THE BLOG: let's talk gardening


MARCH 29 2011	Taste the Tropics with Passion Fruit We absolutely love tropical fruit plants and Passion Fruit is no exception! This climbing vine bears delicious fruits and magnificent complex flowers that are beautiful. The edible part of a passion fruit lies under a leathery, dark purple, bitter-tasting skin. Its intense, tropical-flavored orange pulp and seeds are excellent in fruit desserts, sorbets, beverages and seafood sauces. Butterflies love this plant, too. It is often called maypop as it sprouts out of the ground in May. The large, monstrously complex flowers are showy and long-lasting on the vine. If pollinated, flowers will yield fruit somewhat smaller than a lemon, which will drop off the vine when ripe, so don’t pick it too early. It takes about six months to ripen the fruit, but it's well worth the wait! How To Grow When planted outside, passion fruit requires morning sun and afternoon shade. Protection from the wind is also helpful. In a cold winter, the plant will die back to the ground and begin new growth in spring (usually in May). Prune away all dead vines in early spring, before the new growth starts. This will encourage new growth. As this is a vine, be sure to provide good support for the Passion Fruit. Grow it in the ground, in pots or on a trellis. This plant is relatively shallow rooted and prefers a rich organic soil; it is recommend that you add compost at planting time. When planting, the hole should be twice as wide and as deep as the pot. To grow indoors in pots, provide support and set in very bright, indirect light. Use a fast draining potting mix and keep moist, but not soggy. Hand pollinate the flowers to get fruit. Withhold fertilizer in winter and reduce watering. Passion fruit is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. One passion fruit has only 16 calories. When eaten with the seeds, a serving is an excellent source of fiber. Try growing your own today! { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 29, 2011 }
MARCH 22 2011	What the Locals are Doing Now…Mulching Spring mulching is something every gardener needs to do but may not know a lot about. Mulch helps the soil hold moisture so you don't have to water as often. It also suppresses weeds. And over time, mulches made from organic materials break down and increase your soil's structure and fertility. We love this new product called Sweet Peet® which is 100% organic. And, here’s WHY: Enriches the Soil The all natural, organic ingredients of Sweet Peet allows air and water movement through the soil. It increases soil fertility through the slow, natural breakdown of organic matter into essential plant nutrients. Improves Tilth Applying Sweet Peet adds moisture retentative properties to the root zone and gives structural support for plants, while providing a medium for root growth and soil organisms. Encourages Natural Growth Sweet Peet buffers both acid and alkaline (low and High pH) soils by helping to maintain the desired gardening Sweet Spot. It helps neutralize both acidity and alkalinity in the soil, nurturing the feeder roots of garden plants and encouraging natural growth. It is great for perennials, trees, shrubs, fruit trees, flower gardens and vegetable gardens. Protects Against Chemicals Sweet Peet buffers the effects of acid rain. Sweet Peet encourages beneficial earthworms and replenishes microbes that are often destroyed by harsh chemicals and acid rain encourages. Suppresses Weeds Like most mulches, Sweet Peet suppresses weeds by smothering the soil. But, Sweet Peet does more- it is produced to optimize the naturally occurring cat-ion exchange which creates an undesirable growing medium for weeds. { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 22, 2011 }
MARCH 17 2011	The Legend of the Shamrock One traditional icon of St. Patrick’s Day is the beloved shamrock, or oxalis. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston. Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring! One might say it has become the first green of spring. You can bring home your own shamrock plant. The Oxalis family includes more than 800 species with green, purple, and light yellow leaves and a variety of delicate, colored flowers. This easy-to-grow houseplant is stylish and fun. Add green to your home this St. Paddy’s Day! { Happy St. Patrick's Day! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 17, 2011 }
MARCH 16 2011	In the Garden with André Viette Looking for answers to all your gardening questions? Join André Viette this weekend at the McDonald Garden Center Virginia Beach location for expert advice. André Viette is a horticulturist, author and lecturer. He earned his Biological Science certificate at The State University of New York at Farmingdale, and he is a graduate of The School of Floriculture of Cornell University. He has developed André Viette Farm and Nursery in Fishersville, Virginia, which grows over 3,000 varieties of perennials for the sun and shade. For 29 years, André has taught ten different horticultural courses at Blue Ridge Community College and conducts a radio gardening program for WSVA in Harrisonburg, Virginia. André’s national weekly three-hour call-in radio program, ‘In The Garden’, airs in four states, and Washington, D.C. Every Saturday morning from 8:00 am to 11:00 am (eastern standard time), Mr. Viette