HARVEST FESTIVAL 2024

October 12, 2024 Karen Logan

VINEYARD GARDENS HARVEST FESTIVAL

SATURDAY, 0CTOBER 12, 2024 // 10am - 2pm

Bring the entire family and join us in a day of autumnal bliss.

Enjoy fall plants, treats, music and crafts in our beautiful botanical atmosphere.

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LIVE MUSIC

Princess Poo-poo-ly Ukelele Band

12:00 to 1:00pm

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NATURE PROJECTS

Little Jack Pumpkin Bouquets, Pinecone Bird Feeders & Planting Paper Whites

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FOOD

BBQ Hot Dogs & Chili & Pumpkin Pies [free lunch!]

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SALE

50% OFF EVERYTHING [one day only sale!]

**except pumpkins, fall blooming mums, kales, cabbages, bagged goods and hard goods (fertilizers, tools & bulbs)

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FREE!

This is our way of saying THANK YOU to our wonderful community!

FALL TREES & SHRUBS

September 3, 2024 Karen Logan

September Border at Vineyard Gardens. Crape Myrtles & Vitex [photo credit: keith kurman]

FALL TREES & SHRUBS

Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs! The combination of the weather cooling down and fall rain allows plants to establish their roots. Planting in the fall also gives trees and shrubs an extra growing season before the stress of summer heat and drought.

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TREES

Franklinia alatamaha (Franklin Tree): Native to US. Typically grows to 15’x10’. Showy fragrant white flowers in August. Great fall color! Plant in full sun with light shade in moist soil.
Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle: Multi stemmed trees with beautiful late season color. Blooms late summer into fall. Exfoliating bark which continues to be showy into winter. Great diversity available.
Maple Trees: Known for their fall color. {10 best Maples for fall color}
- Acer palmatum: Japanese maples are easy to grow, cold hardy and remarkable adaptable. Their green leaf forms have the best fall color!
- Acer ginnala: This smaller maple can be used as small specimen, patio tree and even works well in a container. It has a particularly fabulous fall color!
Myrica pensylvanica (Bayberry): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Typically grows to 10’ x 8’. Plant in full sun. It tolerates drought once established. Deer resistant.
Nysa sylvatica (Beetlebung Tree): An island native that grows where there is quite a bit of water. Often found growing in low points and bogs on the island. Has beautiful fall color and a distinguished shape. We have some young beauties for sale at the nursery.
Osmanthus heterophyllus (False Holly): An evergreen shrub that typically grows to 10’ x 10’. Blooms late fall into the winter (Oct-Nov) with small fragrant white flowers. Shade tolerant and deer resistant.
Oxydendron arboreum: Native tree known for its fall color.

Vaccinium corymbosum_ highbush blueberry

SHRUBS

Callicarpa dichotoma: Beauty Bush with beautiful lavender berries.
- Early Amethyst: A smaller variety
- Pearl Glam: A new Proven Winner cultivar, with dark foliage.
Callicarpa japonica Leucocarpa: An upright beauty berry with white berries. Pale pink-white flowers in summer.
Clerodendron trichotomum: Once the fragrant white flowers have passed the red calyces and purple berry are a showy season extender.
Fothergilla: A native shrub known for its fall color. It blooms in June and later lights up your yard with red and purple fall color. If you need a large shrub the species to get is major. There is a dwarf species available called gardenii, for a smaller shrub.
Hamamelis (Witch Hazel): Large native shrubs known for their fall color.
- Hamamelis virginiana: A fall yellow bloomer
- Hamamelis vernalis: Blooms in February
Hydrangeas: Many of the panicle hydrangeas fade to pink and hold the dried blooms way into the fall. There are some late summer bloomers that bloom into fall.
Symphoricarpos (Snow Berry): A season extender. This shrub has large white berries.
Vaccinium Corymbosum (High bush blueberry): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Typically grows to 8’x 6’. Great fall color! Plant in full sun. Deer resistant.
Viburnums: There are many which have fabulous fall color and berries.
- Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum): Native to Martha’s Vineyard. Non-fragrant flat-topped white flowers appear in late spring. Flowers give way to blue-black, berries which are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. Tolerates light shade.
- Viburnum dilatatum: Known for their drooping berries. We carry Cardinal Candy with red berries and Michael Dodge with yellow berries.
- Viburnum plicatums: These are Chris Wiley’s favorite Viburnum in flower.

