Decorating and Caring for Winter Greens

Decorating and Caring for Winter Greens Decorating with holiday greens is one of the easiest ways to make winter seem a little brighter. There are dozens of varieties to work with, including Pine, Fir, Cedar, Juniper, Holly, Red Twig Dogwood, Winterberry, Rose Hips, Birch and more. The effort involved can be as minimal as taking out those mums that are past bloom and replacing them with a mix of cut greens, or as elaborate a building a holiday tableau with lights, houses, figurines, other props, and greens. Your imagination is the only limit. If you are new to this here’s how you can get started.

There is a lot to choose from but there are a few favorites we recommend. White Pine with its silvery blue-green foliage and wonderfully fragrant Balsam Fir are great for making up the bulk of most displays. Both are very durable and among the least expensive of the greens. To this canvas we enjoy adding colorful contrasting elements as highlights. These include Red Twig Dogwood, Curly Willow, Holly, Juniper, and Winterberry. There are several higher-end greens available for the connoisseur including Noble Fir, Silver Fir, Golden Cedar, and Douglas Fir. These boughs come from the west coast and are not as cold tolerant as east coast greens, but can be brought inside if temperatures drop much below freezing and are lovely when used indoors.

How long your greens last largely depends on their preparation and the conditions in which they are placed. Always keep greens in a cool shaded area outside until you are ready to use them. Before using your greens, trim the ends and stand them in water overnight like fresh-cut flowers. The greens will take up water they need to stay looking fresh and bright. Most greens will look good through Christmas when place outside if they are out of the sun and wind. Keep indoor greens far from heat sources, or, if possible just keep them outside in the shade until needed for display. It also helps to mist greens occasionally, as long as the water won’t hurt anything near the display.

If your greens are destined for a spot that will dry them out, use an anti-desiccant like Wilt-Stop, which will seal moisture into the greens. Anti-desiccant sprays will slightly change the color of most greens so test a sprig to make sure you will like the look. Anti-desiccants should not be used on Juniper, Blue Spruce, or Blue Atlas Cedar because it will ruin powdery blue glaucous leaves and fruit. It will also change Cedars like Incense Cedar, and may change the appearance of Holly. If you don’t want to spray your greens, we recommend sprucing them up every once in a while by adding fresh greens to maintain a fresh look.

Remember that cut greens, including trees, can catch fire when dry so keep them away from heaters, candles, and other heat sources and don’t leave evergreen candle rings unattended. Holly berries are poisonous; so keep them out of the reach of children and pets.

Our final tip: as in all gardening activities, let your personal preferences guide you, feel free to experiment, and enjoy!

by Paul Mancuso Perennial Buyer/Manager

Mahoney’s Honored as Top Retailer in Massachusetts

Retailer’s Association of MA Selects Retailer of the Year

The Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM) has named Mahoney’s Garden Centers as one of the state’s top retailers, honoring them with the Retailer of the Year Award. RAM announced the winners of its 2009 Awards of Excellence at an awards ceremony and luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 19th in Waltham, MA, marking the 12th anniversary of the Retailer’s Association of Massachusetts Awards of Excellence (the RAMAEs).

Mahoney’s Garden Center has represented the best retailing we have seen in Massachusetts over the past year. Their longstanding tradition of customer service and variety of product has made them one of the top retailers in the state."
-Jon Hurst, President of RAM.

Read the full article from the Boston Herald-Mahoney’s blossoms

Baptisia australis - 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year

If you haven’t heard, the perennial plant of the year for 2010 is Baptisia australis. This native of central and eastern North America has been increasing in popularity among gardeners for several years and continues a streak of great ‘plant of the year’ selections. Like any that achieve such fame, Baptisia australis has many close relatives who will ride its coat tails to the top. These garden worthy relatives include Baptisia sphaerocarpa with yellow flowers, Baptisia alba with white flowers, and a host of new cultivars that mix the traits of these and other species.

Baptisia australis grows to 3-4 feet tall and is topped with foot long spikes of purple pea flowers in mid to late spring. After blooming the plant still has interest with its elegant blue green compound leaves, and dark seedpods. It is perfect for the back of the border or in a naturalized garden. Baptisia mixes well with most all other sun loving prairie or meadow plants like coneflowers, Black Eyed Susan, Delphinium, Salvia, grasses, etc. Baptisia is very hardy, easy to grow, and very long lived.