answers listeners' questions and gives practical gardening information and advice. To listen in Hampton Roads, tune into 850 AM or visit the McDonald Garden Center Virginia Beach location. Call with your gardening questions from anywhere in the United States! Toll Free: 1 - 800-274-4273 This Saturday, after the radio show, join Mr. Viette at 1:00pm for his seminar: Viette’s Top Tips for Having a Beautiful Garden. During this FREE seminar, you will learn the Viette’s top secrets for achieving the very best gardens, including lawn care, sun gardens, woodland gardens, vegetable gardens, container gardens, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals & much more. The weather forecast looks great, so get a jump start on your garden and celebrate spring! { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 16, 2011 }
MARCH 10 2011	Gardens Under Glass Terrariums are wonderful, magical environments that add a unique decorative element to any space. Because terrariums recycle their moisture, they need very little attention and a closed terrarium can often go a month between waterings - they actually thrive on neglect. These terrariums are considered *Tropical Terrariums, requiring high levels of humidity, and are sealed to maintain the moisture level. Water from the soil and transpiration of the plants rises and collects on the sides of the terrarium, where it cools and condenses and returns to the soil. Desert Terrariums* are designed with an open top allowing the water vapor to escape and maintain arid conditions. No matter which type you want to create, terrariums are a great way to bring a piece of nature into your home. Create a terrarium by following these simple steps: Select a Container. Choose a container large enough to hold plants you wish to include. We like bell jars, lanterns, deep glass bowls, goldfish bowls, and glass cylinders. Use your imagination, the possibilities are endless. Set the Base. After washing your container, lay the appropriate base in your container. Follow the recipe below to create either a tropical-like or desert-like terrarium. Use approximately a half inch of each ingredient, layering in this sequence. Tropical (closed container): potting soil, charcoal, potting soil Desert (open container): cactus mix, charcoal, cactus mix Set your plants. Plant your selections in the appropriate base (soil or cactus mix). Remember, clip any leaves that touch the glass to prevent rotting. Add a soil cover. This will stabilize and hide the plant’s root system. We like using gravel, rock, moss, sand, glass or even aquarium gravel. This is the finishing touch so get creative! { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 10, 2011 }
MARCH 7 2011	ONE plant. TWO seasons of blooms. NEW at the Garden Center, Bloomerang Lilac! Double your blooms with *Bloomerang Lilac*. This reblooming lilac blooms in May and again in mid-summer letting you enjoy classic lilac fragrance for months instead of weeks! While traditional lilac varieties bloom for a few short weeks in spring, Bloomerang’s fragrant flowers continue blooming until frost. This compact, mounded variety fits easily into any landscape, and is ideal as a foundation planting, as part of a mixed border or plant several together and create a fragrant hedge. You can even include it your perennial beds. Here’s a few more reasons to love Bloomerang Lilac: • Compact size fits in any garden • Fragrant flowers • Attracts butterflies • Great cut flower • Deer resistant • Grows best full sun { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 7, 2011 }
MARCH 4 2011 FILED UNDER Landscape Design Trends	Up, Up & Away: The Living Wall Typically, when home gardeners want to add a vertical gardening element to their yard, they plant a tree, or train a vine to grow up a fence or trellis. There’s no denying vertical gardening is a hot new trend, and now there’s a small scale way to incorporate living walls into your landscape or even into your home. Wall-mounted and freestanding living walls are an easy way to create instant drama to any indoor or outdoor space, without the need for a lot of room. Now you can create a breathtaking, vertical garden just about anywhere! Our recommendations for hardy perennial succulents that are perfect for any outdoor living wall: Euphorbia - rounded, glossy, dark-green leaves that make a tight, spreading fifteen-inch mound, pristine and buoyant through winter. Even in the driest, deepest shade, you can count on cheery panicles of yellow flowers high above the foliage in early spring. Ice plants - fast & low growing succulent with fleshy leaves and pink daisy-like flowers; great ground cover for hot, dry areas. Sedum (stonecrop) - one of the most beautiful of all sedums with pink or rosy-red flowers produced abundantly in flat clusters; blooms open in late summer and remain in bloom several months. Sempervivum (hens & chicks) - Hens & chicks are mat-forming succulents that produce clusters of rosettes. The parent rosettes are the “hens,” and the smaller rosettes that spring from them are the “chicks”. This low-growing perennial spreads quickly. Foliage can be red, green or some mixture thereof. Come see this wall for yourself at the Outdoor Show going on today through Sunday, March 6 at our Hampton location! Learn more >> { Happy Gardening! Posted by McDonald Garden Center, March 4, 2011 }