Wednesday, February 28th, 2007...6:42 pm
Welcome (2007)
This is our 5th year in business and we are just as excited now as when we first started! Our business is simple; to offer exceptional plants which fit our difficult climate and soils. In short, native and adapted plants. We don’t advertise in any conventional way—we believe that you are our best way to find new customers—by introducing your friends and family to us.
What’s new for 2007? A lot! We are really highlighting grasses and our Canadian roses this year and have new offerings in all categories. We did step back slightly in our perennial offerings in the catalogue, but rest assured we will have quite a selection at our garden lot!
We have started this blog, allowing you and others to ask questions, even answer questions or give your opinion about gardening — something that has been needed for some time, a forum for Wyoming gardeners!
Nothing is as unpredictable as the weather but year after year as the word drought continues to pop up in forecasts, we believe that sustainable low water usage landscapes should be the new normal. It is after all our passion and our job to help you!
18 Comments
March 13th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Hey, Healds! This blog will be great!
March 20th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Thanks! Its our hope that Wyoming Gardeners will start a forum for discussing plants, planting questions and just anything horticulture! To the best of our knowledge, there is no other blog out there for gardening in Wyoming!
April 9th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I just saw the photo on the cover of your catalog and wanted to applaud Helene (& late husband Jim) on their Diligence in carrying out my garden design! All too often it’s easy to just plant and not worry about focal points, form, flow and function. Crouches began with the arbor (structure), walks, paths, rock placement and the planting followed. Helene did all the planting and stuck with the design plan. I urge anyone in designing their own spaces to begin with a comprehensive plan and stick with it- even if it’s in phases.
Happy planning!
Sharon Merschat
April 10th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Good points Sharon! Knowing what you want at the end means planning at the first! I agree with you that Helene and Jim did a marvelous job with their sustainable landscape. It is very much theirs!
Ruth
April 16th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Hello! I was excited to find your site and have passed it on to MANY!
This year I have a completely empty landscape to work with, so I plan on keeping it simple and building upon it. My main question is what is a good ground mate with the Bridges Pestemon. I plan on planting 3 or 4 on each side of my doorway but need a filler also that will look good with it- I’m not sure what to order! Any adivce will greatly be appreciated!
April 17th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Hi Andrea! I think you have some good options. As a back drop you might want to consider adding ‘Coronation Gold’ yarrow. Another option would be adding a few Powis Castle Artemisia - they don’t bloom but the foliage would mix well with the Bridges. For a good contrast consider the walker’s low catmint and the Mersea Yellow Pineneedle Penstemon. And lastly, for a vibrant mix - consider the orange carpet humminbird trumpet vine with the Bridges - both colors sit next to each other on the color wheel - this will cause a synergy of the two colors where as the other perrenials mentioned will contrast. Hope this helps! We will have additional items at our sales lot in May for even more choices! Anyone else want to chime in?!
April 24th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Hi! Just wondering what would make a good pairing with Russian Sage? I need something fairly short, since it will go in an area where a sprinkler head comes up. I’d like something in a pink probably. (I have echinacea in the area too). What would you suggest?? Thanks a bunch, Cheryl
April 25th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Hi Cheryl! there are options! Consider the coral canyon - premium annual. A very colorful pink to salmon color and it will bloom all season and has similiar water requirements. A more bold pink would be the ‘wild thing’ salvia - think hot pink! Another contrasting color would be the Kannah creek buckwheat or the mersea yellow pineneedle penstemon. More in line with the color of russian sage would be the walker’s low catmint. And stepping down even further would be all of the ground cover thymes and veronica. The thymes bloom in pink whereas the crystal river veronica will have an intense blue color when in bloom. You may want to consider Boulder Blue fescue in the mix as well! Hope this helps! Anyone else want to chime in????
April 28th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Hi, Ruth and Cheryl!
I have read in several books that Poppy Mallow (callihroe involucrata) looks great with Russian Sage. I have never tried it, as I like yellows with the perovskia, but it may fit your needs here, Cheryl — it is low growing and in the pink range, and would be in bloom at the same time, and has similar water requirements.
