Alpine Strawberries are luscious, sweet, petite strawberries that are produced on a dense, green runner-less perennial plant. A top seller at our farm and on our websites, our Alpine Strawberry plants are grown using only organic methods and are 100% pesticide-free! These carefree strawberry plants are now even easier to grow and enjoy with our preplanted 10" Alpine Strawberry hanging baskets exclusively available from Stargazer Perennials! You can pre-order your Alpine Strawberry Hanging Basket for shipping in 2010.

We started growing these lush Alpine Strawberry 'Mignonette' baskets in early 2009 to have them ready for you in late spring of 2010. Our exclusive Alpine Strawberry Hanging Baskets are ideal for container gardening, apartment living, city living, students, the elderly or to simply hang from your porch to enjoy all summer long. A great gift idea, our Alpine Strawberry hanging basket comes pre-planted, growing in an attractive 10" green swirl pot with a detachable hanger. We have taken all the work and mess out of planting for you; when you receive your Alpine Mignonette Strawberry hanging basket simply unpack, water, attach the hanger and enjoy.

Also new for 2010 is our larger 5 1/2" Alpine Strawberry 'Mignonette' plants. These lush plants are 2 year old Alpine Strawberry Mignonette Strawberry plants that are well rooted and will provide you with fruit right from the start. 

        

For gardeners in cold northern growing climates overwintering fall-planted garlic can often be a hit or miss proposition. However, the softneck group of garlic like the artichoke and silverskin varieties are fast-growing and can be planted in the spring for a bountiful fall harvest. They are also perfect for fall planting like the many hardneck varieties. The softneck garlics are also perfect for braiding, and are some of the best storage garlic varieties for those chefs who can't go a week in the winter without tasting fresh chopped garlic!

At Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery we love the many different subtle garlic flavors that the softneck varieties give us, and we love planting them with hardneck garlic in the fall for a great summer harvest of different flavored garlics. Be sure to reserve your seed garlic early  for Spring 2010 shipping beginning in March.

Try growing our favorite softneck garlic varieties listed below in your garden next spring from our USDA Certified Organic Garlic Seed stock. They all have different flavors, bulb sizes and growth habits, but they are all easy to grow  and are the easiest garlic to cure and braid. Garlic lovers will be in heaven next summer!

         Organic Inchelium Red Softneck Seed Garlic                                          Organic Silver Rose Silverneck Seed Garlic   
          Organic Early Italian Purple Seed Softneck Garlic                                   Organic Nootka Rose Silverneck Seed Garlic

        

Shop our new SALE category at www.StargazerPerennials.com by simply clicking on the red SALE button located at the left hand side of the homepage. Inside our new garden SALE bargain bin you will find great plants and garden products at bargain prices and no coupon codes are required! We update our SALE category frequently and quantities are limited on most sale items.

        

Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery is growing with the soon to be completed addition of our new farm stand and shipping area. We would like to thank all of our customers including those locally in Eastern Oregon and Walla Walla, Washington and our growing family of internet gardening customers who are responsible for our growth. A small family owned and operated farm, our new farm stand will allow us to better serve our local and agri-tourism customers with a growing palette of hardy, pesticide-free farm grown plants, fresh grown produce, organic fertilizers and seed supplies, garden and pond supplies.

If you would like to find out more about our farm located in Summerville, Oregon or about our hardy plants that we ship throughout the United States, visit our website: www.StargazerPerennials.com for more information.

        

You can now pre-order our premium 2 gallon roses grown pesticide-free, using only organic methods for spring 2010 shipping! With over 80 varieities to choose from including miniature roses, climbing roses, floribunda roses, hybrid tea roses, shrub roses and groundcover roses you are sure to find the perfect rose.

This year we have added many more new varieties to our container rose growing program including Pumpkin Patch rose, Ch-Ching rose and Easy Does It rose along with more old-time favorites. If you missed out last year on getting some of the hottest new roses such as Cinco de Mayo rose, Sunny Knockout rose or our all-time best seller Ebb Tide rose, be sure to order early to reserve your rose for spring 2010 shipping.

At Stargazer Perennials we grow a premium 2 gallon potted rose that arrives at your door ready to be planted and enjoyed for years to come. No more bare-root roses that take years to develop and bloom, our roses will bloom for you the same summer that you receive them.  We professionally trim our roses back prior to shipping, pack them carefully by hand using only sustainable packing materials and ship them to you via FedEx.

        

Every spring we hear from disappointed home gardeners and small market farmers who can't find the variety of organic seed potatoes they wanted to grow. Well, the secret (not a big one) is to order NOW! Our most popular organic seed potato varieties, especially the gourmet fingerling seed potatoes, often are sold out by January or February, months before we start shipping. We sell a lot of early short season varieties that are perfect for northern gardeners, too. Some of our best-selling customer favorite organic seed potatoes are:

The Gourmet Fingerling Potatoes: Heavy producing varieties of thin-skinned gourmet potatoes that melt in your mouth. Chefs and farmers market customers love them! Our favorites are Russian Banana, French Fingerling, and Rose Finn Apple

Red Norland Heirloom red potato: The earliest red potato of the season, bred in North Dakota. Thin, smooth skin with crisp, sweet white flesh. The best variety for producing those wonderful baby potatoes for the first farm fresh potato of the season. Yum!

Yukon Gold Organic Seed Potatoes : This early potato with its rich yellow skin and golden flesh is probably the most asked for potato at our markets and farm stand. For a real gourmet treat, start taking out baby side potatoes a couple of weeks after flowering starts. They are so rich that no butter is necessary!

Be sure to check out all of our popular varieties of organic seed potatoes!  As always, market farmers and "large gardeners" can contact us for bulk prices and availability for organic, seed potatoes, organic garlic, organic shallots, and certified organic vegetable and herb seeds.

        

This is the new hardy Hydrangea that gardeners are talking about, and for good reason. Hydrangea arborescens ( Smooth Hydrangea ) Incrediball is now available in quart pots, gallon pots and in two gallon nursery trade pots. Unlike its parent 'Annabelle', Incrediball Hydrangea  produces huge 12" blooms with stiff stems that won't flop even in heavy rain and wind. Each bloom has about four times as many flowers as 'Annabelle'.

At 4-5 feet tall and around, Incrediball Hydrangea will take sun or partial shade. The Hydrangea species arborescens is native to North America. Here at Stargazer Perennials Farm/Nursery in Zone 5a we find that smooth Hydrangeas do best with an eastern exposure with some protection from the afternoon sun and harsh winds. Rich, well-drained loamy soil helps, too! Read more about Incrediball Hygrangea  here.  Another great shrub from the Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs program and from the breeding program of our friends at Spring Meadow Nursery.

        

One of the most common gardening questions we get at Stargazer Perennials is "How do I prune my Clematis?" Although it may seem complicated at first, pruning Clematis vines can be simplified by knowing when and how your Clematis blooms. Even if you don't know the cultivar name of that Clematis in your garden, once you have observed and recorded the bloom time (and possible reblooming behavior) of your vine, the rest is easy! Oh, and don't forget: Clematis are deer resistant! Yipee!