Viburnum dilatatum Michael Dodge and some Virginia Creeper

late season spent flowers of Hydrangea macrophylla

AUGUST GARDENING TIPS

August 14, 2024 Karen Logan

(L to R) Coreopsis, Rudbeckia, Agastache & Allium

AUGUST GARDENING TIPS

Some perrennials are winding down but there are many other late blooming shrubs and perennials that can flourish into the fall.

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Annuals & Containers: Reinvigorate your annuals and container plants by deadheading and pruning. Add a weak solution of liquid plant food when watering your container plants.
Trees, Shrubs & Perennials: You can fertilize until the end of August especially trees and shrubs. Do not fertilize past the end of August for shrubs, trees and perennials.
Garden Maintenance: Cut back your spent perennials, you may even get a second flush of leaves and flowers. Deadhead blooming perennials to keep them fresh. Stake plants that are fallen over from bloom weight or rains.
Vegetable Gardens: Keep picking your warm weather vegetables, they will produce more and prevents them from going to seed. It’s also time to start planting your cool weather veggies, like lettuce, spinach, arugula, carrots, beets, beans, kale, and peas to be planted now for fall harvest.
Weeding: Make sure to stay on top of the weeding. Crab grass and blackberry like the warmth and can spread quietly and quickly.

ENJOY WATCHING ALL THE LATE SUMMER POLLINATORS BUSILY MOVING FROM BLOOM TO BLOOM!

native shrubs

native summer blooming shrubs

POETIC GARDENS

July 22, 2024 Karen Logan

Andew Wiley, working on Vineyard Gardens display bed

A PASSION FOR PLANTS

Vineyard Garden’s Andrew Wiley, a creative plant ‘genus’

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It’s not just a job for Andrew Wiley, his passion for plants is infused in his bloodline. As a child he grew up at Vineyard Gardens, watching his horticulturalist parents, Chris and Chuck Wiley develop a singular greenhouse and lawn mowing business into the vibrant establishment it is today. Not only did Andrew soak in the atmosphere and information as a boy, he now embraces everything about plants, landscaping and design. After an unmatched year at Great Dixter House & Gardens, Andrew’s plant knowledge and creativity in the landscaping world has been unleashed. His ethereal and poetic gardens are a wonderful demonstration in succession planting, filling garden beds with continuous blooms throughout the year. His front bed display at Vineyard Gardens is constantly evolving, never a dull moment from one plant finishing it’s bloom cycle to a new one opening up. Within the display bed there are many beautiful vignettes that seamless work together as a whole.

Next time you are at Vineyard Gardens take a meditative walk along the display garden and you will notice something new, fresh and exciting each time.

“This photo is reminiscent of my time in England at Great Dixter All three of these plants can be found in the garden there. This Phlox was originally a seedling given to Christopher Lloyd by Margery Fish and is known at Dixter as Phlox paniculata ‘Margery Fish.’ Piet Oudolf decided to name the phlox ‘Dixter’ as it was never given a trademark name, something Great Dixter does not do with their plants for various reasons. The Salvia is one of my favorite biennials, best practice is to always plant all biennials in the fall. This will always give you bigger and better plants with much longer bloom time than if planted in Spring. The Marigold (Tagetes) was used on the Long Border at Dixter where Fergus received the seeds from a conference in France. I collected and brought back seeds from these plants. A true scrambler this Marigold gets huge and is best planted where it can tumble over and sprawl around.” Andrew Wiley

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Guided tour through Andrew’s July display bed

Have you ever had the chance to walk through a garden with Andrew? His energy and excitement for designing with plants is unmeasured. Spewing off latin names and talking about the evolution of gardens and biodiversity you feel like you just had a master class in horticulture. Andrew’s contagious spirit will have you walking away from Vineyard Gardens with a million plants because he made you fall in love with every single one of them!

Take a virtual walk to learn about July’s display bed.

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PERENNIALS FOR SHADE

July 12, 2024 Karen Logan

Gorgeous combination of Thalictrum ‘Elin,’ Aquilegia, Euphorbia and the leaf and seed pod of Paeonia delavayi. The glowing spikes on the right are from a bedding pocket of a pale yellow Digitalis [photo by Andrew Wiley]

PERENNIALS FOR SHADE

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SUMMER BLOOMING PERENNIALS FOR SHADE

Even if your yard is shady, you can still have beautiful flowers and foliage! If your yard needs more sun but you don’t want to cut down trees you can limb up or thin out a few trees to let in more sun. On the other hand, If you have a very sunny garden and want to grow some of these wonderful shade perennials, plant a few small trees or large shrubs in the beds. Not only will they provide a little shade but height and size will add interest to perennial beds.

