the blog

Crepe Myrtle is spelled with an “e.”
TRUE: In the McDonald Garden Center dictionary, we spell Crepe Myrtle with an “e” based on the tissue-paper like flowers that resemble the crepe paper texture.

All crepes grow into trees.
FALSE: Crepe Myrtle breeding has given us a wide range of plants. Some can be as small as a few feet tall such as the Pocomoke variety. There are also medium-sized varieties capable of providing summer shade like the Natchez Crepe Myrtle.

All Crepe Myrtles are disease resistant.
FALSE: Many of the older varieties do not have the improved breeding from Dr. Donald Egolf of the National Arboretum. Dr. Egolf first worked with Lagerstroemia indica for breeding and selection in hopes of eliminating the problem of powdery mildew. From that initial work, 6 varieties were chosen with improvements and these were given native American Indian names so that these plants would be recognized worldwide as having American Heritage. His work further continued with cross-breeding with Lagerstroemia fauriei which gave us many of today’s newer hybrids such as Natchez, Tuscarora and Tonto. It is important to select newer improved varieties to replace the older disease prone selections.

Crepe Myrtles love the heat.
TRUE: Crepe Myrtles love the hot summers of our area and are the perfect addition for carefree summer color.

Crepe Myrtles are not picky about the soil they are planted in.
TRUE: Crepe myrtles are adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions and can perform even in poor soils.

Crepe Myrtles can flower in the shade.
FALSE: For maximum flowering, Crepe Myrtles must have a full sun location, meaning at least 6 hours of sun daily. Less than that will mean less flowers and poor performance.

Crepe Myrtles need to be dead headed.
FALSE: It is not necessary for the newer varieties to remove old blooms before they go to seed to produce new flowers. Re-current flowering is one of the greatest benefits achieved with new varieties.

Crepe Myrtles bloom for 100 days.
TRUE: Crepe Myrtles are known as the Tree of 100 Days blooming from June into September. The Natchez variety is one of the longest blooming trees, lasting up to 110 days!

Crepe Myrtles are a multi-season interest plant.
TRUE: They produce flowers all summer, have great orange-red fall color, and many varieties will display cinnamon colored bark in winter. Crepe Myrtles have a very long window of interest!

{ Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, July 15, 2010 }

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to protect your plants from uninvited pests. We suggest protecting your plants the way Mother Nature intended by using organic and natural solutions thus keeping you, your pets, your plants and trees safe.

Organica K-Neem
Organica K-Neem contains Neem oil which comes from the pressed seed of the Neem tree. It is an effective repellant, insecticide and fungicide. Many Neem products are used in medication and can be consumed by humans, so exposure to Neem does not pose a threat. It is great solution for use on vegetables, fruit trees, herbs, roses, annuals and perennials.

DiPel
DiPel has long been a favorite insecticide of organic gardeners. It is harmless to humans, animals and beneficial insects. Dipel has no withholding period so veggies, fruit and salad ingredients can be washed and eaten immediately after spraying. DiPel offers particularly great protection against the “very hungry” caterpillars.

Beneficial Insects
Nature is filled with "good bugs", crawling and flying creatures whose diet consists mainly of the pests that ravage garden plants. We offer ladybugs and praying mantids to help keep garden pests under control. Ladybugs are the most popular and widely used beneficial insect. They help control aphids and other slow moving pests. Another, garden protector, the Praying Mantis, is the only predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies and they possess a voracious appetite and will eat a variety of insects including aphids, grasshoppers, fruit flies, moths and crickets.

{ Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, July 6, 2010 }

Enjoy big blooms year after year!

The perennial hibiscus should not be confused with the tropical hibiscus. Perennial Hibiscus are truly perennial and are tough plants that will provide brilliant landscape color season after season. Tropical Hibiscus, on the other hand, is considered an annual and offers a burst of color during spring and summer. The tropical varieties cannot withstand a hard freeze or a Virginia winter, but fills a spot in the summer garden.

We love the perennial hibiscus for its spectacular flower colors, the size of the hibiscus blooms and best of all that it is a perennial and will come back each season.