CLEMATIS PRUNING GROUPS:

GROUP 1: Clematis in Group 1 flower in the spring on old wood, or the previous season's growth. Very little pruning is needed except for occasional light shaping which can be done immediately after the main bloom is finished. Example of a Type 1 Clematis: Clematis alpina 'Brunette'

GROUP 2: Clematis in Group 2 bloom in early summer on last year's growth, and often have an additional bloom flush in the fall on the current year's growth. Group 2 Clematis only need to be pruned lightly by removing the top 10-12" of each shoot back to a firmly swollen bud in late winter or very early spring. Example of Type 2 Clematis: Clematis 'Snow Queen'

GROUP 3: Clematis in Group 3 are typically very vigorous vines that bloom on new growth of the current season. To promote heavy blooms every year the entire vine should be pruned back to about 2' from the ground, making sure to leave some healthy-looking new growth buds. Example of a Type 3 Clematis: Clematis 'Jackmanii' , probably the most popular Clematis today due to its availability, fabulous non-stop blooms, hardiness and easy maintenance.

Browse our large selection of Clematis at Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery!  Gardening questions? Drop the horticulturists at Stargazer Perennials an email!

        

Light up a shade garden with Chardonnay Pearls Deutzia!

This hardy deer resistant ornamental flowering shrub from Proven Winners ColorChoice will add season long color to the garden with numerous pearl-like buds that burst into attractive star shaped flowers in the spring. When the flowers have faded, this plant continues to shine in your garden with its vibrant neon-yellow foliage. Growth is strong but compact reaching only 3 feet in height and 2 feet wide, making this a versatile small shrub that is equally at home in the shrub border as it is in containers or perennial borders. Pair Chardonnay Pearls Deutzia with Heuchera Dolce Creme Brulee or annuals such as Coleus to create stunning, unusual container gardens to accent your home!

Preferring a semi-shade exposure, Chardonnay Pearls Deutzia pairs well with shade loving plants such as hostas and ferns. Use it to dramatize other plants with dark green, blue or purple foliage.

To learn more about Chardonnay Pearls Deutzia or to purchase sustainably grown Chardonnay Pearls Deutzia plants, visit our online garden store at StargazerPerennials.com.






 

        

Certified organic seed potatoes are still available at Stargazer Perennials online store and at our farm in Summerville, Oregon while supplies last! If you are thinking of planting organic seed potatoes this year and haven't ordered, now is the time. We are currently offering a number of seed potato varieties including Red Norland, Cal White, Caribe, Yukon Gold, Burbank Russet, Cherry Red, Red Pontiac, Rose Finn Fingerling, Russian Banana Fingerling and French Fingerling. This year we have seen a spike in demand for not only seed potatoes but all certified organic vegetables including onion sets and spring garlic. If you are a market farmer and are looking for larger quantities, drop us an email and we'll get right back to you with varieties and quantities still available. Shop here for:

• Certified Organic Seed Potatoes
• Certified Organic Onion Sets
• Certified Organic Softneck Garlic
• Certified Organic Vegetable Seeds
  

        

Stargazer Perennials now offers FREE SHIPPING on West County Gardener Gloves including the popular Insulated Waterproof Garden Gloves, the Classic Garden Glove and Work Glove made with recycled water bottles and the Rose Gauntlet Glove.

West County Gardener Gloves are the only gloves that we personally use on our farm in Eastern Oregon and the only garden glove that we sell. So what makes West County Garden gloves so great? These gloves fit snug, but not tight; they actually invigorate your hands while you work. Designed by a woman athlete and former apparel designer for NorthFace, these high performance gloves really work as hard as you do! West County men's garden gloves are designed for a wide hand, and thicker fingers while the women's gloves are tailored specifically to fit a woman's narrower hand and longer fingers. Wearing a glove that fits right means no more blisters! Other functional features include:

    * A terry cloth brow wipe
    * Padded Synthetic Suede Palm protects your hands from thorns, rough surfaces, wood splinters and tool handles.
    * Reinforced stress points with extra suede added for durability
    * Adjustable cuffs to keep out dirt and debris
    * Fun fashionable colors
    * Machine washable - how great is that!


For trimming roses or berry plants, try the revolutionary Rose Gauntlet Glove crafted from synthetic suede that protects your hands and arms from sharp thorns while remaining cool and breathable. Like the other gloves in the West County Gardening line, the Rose Gauntlet Gloves are also machine washable.

        

Stargazer Perennials is now growing the all new Drift Groundcover Rose Series available in 2 gallon nursery trade containers for shipping starting May 15th! Drift Groundcover Roses are the newest family of high-performance roses developed by Star  Roses. These tough, floriferous roses are low maintenance, disease resistant, repeat blooming spreaders that will fill your garden with an explosion of color all summer long.

For maximum impact, plant Drift Roses en masse across open beds, along a walkway, as an entry planting or along slopes to help prevent soil erosion. At only 18 inches tall by 36 inches wide, Drift Groundcover Roses are a very versatile garden plant that can also be used in container plantings or in a hanging basket. For spots of color all summer long, tuck a Drift Groundcover rose in amongst herbs, perennials or at the base of standard size roses. After growing these, tough little roses we are confident that you will be as pleased with them as we are!

Browse all our container grown groundcover roses at our online store. As with all of the plants that we grow, we grow our Drift Groundcover roses using only sustainable, pesticide-free methods. Drift Roses are available in 4 lovely and distinct colors:

      Coral Drift Rose                      Peach Drift Rose                       Pink Drift Rose                       Red Drift Rose

        

FAQ: When do I trim back ornamental grasses?

Trim back your ornamental grasses such as Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster', Miscanthus 'Huron Sunrise'  and Panicum 'Heavy Metal' in the spring when you just start to see new green growth emerging. When trimming back ornamental grasses, do not trim back all the way to the ground as this will expose the crown of the plant which can cause winter kill; instead trim back to no shorter than 3 inches. In addition to protecting the crown of the ornamental grass, the grass stubble left will act as a floral frog and help to hold the new grass growth upright and prevent flopping which can sometimes occur especially in younger plants. Dispose of your grass trimming in your compost pile only if you use sustainable, organic gardening practices with no synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides.

If you have a gardening question that you would like us to address, send us an email with your question to info@stargazerperennials.com.

        

Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery is pleased to announce our 2009 collection of Proven Winners® Hanging Basket Kits and Container recipes. These gorgeous Proven Winners® annual combinations are designed to create a stunning effect with little effort in your home landscape. These professionally designed container and hanging basket recipes will bloom all summer and are the same carefree and time-tested plant recipes that we sell here at our farm, now available to our online gardeners. Our 10" Proven Winners hanging basket kits and our premium 12" hanging basket kits come complete with Proven Winners® premium annuals, potting soil, fertilizer and hanging basket that can also be used as a patio container by removing the hanger. All you have to do is plant, water and enjoy! Our container and hanging basket kits include the hot new container recipe from Proven Winners for 2009: Glory Days!

        

 Ebb Tide^TM Rose is a hot new hardy own root floribunda rose especially suited for Northern cold climate gardens and landscapes. The unusually smoky dark purple double blooms exude a rich spicy clove fragrance. Rosa Ebb Tide is a dense, shapely rose shrub that matures at only 3-4' depending on your pruning, and has deep green glossy disease resistant foliage.  Ebb Tide Rose is outstanding in the mixed perennial and shrub border. For an unbelievable combination try underplanting Ebb Tide Rose with Achillea 'The Pearl' or the delightful miniature rose 'Starla'. Either plant has brilliant white blooms that will accentuate the smoky dark purple 38-petal count blooms of Ebb Tide Rose. Here at Stargazer Perennials we use Ebb Tide Rose in our landscape designs in many different ways: As a gorgeous single specimen in a mixed perennial and shrub border, as a stunning low hedge along a long driveway (spaced one every 5') or flanking a sidewalk or garden pathway, and especially in mixed patio containers where you can enjoy the rich fragrance as you relax on your patio or dine outdoors.

