We checked in with some local garden centers last week to see how things have been going so far this season, and to grab a few valuable tips for you, our beloved readers. Our esteemed panel featured Len Brochu, owner of Brochu Nurseries and Landscaping; Charlie Cole, owner of Cole Gardens; Sarah Ilsley, greenhouse manager at Osborne’s Agway; and David Murray, owner of Murray Farms.
What’s the most popular seller right now?
Brochu: “It’s been all over the board this year. The most popular thing for us is probably flowering shrubs.”
Ilsley: “Vegetables for sure, just vegetable plants in general, and 4-inch annuals.”
Murray: “With what we have to offer, it’s all popular and it really changes week to week. A lot of everything.”
Cole: “At this point in the season, one of the most popular things we are selling are sunpatiens, which is an impatiens that works well in partial sun and shade or it can take a good amount of sun, also. And a lot of people are going back to the old-fashioned geranium this year, those have been popular. And herbs – we have a terrific line of organic, hard-to-find herbs and those have been going through the register like hotcakes. And, we’re having a hard time keeping them in stock, but everyone is asking for citronella geraniums to keep away the mosquitos. Another thing that has been really popular this year is the itoh peony, which is a cross breed between a herbacious peony and a tree peony. Unlike a regular herbacious peony, they can bloom for up to a month.”
What’s a good thing to plant at this time of year?
Cole: “Anything. We’ve been planting for weeks now. We’re going to town. We’re cautious to let people know that in case there’s a frost to cover stuff, but for weeks we’ve been going out straight with everything from annuals to tropicals to perennials.”
Murray: “June is an excellent time for planting everything. A lot of people think the planting season is over, but the planting season is in full swing.”
Ilsley: “Mandevilla vines are a beautiful flowering vine.”
Brochu: “You can plant anything right now. Now people have their gardens all ready, it’s a little easier to plant right now.”
What’s something people should avoid planting?
Murray: “Not at this point because now the better and more reliable weather is upon us, so it’s really the perfect time to plant everything.”
Brochu: “Seed impatiens. A lot of garden centers won’t even offer them. It has been a very popular plant with lots of colors that do well in shaded areas, but with the threat of downy mildew I just tell people to be careful.”
Cole: “A lot of people tend to buy what’s in color this time of year, which is human nature, especially when it comes to perennials, but I would say try to focus on some plants that are summer blooming, that way next year your garden looks great in the spring but when summer comes around you don’t wind up with no color. So I’d try to look at stuff that blooms in the summer. Some of it might look like green plants on the bench right now, but when July and August come around you really have some great color popping up in the garden.”
Ilsley: “There really isn’t much that wouldn’t work as long as people are ample with their watering in the heat of summer.”
What’s a good gardening tip?
Ilsley: “One thing I would recommend with a whiskey barrel or big planter is you don’t have to completely fill it with soil. You can use empty two-liter bottles with the cap on to take up space in the bottom.”
Cole: “Amend your soil. Plants are only as good as the soil they are planted in, so you should always be enriching your soil, with something like a compost. That’s really important.”
Brochu: “To use a good organic compost. Always think of, when you buy a plant or shrub, to use a soil amendment.”
Murray: “I think purchasing plants that have been properly planted and grown, like at a local greenhouse, is very important. The other thing that’s important is asking you local garden center about proper fertilization and it’s also important when you’re watering your plants to give them a good watering and not just a spray. Rain is rarely a good substitute for a good drink of water.”
