your travels or special gatherings and occasions. Makes a fabulous gift for the wine enthusiast on your list. And, it's a great way to recycle, as well.

If you're looking for truly personalized artwork, take a look. You can spell any name, word, or phrase with these mix and match alphabets and create your very own one-of-a-kind personalized masterpiece.

Each letter of the alphabet is represented with a unique black and white photo using architectural elements for the font. We have 3, 4, 5, 6, or more celled frames to help you create the perfect art piece.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope to see you all soon down at Garden Supply.