Read the full article about Ebb Tide Rose by the staff at Stargazer Perennials and read about growing healthy roses organically in your home garden. If you are tired of buying bare-root 'sticks' for roses every spring, try our container grown, fully rooted one and two-gallon roses in your garden this year. These mature, well-rooted, actively growing and healthy, pesticide-free roses are available for shipment from May through September. What a concept: No more over-priced dead sticks by mail order!

        

You can now order online hardy, one gallon container grown miniature roses in a stunning palette of colors from Stargazer Perennials! Miniature are true roses that have been bred to stay small and compact in size. Absolutely adorable, Miniature Roses are carefree garden plants and profuse repeat bloomers that offer all the attributes of full sized roses but on a smaller scale. Extremely cold hardy, northern gardeners will adore Miniature Roses for their ability to withstand even the harshest winters down to USDA hardiness zones 3 or 4.

Use miniature roses in perennial borders, in pots or patio containers, along walkways or adjacent to decks. Plant miniature roses in front of larger roses or tall perennials to hide bare canes and branches with a blooming carpet of color. For a dramatic impact in your garden, plant miniature roses in mass plantings of five or more roses of the same variety. Miniature roses also make wonderful gifts that will offer years of enjoyment in the garden.

Why are Stargazer Perennials Miniature Roses Superior? At Stargazer Perennials, our miniature roses are grown organically and sustainably. We grow and ship our miniature roses in 1 gallon nursery trade containers. Unlike most mail order and internet garden stores that ship miniature roses in 3.5" or smaller 'plug' containers, our roses are mature, healthy plants that will bloom for you the first season they are planted in your garden. Because our roses are grown and shipped in one gallon nursery trade containers, we are able to ship our mature roses late April through November depending on our availability.

One of our customers, the Crystallized Flower Company, has found a unique way to use our miniature roses by crystallizing them and using the colorful petite roses as wedding cake decorations. For more information you can visit their website at CrystallizedFlowerCo.com.

        

Gladiolus are planted in the early spring after the last frost has passed. Gladiolus are best known for their use as a cut flower, but are also equally valued for their beautiful, colorful blooms in the perennial garden. Here's all you need to know to grow these captivating flowers:

1. Shop for gladiolus corms early in the season when availability is best. When shopping for gladiolus corms look for corms that are size 14 or larger. Smaller corms might be less expensive but will yield disappointing flowers. Beware of box stores offering sales on Gladiolus corms - often these sales are corms left over from the prior the year and will most likely bring more frustration than flowers.
   
2. Plant gladiolus in groups of 5 to 10 corms or more for a bouquet effect in the garden.
3. Plant gladiolus in full sun with moist but well-drained soil. Glads will grow best in soil similar to vegetable garden soil.
4. Prior to planting, amend your soil if needed with an organic fertilizer such as Down to Earth All Purpose Fertilizer. Work the fertilizer into the soil prior to planting
5. Plant the corms 3 to 6 inches deep, depending on size of corm. Glads can be planted by digging out a trench and planting corms in either a single or double row, staggered row, or by planting in groups of 9 to 24 in the perennial border. Corms may be spaced only 2 to 3 inches apart in the row or in groups. Rows should be spaced from 20 to 36 inches apart. Water after planting and not again until top growth is at least 3 inches tall.
   
6. Plant a new generation of gladiolus every 10 days to have a supply of blooming glads for cutflowers all summer long!
7. Gladiolus plants need ample water throughout the growing season. Watering should soak the ground thoroughly. Avoid watering during the heat of the day. 
8. Apply organic fertilizer at the rate of 3 to 4 pounds per 100 square feet of bed area when plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, and again when the flower spikes appear.
9. To keep the plants erect, they may be staked, although when planted within perennial borders en masse they are self-supporting.
10. Mulch as needed to help to keep down weeds and to conserve soil moisture. A 3- to 4-inch depth mulch is needed for good weed control.
11. Cut flowers when flower spikes are 1/3 open early in the morning.
12. Gladioli are not hardy below USDA Zone 6 but may often over-winter with a layer of mulch. If you want to store the corms, dig them after the tops die off, but before a hard freeze. Dry outside in a light, airy place. After two to three weeks of drying, remove the old withered corm from the base and discard. Corms should be stored during the winter at a temperature of 35 to 45 ° F in a well-ventilated area.

Browse our collection of captivating gladiolus in stunning colors.

        

Peppers, whether hot or sweet, are easy to grow for the home gardener and small market farmer. Most of the best pepper varieties that are available for home gardeners and market farmers aren't even available at grocery stores, so if you want to taste them you'll have to grow them yourself!  It is no wonder that our heirloom pepper plants are some of our hottest selling spring products. There are a few secrets to growing great peppers; here are a few pepper growing tips from the staff at Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery:

• Don't set out your transplants too soon! Peppers are warm-season vegetables and should not be set out until nighttime temperatures are consistently above 60-65 degrees. This is often two or three weeks after you set out your tomatoes.
• Grow peppers in well-drained soil, ideally in raised beds. Phytophthora blight will devastate your pepper crop in poorly drained soil. Also, raised beds warm up sooner in the spring.
  
• The trick to growing larger, nicely shaped peppers is to space the plants out as much as 16-24" apart. Closer spacing will increase your yield, but the peppers will be smaller and will all ripen at pretty much the same time. Widely spaced pepper plants will produce large, shapely fruits over a longer period. This is especially important if you sell your peppers at a farm stand or farmers market: Healthy looking, nicely shaped peppers will fly off your display, but you'll be taking the runts back to the farm with you.
• We're often asked how we grow peppers with such vibrant shades of purple, red, orange and green. The secrets to good color and better flavor are adequate, even watering promoted by plastic, paper or natural mulch, and using a  low nitrogen organic fertilizer. Save the Miracle-Gro for the petunias (or better yet, throw it out altogether) and try our Down To Earth All Purpose organic fertilizer.
• On your large bell-type or ancho-type peppers, prevent sun scald and maintain rich color by covering your crop with 20-30% shade cloth, but not until the fruit has started to form. Let pollination and fruit set get well underway in full sun before shading.

Try these tips and you'll easily grow a beautiful crop of tasty, richly-colored heirloom peppers!

        

Even if you have a very small backyard, you can grow your own strawberries! Growing your own strawberries is an easy and rewarding gardening venture. Strawberries are very versatile hardy perennial plants that can be planted in a variety of ways: In patio containers, in hanging baskets, in vegetable gardens or in raised beds. Our favorite method of growing strawberries at Stargazer Perennials is in a raised bed. Regardless of where you grow your strawberries, locate your strawberry bed in a location that will receive full sun for the majority of the day and in an area that also has convenient access to water. If you have deer or rabbit problems, you will want to keep your strawberry bed protected.

Strawberries require good drainage and perform best in a sandy loam soil. If you are planting strawberries directly in the ground amend and prepare your soil properly to ensure good drainage and soil fertility. Stay clear of 'hot' manure such as fresh horse, cow or chicken manure that can burn and damage delicate strawberry plants. If you are using a raised bed, prepare your raised bed with a good quality potting soil. Incorporate a quality organic fertilizer such as Down to Earth All Purpose fertilizer in at a rate of 1lb per 100 sq ft.

You can plant strawberries from bareroot divisions or from actively growing plants. At Stargazer Perennials we sell actively growing strawberry plants in either 4 inch pots or 1 gallon size containers. Planting actively growing plants eliminates much of the frustration and plant loss that often occurs when planting bare root divisions in the spring.

