Planting Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Stephens Landscaping Professionals

Jul 18, 2022

How to Plan Your Flower Bed for Maximum Impact

There’s nothing as satisfying as planning your garden and watching the beauty come to life. But what are the tricks to creating beautiful designs? It’s a big topic, no doubt, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are simple ways to use perennials, annuals, and bulbs together to make a big statement in your flower beds!

How to Plan Your Perennial Garden

Perennials are the primary plants we count on for recurring blooms and foliage each year. Whether you’re a beginner gardener laying out a new bed or want to improve the beds you have already, these timeless tips will let your perennials work their magic!

All Season Blooms: research when your flowers bloom and strive to have plants that bloom at different times of the season so that you have flowers from thaw to frost, even in the late summer and fall with plants like asters, anemones, goldenrods, and hyssops.
Arrange According to Size: generally, you’ll want to place the tallest perennials at the back, the mid-sized plants in the middle, and the shortest plants at the front. But avoid adhering to this rule too closely. Instead, use groupings, clumps, and drifts of plants to create a looser, more natural feel while ensuring all the plants are visible.

Use Texture and Shape: color is only one variable to use in your design. Different shapes and textures also add liveliness and interest to your beds. Think of the varying shapes of ferns, hostas, and heucheras, to name a few.
Use a Variety of Colors: take advantage of the rich diversity of plants available by selecting a wide diversity of flowers and foliage. Native wildflowers, in particular, offer so many choices of colors, including pinks, oranges, yellows, whites, reds, purples, and blues.
Use Groupings: group at least three individuals of the same plant together; a single flower usually won’t create much impact unless it’s large. Odd numbers look better than even numbers, so plant in 3, 5, 7, etc.
Create Color Patterns: lead the eye through the garden bed by repeating certain colors. For example, a group of purple coneflowers can link up with the similarly colored blazing stars or New England asters a few plants away.

How to Use Annuals in Your Design

When planning garden beds, people often focus on perennials, but annuals can play an important role too. Their main advantage is their versatility and ease of planting. You can buy annuals from the garden center and go home and plant them for immediate results.

Annuals are especially good at filling in any gaps of time or places where you don’t have any perennials blooming. Some gardeners reserve a bed just for annuals so they can enjoy a new design every year. They also work great in containers and hanging baskets. You can start some annuals, like sunflowers, from seed, while you can transplant others from the garden center.

How to Integrate Bulbs into Your Plan

Bulbs are small, bright perennials that emerge for a short bloom time and then disappear again underground. Crocus, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and snowdrops are a few common examples. People love them because they’re among the first flowers that come up each spring, bringing early color to a garden bed. Here are a few tips for using these precious flowers to their full potential:

Plant in Clusters: avoid planting in rows or single flowers. A cluster of bulbs creates a more colorful impact.
Plant Around Late-Leafing Perennials or Shrubs: bulbs can bring beauty to the garden before your other plants have produced foliage. The bulbs will naturally disappear after their show is over, leaving ample room for the late-leafing plants to expand.

Layer the Bulbs: a creative technique to bring more flowers into a single space is to layer bulbs in the ground. Plant earlier blooming bulbs over late-blooming bulbs so that new flowers spring up when the earlier ones are fading.
Plant Bulbs in Unexpected Spots: because they have compact roots, you can tuck bulbs into unexpected places throughout your garden, like in rock crevices or between pathway stones. They’ll bring those forgotten places to life in new ways.

You can plant bulbs from September to mid-October. Remember to take advantage of summer-blooming bulbs and the much-loved spring bloomers.

The beauty of gardens is that you don’t need to plan them all at once. Planning and designing a flower bed is an ongoing process that you can shape throughout the seasons to evolve as you do.

For more advice on flower bed plans or to see the many flowers available, feel free to visit our garden center in Moultonborough or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates and featured products!

Jul 12, 2022

Apple Trees You Can Grow in Moultonborough

Garden Center · Planting

Apple trees are one of nature’s great investments. Plant one sapling, and a few years down the road, you receive hundreds of apples every autumn, not to mention the beautiful springtime blossoms. As one of the best cold-hardy fruits, we don’t have to settle for crab apples or less desirable varieties—some of the tastiest apple varieties available are right at home in our region.