For years the only hardy hibiscus colors available were white, pink and red but now, thanks to plant breeders, you can select from incredible color variations like hot pink, raspberry, mauve, dusty rose or even plum. These plants produce large flower sizes that range from 4 to 10 inches in diameter. Some even reach the size of a dinner plate! While each bloom only lasts one day, hibiscus are prolific bloomers and can produce more than a hundred blooms in a season.

Not only are these garden jewels beautiful, but they are easy to grow. All they need is full sun, decent soil and some occasional pruning. Although hibiscus will tolerate part shade, excessive shade will reduce flower production. A hardy hibiscus is considered a Herbaceous perennial. This means their tops die down to the ground each winter, but new shoots will come roaring back into lush growth when soil gets warm. Since Hibiscus love the heat they really do not start to come on strong until the temperatures get very warm.

There are assorted varieties of perennial hibiscus to choose from. Use them in the garden as a focal point or arranged to provide an informal hedge. Some of the more popular varieties that we carry include ‘Kopper King,’ ‘Cranberry Crush,’ ‘Fireball,’ ‘Robert Fleming’ and ‘Jazzberry Jam.’ These flamboyant flowers will provide you with attractive foliage and a summer full of spectacular bloom!

{ Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, June 29, 2010 }

The Hydrangea is a favorite to many gardeners and has become quite popular in the south, since they are hardy, easy to grow, and require little maintenance. Hydrangeas bloom in whites, blues and pinks, and the color depends on the soil conditions. Unlike most other plants, the color of their flowers can change dramatically. To change the color of your hydrangea, you will need to alter the pH of the soil.

To change CHANGE TO PINK

Hydrangeas turn pink because they are deprived of aluminum. This can be accomplished by doing the following:

Add dolomitic lime to raise the soil pH to about 6.0 to 6.5.

Grow your hydrangeas in pots - soil-less potting mixes don’t usually contain aluminum, so there’s no chance of your hydrangea reverting to blue. In a pot, it will be much easier to control the requirements for growing pink hydrangeas.

Fertilizer - choose a high phosphorus fertilizer, since phosphorus seems to prevent hydrangeas from accessing aluminum Choose a fertilizer close to the ratio of 25/10/10 (Phosphorus is the middle number).

To change CHANGE TO BLUE

Hydrangeas turn blue as a reaction to aluminum in the soil. This can be accomplished by doing the following:

Soil pH should be slightly acidic (5.2 - 5.5).

Do a soil test to determine your starting pH. If the soil naturally contains aluminum and is acid (low pH) the color of the hydrangea will turn shades of blue and/or purple.

Add aluminum sulfate to the soil to help lower the pH. A solution of 1/2 oz (1 Tbsp) aluminum sulfate per gallon of water be applied to plants (which are at least 2-3 years old) throughout the growing season. If aluminum is naturally in your soil and the pH is low, your hydrangeas are probably already blue. But even if you have naturally acidic soil, you may need to add some aluminum sulfate.

Important:
Water plants well in advance of application and put solution on cautiously, as too much can burn the roots.

Not all plants can tolerate acidic soil and neighboring plants may be affected. Always follow label recommendations when adding amendments to your soil.

Fertilizer with a high potassium, low phosphorus fertilizer to help maintain your blue color. Choose a fertilizer with an approximate ratio of 25/5/30 is good (potassium is the last number). Superphosphates and bone meal should be avoided when trying to produce blue.
 It is important to have your water tested so that it will not "contaminate" the soil that you have worked so hard to balance. The pH of the water should not be higher than 5.6.

Even if you have hydrangeas that turn pink or blue, adding more amendment to the soil will not intensify the depth of color. Color may vary from season to season due to weather, plant stress and changes in the environment. Plants near a concrete foundation or walkway may never turn blue because of the lime that leaches out of the concrete. And remember, altering your soil to change your hydrangea’s color is not a one time thing. You will have to maintain the altered soil conditions.


{ Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, June 16, 2010 }