Browse our selection of sustainably grown, pesticide-free strawberry plants here...

Plant strawberry plants 18 inches apart in rows 3 feet to 4 feet apart. When planting strawberries make sure that the crown of the strawberry plant is above the soil level and that the uppermost roots are at least 1/4 inch below the soil level. As strawberries grow they will produce runners that will spread out and root to produce additional plants. Position the first runners with approximately 6 inches of spacing between them. Only allow a few runners per plant, after which remove additional runners to promote crown growth. A well established strawberry row should be approximately 24 inches wide. Water your strawberry plants consistently throughout the growing season. Strawberry plants require 1 inch to 2 inches of water per week. Fertilizer the strawberry plants with Maxi-crop liquid fertilizer at 3 week intervals during the growing season to promote growth and berries. Harvest your strawberries the same day that you will eat or use them; once picked strawberries will not continue to ripen. Thin strawberry beds every year in the early fall by narrowing the rows to 6 inches to 12 inches and mowing or cutting back the plants to 1inch above the crowns. Thinning or renovating your strawberry bed will encourage productivity for years to come. Applying a covering of mulch over the strawberry bed prior to winter is recommended for USDA gardening zone 6 or below. Mulching is the time honored way to help strawberries survive even the coldest of winters. When low temperatures drop below 28 degrees F. outside apply a covering mulch of several inches of straw or some similar material. Although early spring frosts can cause damage to strawberries you will want to remove the winter mulch early in the spring to help promote healthy plants and deter pests.

Shop for Ft Laramie Strawberry Plants here
Shop for Ozark Strawberry Plants here
Shop for Allstar Strawberry Plants here
Shop for Alpine Strawberry Plants here
 

 

        

Over-anxious gardeners can often do more harm than good by working their soil too soon in the spring. Contrary to popular belief tilling and digging to loosen and aerate the garden soil can actually cause the the soil to become compact, much like concrete, if worked too early in the spring when the soil is too wet. To check your garden soil moisture content, scoop up a handful of soil and squeeze it into a ball. If it sticks together like modeling clay, it is too wet to be worked. Wait two or three days, if no rain has fallen and check again. The soil will be ready to be worked properly when it crumbles after being squeezed.

For Organic Gardening products, browse our new Organic Gardening Solutions section on our website for Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI) certified garden products to help control thrips, aphids, earwigs, slugs, snails, moths and more when friendly beneficial insects are not enough!

If you are getting ready to plant your vegetable garden, browse our expanded selection of organic seed garlic, organic seed potatoes , organic vegetable seeds , heirloom tomato plants , heirloom pepper plants , and  vegetable and salad greens transplants.

        

Organic gardeners have long realized that healthy, living soil is essential to grow flowering plants, shrubs, trees and vegetables successfully. Fertile soil is a living ecosystem comprised of organisms, minerals and organic matter. To foster and maintain a vital, living soil you must think in terms of feeding and nurturing the soil, not the plant.

A mycorrhiza (mycorrhyzae or mycorrhizas, Greek for "fungus root”) is a mutualistic (mutually beneficial) association between a fungus and a plant. This mutualism occurs at the plant root level: Mycorrhizal fungi are soil-dwelling, root-inhabiting, symbiotic fungi that colonize the fine absorbing roots of more than 95% of the land plants in the world. Various species of these fungi colonize tree and other plant roots to feed on the photosynthates (sugars) of the plants. In return for sugars, the fungi extend ‘feeding tubes’ called mycelia far into the soil. The plant gains the use of the mycelium’s tremendous surface area to absorb mineral nutrients from the soil. Some forms of mycorrhizae can increase the absorptive surface area of root systems by more than 700% compared to non-mycorrhizal roots. In addition, the mycorrhizal association allows the plant to access all of the 15 major and minor mineral elements, many of which are in forms unavailable to a non-colonized plant. For instance, many gardeners are aware that phosphorous is an important nutrient that can become ‘locked up’ in the soil, and be unavailable to plants.  This “phosphate sink” occurs because phosphate ions are tightly bound to iron oxides in many soils, and plant root systems cannot access this important nutrient. However, mycorrhizae are able to absorb and transfer this form of phosphorus to their host plants. Through their alliance with plants, mycorrhizae increase the tolerance of their plant hosts to drought, compaction, high temperatures, heavy metals, soil salinity and toxicity, and adaptability to extremes of soil pH.

 So why does the average gardener need to know all this? Well, mycorrhizal fungi occur naturally in forest soils where the organic matter content is high. Unfortunately, most farm and garden soils do not exist in such an ideal state. Tillage, synthetic chemical fertilization, pesticide use, and low soil fertility will reduce or eliminate mycorrhizae. By amending the garden soil with copious amounts of rich compost and using only low impact organic fertilizers you can reproduce nature’s thriving ecosystem in your own landscape. Although we use endo-ecto mycorrhizal amendments in our nursery program, studies have shown that nursery pot culture is a tough place for mycorrhizae to thrive, so we recommend the addition of mycorrhizae spores after you have enriched your soil with compost and during planting. We make it easy, too! You can add mycorrhizae and organic fertilizer at planting time by using one of our organic fertilizers that are infused with beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi to allow rapid colonization of your garden soil.

You can find mycorrhizal fungus in our organic Down to Earth fertilizers such as Organic Bio-live Fertilizer and Down to Earth Organic Tree and Shrub Fertilizer.  at Stargazer Perennials farm store or at our online shop.

        

Spring is coming and now is the time to start planning your vegetable garden. Depending on what part of the United States you live in, certain vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers need to be started indoors well in advance. Both heirloom tomatoes and heirloom peppers benefit from a six to eight week indoor start before moving out into the vegetable garden. Since tomatoes and peppers have the same heat and light germination requirements, we always seed both at the same time.

Sow tomato and pepper seeds indoors in a sterile seedling mix 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. To find the last frost date in your area, check with your local county extension office. Before seeding, soak your plug trays with warm water until saturated. Presoaking your plug trays ensures better contact between the seed and the soil. Plant the tomato and pepper seeds 1/4 inch deep. To ensure a 100% germination rate, plant two seeds per plug. Water the seeds lightly with warm water and cover with a propagation dome or plastic wrap. Check daily and mist as needed to prevent seeds from drying out, but do not over water! For optimal sprouting, tomatoes and peppers prefer a germination heat of 70 degrees to 90 degrees. If necessary use a heat mat with a thermostat to ensure proper bottom heat temperatures.

Suspend fluorescent lights three inches above the tray to provide light, even if you have some natural light. During the winter your young seedlings will not receive enough natural daylight and without supplemental light they will stretch. As the seedlings grow, raise the light fixture to maintain the three inch separation. For best growth results, keep the lights on 12 to 16 hours daily.

When the first set of true leaves emerges, gently transplant into 4" pots and place in an area of full light and temperatures of 60-70 degrees. Turn the pots on a daily basis to prevent stretching of the seedlings. Water as needed to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Fertilize with Maxi-crop or another liquid organic fish emulsion fertilizer every 10-12 days. One week prior to transplanting your tomatoes and peppers outside, set the seedlings outdoors during the day in a sheltered location to harden off. Bring the tomatoes and peppers in at night or cover sufficiently to protect from frost.

For professional seed starting materials and certified organic vegetable and herb seeds visit the online garden store at Stargazer Perennials.