The name Baptisia comes from the Greek bapto meaning to dip (as in baptize?) referring to its use as a dye. The species name, australis, is Latin for southern (think Australia) referring to its origin in the southern half of the U.S. The common name ‘false indigo’ also refers to its use as a replacement dye for the true indigo, Indigofera tinctoria.

by Paul Mancuso Perennial Buyer/Manager

Fall Gardening

Autumn is here and we are receiving loads of beautiful, fresh, living things for your gardens, roof decks, and balconies. Often we start to put our outdoor spaces to bed about now…or plant a couple of mums. But fall is one of the most glorious seasons to be outdoors enjoying the last of the warm days before winter sets in. It’s a great time to be replanting window boxes and patio containers with all kinds of gorgeous plant combinations. If you choose your plants wisely you can get your containers to look great all the way through the Christmas season. Here at the store, Sara has replanted our own containers with some really amazing combinations that are sure to inspire.

At home this week, I've replanted my own deck planters with huge wispy grasses, evergreen pines, kale and mums. I create this little oasis for myself every fall. My deck is on the south side of my house and is situated in a way that makes it totally protected from wind and cold. It can actually be a good twenty degrees warmer there at any given time throughout the day (even in winter). I sunbathe there year round, its pretty amazing. Often times people have places with little micro climates like this around their property, but they are unaware that they exist. Fall and winter doesn’t have to be cold and grey if you can find a little space like this! I’ll post some pics of this space soon.

Charleston, S.C. is having its annual fall house and garden tours at the end of this month, going through October. These tours are AMAZING. I spend several weeks there every fall season, to take advantage of these tours and get ideas and inspiration from truly remarkable city gardens. Charleston is very similar to Boston in many ways…but of course is sub-topical. A lot of what they do for urban residences is completely transferable to our Northern residences. I highly recommend visiting this city when their tours are running…great restaurants too.

Soon I will be posting pics from my garden on the north shore…stay tuned.

by James Hohmann GM, Mahoney’s Brighton

Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden in the Fall

Fall is one of the best seasons to enjoy and attract butterflies. Most of the popular fall blooming perennials attract these beautiful insects. Among the best include Asters, Sedum, Butterfly Bush, Black Eyed Susan, and Caryopteris. Many summer blooming plants that can re-bloom in the fall if deadheaded such as Echinacea, Phlox, Coreopsis, and Achillea will also attract butterflies. When attracting butterflies more is definitely better. One plant may attract some, but only if there is a large mass of plants nearby. To really attract butterflies you need a patch at least ten feet wide and long. If you can encourage your neighbors to plant butterfly plants you really increase your odds of getting good numbers of butterflies.

In addition to flowers butterflies have other needs. Most all butterfly plants live in part to full sun because butterflies need sun. Without morning to afternoon sun to warm them, butterflies can’t fly. Placing rocks in the garden that will warm in the sun gives butterflies an area to warm up after a cool night. Butterflies also need a place to drink and absorb nutrients from the ground. Their preference is for a moist sandy area where they can lap up moisture but not get wet. You can make an artificial sand puddle by filling a tray with sand and filling it with water when you water your plants.

If you are trying to attract wildlife to your garden don’t use pesticides that will hurt them. Chemicals, even organic ones, don’t know the difference between an aphid and a butterfly. Adult butterflies don't damage plants, but don’t be surprised or upset if you see that your milkweed is being eaten by a monarch butterfly caterpillar.

by Paul Mancuso Perennial Manager, Mahoney's Winchester

Come see us at the Allston Village Street Fair!!!

Come see us at the Allston Village Street Fair! Sunday Sept. 20th 12pm-6pm We are very excited to have a booth this year in celebration of the diversity, culture and cuisine of Boston. Our booth will feature colorful seasonal arrangements that are sure to inspire, along with the expertise of two gardeners who have a passion for both plants and people. There will also be a chance to win a $50 gift certificate! This multi-cultural event will feature 3 stages, street performances, an artists/vendors market, arcade/amusements, interactive entertainment and activities, an international food court and promotional giveaways. There is free parking and shuttle bus service available and is MBTA accessible. If you would like additional information, check out their website. www.allstonvillagestreetfair.com We hope to see you there!

Plant Now for Spring Color

Fall is approaching and that means you should start to think about some spring color for your garden. So many of us admire tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, daffodils and narcissus plants growing in gardens and wish we had it in ours. This is the time to plant the bulbs that bring those beautiful spring blooms!…And it’s easy to do!

Bulbs can be planted in individual holes or you can dig a trench. The general rule for planting bulbs is to plant it twice as the bulb is high. Most bulbs are best planted six inches apart and smaller bulbs can be planted four inches apart. Always read the package for planting instructions, so as you plant the bulb the right way in the soil – if you plant it upside down, you will not see any blooms! The soil should be loosened before planting. You can plant bulbs in any soil as long as there is good drainage. It is best to mix the top layer of earth with compost or potting soil. After planting you should water the soil well.

To ensure your bulbs survival against severe frost, it is always best to cover the ground where the bulbs are with a layer of leaves (helps clean up your yard, too!), compost, or any type of mulch. Fall is here and there is plenty you can still do in the garden.

by Ellen Mahoney’s Chelmsford