Clematis

Clematis
Pink Fantasy

Clematis are one of the most recognizable perennial plants in spring and early summer. With their huge flowers in a wide array of colors, they grace fences, lampposts, mailboxes and trellises in many neighborhood yards. Some are fragrant like the fall blooming Autumn Clematis (Paniculata), some have small bell shaped flowers (Betty Corning), but most come in large double and single petaled flowers. Certain varieties can bloom on new growth, some can only bloom on last year's growth, and many can bloom on both. Those varieties that bloom on new or both can be trimmed at any time, spring or fall, and will still bloom profusely. Those that bloom on old wood shouldn't be trimmed, or if necessary, only after the spring bloom is over so they have all summer to put enough growth on to bloom again next spring. Always check your garden store to determine which variety you are purchasing.
Especially the first year of planting, Clematis like to have their roots shaded from the hot summer sun, so plant a few annuals around your Clematis to keep it happy and thriving, and it's roots cool. A slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote applied in early spring will give your plant the boost it needs to produce lots of large flowers, then if you choose, you can give it a general purpose water soluble fertilizer every two weeks according to directions on your fertilizer product during the summer to encourage lots of foliage growth. Frequently, your Clematis will surprise you with a second flowering in fall as well! The first year be especially careful to water your new plant during dry spells so root production can get a good start. Once established, your Clematis shouldn't need any more care than you give to all your landscape plants.
Every year your Clematis will grow and fill in and produce more and more eye popping blooms than the year before!

By: Sandy Weinkam
Gardening Expert at A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

Jungle Geranium

Ixora coccinea
Jungle Geranium

Ixora is a bushy, rounded shrub that has been popular as a hedge plant in subtropical regions of Florida. Originally from southeast Asia, Ixora plants thrive in at least four hours of direct sunlight a day. They prefer warm humid conditions which makes them a great plant for containers in our area in spring and summer, and as an indoor plant in fall and winter. Of course they don't normally reach shrub proportions in our area.
Their foliage is a glossy dark green, and most species have dense flower clusters appearing on the branch tips in red, yellow or orange petals. When potting these for containers use a mixture of 2 parts peat, 1 part potting soil, and 1 part sand or perlite. Keep the soil moist and fertilize with an acidic fertilizer every two weeks in spring and summer.
These plants look lovely in containers , in tropical deck settings, or pool side, and attract butterflies and hummingbirds all summer long!

By: Michelle Lynn
Gardening expert at A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

White Daffodils

Spring Daffodils

Early spring flowers are in their final stages, and after Easter flower rush week, we are moving forward into mid spring second round plantings of many annuals, vegetables and herbs. The third wave of lettuce has been seeded, and the first two sets have sold out. We are waiting for the plants to get big enough to put out for sale. Basil, cilantro, parsley and other herbs have been seeded, as well as squash varieties of vegetables, eggplant and many more. Tomatoes and pepper seedlings were transplanted from seed trays to peat pots. With over 20 varieties of tomatoes and 20 varieties of peppers, this took more than a week of continuous planting.
Also on the list of plantings were patio pots of double impatiens and New Guinea impatiens. The impatiens bags planted three weeks ago are coming along nicely and filling out all their little niches. The never ending planting of petunias goes on and on. Tops on the list last week was the start of the wave petunia plantings. This will probably take up to two weeks to complete.
To keep up with our planting team, someone has to make up the soil mixes, fill pots and flats, tag each pot, then move them into their growing houses. Many hands go into accomplishing all these tasks to get the plants to retail, and everyone pitches in. Whatever needs to be done at any given moment to keep the flow going, someone will pitch in to keep the ball rolling.
On sunny days, which we've had a lot of recently, watering becomes a top priority. All those plants being planted won't amount to much if not watered when they need it. Sometimes planters have to stop to help water to keep up. Some plants will not need to be watered as often as others, but on sunny warm days almost everything will need a drink at least once a day, and seeds won't germinate without being kept moist.
Finally, most of our nursery stock came in last week, including lilacs, forsythia, and viburnum, all of which are blooming now in the neighborhood. Also, creeping phlox is looking like lovely carpets out in the yards and ours are ready as well. Roses have been put out for sale this past week, and everyone is anxious to get their hands on the newest varieties such as yellow Monkey Business and Ch Ching.

