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