Do you want to add more plants to your yard but think you’re out of space for any more gardening? No matter how large or small your outdoor living area, no matter what types of plants you favor, you can always find the space for a new garden when it’s housed in a container – and that container doesn’t have to be the same old window box or boring planter.

Whether you choose to feature your container gardening efforts sitting on the floor, deck, stairs, path or patio, or you prefer a delicate garden suspended in a basket from an arbor, pergola, archway or hook, we’ve got the container selections that will suit your taste and your lifestyle. Not sure what your preferences are? We can help you discover you best container garden design look! Choose from our great selection of…

• Hanging Baskets – Choose from willow, moss, wire, cocoa, resin wicker weave or rope weave baskets in different sizes, colors and styles. We also carry self-watering hanging planters and pots in several different sizes, colors and designs to suit your needs and style preferences, and to blend well into your other garden décor and accents.
• Pots – Shop our extensive line of hand-crafted and manufactured pottery from around the world – Italy, Malaysia, China, etc. – with unique and stunning designs and colors. Choose from a selection of clay, plastic, fiberglass, cement, tin or resin pots in various themes as well as designer and lightweight insulating pottery.
• Planters – Choose from our lined hayracks, cradle planters (also lined), railing, fence and deck planters as well as pot trellises and obelisks to add interesting structure and layers to different containers in your yard. Many different sizes are available to suit all your planting needs.
• Accessories – To coordinate your décor efforts even among different pots or planters, we have saucers, caddies, plant stands and brackets, hangers, chains and s-hooks for both indoor and outdoor use so your plants are always displayed to their best advantage. Not sure what you need to give your planter the best support? We’ll help you choose the smartest and safest option.

Stop by and take a look for yourself – we’re sure that you will find a container that holds your interest as well as your plants. And, of course, we also carry window boxes in different sizes, styles and designs, if you still prefer that traditional, classic look!

This year, discover the pleasure of tropical plants by transforming your courtyard, balcony, flat roof or deck into a wonderland oasis. If you haven’t experienced the hot colors and unusual textures of plants like mandevilla, dipladenia, stephanotis, passion vine, bouganvillea, oleander, hibiscus, lantana and Pandora’s vine, you’re in for a treat!

Growing Tropical Plants

Tropical plants can be grown in pots and planters almost anywhere, providing they get at least 6 hours of sun daily. Fertilize them weekly with Jack’s Classic Blossom Booster and keep the soil evenly moist. Spray every 10-14 days with a light concentration of Bonide All-Season Oil Spray to control insects like mealybugs, aphids and scale. Check for each individual plant’s needs for proper fertilization, space and other care, and you’ll discover that tropical plants are no more difficult to care for than any container garden.

Creating Tropical Arrangements

Tropical plants can pack a punch by themselves, but they look even more lush and paradise-like in thoughtful arrangements. Go for the filler-thriller-spiller formula when planning a tropical container, and choose plants with good contrasting colors and unique foliage to make the most of every combination. To help the plants “pop” in the arrangements, opt for more understated, neutral pot or container colors, and let the vibrancy of the plants shine through.

More Tips for a Tropical Outdoor Living Room

To give your outdoor living space a truly tropical feel…

• Use wicker, bamboo or similar tropical materials for outdoor furniture, topping chairs and loungers with bold patterns and bright colors for a tropical vibe.
• Use louvered shutters to enclose a shady spot but still catch breezes, and go for a beachy look with driftwood-esque stains and finishes.
• Add torches or lanterns for ambient lighting, or add a touch of whimsy with a string of lights with tropical themes, such as palm trees or flip flops.
• Add cute tropical flair to the yard with a lawn flamingo, seashell fountain, teal gazing ball or similar decorative accents. Pineapple, flamingo, nautical and beach themes are popular.
• Include a water feature if possible for that splashing wave sound. A tabletop fountain or even a sound machine can create a similar tropical ambiance to enjoy.
• Serve up the tropics with beachy beverages, fresh fruit and themed appetizers whenever you entertain in your tropical outdoor living space.

No matter where your garden may be, you can add a touch of the tropics when you plan a fun and inviting tropical outdoor living room.

Are you ready to make the most of your vegetable garden? Try these tips and tidbits for everything from easier weeding to stopping pests to enjoying a hearty harvest!