Our Favorite Varieties for Moultonborough

McIntosh

McIntosh apples are an extremely popular variety in North America. They’re medium-sized with marbled green and red skin. They are an “all-purpose” apple; the crisp, white flesh and tart flavor make them ideal for eating, ciders, or cooking into desserts or sauces. Originating from Ontario, Canada, they’re a cold-hardy species that thrives in our region.

Granny Smith

Another famous apple, the Granny Smith, is known for its bright green skin and crisp, tart, and sharp taste. This flavor profile makes them ideal for baking into pies, sauces, preserves, and other desserts, and the crispness guarantees that they won’t go mushy once cooked. Their well-known tanginess is equally loved and enjoyed for straight eating. They grow to a mature width of 15-20 feet and start producing after two seasons in the soil.

Cortland

A descendant of the McIntosh, Cortlands have a snappy crunch and a sweeter flavor, balanced by a subtle tanginess. They are an ideal eating apple, produce great cider, and hold their shape when baked. They go mushy in storage quicker than their cousins, so they’re best enjoyed or processed soon after harvest. Cortland’s don’t need a companion tree for pollination but increase production if they have one.

Gala

Galas are another all-around apple for any purpose, from eating to baking or cider, and are known for their sweet, mild flavor, and crispy texture. They are another one of the few self-pollinating apple trees. They grow to a manageable size of 10′ in height and 15′ across, and need a hardiness zone 5 or above.

Why It’s Often Necessary to Plant Two Varieties of Apple Trees

Unless they’re self-pollinating, most apple trees need the pollen of another tree to produce fruit, and that tree needs to be a different apple cultivar. So if you’re planning to plant an apple tree that needs cross-pollination, make sure one of your neighbors has an apple tree nearby or plan to plant two on your property. Whether self-pollinating or not, having more than one tree improves pollination rates, making for bigger yields.

What to Do with Apples After You Harvest Them

Besides spring pruning, growing an apple tree is very low maintenance. Without much work, you reap a bountiful harvest. The main challenge is figuring out what to do with so many apples at once. Fortunately, there are many solutions.

Apples that store well can stay in cold storage throughout the fall and winter. You can also make apple sauce and store it in the deep freeze; press the apples into cider, juice, or vinegar; or you can boil them into apple butter. You can dry them in rings or press them into fruit leather. If all else fails, you can share the harvest with friends and neighbors.

The apples we mentioned above are certainly not the only ones available. Empire, Freedom, Red and Gold Delicious, Red Rome, and Spartan apples also grow in zone 4/5. When choosing a site for planting, ensure that your apple is in full sun, in well-draining soil, and away from wooded areas. Know the mature tree size before you plant to ensure you have space, and then you’re ready to plant.

For more advice on growing apples, feel free to visit our garden center in Moultonborough! We have plenty of delicious varieties available. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates and featured products.

Jun 13, 2022

All About Pollinator Gardens

Garden Center · Planting

New Hampshire is in full bloom, and your garden is about to enter a busy period of growth, pollination, and flowering! However, this entire process would be obsolete without the helpful role that earth’s pollinators play in pollinating your garden. In a time where pollinator populations are consistently declining, there is no better time than right now to take action and give them an ecosystem in which they can thrive! You will learn about pollinator gardens, how they can support your local ecosystem, and how you can create the perfect landscape to attract them better. We are buzzing to help!

Pollinator Gardens: What Are They?

To build a successful pollinator garden, you’ll first need to understand its benefits for both you and your pollinators! A pollinator garden comprises hardscapes, plants, and water features designed to attract bees and other helpful creatures like birds and butterflies into your home garden. These design elements work together to build a landscaping environment both natural and native to the New Hampshire area so that pollinators can set up shop in your garden and get busy.

To build an effective pollinator garden, you will need to supply easily accessible water sources, shelter spaces, and plants that they recognize. Hosting beneficial insects around will also greatly aid in the process of housewarming your garden for pollinators to keep those harmful ones out!

