ROOTED IN RALEIGH SINCE 1967
FALL HOURS:
Mon-Sat 9am-6pm. Closed Sundays.
GREETINGS FROM HOMEWOOD NURSERY!
School just started and it's still hot and who the heck is thinking about planting trees and shrubs right now? You! Because you're a savvy person and you know that now through October is one of the best times to plant most hardy trees and shrubs. Especially dogwoods, azaleas, and camellias - most of them, really, except those that are borderline cold hardy such as gardenias. Flower bulbs are another rewarding and economical thing to plant in fall. One planting can bring years and years of flowers with very little maintenance. And, now is a great time to plant cool-season leafy vegetables like chard, kale, lettuces, and collards. Click here for our handy guide on Growing Cool Season Veggies.
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We are halfway through our Fall Plant Sale and a WHOLE BUNCH of trucks came this week with fresh stock! We have a great selection of trees and shrubs right now, and Fall is the best time to plant hardy outdoor plants in our region. Plants put on the greatest amount of root growth in fall and get more easily established since the air temperatures are cooler while the ground is still warm. Dogwoods and many other plants fare better with fall planting. Exceptions to this rule are for marginally cold hardy plants such as perennial lantana, crepemyrtles, and gardenias. These plants are best planted in spring. Need help figuring out what to plant where? Come see our friendly Nursery Pros who can help you sort it all out!

SAVE THE DATE!
Don't miss our annual fall festival, Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 15th! We will have a free pie pumpkin for kids and a pumpkin decorating station, free popcorn and drinks, temporary tattoos, hayrides from 10am-4pm, and specials throughout the store. It's our way of saying THANK YOU to our awesome customers who support our business all year and shop local at Homewood!
WHAT'S NEW IN THE NURSERY
Here Comes Mum & Pansy Season!
Which means here comes fall! Our beautiful Homewood-grown garden mums are making their way from our growing field out to the sales area, just covered with flowerbuds! We will have lovely fall colors that will dress up your porch, patio, or entranceway. Mix them with pansies, snapdragons, stock, dianthus, ornamental cabbage/kale/mustard, or Fall Magic plants for more color and interest. Selection has started now and will expand over the next few weeks.

PANSIES and violas season will be here SOON and we anticipate having them in stock by mid-month. Hopefully, sooner but it's been so hot that pansies are not ready yet. These colorful plants are your best bet for continuous flower color through fall and winter. Planting them early in fall gets them well rooted in before winter comes. Regular fertilizer keeps the blooms on pansies coming. At doorways and entrances, they are a classic sign of fall! Need some planting and growing tips for pansies? Click here for our Pansy Care Sheet! 
Want Even More Options Than Pansies and Mums?
Come see the Fall Magic collection, a seasonal mix of fall perennials, annuals, miniature shrubs, and herbs that will refresh tired landscapes and container gardens! By mid-September will be autumn-toned heucheras, euphorbias (including extremely popular 'Ascot Rainbow') three colors of the herb sage, sedums, creeping Jenny, blue plumbago, ivy, evergreen sedge grasses, ornamental peppers, little evergreen shrublets, and more! Dianthus and snapdragons should be by the end of the week. You're bound to find pretty plants to fill in bare spots, plant up containers for fall, replenish the plants at the mailbox, or spruce up in general!
Fall Perennials in Stock
Fresh plants in stock now! TONS of milkweed (feed those baby monarch butterfly catterpillars!), ferns, a nice batch of heuchera and ornamental grasses, clematis vines, and more! Perennials add seasonality to a garden with their varying backdrop of bloom times. It's a great time to get these plants in the ground, and, if you need more info, check out our guides below:
Great Selection of Shrubs in Stock Now!
A whole lotta shrubs just came in, as our sore backs will attest to! We've got azaleas, gardenias, lots of hydrangeas, abelia, loropetalum, Floralberry St. Johnswort, butterfly bushes, mahonia, flowering anise, privets, Chindo viburnums, laurels, Japanese cedars, juniper, and much more! (pictured: 'Narihira' mahonia, one of our favorite mahonias, plus loropetalum, and Floralberry Rose St. Johnswort.)