    

        

Fresh vegetable dips are an ideal way to enjoy fresh produce! Below are three favorite recipes from our farm kitchen at Stargazer Perennials

These dips are best when made with herbs and peppers that are just harvested out of your garden or purchased at a local farmers market. You can make these vegetable dipping sauces ahead of time and store covered in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before use.

Browse our extensive selection of Certified Organic Vegetable seeds here...


Asian Vegetable Dipping Sauce:

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons sugar
A dash of cayenne pepper to taste
A dash of cinnamon

In a glass bowl whisk together all the above ingredients until dissolved. Serve with fresh vegetables such as sugar snap peas, peeled and sliced cucumber, red and orange bell peppers cut into bite size pieces. You can also use this versatile sauce as a marinade over shrimp or scallops by simply adding 1/4 cup Sweet Japanese Rice Wine ( Mirin ) to the mixture.


Avocado Habanero Vegetable Dipping Sauce:

1 avocado diced into 1/4" pieces
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 habanero chile diced into very small pieces
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, red bell peppers or cucumbers.


Creamy Cilantro Vegetable Dipping Sauce:

1 3/4 cups fresh cilantro leaves and stems
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, red bell peppers or cucumbers.

Browse our extensive selection of Certified Organic Vegetable seeds. For more recipes from our farm, Stargazer Perennials visit our sister website Farm Fresh Living.

        

As spring approaches, now is the time to order your dinnerplate dahlias to ensure spring delivery and best color selection. Dinnerplate dahlias are tender perennials that need to be planted in early to mid spring depending on your USDA hardiness zone, or as soon as your last frost is past.

All dahlias make attractive garden and cut flowers, but the dinnerplate dahlias are by far the most stunning and dramatic! Dinnerplate dahlias produce large 8 inch to 12 inch sized flowers that come in a wide range of colors and petal patterns. Here are a few of our top selling dinnerplate dahlias:

   
 Mystery Day Dahlia                                             Thomas Edison Dahlia                                    Bridgeview Aloha Dahlia

 

Dahlias that are grown from seeds will not grow true to type. Dahlias tubers, even named varieties, are so reasonable to purchase that you can either treat your dahlias as annuals and discard them in the fall or you can choose to dig and save the roots each year. Dahlias will normally bloom from midsummer until frost.

Dahlias are extremely easy to grow and prefer full sun and a rich, well-drained soil. Large-flowering dinnerplate dahlias should be spaced 3 to 4 feet apart and planted approximately 4 inches deep. Dinnerplate dahlias will need staked as they grow to prevent the heavy bloom heads from flopping. We recommend placing a 6 foot tall bamboo stake 18 inches deep next to the dahlia tuber when you plant. This will ensure that the stake is in the proper place and will prevent any damage to the tuber by trying to insert a stake at a later time. To keep dahlias dahlias growing and blooming all summer long simply provide ample water and fertilize every 4 weeks with Down To Earth Rose & Flower Mix 4-8-4 at 5 lbs. per 100 square ft.  Pinch out the tips of the main stems three weeks after planting to produce strong, bushy plants. Harvest regularly for cut flowers or take off the faded blooms during the summer months to encourage continuous blooming.

The most common pests for dahlias are aphids, spider mites, leafhoppers and thrips. Growing plants with organically enriched, healthy soil and with sustainable gardening methods prevents most pests and diseases from being a problem. Remember: Feed the soil; not the plant. Grow organic! If pests do persist, especially earwigs which always tend to attack our dahlias, an application of Sluggo Plus (an organic solution) will do the job. To learn more about organic gardening solutions, read our prior blog:ORGANIC SOLUTIONS: NOW YOU CAN CONTROL SLUGS AND EARWIGS IN THE GARDEN AT THE SAME TIME!

Dinnerplate dahlias not only extend the bloom season of perennials, they are also great cut flowers. Spice up your garden by planting a mix of summer flowering bulbs such as hardy oriental lilies, gladiolus and garden peonies with your dahlias.

        

We've listened to our online customers across the country and for Spring 2009 we'll be shipping the same healthy pesticide-free heirloom pepper and tomato starter transplants  across the country that our local customers have been enjoying for years. Although we are increasing our heirloom garden plant production, we would recommend that you get these plants reserved as early as possible, since we have always sold out early in the spring here at the farm. Here's a link all of the heirloom tomato plants at Stargazer Perennials , and here's the link to all of the best heirloom sweet and hot pepper plants and we'll be adding new varieties every day for the next few weeks. The great flavor of the heirloom tomatoes just can't be replicated with the modern hybrids, and with proper tomato growing techniques heirloom tomato plants can be just as disease-resistant as the newer hybrids, and a lot more tasty! I'll talk about all the great vegetable varieties that we're growing sustainably from certified organic seed in future blogs.

        

Yarrows are often misunderstood and misused perennial plants that when used properly in the perennial garden can be extraordinary! Yarrow or Achillea, as the genus is known, are hardy colorful perennials that range in height from 4 inches to 36 inches and come in a wide range of vivid colors. The soft fern-like foliage of the yarrow plant varies in color from silver gray to dark green depending on the variety. Extremely hardy, deer resistant and a xeric perennial plant once established, yarrows add color and texture to the garden and are great for fresh cut flowers or dried flowers for arrangements.

Top selling yarrows at our farm include: Achillea ' Cloth of Gold ', Achillea ' Oertel's Rose ', Achillea ' Paprika ' and the Blooms of Bressingham Achillea ' Anthea '.

To properly use yarrows, plant in areas where the plants exuberant growth habit will be contained. Yarrows are perfect when used in small areas in between side walks and buildings, in patio container pots or raised garden beds. When planting yarrows in a mixed perennial bed or perennial border simply take a large 2 gallon plastic nursery pot and cut the bottom out, then plant the yarrow in the ground inside of the pot. The yarrow will grow to be a lovely perennial that blooms all summer long, but the pot will keep the roots from spreading into your other perennials!

Cultural notes about Yarrows: Plant Achillea with large ornamental grasses such as Calamagrostis Karl Foerster for added texture and color. Plant yarrows in groups of 3 or more of the same color to create a large swath of color in the garden. Yarrows are ideal for planting in areas such as wildflower meadows or on hillsides to create a drought tolerant and deer resistant blooming landscape. The larger yarrows may "flop" in areas of high rain. If possible avoid overhead watering and harvest for cut flowers often to maintain the best plant form and to encourage reblooming. NOMENCLATURE NOTES: 'Achillea' (named for Achilles, who supposedly learned of Yarrow's medicinal qualities from his mentor, Chiron the Centaur and used it to treat his men's wounds on the battlefield) and 'filipendulina' (Having Filipendula [Meadowsweet]-like leaves)

You can order and browse our collection of hardy Yarrow plants online at Stargazer Perennials.

        

Even though the winter winds may be howling outside, it's time to get your certified organic heirloom vegetable, salad greens and herb garden seeds ordered! At Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery, our heirloom certified organic garden seeds are selected specifically for those gardeners and farmers who grow in cold climates with short growing seasons like ours here in USDA Zone 5. 

Whether it is the Early Bountiful Green Bean, or the Glacier  Tomato, these dependable short season heirloom vegetable varieties are reliable producers with great flavor and many of them have good germination even in our cool spring soil. Our seeds are fresh every season, and we don't finish packaging and start shipping until the end of January, so now is a great time to go through the list and get them reserved. As always, market farmers and folks with large gardens can contact us for bulk wholesale prices on certified organic vegetable, salad mix, sunflower, herb and edible flower seeds, and don't forget our certified organic seed potatoes and organic garlic seed! It's always great to hear from you folks out there, whether you are fellow farmers or home gardeners. Keep those emails coming! Happy Holidays from The Folks at Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery!