Native Plants For New Hampshire’s Pollinators

Having native plants in your garden adds beauty and wildlife habitats, especially for pollinators. Pollinators have evolved with native perennials and have adapted to the local growing season, climate, and soils. Most pollinators feed on specific plant species, so you’ll want to select the best ones for bees in the New Hampshire area. Non-native plants may not provide pollinators with enough nectar or pollen or may be inedible to butterfly or moth caterpillars. Here are some native plants to consider adding to your landscape:

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)
Aster novae-angliae (New England Asters)
Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (Button Bush)
Cirsium discolor (Field Thistle)
Eupatorium perfoliatum (Common Boneset)
Gentiana clausa (Bottle Gentian)

Decorating Your Pollinator Landscape

These elements will keep your backyard the most attractive spot on the block for pollinators to hang out:

Water Source: Something as small as a birdbath will ensure that pollinators won’t need to leave the yard to find water.
Homes for Birds and Bees: Constructing a bee hotel or birdhouse is an excellent way to entice long-term residents in your home garden, as they will have a place to hatch their young!
Shelter from Wind: Wind can frighten or even make pollinators aggressive, so shelter from the elements will nudge them to seek shelter when it’s windy outside. Finding shelter nearby means they won’t have to go far and find their way back later.
Large Areas of Native Plants: Designing your landscape with large areas of various native plants will provide your pollinators with plenty of space to get to work and pollinate your garden. Consider planting New Hampshire native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, and perennials so you can attract all types of pollinators.

How Professionals Can Help

Creating a pollinator landscape will benefit your garden’s ecosystem for years to come, which is why you’ll want to ensure that you do so in the most effective way. You may wish to set up your pollinator garden in the corner of your backyard or build your entire garden design around pollinators.

Regardless of which design option you choose, we’d be happy to help you make it happen! We’ll help you get the work done and the rest up to the pollinators. Our garden experts are well-versed in New Hampshire native plants and the proper design elements; the pollinators never want to leave!

Call or visit us at Stephens Landscaping Garden Center in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, today! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates and featured products.

May 25, 2022

The Best Herbs and Vegetables for Container Gardens

Garden Center · Planting

Looking for some creative ideas for your container gardens this year? Why not make them equal parts stylish and functional by growing edible plants? There are so many tasty vegetables and fragrant herbs you can use to elevate your home cooking. Nothing beats homegrown produce straight from the garden—or the kitchen windowsill!

Growing Food Becomes Easy and Accessible with Container Gardens

Veggies and herbs tend to require lots of sunshine and space to grow. If you’re dealing with any of the following, you can still grow an incredible edible garden by planting your crops in containers:

A heavily shaded garden
Minimal greenspace
No yard and only a small balcony

Container gardens are great because you can move them around wherever the sun is shining. Instead of sticking to the garden bed, you can grow them on your patio, the front steps, a South–facing windowsill—whatever your heart desires!

Here are the best varieties of vegetables and herbs to grow in container gardens for unbeatable flavor and powerful nutrients. The supermarket stuff just doesn’t compare to homegrown, freshly picked produce!

Easy Vegetables to Grow in Pots

Not all veggies work well in planters, but you’ll have excellent results if you choose the following varieties!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes fall into two categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate varieties produce their harvest all at once and have a bushier, compact form, so they’re easy to maintain in containers. Indeterminate varieties grow on vines and steadily produce fruit until frost, so if you grow them in containers, use a tomato cage or stakes to keep them upright.

These vigorous growers will need plenty of fertilizer and compost to nourish them through their growing season. Fertilize once per month with a formula specifically created for tomatoes—they need extra calcium and magnesium to prevent diseases like blossom end rot. During the hottest summer months, you’ll likely need to water every day—inconsistent watering can result in splitting fruits!

Mini Cucumbers

Perfect for pickling or a cool, refreshing summer snack, we can’t get enough of mini cucumbers! Vining varieties grow best in containers with trellises, so you can train them to grow upward and keep those cukes off the ground. Bush varieties don’t grow very tall, and they look quite pretty if they cascade down the sides of a container or hanging basket. Grow them in a sunny spot that gets 6–8 hours of sun per day. Avoid watering the plant overhead—instead, water the soil directly to reduce the risk of powdery mildew.