Need some help figuring out shrubs to plant in front of the house? Start with our
Here are a few more shrubbery guides that may come in handy, too:
Fall Flower Power
If you haven't grown a camellia before, then you haven't been gardening long or we have completely failed to do our jobs in making you realize that you absolutely NEED one, or preferably 6 or 7. They are among the most beautiful flower shrubs you can grow, and fall shipments of them have started to arrive. They are easy to grow, too, and are a classic Southern plant and for good reason. Their blooms are stunning! Add that they are evergreen and bloom in fall or late winter, and you have two more reasons to plant them. Interested in learning more about growing camellias? Click here for our Camellia Care & Culture sheet!
Flowering Trees! It's a Great Time to Plant Them
And, there is a NICE selection that includes cherries, magnolias such as the stunning 'Black Tulip' above and classic Southern magnolia, too. Plus, snowbells, redbuds, dogwoods, and crepe myrtles.
We've got a nice little selection of street and shade trees now including birches, bald cypress, maples, ginkgos, black gum, oaks, zelkova, willows, hawthorn, and more. If you're looking for planting tips and techniques, check out our guide below:

Specimen Plants, Rare Conifers, Specialty Japanese Maples, and Rare Miniature Plants!
Our beautiful shipment of remarkable conifers, Japanese maples, and miniature plants from world-renowned Iseli Nursery will be arriving sometime mid-month! There are some fantastic specimen plants here that can really elevate a landscape out of the ordinary not to mention all the exquisite little miniature plants perfect for fairy/mini gardens and other container gardens.
What's Growin' On In The Greenhouse & Garden Center
Spring Flower Bulbs Have Arrived!
September is a good month to buy spring-blooming bulbs for best selection but October or November are the best months to plant them. Our selection has arrived in store, ready for you to shop by the end of the week.
One of the best ways to enjoy spring flowerbulbs is to plant them in containers with pansies. The pansies give you color from fall through spring and when the flowerbulbs push their gorgeous blooms up in spring, it's a fabulous show with the pansies. Interested in making your own? Click here for our Bulb & Pansy Planter Instructions!
Plenty of Houseplants In Stock!
Houseplants make great housemates! Why?
1. They help clean the air! (think about all the chemicals that are off-gassed in furniture, carpet, flooring, & paint, etc.)
2. They create oxygen! And, we breathe it! Amazing.
3. They create a relaxing, cleaner environment that allows us to relax, focus, and be healthier.
4.They never leave their dirty dishes in the sink. Can't argue with that, can you?

Think you have a black thumb? Get our list of Easy Care Houseplants here! Includes care & culture tips.

Gift Shop News
Christmas items are rolling in now and we are starting to set up the Christmas Shop! Even so,
you'll find a selection of fall home decor, Greenwich Bay Soaps, greeting cards, Cobblestone blouses and apparel, vintage-style puzzles, Spartina jewelry, Cloister honey, Chapel Hill Toffee, and other items of cuteness and delight. As for FALL CANDLES, we got ya covered! Check out our curated selection below. It might be hot out but let's turn down the AC, light a candle, and pretend! :-D
As warming and cozy as a hot cup of coffee, tea, or chocolate, these mug candles from Swan Creek Candle Co smell SCRUMPTIOUS! Can't stop, won't stop sniffing! Warm cinnamon buns, burnt caramel latte, and more, with 100% American soybean wax and long burn times.
For those times when a campfire is wanted but not practical light an Illume soy wax WoodFire candle which sends out whiffs of its cedarwood and smoke accords that blend with heady patchouli leaves and warm vanilla to inspire the coziness of a warm winter's fire.
Definitely a cozy fall evening kind of scent, Cassia Clove candles from Illume produce the scent of aromatic cassia leaf and spices mingling with rich vanilla and warm woods. These luxury candles are made with soy wax for long, clean burns.
Not just candles but room spray and wax melts, too, Simmered Cider from Thymes cozies you up to the scents of a blend of freshly pressed apples, cardamom and hints of bourbon and malted rum. YUM!
Pumpkin Spice Honey
It's PUMPKIN SPICE TIME and that's a GOOD thing, who's with us?! Especially if it is Pumpkin Spice Honey from Cloister Honey. Can we wait for the toast to be done before we start eating it? Debatable!
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Our beautiful Homewood-Grown poinsettias are great for holiday fundraisers for your organization, and our customers say they are always a hit and an excellent way to raise money. They are also popular for decorating churches and businesses. Many businesses give them as business gifts during the holidays, as well.

Plus, when you order early, you get a discount! Find out more about these programs and how to make your orders by clicking the button below.

There are links to how to conduct fundraisers, order forms, and a flyer you can use and personalize for your fundraiser. A limited number of fundraisers are available.

DEADLINE TO RESERVE A FUNDRAISER IS SEPTEMBER 30TH. TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EARLY ORDER DISCOUNT PROGRAM, ORDERS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 28TH.

ORDER EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION!
Monthly Garden Tips
Hurry, hurry, it's almost too late to plant your fall vegetable garden!
It's about too late to plant head-forming vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage and have them attain full size. These are best planted in mid-August when they will have enough time to fully mature. Leafy greens and lettuces should be planted immediately (best by late August). You can plant a few rounds of lettuce, spinach, and leafy greens like Swiss chard between now and October since they need less time to mature. Click here to check out our handy guide to growing Cool Season Vegetables!