By: The Production Staff

Dicentra spectabilis

Dicentra spectabilis
Bleeding Heart

A favorite perennial in Grandmothers garden and still a favorite today is the Bleeding Heart. This very hardy perennial is an early blooming, feathery foliage plant that will thrive in sun or part shade. It really prefers afternoon shade though, as our very hot humid summers in the Midwest will cause it to go dormant early. It works well with ferns, which will hide the foliage going dormant when the weather really gets hot. It is hardy in zones 1-9, and will reach 2-4' in height with a spread of 18-24". Pink heart shaped flowers in abundance form along arching stems in late spring to early summer.
Best soil composition is moist, fertile, well drained, and humus rich. Fertilize in spring with organic fertilizer like compost or aged manure. If you need to move or divide this plant, it's best to do it in early spring when it just begins to emerge from the ground.
This perennial is also available in white blooming hearts ( alba), as well as the newest red variety called Burning Hearts, both varieties of which we carry. The King of Hearts variety has pink hearts, but the foliage is much lacier looking than the spectabilis types.

By: Sandy Weinkam
A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

Rose Progress

Roses Four Weeks Later

Roses Mid February

As you can clearly see from the above two photos, the warm sunny weather the past few weeks has moved the roses from barely breaking dormancy to full fledged foliage growth. As we walk past the greenhouses each day, we don't see the dramatic change as much as when we look back on that first photo published four weeks ago. Before long we will be moving them out of the greenhouses into the field to give them more room to grow and allow them to harden off (get used to the outdoor temperatures) before setting them out for sale.
This past week has seen a continued effort to get everything planted up so all the annuals and vegetables and herbs have time to reach sale maturity. Cosmos, beets, and zinnia seeds were sown, while begonias both wax and dragonwing were transplanted into their final pots. Also transplanted this past week were impatiens, dahlias, verbena, and pentas. Belden baskets of impatiens were planted up in a myriad of colors. Belden baskets are hanging baskets with holes all around the sides of the basket where plants are planted in each of those holes as well as in the top of the basket. This creates a very full look both on top and all around the basket.
Cuttings were taken of some of the more unusual colored coleus plants to root them and double or even triple the number of these that will be available for sale in May. Our greenhouses are filling up fast with all these annuals and vegetables. Of course our planting would not be complete without transplanting more of literally thousands of petunias! We never seem to be finished planting these popular annuals.
Finally, all the pansies have been brought out of their winter greenhouses into the retail area. They bring so much color and spring feel to your garden, and even though we had a surprise light snow Thursday night, it didn't affect those little beauties one bit. We are also enjoying all the daffodils around our greenhouses that are now in full bloom after the crocuses just completed their bloom cycle.

By: The Production Staff
A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

Coleus Planting

Coleus Planting

This past week we continued our frantic pace of planting and seeding for spring. Tomatoes, herbs, and lettuces were seeded, as well as marigolds. Hanging impatiens pouches were planted in ten different solid colors, and a color mix . Impatiens baskets were also planted and hung in various houses to continue their growing cycle. Begonias, coleus, dahlias and snapdragons topped the list of other seedlings transplanted by our hard working crew. Special mention this week to our crew who place all these many trays and hanging baskets in their special growing houses. It's a back breaking, knee bending, up and down ladders kind of job, and we couldn't keep up the planting pace without their hard work!
Another warm, sunny, dry week once again kept the watering crew in their boots for most of every day. The plants are growing by leaps and bounds with all this gorgeous weather! A final disbudding of the Easter Mums was completed this past week. This process involves taking all the side flower buds off each stem of the mum plant, leaving the center bud. By doing this, the center bud develops into quite a large showy flower, creating a beautiful full plant for decorating your table.
The first of the early spring blooming perennials were brought out for sale. Many of these were planted last summer and fall as bare root, or seedlings or bulbs, and kept in greenhouses throughout the winter at just about 32F. Iberis, Bleeding Heart, Arabis, Polemonium and Forget Me Nots are all out and blooming now. Pansies and Violas are literally flying out the door, so we're also kept busy stocking the tables to keep up with the demand.

By: The Production Crew
A.J. Rahn's Greenhouses

Geranium Planting

Planting Geraniums

This week started the march to Easter among the many tasks at hand. Potted bulb plants that were planted in early December (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths) were brought out of cold storage to begin forcing them for Easter week bloom. Azaleas as well were put in a warmer greenhouse to force for Easter.
Hanging baskets of cherry tomatoes were planted, and herb seeds planted a week ago are now beginning to sprout.
Debudding Geraniums that are just starting their growth spurt was done so the plants have a chance to put more effort into foliage and root growth for a stronger, healthier plant. There will be ample time for blooms to set later. Pictured above are a few of the thousands of Geraniums being planted in 4 1/2" pots. Scented Geraniums were also being planted for an extra bonus in your garden or window boxes, providing lovely scents to accompany the beautiful blooms. Citronella scented Geraniums even provide mosquito deterrence around your deck or patio!
Since most of the week was relatively warm and sunny, watering and fertilizing became top priority for a major part of each day.

By: The Production Staff
A.J. Rahn Greenhouses