Peppers

Colorful peppers have just as much ornamental value as a container garden full of flowers! Large bell pepper plants will need a pot at least 12 inches deep and wide, but there are plenty of tiny hot peppers that can grow in smaller pots—they almost look like a bundle of colorful Christmas tree lights! When transplanting your seedlings into their pots, be sure to water the soil well to encourage those roots to spread. They need 6–8 hours of direct sun per day, but they’ll do best if they have some protection from strong winds. Placing them by a South- or West-facing wall will yield the best results.

Delicious Herbs for Container Gardens

Herbs are some of the simplest edible plants to grow in containers—many people grow them as houseplants indoors! Nearly every herb can be grown in a plant pot.

The key to growing delicious herbs is pinching off the flower heads as soon as they appear. Herb flowering is called “bolting;” if you let them expend all their energy creating flowers and seeds, they won’t produce as many of their tasty leaves, and they often won’t taste as nice.

Herbs can also be grown in mixed planter arrangements, but it’s important to put compatible plants together with similar growth speeds. A fast-growing plant will overtake a slow-growing plant.

Here are some plant combination ideas for container herb gardens:

Basil + Parsley
Rosemary + Thyme
Cilantro + Tarragon
Sage and Oregano
Lemon Thyme + Lemon Verbena
Sage + Lavender

Plant mint by itself, and avoid planting it with other mint varieties. Different varieties can cross-pollinate, and the results can be less palatable than you’d like!

Discover even more delicious herbs and vegetables for container gardens in Moultonborough and visit the Stephens Landscaping Garden Center! Our staff are always happy to help get you all set up with the necessary supplies to keep your edible container garden thriving. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates and featured products.

Sep 01, 2021

Our Favorite Native Landscape Additions

Planting

Native plants occur naturally and have meaningful effects and benefits to birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife. They are low maintenance, beautiful, require less water and fertilization, and help the climate by storing carbon dioxide, and providing vital habitat for wildlife. Utilizing native plants in your landscape means they are more likely to establish quickly and will be hardy. Some of our favorite natives that we incorporate into almost all of our landscape designs include:

Perennials

Joe Pye Weed: These fast-growing flowers are favorites of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. The tall, vanilla-scented wildflowers grow in leaf clusters several feet high, and in the summer, tiny mauve colored flowers appear on top of the leaf stems. They prefer an area that’s full sun to partial shade, and moist, well-drained soil. It’s best to plant these when there’s no chance of frost.
New England Aster: This is a favorite here in New England and can be seen practically everywhere. This easily-recognizable flower grows to about five feet tall, and while the most popular variety has a medium purple flower with a dark yellow center, asters come in different shades of purple and even pink! This aster is drought-tolerant, deer resistant, and does well in all types of soil. It’s a late summer to early fall bloomer, and while it’s blooming, you may see the lower leaves drying up. But, don’t worry…your plants are not dying; this is normal.
Blue Flag Iris: These lovely, classic irises are great additions to your garden, and do especially well around any water feature. They prefer soil that is acidic, rich, and moist, and to be located in an area that is full sun to part shade. These are early bloomers, and you can expect to see flowers from May to July. These are known to attract pollinators as well as hummingbirds.
Sweetfern: This zero-maintenance plant has a sweet scent when crushed, and the leaves resemble little ferns, as its name implies. This shrub will spread itself out over the years, making clones of itself throughout your garden. It does well in poor, acidic soil, and is known to be a “nitrogen-fixer”.
Hayscented Fern: This is a great fern if you have an area that needs some good coverage. These ferns prefer shade to part shade and grow from to eighteen to twenty-four inches in height. The fronds grow into a beautiful green color from the spring into the summer, and in the fall, turn a lovely yellow. When disturbed, the fern gives off an odor similar to fresh-cut hay.