        

Calamagrostis xacutlflora 'Karl Foerster' is a long-blooming, low maintenance, highly deer resistant, long-lived perennial grass that will thrive in either full sun or partial shade and is without a doubt one of our favorite ornamental grasses.

Karl Foerster or feather reed grass as it is commonly known, is an extremely versatile ornamental grass that works well in any garden. Calamagrostis xacutlflora 'Karl Foerster' has been called the "metamorphic grass" while others describe it as the "perpetual motion grass." The slightest breeze sets this grass in motion and the graceful movement is a highlight for any landscape. It is excellent as a specimen plant or providing a vertical accent in the landscape. Some designers use it for creating a fast developing screen. Others find that this feather reed grass is useful in patio pot containers and will survive most winters without winter protection. You can incorporate Feather Reed Grass into mixed cottage style perennial borders, use in xeric landscapes, plant in mass to form a 'sea' of grass or use as a background foundation plant.

Calamagrostis Karl Foerster grows to a mature size of 4 feet high by 2 feet wide and will grow best in well-drained fertile soil with sufficient moisture, but will tolerate heavier clay soils and drier sites. Fertilizer feather reed grass with an organic all purpose fertilizer such as Down to Earth All Purpose fertilizer or Maxicrop Liquid Kelp fertilizer to produce maximum height.  Karl Foerster requires little maintenance except to cut back the stems to about 6 inches in late winter or early spring. In areas with mild winters the foliage may remain evergreen.  At our farm, we prefer to trim our ornamental grasses back in the spring and leave the decorative plumes up for winter interest in the garden. Karl Foerster is a sturdy grass and on a mature plant the plumes will withstand considerable wind and snow. This ornamental grass is a cool-season grass, which allows planting or transplanting in spring or fall. Sterility eliminates any chance of this cultivar becoming an invasive plant or creating unwanted seedlings in the garden. Other hardy Calamagrostis include: Calamagrostis Avalanche and Calamagrostis Overdam.




A grouping of Karl Foerster ( Feather Reed Grass) growing in one of our perennial beds at our farm in Eastern Oregon. Note the warm, wheat colored plumes that are standing tall in a snow bank in the middle of December! Our farm receives rather brisk winter wind, sometimes up to 40 mph, and the graceful plumes of Karl Foerster stand tall through all of the weather!

        

Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' is a useful, hardy variegated willow that adds texture and foliage interest to the garden all year long. A graceful deciduous shrub, Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' also known as  ‘Albo-maculata’ or ‘Dappled Japanese Willow’, has attractive 4 inch long oblong leaves that emerge pink in the spring and mature to a variegated creamy white and lime green. To keep the creamy white and pink tips of Hakuro Nishiki all summer long, shear back periodically to encourage new growth. Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' may be trimmed regularly to promote new growth or to maintain a pleasing size and shape. 

A vigorous plant, Hakuro Nishiki will grow 12 inches to 18 inches per season reaching a mature height and width of 5 feet x 5 feet. This hardy variegated willow is suitable for USDA hardiness zones 4-9 and produces better variegated color in colder temperatures. The young branches of this dappled variegated willow grow out of the crown in all directions and will begin drooping slightly as the plant matures giving the shrub a graceful rounded form. As winter approaches, the foliage of Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' willow turns golden yellow before defoliating to reveal bright red twigs that provide color and contrast in the winter landscape. Like all Willows, Hakuro Nishiki thrives in moist soils and full sun. While Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' is not deer resistant, it will tolerate some browsing by deer, and works well as an accent plant, planted in mass to form a colorful variegated hedge or alongside water features and natural areas. You can purchase Salix 'Hakuro Nishiki' grown sustainably and pesticide-free in 1 gallon or 2 gallon nursery trade containers at Stargazer Perennials online plant nursery.

        

Black Lace Sambucus, is an outstanding selection of the very hardy elderberry that we all love at Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery, brought to us by the plantsmen at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. What makes Black Lace Sambucus special is its almost jet-black lace-leaf foliage and delicious baby pink blooms that cover this hardy shrub in the spring. With its  rich black foliage, Black Lace Elderberry has the texture of a delicate Japanese Maple  but with superior hardiness, and it is deer resistant! In the fall this versatile shrub is covered with burgundy-red elderberries that  are perfect for making wine, jelly, jams or just leaving as is to give the local winter birds a nutritious snack.

Black Lace Elderberry grows to 6' high by 5' wide, but you can keep this versatile shrub any size you like by trimming back hard in the spring. Like other elderberry shrubs, Black Lace benefits from had pruning early in its garden life. For a stunning landscape statement, pair Black Lace with Sutherland Gold Elderberry, a very hardy lace leaf Sambucus that has the foliage color of matte gold - superb! Needless to say at Stargazer Perennials we have increased the number of Black Lace Sambucus that we are growing for the 2009 gardening season, and as with all our hardy plants, grown with pride with sustainable, pesticide-free methods.

        

Tired of cold, miserable hands? These gloves are the answer!

West County Gardeners waterproof, insulated gloves are constructed of supple man-made fabrics that make them lightweight, flexible and super tough. Not just for gardening, we have customers that have found a variety of alternative uses for these versatile waterproof gloves including: snowshoeing, winter horseback riding, general outdoor use, ATV use, backpacking and more... These waterproof, insulated gloves fit close to your hand, are machine washable and maintain their close fit even after repeated washing.

We like these waterproof insulated gloves so much, they are now the only insulated waterproof glove that we personally use on our farm and sell at our nursery and online store. These gloves will outlast several pair of leather gloves, remain dry and comfortable, make a great gift idea and are available in a wide range of colors and men's glove and women's glove sizes. Some of the great features of this glove include:

    * INSULATED AND WATERPROOF: Water can't penetrate, but heat can escape through the breathable membrane sandwiched between the outer shell and the brushed thermal lining.
    * PADDED PALM: Polyurethane padded suede palm gives the protection of leather, but won't crack or harden. Silicon gripper dots add strength to your grip.
    * STRESS POINTS: Extra layer of suede is sewn in at all stress points.
    * BROW WIPE: Terry cloth absorptive thumb-back: Great idea!
    * ADJUSTABLE CUFF: Extra-tall flexible neoprene for comfort-keeps out dirt and debris.
    * WASHABLE: Machine wash warm, tumble dry low. Won't shrink, harden, or crack.

        

Expanded Rose Growing Program for 2009!   Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery is now offering over 100 varieties of our premium hardy roses in either 1 gallon nursery trade pots or 2 gallon nursery trade containers depending on the variety. Our quality roses will arrive at your home fully leafed out and ready to be planted into your garden. No more dried up bareroot sticks! Because we offer only potted roses, we are able to ship our hardy roses all season long beginning late in the spring.  We only grow a select number of each variety every year, so order your roses now for best selection: We'll reserve them for you and ship at the best planting time in May 2009.  Our 2009 roses start shipping the week of May 15th and we will continue shipping roses until October (based upon weather). If you have questions about how to select the best rose or roses for your garden or how to grow healthy roses, read our new article on organic rose care.   Browse our selection of hardy     * CLIMBING ROSES     * HYBRID TEA ROSES    * GRANDIFLORA ROSES    * FLORIBUNDA ROSES    * SUPER HARDY SHRUB AND LANDSCAPE ROSES     *HARDY OWN ROOT MINIATURE ROSES

        

A reader left a comment yesterday and while replying to him I happened to visit his blog, a really nice personal site that features a great collection of butterfly photos.  We love our butterflies here at the farm and have put together some pre-planned butterfly attracting gardens that will get you started attracting butterflies to your home landscape. Once you get them there, don't spray! Pesticides don't just get rid of pest; they usually take the butterflies and bees along with them. Here's a link to a great article about gardening for butterflies written by the staff at Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery.