I have the Mersea Yellow pineneedle penstemon, as Ruth suggests, and a Scabiosa ochraleuca, which is definitely not low growing, but looks really swell with the Russian Sage! I also love California poppies, and they are a great annual that you can grow from seed scattered around your bed, and they come in colors ranging from white to yellow to orange to reds and pinks; you can get a mix of seed color or find specific colors if you look hard enough. They may get a tad too high for your sprinkler, but you can also find ones that are lower growing, again if you look hard enough.
I rather like the idea of the Coral Canyon twinspur, bet that would be a pretty combination. How high does that get, Ruth? Hmmm, I might need some of that!
April 29th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
WHERE IS YOUR SALE LOT LOCATED AND WHAT HOURS WILL YOU BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS?
April 30th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Hey, Anita and Cindy! To Anita; the coral canyon gets about 12 - 18 inches tall, so it is quite a bit smaller than the russian sage. Coral canyon comes to us from S Africa so like its counter part Russian Sage - a native of Afganistan, both like lots of heat and minimal garden soils.
To Cindy: We will have our general catalogue pick up the weekend of may 18. We’ll start probably at noon on Friday and then Saturday and Sunday will be from 9 - 5. These hours are only for catalogue purchasers. The sales lot is located directly behind the Holiday Inn on the River in Casper at 350 Kati Lane - its the old Christian radio station right next to the river walk path.Then going forward we will have evening hours the entire next week and weekends will be again from 9 - 5. Our hope is to show off a number of new plants as well as what’s posted in our catalogue. General Public can shop after the first weekend.
April 30th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Hi all! Ruth and Anita–thanks for the tips. Any advice for controlling crab grass (other than constant digging?). It is overtaking various parts of my perennial beds. Also, as I’m looking at what’s coming up now, I am not seeing any trace of the several gaillardia I planted last summer and early fall. Do these tend to stay dormant longer than most, or should I be concerned that they didn’t make it?? Thanks!
May 1st, 2007 at 8:38 am
Cheryl, your gaillardia should have broken dormancy by now but lets be patient - its only May 1! You don’t have crabgrass. Wyoming for all its weeds doesn’t have crab grass issues! More than likey you have quack grass, an invasive perrenial grass that spreads by its root system. Two ways of control - both chemical, you could use a product such as “Grass b- Gone” which kills only grasses but doesn’t hurt other plants or another option is using a product like Round Up, carefully applied only to the grass itself. If you get Round up on a plant you didn’t intend to kill - simply wash the product off with water. Both options will work!
May 4th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Ruth, how does Grass-B-Gone know to only affect grasses? I am always afraid it will harm a fine-leaved plant like thyme or veronica groundcovers.
May 5th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Anita, good question! the chemical specifically targets grass bio-chemistry. If it isn’t a grass, it won’t hurt it. Veronica and Thyme are not in the grass family - so go for it! Remember to read the label!
May 6th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Thanks! I will read the label.
October 30th, 2007 at 6:03 am
Ruth..I have an area that has tumbleweeds growing and would like to do some spring planting…what do you suggest I use to get rid of them and what is the best time of year for application?
December 5th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Oh boy, have I been asleep at the wheel Cindy! Here it is December and I’m finally answering your question - I am sorry! Here goes! First tumbleweeds are an annual meaning they grow and produce seed and die in one years time. I would harvest this years plants (tumbleweeds) and discard. Since seed has been produced, there will be more tumble weeds growing next year. So strategies to consider; 1. tumbleweeds are one of the first weeds to germinate in the spring - early March most years, hoeing them early does an effective job in control. 2. If you are not planting via seed, another effective control strategy is to use a product like ‘Preen’. Apply this product in late Feb - its a granular product and is water activated so applying in or before a snow storm is good. Preen kills seeds as they germinate! 3. Apply mulch. Adding two inches of a pea gravel or 4- 6 inches of a wood mulch does an effective job at inhibiting these weeds to germinate - you can plant right through the mulch later. Hope this helps Cindy! Again sorry for not seeing your questiopn earlier!
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