Amazing Montauks
Do you grow Montauk daisies? I do! They are in many spots in my yard and I will be planting more this fall. Nipponanthemum nipponicum is a very sturdy, very vigorous perennial daisy. Leave a
three foot diameter circle for EACH plant- I'm not kidding! They are a robust, impressive plant for the late season garden.
The trick to amazing Montauks is to pinch them TWICE. In the spring, I cut them back to 12" tall and remove some of the older wood to the base. In June, I trim them again, usually in half. The result is a 2-3' tall and wide mound of glossy green foliage that will erupt into a white daisy shrub NOW, when you need it the most. Properly pruned, they will also provide you with excellent foliage structure in your gardens and will be very carefree.
Why are they called Montauk daisies? They grow all over the place in Montauk, Long Island. There, nobody pinches them and they are lanky, crazy-wild plants. In our gardens, we tame them and appreciate them for the October blooming delight that they are.
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What a beautiful October week we have in store! Nearly 4 inches of much needed rain has soaked the ground and it's time to GET SERIOUS about planting and rearranging your gardens at last. The cool nights create misty mornings and the dew on the ground helps newly sown grass seed to germinate. We have a super selection of fall blooming perennials awaiting you at Natureworks. Lots and LOTS of them in fact!
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This is the garden next to my deck. My Helianthus 'First Light' is in full bloom this week. I sit and listen to the buzzing of the bees as I relax. It is interplanted with Molina 'Skyracer' and evening scented Nicotianas. That's a moonflower vine growing up the post. Heaven.
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This Saturday morning is our last Early Bird Sale of the year. Shop between 7 and 9 am and you will get a $5 gift card good for any purchase of $20 or more. Plus, we will have hot, organic coffee waiting for you. At 9:30, the theme of our Fall Gardening School workshop is Garden Renovation. The instant the rain stopped on Sunday morning, I was outside for the entire day dividing and rearranging my perennials ("plants on wheels" is what we call it.... ) I attacked four massive clumps of Japanese irises, my Phlox paniculata 'Tracy's Treasure', and more. I have been working on an action plan since the summer, correcting all sorts of design problems such as crowding, gaps in color, and funky combinations that just don't work. Join me to gain an in-depth understanding of how you too can improve your garden this month. Don't wait until spring, by then all of your problems will have disappeared...temporarily. Correct them now!
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One of four large patches of Japanese irises that I divided on Sunday. I edged the walkway with some clumps of self-sown culinary chives and added a self-sown pink New England aster to the background.
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This Sunday is our second Halloween-themed Fairy Festival. Check out the happy faces of the children in this picture from last year. Activities include Fairy (or goblin) house building in the Natureworks gardens. Participants will make and take home a Pumpkin Paradise mini-garden made out of a hollowed-out sugar pumpkin and seasonal annuals.
This year we are encouraging the kids to come in costume. Registration information is below. This is our last fairy festival of 2015. Don't miss out!
Our organic seed garlic is here and it is amazing this year! All weekend long, garlic was flying out the door. Last year we sold out fast, be sure to stop by this week and get yours.
Why did I title this email BEE HAPPY? We have so many wonderful nectar flowers right now that honeybees, bumblebees, and pollinators of all sorts are in heaven at Natureworks. We released
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Look at all those happy bees on this very late blooming perennial mum...
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11 monarch butterflies on Sunday and they headed straight for our asters. It is REALLY important to provide lots of nectar for our late pollinators in October. What's blooming in YOUR garden this week? I have tons of late blooming mums, Montauk daisies, asters galore, native white Sanguisorba canadensis (a bee magnet), sedums, goldenrod, and zinnias to name a few highlights. What's STILL to come? Beautiful blue Rabdosia longituba is beginning to open, and Aster 'Raydon's Favorite' is in tight bud. Some of the very latest perennial mums aren't even cracking color yet. Allium thunbergii 'Ozowa', a diminutive ornamental onion, is starting to turn purple. On my days off, when the sun is low in the sky, I sit with a glass of red wine and relax to the sound of the life in my garden. I am taking advantage of every ray of sunshine right now.