        

Without a doubt one of the most common questions we get at Stargazer Perennials is “What can I grow that the deer won’t eat?”. Unfortunately the answer to that is “Not very much!”.  When deer pressure is high they will browse just about anything. However, there are some effective garden design strategies and some plants that we consider to be “bulletproof” in a deer country garden. Remember, there are no “deer proof” plants. However, there are many garden plants that have degrees of deer resistance.  With a combination of smart gardening practices and the right plant selection you can enjoy a lush landscape in areas of  even very high deer pressure.

Strategy #1: Don’t grow the plants that you like; Grow the plants that deer don’t like!  This probably sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised at the number of gardeners who decide that they just have to have a certain plant and go shopping for it without doing their research. There is also the impulse buy: Go to the local box store for groceries and come home with a carload of beautiful flowers. Both the “impulse” and the “must have” plants go into the ground and the next morning they are in the digestive tract of a deer. To sum it up: Stop buying pretty flowers and make a plan!

Strategy #2: Establish your plantings with deer resistant plant varieties: Don’t mix! To establish a newly planted border, plant with Tier 1 plants: Plants with proven deer resistance. Don’t mix in other non-resistant plants in the hopes that the resistant varieties will protect them. As deer browse the plants they like they’ll also browse nearby plants, and may develop a taste for ones that were previously resistant. As your gardens mature and the deer lose interest in the plantings then you can begin mixing in Tier 2 type plants: Those that are only minimally browsed, or ones that can sustain some browsing without affecting their garden performance.

Strategy #3: Protect new plantings, even those of proven resistant varieties. There is a “curiosity factor” with deer, which tend to sample everything new. If you foil them until the plant roots are established, they may have moved on to your neighbor’s petunias. After plants are established, Tier 1 and Tier 2 plants can withstand occasional browsing.

Strategy #4: Use a Low-Nitrogen fertilization regime; Save the Miracle-Gro for hanging baskets. There are several methods of achieving healthy plant growth and extended bloom period without resorting to high-nitrogen synthetic fertilizers (deer candy):
·    Use low-nitrogen organic fertilizers and amendments. Example: 4-8-4 NPK
·    Deadhead more often. This will promote new blooms without additional fertilizer and the plant will be “harder”: Less succulent and more resistant.
·    Improve soil tilth with compost and mycorrhizal and bacterial inoculation.
·    Watering deeply and infrequently (after young plants are established) will result in harder plants with less succulent growth.
Using these methods will promote plant health, increase deer resistance and, as a bonus, will naturally prevent outbreaks of insect pests which tend to multiply rapidly on unnaturally lush green new growth.

PARTIAL LIST OF TIER 1 (Very deer resistant) PERENNIALS

PERENNIALS
Agastache species and varieties
Ligularia dentata
Dicentra spectabilis
Nepeta species and cultivars
Baptisia australis
Salvia nemorosa
Stachys byzantina
Lavandula sp.
Pulmonaria sp
Helloborus sp.
Mentha sp
Eupatorium sp.
Potentilla sp.
Artemesia sp.
Echinops ritro
Coreopsis verticillata varieties
Thymus sp.
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Echinacea purpurea
PARTIAL LIST OF TIER 2 (Somewhat deer resistant) PERENNIALS
Astilbe sp.
Aster sp.
Monarda sp.
Rudbeckia hirta
Liatris sp.
Achillea sp.
Aquilegia sp.
Delphinium sp.
Alchemilla mollis
Lupinis sp.
Veronica sp.
Digitalis grandiflora
Helenium autumnale
Gaillardia sp.
Echinacea sp.
Scabiosa sp.
Papaver sp.
Cerastium tomentosum
Boltonia asteroids
Saponaria ocymoides

        

Hydrangeas have made a comeback as a must-have landscape and garden plant, but, as many gardeners have discovered the hard way, many of the old varieties commonly available in garden centers are not particularly hardy or even vigorous growers, and often fail to bloom reliably every year. For many years the hardiest Hydrangea was Hydrangea paniculata PeeGee, which allowed gardeners in Zones 4 and 5 to at least have a hydrangea. Unfortunately, PeeGee is a notorious flopper and the shrub often collapses under its own weight and does not produce the massive display of blooms and colors that we see with the less hardy varieties. But now, thanks to the hard work of breeders around the world, gardeners in Zone 3, 4 and 5 have some fantastic hardy Hydrangea choices. Here's the new hardy Hydrangeas that we're growing at Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery for the 2009 gardening season:

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is possibly the most amazing hardy Hydrangea introduction in recent years. The non-stop summer massive display of lime-green flowers is followed by a mix of burgundy, pink and green blooms when nipped by cool fall nights. Limelight will grow in full sun or shade and is tolerant to almost any type of soil as long as it is well-drained. Like all paniculatas, Limelight blooms on buds that develop in the spring, so it will bloom reliably year after year no matter how harsh the winter weather was. That means that Limelight can be pruned hard in early spring to form a nice uniform hedge or to control the size of the plant and to increase the bloom size. Hardy to Zone 3!



The rather unfortunately-named Hydrangea paniculata 'Pinky Winky' produces 12-16" long two-toned blooms in mid-summer. Pinky Winky blooms regardless of soil type, pH, winter severity or pruning. Pinky Winky's rich green foliage makes for an attractive specimen plant or hedge even before it begins to bloom. The blooms are held on stiff stems that never droop and make saucy cut flowers. Very tolerant of urban conditions and hard to kill! Also hardy to Zone 3!

Hydrange paniculata 'Quick Fire' is a great new hardy Hydrangea that blooms as much as a month earlier than other varieties. Quick Fire lets you kick off the Hydrangea bloom season a little earlier than you could before. Here in Zone 5 it can bloom as early as the last week in May! You guessed it: Also hardy to Zone 3!

All of these new hardy Hydrangeas can be grown in full sun or shade and are not  water hogs like the Oak Leaf types. Once they are established they can even be somewhat drought tolerant, although they'll always bloom better with normal landscape/lawn type watering. They're not fussy, have no major pest problems, and are a joy to grow. Photos courtesy of Proven Winners www.provenwinners.com.

