Click here for the link to the full brochure available from the Cornell Cooperative Extension!
Great Annuals For Shade for Home Gardeners
May 9, 2013 By
FREE Seminars on Alternatives to Impatiens
May 1, 2013 By
Since garden impatiens have been severely impacted by a new downy mildew disease we know you’ll be seeking alternatives to this past favorite garden plant. That’s why we’re free offering workshops Mon-Fri at 2pm to help conquer the challenge of finding suitable replacements.
UPDATE: Due to an overwhelming response we’ve extended the workshops until May 17! Stop in Mon-Fri at 2pm!
All the Annuals and Perennials are ready!
April 17, 2013 By
Hanging Baskets, flats, Specialty annuals and more! [Read more...]
Alternatives to Garden Impatiens
April 4, 2013 By
Via the Floriculture Specialists of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County
Since garden impatiens, Impatiens walleriana, have been severely impacted by a new downy mildew disease (and will likely continue to be impacted in future years), growers, landscapers, and homeowners are seeking
alternatives to this ubiquitous garden plant. Impatiens have been a reliable garden plant for many years due to their color choice, growth habit, price point, and shade tolerance. While it might seem challenging to find plants that will be a suitable replacement, there are many great plant selections that are viable substitutions. The tables below list some options for shade tolerant plants, along with information on crop time and garden size. Don’t focus on the negative… use this opportunity to grow and promote different and exciting plants!
Some notes:
−It’s important to remember and to communicate that New Guinea impatiens are NOT susceptible to impatiens downy mildew.
−It is sometimes assumed by some that New Guinea impatiens is a sun plant. Yes, New Guinea impatiens perform better than garden impatiens in the sun, but New Guinea impatiens generally perform equally as well or better in the shade.
−Also consider hardy plants such as ajuga, heuchera, lamium, lysimachia, as well as various grass and grass-like plants.
−Don’t plant shade plants in the sun! For sunny sites recommend annual vinca, angelonia, petunia, geranium, marigold, zinnia, celosia, pentas, gazania, portulaca, and so on!
“What happened to my impatiens?”
October 16, 2012 By
The summer of 2012 will be known as the end of impatiens on Long Island — at least for a few years at best. As the airborne disease of “Downy Mildew” passed over our gardens, it decimated Long Island’s impatiens within a couple weeks. As homeowners stood in bewilderment as their beautiful gardens were diminished, they tried to find out what happened. Some blamed their spouses for watering too much or too little, some blamed their lawn maintenance service for “blowing the leaves” right off their flowers, some blamed their house sitters and swore never to go on vacation again, and some didn’t know who to blame. It was no one’s fault. It was just mother nature exercising her right to throw in these diseases once in awhile to keep us on our toes. Maybe we were getting too comfortable with the ease of impatiens. Well, that’s no longer the case. As this airborne disease has hit Long Island in 2012, it is time to find alternatives.
Your garden for 2013 will be even more beautiful with new varieties of other old time favorites that are very reliable, as well as magnificent. There are many choices of New Guinea Impatiens that are completely not affected by Downy Mildew. They can be planted in the same areas where you once planted your impatiens. And don’t think that you need only flowers to add color to your garden, the development of Coleus varieties has resulted in spectacular foliage that brings your garden to life. Another favorite of mine is begonias as they do wonderfully in sun or shade. They are very low maintenance and keep blooming until a hard frost — much longer than the regular impatiens. If you have lots of sun, the vinca flower has a petal formation that is practically identical to the impatiens, but can withstand much more drought. No need for overwatering Vincas.
As gardeners, we may have experienced a setback in our garden designs for 2012. But as gardeners, we know that our gardens are never stagnant. They are always ever-changing and growing — like we all should be. We are not discouraged by this disease. But more importantly, we hope that our customers and all gardeners are not discouraged. At Albert H. Schmitt Family Farms, we were known for having the best selection of impatiens on Long Island. Now, we will now be known for having the best alternative choices for impatiens on Long Island. We are excited for Spring 2013 as we plan our greenhouse planting schedule. Our customers will be pleasantly surprised of what awaits them beyond impatiens.
