Listen to the Local Experts!

May 13, 2016

Spring is here, which means it’s time to focus on your personal great outdoors! Whether you’re looking for top tips on trees, popular picks on posies or favorite finds in the flower department, these local experts have all the dirt on how to keep your garden and grounds looking great.

CRYSTAL GARDENS

Patty Putney, office manager

MOST POPULAR FLOWER: “Geraniums are always popular!” Putney said. “They are so bright and colorful, and have big blooms, as well as height, where a lot of other annuals don’t.”

BEST NATIVE PLANT PICK: Although it’s native to East Asia, one of the plants Crystal Gardens likes to point out to customers is the gingko tree, which has also been recommended by the MSU Extension as an alternative to the troubled ash tree. “That one will surprise you!” she said.

EASIEST TO GROW: Putney’s answer for this one is simple: “marigolds are easy if you’re planting in the sun, begonias are easy if you’re planting in the shade.”

LAZY PERSON’S TIP FOR A GREEN LAWN: “If you don’t have a sprinkler system installed, the next best thing is a sprinkler with a timer,” Putney said. “There are smart timers now that you can use with Wi-Fi right from your phone or tablet.”

BEST FRUIT OR VEGETABLE TO GROW: Putney’s first pick is tomatoes, while her second is a peach tree. “I like the Red Haven peaches; they’re popular and easy to grow,” she said.

HOW TO PROLONG THE SEASON: “Our Endless Summer hydrangeas re-bloom all summer, right up until frost,” she said.

GET MORE INFO AT: Crystal Gardens, 1299 Pilgrim Highway, Frankfort. crystalgardensm22.com or (231) 352-9321.

GARDEN GOODS

Robin Smillie, general manager

MOST POPULAR FLOWER: “This time of year, it’s all about the hanging baskets” Smillie said, “but other than that, we sell a ton of pansies and primroses. Both are very coldtolerant; they’re perfect early-season flowers.”

BEST NATIVE PLANT PICK: Smillie’s favorite is the serviceberry tree. “This is a small tree with beautiful white flowers and dark red berries that will attract wildlife to your yard,” she said.

EASIEST TO GROW: “Geraniums — they like sun and crowded pots actually make them bloom even more. And begonias, which are super easy,” she said.

LAZY PERSON’S TIP FOR A GREEN LAWN: While Smillie agrees water is important, she has a fertilizer tip perfect for lazy folk. “Use a fertilizer that has water-insoluble nitrogen,” she suggested. “Its encapsulated slow release will feed your lawn for up to 12 weeks!”

BEST FRUIT OR VEGETABLE TO GROW: Smillie’s favorites are heirloom tomatoes. “You can’t beat the flavor,” she said. “They take a little longer to mature, but that’s the only way to get that really good, old-fashioned tomato flavor. I like Black Krim and Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes.”

HOW TO PROLONG THE SEASON: “Anemones are great,” Smillie said. “The Honorine Jobert anemone blooms well into the fall.”

GET MORE INFO AT: Garden Goods, 3510 N. US-31, Traverse City, gardengoodstc.com or (231) 933-4769.

GRAHEK’S

Sara Erickson, associate

MOST POPULAR FLOWER: Erickson recommends the Twist and Shout hydrangea for a nifty trick involving the flower’s color. “These durable and hardy hydrangeas range from pink to purple to blue,” she said, “but their neatest feature is that you can control the color of the flowers based on the fertilizer you use!”

BEST NATIVE PLANT PICK: “Myrtle! It’s a great, maintenance-free, quick growing ground cover with cute purple flowers.”

EASIEST TO GROW: Marigolds are Erickson’s pick for an annual that’s easy for beginners. “One of our favorites here is Autumn Joy, which is a nice bluish-green,” she said.

LAZY PERSON’S TIP FOR A GREEN LAWN: “Lazy people don’t get to have green lawns!” Erickson laughed. “Your best bet is a four-step fertilizer program: a crabgrass preventer, a weed and feed, a turf fertilizer and then a fall fertilizer to prepare the lawn for winter.”

BEST FRUIT OR VEGETABLE TO GROW: “I love Zestar apple trees and all heirloom tomatoes,” Erickson said.

HOW TO PROLONG THE SEASON: Erickson suggests keeping the focus on annual grasses, which she said are perfect picks to extend the color on your property. “Purpurascens miscanthus (also known as flame grass) get a deep purple color well into the fall,” she said, “and a lot of shrubs like privets keep good color, too. Look for plants that tell you they have good fall color right on the tag.”

GET MORE INFO AT: Grahek’s, 515 E. 13th Street, Cadillac, graheks.com or (231) 775-9362.

WILLSON’S

Adam Willson, general manager

MOST POPULAR FLOWER: “Pansies have been very, very popular,” Willson said. “They’re more cold-hardy and offer full, beautiful color.”

BEST NATIVE PLANT PICK: Willson said he could think of several different shrubs that fit this category, but that his favorite is the lilac. “The traditional purple lilac that you often see around old farmhouses,” he said.

EASIEST TO GROW: Willson’s raves go to the Supertunia, a newer breed of petunias available in a wide array of colors. “They are available in the whole rainbow; you name it, we have it,” Willson said, “and they flower like crazy without much effort. You just water and fertilize them and they grow, grow, grow.”

LAZY PERSON’S TIP FOR A GREEN LAWN: “A sprinkler system is always nice,” Willson chuckled, “but the weed and feed products are the best. They take a little time to apply, but then they do a great job.”

BEST FRUIT OR VEGETABLE TO GROW: This year, for the first time, Willson’s is carrying tomatillos you can grow on your own. “We’re excited to have these, as they’re brand new for us,” Willson said. “They’re really fun to grow and then use in salsas with cilantro.”

HOW TO PROLONG THE SEASON: Willson said the Supertunias are a good pick, as they continue to bloom late, sometimes through the first frost, but garden mums are another perfect choice. “They flower in September and October in the fall colors of reds, whites, oranges and golds,” he said.

GET MORE INFO AT: Willson’s Garden Center, 1003 Charlevoix Avenue, Petoskey, willsonsgardencenter.com or (231) 347-3366.