Fernwood Nursery and Gardens, Montville, Maine

Fernwood Nursery and Gardens, Montville, Maine

My wife and I took off on a car adventure from the small town of Lincolnville, Maine after a friend enthusiastically suggested that we visit the Fernwood Nursery in Mid coast Maine.   We got in the car the following Saturday and started driving northwest to Rt 3, west of Belfast and yes, we found it down the characteristic “dirt road” just off Rt 3.  What a wonderful surprise we had in store!  There were 2-3 other customers walking the nursery, ample parking and a lot to see!  To our left were Ash trees creating a high shade canopy over lightly organized, informal rows of shaded plants.

Fernwood Nursery & Gardens

58 North Ridge Rd.
Montville ME, 04941 | 207 589-4726

Is The Yard Ready For Spring 2015? Tips to Ready Your Yard for the Spring

Tips to Ready Your Yard and Garden For the Spring

Tips to get your yard and plants ready for the Spring

As the snow has begun to recede, many, including myself are shaking our heads, and looking at what has been buried since January; wondering 'what does one do and where to start?' So here goes!

Lawnmower - Is it tuned up with a sharp blade?  Well it should be!

Plow Damage - No doubt, plows have damaged much of the turf and plantings in their wake, so there's several tings to check.

Sprinkler heads: If broken mark them for later repair.

Sod: Replace sod where it has been scalped, it will grow back if bedded back into the soil.  Resist the temptation to rake unless VERY LIGHTLY!  Sod is the most tender and at risk of damage now, better to wait until the grass has started to grow, this will not happen until the soil warms up, mid April-ish at least! No fertilizer now, your grass is still asleep!  There will be some winter fungus but this will grow out.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Downtown Hosts Orchid Daze: Pop!

Click on the photo to enlarge

This February, I had the great fortune to drive to downtown Atlanta Georgia to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for their Feb 7-April 12^th orchid program called “Orchid Daze:Pop!“  The orchid display billed as the largest orchid center in the US, held in the Fuqua Orchid Center was amid dramatic pop art exhibits as well across the center!

Wigert Bonsai Nursery in N. Ft Myers Floriday delights this New Englander

In my travels this winter, I pointed my truck south toward the southwest corner of Florida and Wigert’s Bonsai Nursery.  I had not visited any bonsai displays/shops in the tropical/warmer climates of the US before and was very pleasantly surprised!   

The Leu Gardens in the City of Orlando

Earlier this month I visited Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in North Carolina and found it to be a wonder to these New England eyes.   And this wonderment continued further down the coast as I made my way to the Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida.

This amazing 50-acre botanical oasis, just off I-4 in downtown Orlando is convenient for anyone in the area; visiting a theme park or heading to Tampa-St. Pete and points south.  Leu Gardens is beautifully maintained with mature collections in a wonderful lake side setting maintained by the City of Orlando, and it has plenty to boast!  

The Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden Inspire, Enlighten, connect People to the World of Plants

While visiting my sister in Greensboro, N.C., I was enormously happy and so surprised when she suggested that we go to the town of Kernersville, just west of Winston-Salem.  Our destination was a botanical garden she had heard of in a local publication.

Established in 2011 and still developing… the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden on 215 S. Main Street was an unexpected wonder for someone from New England, namely me.

How to Care for a Weeping Japanese Maples in the Winter

Caring for Japanese Maples in snow regions

Now is the time to examine and prune 'Weeping' varieties of Japanese Maples where snow is a common occurrence.   

With the leaves off the tree, finally you can see the structure and it’s key supports.  The nature of the plant is to produce an abundance of branches and branching, many of which can cause problems because of the 90 degree structure of trunk-to-branch relationships.

This 3” caliper* Japanese Maple (right), has been cabled to support the crotch** shown in figure 1, and is thinned every winter,  (like now), to reduce the chances of snow load, (known as fulcrum effect), on the branch attachment.  This can result in branches ripping right off the tree!  

Pruning by 1/4 to 1/3 of canopy;  all inward growing branches; all crossing branches and all duplicate branches such that you can easily see through the canopy.  

This should be performed annually.

Have a question about your garden; plant or tree?  Ask 'The Garden Tutor'.