        

So that for all things out of a garden, either of sallads or fruits, a poor man will eat better, that has one of his own, than a rich man that has none. And this is all I think of, Necessary and Useful to be known upon this subject. 
                                                                                                 Sir William Temple 
                                                                                                 Of Gardening (1685)

        

Rosemary is a woody herb native to the dry hillsides of the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other pungent and deer resistant herbs. Contrary to popular belief, Rosemary was not named in honor of the Virgin Mary or even a rose. The Latin ros marinus means roughly “dew of the sea”, perhaps a reference to the small blue flowers which from a distance can look like dewdrops, or is more likely a reference to some forgotten tale. Ironically, in herbal lore Rosemary is associated with remembrance of things past.
How to Grow Rosemary: Rosemary is a tender perennial and usually should be treated as an annual below Zone 6 or 7, depending on the variety. Trailing varieties are not hardy at all below Zone 7. The upright growers are the hardiest, and we grow the rosemary variety Rosemary officinalis ‘Arp’, which trials have proven to be the hardiest variety. ‘Arp’ usually overwinters for us here at the Stargazer Perennials Farm in Zone 5a but has been known to succumb to harsh winters. Rosemary demands well-drained soil and can die of over-watering.
Uses for Rosemary: Culinary and medical. Rosemary is an indispensable herb in the kitchen used to season sauces, stews, salads and breads. Infused in olive oil it lends a subtle, earthy fragrance and flavor to food. Rosemary is high in the constituents carnosol and ursolic acid which have been shown to provide natural anti-oxidant protection against skin photodamage.
Herbal Lore: Folklore tells us that Rosemary will only grow where the woman is the boss in the marriage. In other cultures, however, bouquets of Rosemary were emblematic of “manly virtues” and were presented to a man on his wedding day. Rosemary is often associated with remembrance, which may explain why Ophelia presented Hamlet a bunch of rosemary. Perhaps she wanted to remind the melancholy Dane of the day when he: “Let in the maid, that out a maid/ Never departed more”

        

The European earwig can be both a beneficial garden insect and a pest. Although earwigs contribute to creating good soil by feeding on detritus and also consume pests like aphids and mites, often their populations explode and they start consuming living plant parts, as any gardener can attest. They can be a tough pest to deal with organically, but now Monterey Lawn and Garden Products has introduced a garden-safe organic product called Sluggo Plus: Bait granules that combine iron phosphate and spinosad. Most gardeners are familiar with Sluggo, which has long been an organic standby for slug control in the Hosta garden. Sluggo contains iron phosphate, which occurs naturally in the soil and is used in fertilizers. The Plus part of the new product is the naturally occurring, soil-dwelling bacterium spinosad. The USDA's National Organics Program has certified Sluggo Plus for use in organic gardens. After eating the bait, pests stop feeding and die within a week, and any uneaten granules biodegrade into your garden soil. Sluggo Plus is effective on sowbugs, pillbugs, earwigs, cutworms, snails and slugs.Combine the use of safe organic controls with natural controls, like growing alyssum, dill or fennel to attract tachinid flies, which are natural predators of earwigs.

        

Oso Easy Paprika Rose was awarded the Gold Medal for Best Groundcover Rose at the Rose Hills International Rose Trials at The Pageant of Roses Garden located at Rose Hills Memorial Park outside of Los Angeles. Roses are evaluated in a landscape setting for such qualities as health and vigor, growth habit and foliage, beauty of the flowers at all stages, and freedom of bloom.

After a two year evaluation, Paprika was awarded the highest score of all roses entered in the shrub/groundcover category.  The judging panel includes industry professionals from a variety of sectors, including wholesale nurseries, retailers, landscape curators, and gardening and horticultural writers. Oso Easy Paprika is one of the new great shrub selections in the Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs program, and we're happy to be able to offer Oso Easy Paprika Rose and Rosa Oso Easy Cherry Pie as part of our expanded shrub growing program at Stargazer Perennials for the Spring 2009 shipping season. The Oso Easy roses are outstanding disease-free plants for groundcover and containers, and are particularly suitable for landscapers to use for low maintenance mass plantings.
 

        

Customers and clients often ask us about garden clean-up: When is the best time - spring or fall? Well, it turns out the answer is YES and NO! For most herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses we feel it is best to leave the cleanup until spring, but there are exceptions. For many plants, leaving the mess until spring has several advantages. One, the dried seedheads and foliage of herbaceous perennials provide food and shelter for birds, overwintering beneficial insects and butterfly cocoons. Two, the frosted tops of plants can act as blankets through the winter, protecting plant roots and crowns from winter dessication and freezing. This is especially true with plants that are marginal in your growing zone anyway. Three, some winter foliage and seed heads, like those of ornamental grasses and coneflowers, remain attractive and add structure to your winter garden right on through to spring. HOWEVER, perennials that are always plagued by disease and pests, like bee balm (Monarda didyma) and garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) with their mildews, and German Iris (Iris germanica) with iris borers, should be cleaned up in fall and cut back to a couple inches above the soil to reduce overwintering of disease and pests. It is really just a common sense approach: Evaluate each species on its garden performance including the positives and negatives, and clean up in the fall only when it achieves a positive result.

        

A garden is like those pernicious machineries which catch a man's coat-skirt or his hand, and draw in his arm, his leg, and his whole body to irresistible destruction.
                        Ralph Waldo Emerson from The Conduct of Life (1860)

        

During its agritourism tourism summit Thursday at the Ag Service Center in Island City, Oregon, Union County Tourism, a publicly-funded, non-profit organization tasked with promoting tourism in the local area, said it plans a concerted effort to market the area’s agricultural attractions. Stargazer Perennials owner Karyn Bischoff spoke about some of her experiences in transforming her Summerville, Oregon farm and perennial plant nursery into an agritourism attraction.She said she has increased foot traffic and profits. She plans to add some other visitor-friendly attractions in the future, including a botanical walk and an educational feature about birds. But at the same ...<< MORE >>

We know you're always looking for some deer resistant perennials to add to your "bulletproof plant" lists, so try these:
·    Eupatorium maculatum ‘Gateway’ : 5-6’ tall and masses of pink flowers in late summer! Plant with the large ornamental grasses if you have the room. Magnificent!
·    Echinaceas:  All of the Echinacea purpurea cultivars, including Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’, ‘Big Sky Hybrids Echinacea Sundown, Echinacea Sunrise, Echinacea Harvest Moon have good degrees of deer resistance. ‘Magnus’  or the species purpurea is bullet-proof. And yes, this is the plant that the herb Echinacea is derived from. All parts of the plant, root, stem or leaf, have the herbal qualities of Echinacea.

        

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It seems that there is never enough daylight for us to get all the work done here at Stargazer Perennials, but sometimes we just have to stop and enjoy the view from the farm. The first real snow of the season came on November 4, and while we're busy in the greenhouse propagating and potting and busy outside with several construction projects and putting all the plants to bed for the winter, it's also a great time of the year to pause and reflect on the majesty of this part of our great country, and on how fortunate we are to be living and working here, and to have the great customers, business associates and friends that we have. If you'd like to learn more about Northeast Oregon then check out the Union County, Oregon tourism website!

        

You have often heard us talk (some might say harp) on the importance and value of learning and using botanical nomenclature when choosing, purchasing and designing with landscape plants. As we have discussed before, every plant in the world that has been discovered has been given a Latinized binomial, or two part name, that is universally recognized anywhere in the world that two botanists or serious gardeners might get together. For example, let’s discuss Leucanthemum vulgare. (I heard that groan). Leucanthemum is derived from the Greek for ‘White flower’, and vulgare is Latin for ‘common’. Why is it important to know this for the average gardener? You would not believe the number of times I have been recommending plants for a design and when I say ‘Shasta Daisy’, the client yelps and says “No way, I have that all over the place-it’s just a weed!” Well, that unseemly outburst means they have to sit still without fidgeting for the following lecture:<< MORE >>

Since few people speak Latin these days, an obvious question might be, “Why can’t we just use good English names for plants, like Sugar Maple?” The main problem with common names is that they can vary from region to region, and it’s a big world out there. In some parts of the U.S. the Sugar Maple is called a Rock Maple, and in other areas it’s called a Hard Maple.<< MORE >>

Since many of us in various USDA growing zones are still out there in the garden planting fall bulbs, it is a good time to review these well known but often forgotten guidelines for planting fall bulbs:<< MORE >>