Make sure to stop by this week. Grab some spring blooming bulbs (they are selling really fast this year), stock up on colorful kale, winter pansies, dramatic grasses, and pumpkins for your patio pots. Fill a wagon with late blooming perennials and make the bees in YOUR yard happy too!
I'll see you very soon...
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The Garden Bouquet of the Week
I am on a mission! I want to inspire all of my readers to go out to the garden every week and pick flowers. I have been doing it for decades and it brings so much beauty to the inside of my house, especially now that the days are getting shorter. We need this in our lives!
This week's
Garden Bouquet of the Week is brought to you by white Montauk daisies (Nipponanthemum nipponicum), perennial sunflowers (Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light'), Aster laevis 'Bluebird', and the delicate foliage of Amsonia hubrechtii.
The picture above is a scene from the border surrounding my raised veggie beds and it is what inspired this week's flower arrangement. The hydrangea in the background (Hydrangea serrata 'Preziosa') had a great year and will provide me with lots of dried flowers for my autumn wreath. My Montauk daisies are very prolific. There's nothing more cheerful than a vase filled with giant white daisies at this time of year!
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Bi-Weekly Plant Sales
Thursday, October 8th
through
Wednesday, October 21st
All Perennial Mums
20% off
Mammoth mums in all colors, 'Mei Kyo', 'White Bomb', 'Cambodian Queen', 'Sheffield', 'Venus', and more.
All Miniature and Fairy Garden Accesories
20% off
SHREDDED STRAW- 20% OFF
Perfect for seeding lawns and topdressing veggie gardens.
BAGGED MULCH- 20% OFF
HALF PRICE SALES
- All goji berries, blueberries, and fruit plants in stock.
- All remaining organic veggie seedlings- we have spinach, pak choy, mustard, and other cold season crops. Fill those empty spaces and keep the greens coming for another month!
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Saturday, October 10th
> Last Early Bird Sale of the Season 7 - 9 am
Coffee and a free $5 gift card, towards any purchase of $20 or more, for those who shop before 9 am.
> Fall Gardening School 9:30 - 10:30 am
Garden Renovation 101- NOW is the time to renovate your gardens. Nancy will explain the 10 most common problems encountered in existing gardens and how to go about correcting them this fall. This is a great basic design class for beginners or experienced gardeners who want to review their current gardens and make them better. Remember, next spring you will have forgotten all about the issues that have been bothering you this year!
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Kassie Moss will lead our Halloween themed Fairy Festival this Sunday
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Sunday, October 11th
Halloween Fairy Festival 10:30 am - 12:00 noon
Creatures of all kinds are invited to participate in our second annual Halloween themed Fairy Festival. We're expanding to include gnomes, goblins, and gremlins of all sorts to celebrate this enchanting time of year. Activities include Fairy (or goblin) house building in the Natureworks gardens. Participants will make and take home a Pumpkin Paradise mini-garden made out of a hollowed-out sugar pumpkin and seasonal annuals.
Because we can't wait for Halloween to get here, wearing costumes is highly encouraged!
Please call to register, $25, 203-484-2748
Saturday, October 17th
> Fall Gardening School:A Celebration of Late Bloomers! 9:30-10:30 am
October can be an absolutely magnificent month in the garden. Learn all about many varieties of perennials, grasses, flowering and berry-producing shrubs that will make your October garden a joy to behold. Then act upon what you have learned and add new color and foliage interest to your landscape now. You will be SO glad you did when fall comes around in 2016. Nancy will provide all students with a comprehensive list of October blooming plants.
> Potting up Spring Bulbs for Winter Forcing 1 - 2 pm
Join Nancy for this hands-on workshop and we will pot up three 6" clay pots with your choice of spring blooming bulbs. She will explain how to pot them,how to give them the proper chill period, and how to bring them into the house and get them to bloom when you need the color the most.
Please call to pre-register, $25 fee.
more information!
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