  • If we get a September dry spell, double-down on watering of any new plants or those you installed in the last year or two, especially those that are not drought tolerant. Camellias, for example, are very susceptible to dry spells until they've been in the ground several years. If the plant is "new" (i.e. went in the ground in the last several months), just focus your efforts on the rootball area being sure to soak it, and bear in mind that the stuff the growers grew the plant in may dry out more quickly than your soil around it.
  • Check your gardenias for a late season crop of whiteflies. They can be hard to control with chemicals. Best bets include spraying with horticultural or neem oils. Insecticidal soap can help, too. Be sure to coat the undersides of leaves and don't spray when temps are above 85 degrees.
  • Do your hydrangeas look a little worse for wear? That's somewhat normal this time of year. If they look really bad, they may have some kind of cultural stress going on but if you're just seeing some smattering of spots, it's most likely some late season fungus doing its thing. It's not usually worth treating since the plants will be going dormant fairly soon.
  • Fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs! Dogwoods, for example, are better planted in fall. Need some help with plant suggestions? Give us a call or drop by the nursery and let our plant pros suggest plants that will thrive in your landscape. Remember, newly planted trees and shrubs, require supplemental water for the first two year in the landscape. Click here for our Planting Guide for Trees & Shrubs! 
  • Fertilize cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass and fescue to get them ready for the growing season ahead. Choose a good slow-release fertilizer such as Fertilome New Lawn Starter.
  • Now is a good time to dig up and divide overgrown perennials such as daylily, peonies, coreopsis, iris, phlox, hosta, lamb's ear, and Shasta daisy.
  • Fall webworms are active now and can be identified by the webs encasing the ends of a tree branch. Cut them away and dispose of them in closed containers or burning them. Sprays such as Thuricide or Spinosad can treat the infestation but the chemical must get inside the webbing.
For more on what to plant, prune, fertilize, and maintain in your garden, CLICK HERE FOR OUR FREE MONTHLY GARDEN PLANNER. Or, grab one at the registers when you come by the nursery!
Fall Lawn Care and Renovation
Time for Seeding Grass
September is a good time to renovate a clapped-out looking fescue or bluegrass lawn, or overseed a warm-season lawn with annual rye. Prep the area by aerating it and, if necessary, de-thatching it. If your soil is poor, top dress with an inch or two of compost. Overseed with a grass blend suitable to your site such as Top Choice. Fertilize, mulch lightly over everything with wheat straw to protect seeds, and water daily for 2-3 weeks to ensure germination. For warm-season lawns, if you like the look of green turf in the winter, you can overseed with annual ryegrass. It will provide that emerald expanse while the warm-season grasses are dormant and then die next spring as they wake up. Need more info? Click here for a free Lawn Care Schedule!

Lime for Lawns

Turf Turbo is a fast-acting lime that improves soil structure, water infiltration, pest & disease resistance, and lawn growth & vigor. It can be essential in our acidic soils.
Lawn Fertilizer and Weed Preventer

From Espoma Organic, this will feed the lawn and help prevent weeds at the same time using corn gluten, an important source of nitrogen that also happens to keep weed seeds from germinating. It will also keep lawn seed from germinating so only use it on established lawns or areas where the lawn seed has sprouted and it already growing. Apply 2-3 times a year, in late winter, spring, and fall for best weed control.

FALL PLANTING:
Soil Prep Done Right

If your soil at home is red clay when you dig it, remember that what it needs most is something to break it up and aerate it helping to improve drainage. This is accomplished with chunky stuff like pine bark soil conditioner which we have in stock as Daddy Pete's Soil Enhancer 
(NOT mulch, it's too chunky, and NOT potting soil, it holds too much water). The super primo stuff, though, is
Daddy Pete's Planting Mix Plus Permatill. It's got the pine bark, as well as cow manure for added nutrients, and Permatill which are expanded slate pebbles that don't break down in the dirt .

INSIDER TIP: Don't use "garden soils" that come pre-formulated with synthetic fertilizer (Miracle what?) for planting trees and shrubs. We see lots of DEAD AND DYING plants because of this. This "soil" is best used for flowering annuals which are high energy-consuming plants.

We Can Recycle Your Nursery Pots!
Recycle your plant pots and keep them out of the trash. 
Here's how:
- Bins are located in the corner of our asphalt parking lot 
- NO PLASTIC BAGS, PLEASE!
If you bring pots in bags, please remove them from them before putting the pots in the bins. 
- Please REMOVE AS MUCH DIRT as is reasonable. They don't have to be completely dirt-fee but dump out the excess.
- Remove labels
Be in the Know!
Always know when we have a sale or event by getting text alerts straight to your phone! Just text "Homewood" to 77948. Only 1-2 messages per month. Opt out anytime.