Click here: http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/Floriculture/DM-HomeGarden-Sept2012.pdf
Click here to read more on impatiens from Jessica Damiano at Newsday (must subscribe to Newsday to be able to view full online article)
Another Impatiens Article by Jessica Damiano for Newsday (must subscribe to Newsday to be able to view full online article)
Pumpkin Picking
October 4, 2012 By
Fun for the entire family!
Make plans to bring the kids out to Albert H. Schmitt Family Farms for all the best that Autumn has to offer. We’ve got a lot of activities planned that are sure to bring a smile to the faces of kids of all ages.
- FREE Admission to our Pumpkin Patch
- Hayrides on Weekends and Holidays
- Largest Selection of Halloween Decorations on Long Island
- NEW! Enjoy Hot & Delicious Roasted Corn
- NEW! Pumpkin Bouncy House
- NEW! Animal Train Ride around the Farm
- FREE Mini Scarecrow with $10 Purchase
Of course you’ll also find a great selection of all of your fall favorites:
- Large Mums
- Kales
- Montauk Daisies
Only $5.99; 4 for $20
Winter Survivor Pansies
When to Prune Crepe Myrtle
July 16, 2012 By
Best Crepe Myrtle Pruning Time: When To Prune Crepe Myrtle
Though pruning a crepe myrtle tree is not necessary to the health of the plant, many people do like to prune crepe myrtle trees in order to neaten the look of the tree or to encourage new growth. After these people have decided to prune the crepe myrtle trees in their yard, their next question is normally “When to prune crepe myrtle trees?”
This question on crepe myrtle pruning time has a different answer depending on why you wish to prune a crepe myrtle tree. Most likely you are either pruning for general maintenance or to try to coax a second bloom out of the tree in one year.
Crepe Myrtle Pruning Time For General Maintenance
If you are just looking to perform general maintenance on your tree, the ideal crepe myrtle pruning time is either in the late winter or early spring when the tree is in its dormancy. This is the best time to prune if you are reshaping the tree, removing deep or weak branches, trying to encourage new growth or size maintenance.
Crepe Myrtle Pruning Time For Second Bloom
Like many plants, a crepe myrtle tree can be encouraged to put forth a second round of blossoms through a practice called deadheading. When to prune the crepe myrtle tree in this case is shortly after the tree’s first round of blossoms have faded. Prune the blossoms off.
This practice should not be done too late in the year as it may cause the tree to delay going into dormancy which in turn could kill it over the winter. It is not advisably to try this after the beginning of August. If the first round of blossoms is not finished by the beginning of August, you would probably not be able to get a second round of blooms before the winter comes anyway.
When to prune crepe myrtle is something that every crepe myrtle owner should know if they plan on taking the time to prune a crepe myrtle tree. Choosing the appropriate crepe myrtle pruning time will ensure that the tree stays healthy and beautiful for many years to come.
Perennial Hibiscus
July 16, 2012 By
Perennial hibiscus plants, those that come back for several years without replanting, are rapidly gaining favor with plant lovers across the nation. If you wish to enjoy a plant that is easy to care for, try the perennial hibiscus. If you reside in climatic zones 4 through 9, you can grow and enjoy a perennial hibiscus that will blow your doors off with color.
The perennial hibiscus should not be confused with the tropical hibiscus, which would be killed in winter freezes. As the name implies, perennial hibiscus are truly perennial and, once established, will provide years and years of brilliant landscape color. Actually, these plants are herbaceous perennials, meaning their tops die down to the ground each winter, but new shoots will come roaring back into lush growth when soils warm the following spring.
There are many varieties of perennial hibiscus to choose from. Plant heights range from 3 feet to 8 feet tall. They can be used in the garden as focal point or arranged in a manner to provide an informal hedge. Some perennial hibiscus plants are compact and rather formal looking compared with the more loosely arranged habit of taller hibiscus.
The stupendous flower colors and the sizes of the perennial hibiscus flowers provide hibiscus growers a long season of delightful blooms. Hibiscus plants produce flower sizes that range from 4 to 10 inches in diameter. Perennial hibiscus plants can be adorned with pinks, reds, lavenders, and many shades of the primary colors.
How to Prune Hydrangeas
July 16, 2012 By
One of the most frequently asked questions, “How do I prune my hydrangeas?” The problem is that the big-leaf hydrangeas, Hydrangea macrophylla, form their flower buds in the previous summer, so if you cut them short they don’t bloom very much the following summer. Most of the popular blue mop-head and blue, pink or white lace-cap hydrangeas form flowers on old growth.