• Reducing Weeds
  Minimize weeds in your garden by covering the soil between planting rows with mulch. Several sheets of moistened newspaper topped with hay or straw works very well, especially if you move your planting areas around a bit from year to year. You can even use carpet scraps placed upside-down. Landscape fabric topped with wood chips or gravel is a good choice if the walkways are permanent. Try to avoid the habit of tilling to remove weeds because this process brings up weed seeds from deeper in the soil and exposes them to the light they need to grow.
• Increase Tomato and Pepper Production
  Fruiting of your tomatoes and peppers may be improved by applying Epsom salts, which contain sulfur and magnesium. Apply one tablespoon of granules around each transplant, or spray a solution of one tablespoon Epsom salts per gallon of water at transplanting, first flowering and fruit set. You can find Epsom salts at drug and grocery stores.
• Supporting Tomato Plants
  Set your tomato supports in place before plants get too large. Smaller determinate (bushy) varieties can be supported with small cages, but larger indeterminate (vining) varieties need large cages or tall stakes. Secure cages with stakes so they don’t fall over as plants grow larger and heavier.
• Growing Larger Tomatoes
  Indeterminate tomato plants, such as ‘Better Boy’, will produce many suckers. A sucker is a new shoot that starts where a branch connects with the main trunk. Removing suckers will decrease the number of fruits produced, but the remaining tomatoes will be larger and will ripen sooner.
• Ending Blossom End Rot
  To minimize blossom end rot, keep soil evenly moist, apply a layer of mulch to conserve moisture, don’t over-fertilize (especially avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer) and avoid damaging plant roots while cultivating. Blossom end rot shows up as dark sunken spots on the blossom or non-stem end of tomatoes, peppers and squash. It’s caused by a calcium imbalance in the plant. The soil may have adequate calcium, but the plant isn’t able to take up enough to supply the rapidly developing fruit.
• Stop Slugs and Snails
  Slugs and snails may be deterred with coffee grounds, diatomaceous earth and even sharp gravel. Spread any of these materials in a ring around individual plants. Wrap pots with copper tape to keep slugs from crawling up. Inspect foliage and pick off any insects that have already passed the barriers.
• Keep Cucumber Beetles at Bay
  Young cucumber, melon and squash plants are easy prey for cucumber beetles. As the seedlings grow, these yellow-striped or spotted beetles emerge to feed on their foliage. The beetles also spread bacterial wilt disease. To control cucumber beetles use a portable vacuum cleaner to suck up them up in early evening, spray beneficial nematodes on the soil or try planting broccoli, calendula, catnip, nasturtium, radish, rue or tansy, which naturally repel these insects. If you want to try marigolds to repel them use the more pungent varieties like African, French or Mexican marigolds. The more common marigolds may actually attract these pests.
• Plan for Late Summer Harvests
  It’s not too late to sow lettuce, beets, carrots, radishes and other short-season crops for a late summer harvest. Shade lettuce, if possible, during late afternoon to keep young plants cooler, or grow them next to larger plants that provide some shade. You’ll need to water more often on these hot days than you did in spring and early summer, but you can easily extend their growing season for later harvesting.
• Grow More Tomatoes, Zucchini and Beans
  Harvest tomatoes, zucchini, beans and other fruiting crops frequently to encourage continued production. Don’t allow any fruits that you won’t be harvesting to remain on your plants, because when mature seeds are produced it’s a signal for the plant to slow down fruit production. Instead, consider sharing, selling, preserving or trading extra produce so you can continue to harvest and extend the growing season.
• When to Harvest Herbs
  Herbs are best harvested just as they are beginning to flower. That’s when they have the highest concentration of essential oils and flavor in their leaves. Harvest entire branches back to within a few inches of the main stem to encourage new, bushy growth.
• Harvesting and Storing Onions
  Begin harvesting onions when about half to three-quarters of the leaves have died back. Then gently dig or pull the onions and store them in a dry, shady place with good ventilation, such as an outdoor shed or barn, for 10-14 days. After the onions have cured, put them in slatted crates or mesh bags and store them indoors in an area with low humidity and temperatures between 33-45 degrees F.
• Enjoying Green Tomatoes
  When daytime temperatures no longer rise above 65 degrees F in late summer and early fall, it’s time to pick the green tomatoes. Wrap them individually in newspaper and let them ripen indoors, or try some fried or in other recipes that call for under-ripe tomatoes.

It only takes a few plants to cast a tropical look upon a garden. Although our gardening zone here isn’t strictly tropical, it’s still possible to include some tropical and tropical-looking plants in our landscapes to create a lush summer oasis that hints at a vibrant paradise.

Use Houseplants for Tropical Flair

A simple way to add a tropical touch to your garden is to place houseplants among your outside ornamentals. As many of our houseplants originated in tropical, semi-tropical or desert zones, they’re right at home in the summer garden. Consider the effect of adding spathiphyllums, orchids, ficus or cacti to your garden or patio. A brugmansia (sometimes called datura), with giant drooping, fragrant flowers epitomizes the idea of “tropical.” Potted citrus trees produce fruit and fragrance. A “tree” of tillandsias (air plants) creates an amazing sculpture. A single large stag-horn fern hanging from the side of a sturdy shade tree is another eye-catcher. When summer ends, simply shower the plants, look for insects and treat if necessary, and reinstall them in the house to provide winter enjoyment.

Summer Tropical Bulbs

Many beautiful bulbs can add a tropical vibe to your garden with very little care or maintenance. Here are a few of our favorite summer bulb additions to the tropical garden, but remember that these plants are not winter hardy here and the bulbs must be dug up and stored inside for the winter.

