This morning, Meteorologist David Chandley of Channel 2 called to interview me about how the current un-wintery weather might affect plants and turf in the spring. I told him our biggest concern is the potential for an immense insect population explosion. Here in the South, we really count on repeated cold snaps to assist in controlling pests, both personally irritating ones like mosquitoes as well as harmful garden insects. Today I saw an active leaf miner on a boxwood. This is something I have never before witnessed on a January day. This means we will advance our shrub care program by 4-6 weeks in order to control these pests. Also, although soil temps are below the “active” temperatures for turf and turf weeds, they are inching closer. I foresee a more active, prolific weed infestation in Atlanta this spring so our turf programs will also need to be advanced to control unwanted turf weeds. Finally, we have all witnessed plants blooming out of season – I saw a viburnum in full, glorious flower on January 1^st. I hope its owner enjoyed the occurrence because it won’t happen again in early March when it should. I have seen maples in flower and swollen buds on trees that should bloom in April. Find David's blog post here.

I’m sure you all are familiar with the ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea. This is a plant that gardeners and landscapers started falling in love with when it became available about 20 years ago and remains a favorite at Habersham Gardens year after year. Annabelle is a form of Hydrangea arborescens and this type of hydrangea is truly native to our immediate metro Atlanta area. It grows profusely in wooded areas that have not been developed, especially along the Chattahoochee River corridor. The special thing about Annabelle is the flower. It is much larger (10-12”) than the native form we see in the woods whose flowers are so small that they become lost in the garden or landscape. Over the years, we’ve noticed a downside to Annabelle. She’s not the perfect girl we first thought she was. The issue is this: the flowers are so big that the stem cannot support the blooms and in high wind or heavy rain, the flowers often end up flopped on the ground. Not good, but still a great plant. So, as with almost all types of flowering plants, we are seeing some new varieties of Hydrangea arborescens emerge sporting new characteristics. There are a number of them but I will go over only three. These will be available to gardeners this year. Hydrangea arborescens ‘Ryan Gainey’ is named for the well-known garden designer that first noticed this plant and it has been available for a couple of years. It’s different from Annabelle in that the flowers are a bit smaller and whiter and the foliage is a deeper green. The stems seem to support the flowers quite well. I’ve seen this plant growing next to Annabelle and I personally think it’s a better looking Hydrangea arborescens and will grow quite well in the area. All Hydrangea arborescens need moist, rich, well-drained earth and will tolerate a lot of shade and a surprising amount of sun. I do like to keep them out of afternoon summer sun when possible. I was very excited when I saw pictures of and read about a new Hydrangea arborescens with a larger lacecap-type flower. This was truly something new and interesting. The plant that I read about was called ‘White Dome’. However, Mike Dirr, the man on ornamental horticulture of the East thinks that this plant is “not H. arborescens but from either subspecies ‘discolor’ or ‘radiata’” – the implication being that White Dome might lack tolerance to the high summer temperatures in our area. I think I’m going to put this plant in a good shady spot and see what happens. Last year I saw my first pink Annabelle-type of Hydrangea arborescens. I thought, wow, this is going to be a hot item so I ordered some to grow out. I’m pretty sure I’ll be right about that – we’ll see. My pink Annabelle-type is called ‘Invincibelle Spirit.’  There are others and all should perform well in Atlanta. Unlike Hydrangea macrophyllas which always turn blue in Atlanta, the pink Hydrangea arborescens will hold their color so now one can have a pink hydrangea in your Atlanta garden. Also, some of the royalties from the purchase of these plants that are to grow out for retail sales is donated to support breast cancer research. Good cause, good for them. Now for the wine portion… Santa Fe, New Mexico is the second oldest city in the U.S. (St. Augustine, Florida being the oldest). Like all European settlers in the New World, the Spanish brought grapes and made wine. La Chiripada Winery is carrying on that tradition. The winery is located on the road between Santa Fe and Taos – a remarkably beautiful drive through a remarkable landscape. Their wine is made from grapes you may be familiar with and that have come down from the time of the early Spanish occupation. By the way, the Indians did live in this area for thousands of years before Europeans showed up. The wine I liked was the white Primavera. Great taste, crisp and fruity and I remember it as a great sipping wine. At $16 a bottle, a good deal. Try something new. ~ Walt

You’ve been witness to it. We all have. It’s called crape murder and, although not a felony offense, it is a crime against nature. What should be graceful arching branches are cut off at their knuckles forcing them to shoot straight up into a spray of thin stems often too weak to support the coming blooms. Add a little rain to the equation and snap!, those long branches and beautiful blossoms become a fading memory. By following a few simple and correct pruning steps, your crape myrtle is likely to double its flowering from year to year and the new healthy branches will not have trouble supporting those glorious blooms. Timing If you prune a crape myrtle too early, you run the risk of a late winter warming trend tricking them into producing new growth resulting in damage should cold, harsh weather follow. Wait too long and you run the danger of clipping new growth and summer blooms. In Atlanta, we advise thinning your crape myrtles back by approximately one-third in February. How-to Be sure to clip the small suckers at the base and twigs growing along all main branches as well as any leggy side branches growing from the main trunk. Eliminate all dead growth and inspect for branches that cross or rub against one another. Judge and remove those branches selectively all the way to their base in order to eliminate the friction while keeping an eye on the form as you go.  Then, beginning on the outer edge, follow the stem to where it meets a main branch and make a cut approximately 6” up from that intersection. Continue this technique working through to the other side of the tree. Your proper pruning will result in new, healthy branches emerging into a beautiful graceful habit just as nature intended. Should you need assistance with pruning your crape myrtles, contact William at wmcmullen@habershamgardens.com for a complimentary estimate. [slide][gallery order="DESC"]

[caption id="attachment_2880" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Kniphofia 'Echo Mango' - new plant variety from Itsaul Nursery"][/caption]

At the Garden Center, there will be a lot of new plants. Sort of new, anyway.  Actually, there will be plants you are already familiar with…but with a twist.

