Q) Can I have a Wildflower Garden that will have color all season?
A) Yes you can. Most of the wildflowers only bloom for 3-6 weeks at a time. However, with the proper planning, your blooms can start with blooms in early spring and have different flowers bloom until frost. The plant information will tell you when they bloom.
Q) Can you ship Trees and Shrubs?
A) Yes we can. Some of our trees and shrubs are grown in pots and some are field grown. These are either shipped in boxes or wrapped in cardboard, depending on the size, and shipped UPS. There is an additional charge on these due to the extra handling and box cost.
Q) I want a wildflower meadow, can I just throw out the seeds and have a meadow of wildflowers?
A) No! The seed must make contact with the soil, so you must get rid of existing vegetation, sprinkle the seed and rake it in, mulch it, and water it in and keep moist until the seeds sprout. It will take 2-3 years for the wildflowers to come to blooming size and make a real show.
Q) Why do I need to call the Wildflowers by the botanical names when ordering?
A) Each plant can have several common names and some common names belong to several different wildflowers. Ex: Bear-grass can relate to Yucca, Xerophyllum, Tradescantia, so it is important to use the botanical names to get the plant you want.
Q) Should I plant wildflowers in the spring or the fall?
A) You can plant them either in Spring or fall. In fact, our potted plants can be shipped and planted throughout the growing season. The bareroot plants are best planted when dormant which is generally between September and May.
Q) Do I need to fertilize my wildflowers?
A) In most cases, you do not. The first concern is your soil. Get your soil right and your wildflowers will do fine. Some need rich organic soil, some will grow in sorry soil. If you feel the need to fertilize your plants and not burn them, use an organic or slow-release fertilizer
Q) When you refer to Zones, what are talking about?
A) All plants have heat tolerance and cold tolerance. We have a zone map on which you can find your area. This will tell you what zone you are in.
Q) Why don't you sell a Shade mix for the deep shade?
A)We have a shade mix, but it must get 3-4 hours of direct sun to survive. Plants that thrive in deep shade such as panax, arisaema, sanguinaria, trilliums, etc. have special requirements for the seeds to germinate and some can take up to 7 years to bloom from seed. Mother nature does a good job but she has patience, and most of us do not. Some of these wildflowers have hundreds of seeds and maybe only 3-5 will grow. So as you see, you would be greatly disappointed in a shade mix of this sort and your success would be slim to none.
Q) I want to plant some flowers and thought it would be cheaper to buy wildflower plants instead of hybrid perennials
A) Did you know that some, not all, wildlfowers are much more difficult to grow from seed than hybrid perennials. Some wildflowers can take 7 years or more to bloom from seed. You may see a lot of wildflowers in the woods, but think about how long they have been there. You may see a big patch of Trilliums in the woods and think they must really spread. They take about 4-6 years to bloom from seed.
Q) What is the difference between Rhododendrons and Azaleas?
A) Azaleas are in the Rhododendron family. The native Azaleas lose their leaves in the winter and the ones that you think of as Rhododendrons are evergreen.
Q) When do I trim my Rhododendrons and Azaleas?
A) Always trim them right after they bloom. Their bloom buds are on old wood so if you trim them in the fall, winter, or early spring you will cut off the bloom buds. The best way to keep them in shape is to deadhead them, which is pinching off the old blooms before they start to produce seeds. This does two things, puts strength to new flower bud development and puts on lateral growth to the shrub. It takes a lot of strength for a plant to produce seeds. So if you collect seeds pinch off the seed pods. I have seen many plants die during a year they produce a lot of flower because they put all their effort to produce seeds and if stressed by drought or other problems the roots are not strong enough to keep the plant alive.
Q) When will my plants bloom that I buy from you?
A) We ship mature blooming size plants that should bloom for you the same year you plant them. Of course, if you plant in the fall they will not come up and bloom until the next growing season. We can not guarantee they will bloom because some may go through transplant shock and take a year to get re-established. Now if you order a potted Trillium in June, it has already bloomed in May and will not bloom until next spring
Do you have more questions?
Contact me at rob@gardensoftheblueridge.com and I will help you all I can, be patient with my response it can get very busy around here at times.