Not all hydrangeas bloom on second year growth, however, and this adds to the confusion. The very hardy Pee Gee hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’, blooms on new growth as does the white-flowering ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea. There are also several varieties that bloom on both new and old growth, such as ‘Penny Mac’, ‘All Summer Beauty’, and Endless Summer.
Before addressing how to prune these shrubs, let’s talk about why you should prune them. Unfortunately, many people want to make them smaller, which is the worst reason to prune a plant. Unless you’re growing a shrub or tree in a bonsai dish, you’re doomed to lose.
In general, plants should be pruned to improve appearance not control size. I repeat that because it’s important: Hydrangeas should be pruned to improve appearance, not control size. The mature hydrangea is a shrub that cannot be made smaller. If you cut a big leaf hydrangea down one year it will replace that growth the following season. If you want to keep them small, replace your larger growing variety with one that is genetically programmed to stay short…a few varieties are suggested later in this article.
Many lacecap hydrangeas bloom on second year growth, so they should be pruned in the same way as the mopheads. Download the pdf sheet at the end of this article for pruning instructions with illustrations.
The big leaf hydrangeas, lace-caps and mop-heads, should be pruned as follows:
1. Prune in the spring when the plant has begun breaking dormancy. At this time of year you can see which canes are living and which are dead.
2. Begin by removing all dead canes, cutting them down to the ground. This is best accomplished by sitting next to the plant so you’ll not be tempted to leave ugly, six inch tall stumps because you can’t reach to cut them further.
3. Once all dead canes are removed, evaluate what is left. If still you have many living stems, and some of them are over three years old, remove a third of those oldest canes, again cutting them at ground level. This will stimulate new growth. If the plant is not congested with a number of older stems, skip this step and go onto #4.
4. Neaten the plant by clipping off any old flowers that remain. Cut remaining canes back by working from the top down, stopping and making the cut just above the first or second pair of buds you come to. Using this top down method, some canes will be cut very little or not at all, while some will have living buds only near the base of the plant so you’ll be removing quite a bit of that stem.
5. Next, step back and look at the plant. If there is one stem that is a great deal taller than the rest, clip it to be in scale with the rest if you prefer how that would look. If there are any curvy, weak looking branches that trail on the ground, remove those.
6. Keep in mind that any green buds you remove have the potential to develop flowers later in the summer. Do you want a neater plant or more flowers? Remember that you could always cut those flowers for bouquets thus tidying the plant later in the season.
7. Prune Endless Summer and other big leaf hydrangeas that bloom on new growth in the same way. These plants bloom on new and old wood, so cutting them short results in fewer flowers.
8. Want to keep them small? Give it up. Plant ‘Mathilda Gutges’, my personal favorite hydrangea, or ‘Hortensis Compacta’, or the very short ‘Pia’ and ‘Pink Elf’.
‘Mathilda Gutges’ hydrangeas, here on the right, stay under four feet high, making it a good plant for foundation plantings and perennial gardens. The ‘Ami Pasquier’ hydrangea shown on the left grows over five feet high, so should be planted where it can get tall.
Pruning Hydrangeas That Bloom on New Growth
There are many ways to prune ‘Pee Gee’ hydrangeas. Some encourage them to become small trees by removing deadwood and annually removing a third of the smaller lateral branches from the ground up. By taking off these twigs and leaving the larger, upright stems, you encourage the plant to grow taller and take on the shape of a multi-stemmed small tree. After removing the deadwood and those lower stems, cut out any crossed branches or those that are growing into the center of the plant rather than away from the middle. Do this in the late winter or spring.
Pee Gee hydrangeas can also be cut down to between six inches or three feet tall every year. This tends to encourage thick growth on the top, however, and the new stems that result will be pulled down by the weight of the flowers. In general, it might be best to plant Pee Gee hydrangeas where they can get large. If you want a white flowering plant that stays small, consider the small oak leaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Pee Wee’.
Annabelle hydrangeas can also be cut short, but again, the newer growth will be weaker and the stems will bend with the weight of the flowers. I recommend pruning these as you would the mopheads.