There will be new brands (notice I said brands--more on that later) of reblooming azaleas; hydrangeas with flowers as big as pie plates; reblooming spireas and weigelas. There will be new coneflowers (Echinacea) with new colors never seen in nature and all sorts of new roses touted for being easy to grow as well as beautiful. There will be buddleias that grow no more than a foot tall. The list goes on and on. Some of these plants started showing up in our Garden Center in the last year or so (Red Hot Poker-Kniphofia 'Echo Mango' was a big hit) and more will be coming this spring and summer. The reason for all these new plants is this: breeders and growers are trying to get the attention of the gardening public and, of course, generate more revenue.

Many of these plants will be patented. If a horticulturist or plant breeder comes up with a plant with unique characteristics, this person can receive a patent for this plant. No one else can propogate this plant without receiving permission from and paying a fee to the patent holder. The  patent is good for twenty years and if the plant is popular, this can result in a lot of money to the patent holder. Think in the hundreds of thousands. Big money.

I mentioned the word brands. Many of these plants will have brand names: Proven Winners (look for the PW on the pot), Encore Azaleas, Endless Summer hydrangea (Endless Summer sounds like a nightmare to someone like me who lives in Georgia, but more on that later), Knockout Roses, etc.

Over the coming weeks, I will be evaluating many of the new plants to determine if they are worthy of all the hoopla. I will draw information and opinions from personal experience along with that of growers, other horticulturists and from fellow gardeners. You will also get my subjective opinion about many of these plants. That is, if I like the plant or if I think it’s overblown. I also welcome the readers’ opinions about these plants and any experience you may have had. Find me at walt@habershamgardens.com.

So, for next week, we will explore whether there’s anything better than an ‘Annabelle’ and other new varieties of Hydrangea arborescens and what’s so good about them.

By the way, a couple of these new varieties are real good.

P.S.  Not only do I like plants, but I also like wine. Of course, horticulture and wine production go hand in hand. These days, due to improved horticultural and vinification techniques, one can buy really good wine for under $20/bottle.

My pick of the week is Arneis, a white wine produced in the Piedmont region of Italy, near the town of Alba. These wines tend to be crisp and floral and works well with simply prepared fish, anti-pasta or even asparagus. It’s also a fine wine to drink on its own. I won’t mention names, but the wine department at the beverage store on Piedmont near I-85 (you know the one) carries Ceretto Arneis for about $16 a bottle. This is a great wine at a great price.

Walt

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For the first time in Habersham history, our gates will be open on a Monday! That's right, we'll be celebrating Boxing Day on Dec. 26 with big savings for all you bargain hunters and savvy shoppers. Come early or late, just come! Find more details in our weekly e-newsletter.

Our halls are decked. Come see what's new for the holidays and get in the spirit Habersham-style! Find all the details in our weekly e-newsletter.

We love living wreaths for many reasons but mainly because they're just so darn beautiful. Come to our fun make & take workshop and adorn your home with a creation uniquely your own! Find details here.

I was interviewed this morning by a local journalist for an upcoming article about home selling/home buying, and what I would suggest to the prospective home buyer.  I thought I would share some of my advice with you. First, look past the pretty, bright flowers and the new shiny mailbox.  Look carefully at the driveway and the sidewalk.  Are there significant cracks?  Are there uneven patches of concrete?  If so, there could be large tree roots underneath pushing up….big future problems. Look at the downspouts…where is the outflow?  Is it near the foundation of the house?  Be sure all roof water is being directed well away and downhill from the home and garage.  Also review the property for any soggy, boggy areas, or clear evidence of heavy washout.  Remember, water always flows down hill and collects in the lowest spot! Now, the landscape.  Are there any really large, old trees?  If you get serious enough about this house to hire a home inspector, go one step further and hire a certified arborist to check out the health of these trees.  Just because they have leaves doesn’t mean they’re healthy!  If you were to have to hire a tree company for removal, you could pay $3000-$5000 per tree!  Speaking of trees, how close are they planted to the house?  Do you have tree branches within jumping distance of the roof?  That’s a critter bridge,  and them critters want IN to your attic!  There’s a future expense for sure.  Also, those cute little bitty trees?  They’re going to grow up to be BIG trees!  Is there sufficient space for that to happen?  Are they planted smack dab in front of windows?  Do you really want to have to turn on all the lights inside your house because it’s so dark?  Trees are nature’s gift to us, but they need to be in the right place from the beginning. Finally, how much of the plantings are deciduous?  In November when all the leaves drop, will you still have plenty of evergreens to brighten up your yard?  If not, you will need to plan on planting some so you don’t look bleak and dismal, and that is a future expense to consider in your offer. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but just some ideas to keep in mind.  Happy house hunting and if you have questions or need more information, we're always here to help! ~Deb

Drop by for some fun, food and inspiration for your fall garden! Find details here. See you in the Gardens!