Shrubs

Low Bush Blueberry: This low bush is a great idea for an area where you need ground cover, or a nice border edge. The shrubs don’t grow very tall; they only get to a height of about two feet. They are very picky about their soil conditions, preferring sandy, well-drained and rich soil, and they like to be in full sun or partial shade. In the spring, they’ll feature small white flowers, the summer will bring some sweet edible berries (not the big ones you see in the supermarket, but still delicious and enjoyable. For those big commercial sized berries, you’ll need to plant the high bush blueberry, which is described below), and in the fall, the leaves will turn a very vibrant red. This shrub will add color to your garden for many seasons.
High Bush Blueberry: If you’ve ever gone blueberry picking at a farm, you probably picked from a high bush blueberry. They are the most commercially-grown variety, and their berries are featured in most stores and farmers’ markets. These shrubs handle our cooler temperatures well, and they actually need some cold days in the winter to form berries in the spring; they’re perfect for New England. These bushes like moist soil but not standing water, so they should be planted on a slope for good drainage. They prefer full sun to partial shade (the more sun, the more blooms, more fruit, and more brightly colored fall leaves.) They do require regular watering.
Clethra: Also known as summersweet or sweet pepperbush, this flowering shrub grows from three to eight feet tall, and features fragrant white, bottle-shaped flowers. This plant blooms in stages throughout the summer, and while it prefers wet soil (it’s usually found around the shoreline), it is drought-resistant once it has become established. It’s a favorite of pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Winterberry Holly: This classic Christmas favorite is a perfect choice for adding winter color in your garden. While the shrub will drop its leaves in the fall, the red berries will continue to grow up until the spring. While the berries are a favorite feast for a variety of birds, they are toxic to people, dogs, and cats. The shrub can grow in both wet and dry soils, and in full sun, part shade, and full shade conditions. They grow from six to ten feet tall. You must plant a male and a female shrub of the same species in order to have the shrubs bloom at the same time and to have berries grow.
Kalmia Latifolia: Commonly known as mountain laurel, you can see this flowering shrub in gardens all over New England. Its delicate pink and white bowl-shaped blooms appear in late spring and early summer, and once the blooms have passed, the dark green leaves will stay on the shrub throughout the winter months, adding a welcome patch of color. This shrub is a favorite of pollinators and does best in moderate to partial shade. It prefers to stay moist, so it’s best to keep your shrub watered well.
Serviceberry: This plant can either be grown as a sizable shrub or small tree. In early spring, it blooms in pinkish white flowers, which then turn to delicious berries that look like blueberries but are a bit sweeter; they are ripe when the berry is a dark purple. In the fall, the leaves turn a beautiful shade of deep reddish orange. It prefers to be in full sun to light shade; the more sun, the better the flower and fruit production. It will tolerate many soil types. During the first year after you’ve planted, make sure to keep it well watered; after that, it will be pretty drought tolerant.

Trees

Birch: Birch trees are a popular choice in many yards. Most everyone in New England is familiar with these tall, stately white bark trees. But birches come in many different varieties as well as the more known white ones. There are short shrub-type birches with reddish leaves that do well in a rain garden, a dwarf birch is a shrub good for ground cover and tolerates cold weather well. River birch are a tall pinkish-brown tree that “sheds” its bark throughout the season and features dark green leaves that turn a beautiful yellow in the fall, as well as many more! We’d love to discuss what variety would work best for you and your landscape.
Sugar Maple: As New Englanders, we love our sugar maples. This tree is the primary source for maple syrup, a long-enjoyed tradition here in northern New England and a popular wood for furniture. This fast-growing tree needs room to grow, and prefers deep, well-drained loam or light clay. Once mature, this tree provides good shade in the summer, and spectacular foliage of bright red and orange in the fall.
Red Maple: This is a tall tree. With heights reaching about 100 feet and a spreading root system, this is a tree that needs a lot of space in which to grow. This tree is easy growing, and not fussy—it grows well in both wet and dry soils, is fairly drought-tolerant, and does well in shady or sunny locations.
Eastern Hemlock: This tall tree can grow up to 100 feet but can also be used as a hedge with proper, consistent pruning. It needs to have good drainage and be away from strong winds. The foliage of the eastern hemlock is fragrant and attracts both birds and butterflies, and will yield an abundance of pine cones. This tree is a slow grower, and needs direct sunlight and moist, well-drained soil. This tree will grow into a pyramid shape when not trimmed.

There are many options available to you to add year-round interest and color to your garden and landscape. We’d love to help you create a plan to maximize your space and achieve all of your landscape goals. Contact us to discuss your ideas or give us a call at 603.707.0630, and be sure to visit our Garden Center. We’ve got new plants coming in weekly, a wide selection of pottery, landscape aggregates, and annuals—all available for delivery! Come visit us Monday – Saturday: 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Closed Sunday. Or give us a call at 603.677.9100 if you have any questions or are looking for something special.