When most people think of annuals they think about upright varieties for borders and containers. But when planning your annual garden, think about more than just upright plants. There are a number of wonderful trailing varieties that are perfect for providing a splash of color between shrubs, on a hillside or cascading over a rock wall or trailing from a hanging basket.

For a hillside, it's hard to beat trailing lantana, with its showy purple and white blooms. A happy plant can reach 3-4 ft across in diameter. If you are looking for a slightly flatter foliage that hugs the ground, consider the mauve-flowering scaevola.

It's easy to perk up your landscape by planting patches of million bells (callibrachoa) in spaces between larger shrubs. This colorful annual comes in a variety of bright hot colors including red, yellow, apricot, white, pink, fuchsia, blue, and violet. Another alternative would be verbena, which is available in many colors, flower sizes and flat or mounding foliage. These plants also look great flowing over rock walls or pool edges.

For large splashes of color in the landscape, use petunias or ivy geranium. Both grow incredibly fast and come in every color under the sun. You can dress up the edges of a boring-looking vegetable garden with nasturtium, whose orange, red and yellow flowers are also edible.

All of the above mentioned plants perform well in hanging baskets but there are a few plants that make great partners with them and are particularly suited for container planting. To add some texture and unique foliage color to your hanging baskets consider using silver dichondra, licorice plant (helichrysum) or parrot's beak (Lotus maculatus). All have silvery grey foliage that provides a great contrast to other plants.

While most plants in hanging baskets perform better with a little shade from the afternoon sun, one annual is particularly suited for slightly shadier confines. Use trailing lobelia, which comes in many shades of blue, rose and white. Its cheerful little blossoms are perfect for any container.

The virtue of a vine is unmistakable. The beauty of foliage and flower alone makes a vine worthy of space in any garden. Yet it can also offer coverage of an ugly fence or wall, provide architectural structural beauty, act as a screen separating garden spaces or frame a garden entrance.

Flowering vines attract wildlife such as birds, bees, and butterflies. Many have fragrant flowers and wonderful, bold colors as well as interesting shapes ranging from trumpet, tubular, and star-shaped flowers to colorful bracts with many smaller flowers.

Most vines either twine, cling or arch. The structure that you choose to train your vine onto will depend upon its growth habit and the ultimate size it can grow to. Some vines have more delicate branching while others, such as wisteria, develop strong, large woody vines from which the foliage and flowers emerge. That type of vine needs an extremely sturdy structure. Most other vines are easily trained onto a trellis or arbor. And of course the ‘clingers’ need a fence or wall to attach to.

We’re excited about the summer blooming vines we have in stock and invite you to look at our list below. They are blooming in the garden center and will continue to bloom for you at home, providing years of enjoyment.

Click here to view pics of summer vines

Street trees give us shelter from the wind, privacy from the roads, and shade from the sun--and at the same time add diversity to our yards. Without them our streets and neighborhoods would be much less attractive and comfortable. Street trees are a vital part of every town or city's infrastructure, contributing energy savings, filtering storm water runoff and enhancing property values.

When planting a street tree, consider the particular site where the tree will be planted. Ask these five questions before you select and plant your tree:

1. What is the ground width between the street and the sidewalk?
2. Are above- or below-ground utilities present?
3. Will the tree growth interfere with street signs or lighting?
4. What is the soil type of the site?
5. Is water readily available or will it have to be brought to the tree?

Taking time to answer these questions will help prevent headaches later. Trees planted in the wrong sites will uplift sidewalks, become tangled in power lines, obstruct throughways, and become unhealthy and unattractive over the years. Matching the right tree to your particular site is the best way to guarantee its success.

We stock a great selection of shade trees for most street settings along with the products you need for planting, including root barriers, stakes and tree ties. As with all recommendations, you might check with your local city planning office and also inquire if a permit is required before planting. Many local communities have an approved Master Street Tree Plan that you must follow.

No matter what, choose a tree you will care for and appreciate and enjoy for its unique characteristics. Once planted, make maintaining your tree a top priority. Healthy trees add to the beauty of your yard and improve the quality of the environment not only for people, but also for birds and animals.

As always, our staff of nursery professionals is available to help you make the right selection for your home.

There is just not much good one can say about thrips. They attack ornamental landscape plants, spread viruses, and simply make the foliage ugly and your plant sicker than it was. Many pests "move in" and make themselves at home when the health of a plant is poor. Thrips are no exception. In fact, they are most likely to attack a plant that is too dried out--especially if the foliage is dirty.

Thrips are microscopic and look like elongated black flies. They may be tiny, but the damage that they cause is not. And that damage is quite characteristic, and easily identified. The foliage becomes silvery or bronze and stippled, because thrips are both chewers and suckers. There can be a blackish deposit from their presence, and often the plant will develop sooty mold as well.

The natural predators to thrips include parasitoid wasps, soldier beetles, and green lacewings and their larvae. Spraying with insecticidal soaps can also help. If their presence is minimal, cut, remove, and destroy the infested foliage.

In severe cases, other insecticides can be used to treat an infected plant. Talk to one of our salespeople to determine not only the right product but also the right time in the season for treatment.

Remember--during hot, dry weather, one of your best protections is to make sure your plants have the appropriate amount of water and fertilizers to keep them healthy.

Answer:

Most homeowners bag lawn clippings because they think that the clippings add to the buildup of thatch. This is not true. Clippings that remain on the lawn quickly decompose and release valuable nutrients and beneficial bacteria that actually feed on the thatch layer. Fertilizer needs can be reduced by 20 to 30 percent if the clippings are left on the lawn. The shorter the clippings, the deeper they fall into the turf.

The use of a mulching mower and/or frequent mowing will produce the smallest clippings. If you don't have a mulching mower, consider mowing your lawn twice at one time. This will further reduce the size of the clippings and distribute them deeper into the lawn. Mowing when the grass is dry and fertilizing properly will also help to prevent an excess buildup of thatch.

Dr. Earth 3 Controls® Fungicide

Dr. Earth 3 Controls Fungicide is a 100% natural organic botanical fungicide that works on contact to control fungal diseases on indoor and outdoor plants, trees, shrubs and lawns. It effectively combats powdery mildew, leaf spots, rust, blackspot, downy mildew, peach leaf curl and many other plant diseases. It goes to work immediately and lasts for days after application. Best of all, it can be used on edible plants and trees up to the day of harvest.