• Caladiums: Available in a variety of colors including pink, white, gray, green, red, white, mottled and variegated. These plants flourish in shade with rich soil and regular watering.

• Callas: This slender plant with large green leaves grows 2-4′ tall. White spath-shaped flowers in spring and early summer rise above the leaves. Grows best in wet soils and light shade.

• Cannas: Large leaves of green, red or variegated with spectacular flowers of red, orange, yellow, pink or cream in summer and early fall. Tall varieties grow to 6′ and dwarf varieties grow to 3′. Plant in full sun.

In addition to bulbs, other bold and exciting additions with tropical flair include:

• Chilean Jasmine (Mandevilla laxa): A deciduous vine growing 15′ or higher, this provides an overhead tropical look when grown on a pergola or overhead structure. Very fragrant white flowers in summer add to the tropical effect. Requires rich soil.

• Gunnera: Huge, dark green, stiff-haired leaves growing to 8′ tall. These “dinosaur food plants” make an amazing statement in the landscape. Requires good soil and ample water. Produces large red cone-shaped flowers.

• Hibiscus: Tropical Hibiscus may be set outside for the summer in our area and brought back in when the cold weather sets in. There are, however, two varieties of hibiscus that are hardy in our area:
  • Rose-Mallow or Perennial Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos): An American native, grows as a perennial with many varieties of different sizes and colors. Flowers may grow to 12″ diameter in red, pink or white. Regular fertilizing increases bloom vigor and colors.
  • Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus): Deciduous shrub growing to 12′ tall but easily trained or kept smaller. Flowers, 2.5-3″, in mid- or late summer.

• Palms: Nothing says tropical like a palm. Here are four that are readily available and can be used in your garden for a lush accent.
  • Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix): Fan palm with short or no trunk, to 6′ tall. Extremely winter hardy.
  • Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor): Native to the southeastern United States. Grows 4-6′ tall by 8′ wide. Green or blue-green fan-shaped fronds.
  • Mazari Palm (Nannorrhops ritchiana): Shrubby clumping growth to 6′ tall, bluish-green colored fan fronds.
  • Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunea): Grows to 30′ tall and 10′ wide.

• Bamboo: Few plants rival this group of grasses for hardiness, tropical appearance and variation. Both clumping and running bamboos vary in color, height and requirements. From the dwarf to the giant, there’s a bamboo to add tropical pizzazz to your garden.

To see the best selections for our growing zone or ask questions about creating a tropical garden, come in and talk with our friendly staff. They can help you make the best selection to put the topical in your garden paradise.

Touted by some as the “fruit from the fountain of youth” because of its high antioxidant, carotene and essential amino acids content, the goji berry (Lycium barbarum), also creates a large sensation in the garden. Additionally, it’s easy to grow in zones 3-10 (even in seaside locations!) and doesn’t need a second plant for cross-pollination as it is self-pollinating. Is this super plant right for your garden?

Growing Goji Berry

In its natural form, this vigorous vine sprawls along the ground but training it to grow vertically is tidier, more space efficient and will protect nearby plants from overcrowding. Tie it to a strong stake, espalier along a wall or train along another framework for an attractive 8-10′ long plant and easier harvesting of the berries. Full sun exposure produces the most fruit. In areas where summer temperatures exceed 100⁰ F, provide afternoon light shade. It thrives in alkaline soil with a pH from 6.8-8.1. Add lime to the soil to increase the pH, if necessary. Regular watering and light fertilizing, along with light pruning to maintain its shape and appearance, are all that’s necessary to grow your own goji berries.

If your space is limited, grow goji in a container. Container growing produces fruit earlier, makes it easier to maintain the soil pH and easily manages the vine’s size. Moreover, it’s quite attractive. Because the taproot grows deeply, be sure to choose a frost-proof container at least 18″ deep and 18″ diameter or larger.

In the spring, bright red-orange berries follow lavender bell-shaped flowers. Since birds love the fruit, cover with netting to protect it so it can ripen fully.

The berries turn red before they reach their full ripeness. Allow the berries to remain on the plant prior to harvesting to develop the best flavor. The best way to tell if they’re ripe is to eat one. When the tart taste becomes sweeter, they’re ready. Use the fresh berries in salads, sauces, juices or soups, or experiment by adding them to favorite jam recipes, infusing water or creating crushed fruit spreads. Alternatively, preserve your berries by drying or freezing and you can enjoy them long after the harvest ends.

At first frost, the plant becomes dormant and the leaves drop. They’re hardy to -18⁰ F. When the temperatures rise to 50⁰ F, the leaves and fruit begin anew. In warmer areas, then, the growing season will be longer and you can enjoy goji berries even more, while in cooler zones you will have a shorter season, but one that is just as sweet.

If you have questions or need assistance choosing your goji berry, soil or container, our friendly staff is always glad to help.