***Alchemilla***
***Anemone***
***Asarum***
***Astilbe***
***Cimicifuga***
***Clematis***
*Dicentra*
***Epimedium***
***Euphorbia***
***Ferns***
***Foxglove***
*Galium*

***Geraniums (perennial)***
*Hackonechloa*
***Heucheras***
***Hostas***
***Ligularia***
*Pachyhsandra*
*Polygonatum*
***Rodgersia***
***Sanguisorba***
***Thalictrum***
*Vinca*

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Perennials that thrive in shade often do quite well with more sun, as long as they get enough water. The reverse does not apply. Perennials that need sun often grow long and leggy in the shade. Plants that evolved in shade, usually in the understory of other plants, often have larger leaves to capture as much sun as possible. Some good examples are Rodgersias, Hostas, Astilboides and many Heucheras, like the popular Autumn Bride. These plants usually like a rich moist but well drained soil.

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Hosta

Sanguisorba ‘Lilac Squirrel’

Astilbe

Alchemilla, Lady's Mantle

Astilbe Pumila

Anenome

Clematis Boulevard Acropolis

Clematis Sweet Autumn

Ferns

Athyrium Brilliance

Osmunda regalis

Filipendula Kahome

Geranium Max Frei

Geranium Rozanne

Heuchera Dolce Cherry Truffles

Heuchera Berry Smoothie

Heuchera Primo Wild Rose

Heuchera Snow Angel

Hosta Frech Fries

Thalictrum Black Stockings

Thalictrum flavum glaucum

Euphorbia

Foamflower

DEER RESISTANT PERENNIALS FOR SHADE

Ferns, Thalictrum, Rodgersia, Bleeding Hearts and Heucheras are all good choices for summer blooming shade if deer are a problem in your garden. Astilbes can add color to shade beds with their plumed flowers available in many colors and sizes. Many Heucheras also called Coral Bells, can add color with their foliage which comes in reds, bronzes, deep purples and green. The Heucheras will bloom for 3-4 weeks in summer and their foliage will last all summer. Everblooming Bleeding Hearts start blooming in early summer and continues blooming until late summer. Unlike it’s cousin, Dicentra spectabilis, only blooms in spring and goes dormant in summer. It will thrive in partial shade and spread and is also deer resistant.

PERENNIALS GROUNDCOVERS FOR SHADE

Plant ground covers and fill up the spaces with plants instead of mulch! Perennial groundcovers thrive and spread in partial shade. Pachysandra is the most shade tolerant. Vinca minor, Asarum and Epimedium are all good choices as well.

Perennial Geraniums and Campanulas will bloom in partial shade. Geranium Rozanne is our best selling Geranium. Geranium sanguineum Album, with white flowers and Geranium cantabrigiense Karmina, with pink flowers and fabulous fall color, are also great plants. The peach leaved Campanula persicifolia comes in blue and in white, both tall and short. The Takion series is the more compact one. We also carry Campanula poscharskyana, Campanula portenschlagiana Blue magic and Campanula rotundifolia, all shorter wider plants that can handle more sun and thrive in walls and cracks in walks. This always indicates they don’t need rich soil. New this year is Campanula cocchlearifolia in both white and Blue. We grew these from seed which was seeded in June of 23

pollinator month

national wildlife federation

[PLANT PROFILE] ASTILBE

July 9, 2024 Karen Logan

ASTILBE

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GROWING ASTILBE

Astilbe are perennial flowers that bloom in spring and summer. They grow well in shady areas where other flowers won't thrive. They add swaths of color to shade beds with their plumed flowers available in many colors and sizes. Their soft feathery blooms come in shades of purple, lavender, red, white or pink. Their glossy fern like foliage comes in shades of green, bronze or deep brown. Astilbe are usually deer resistant but we are finding that at times deer are snacking on them as well.

ASTIBLE ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES!

COMBINATION PLANTINGS

We recommend planting Astilbe in combination with plants that have similar cultural requirements. Astilbes require plenty of water and some afternoon shade. Some combinations we recommend are shrubs like hydrangeas or Hypericum and perennials such as Rodgersias (Roger’s flower), Snakeroot, Cimicifuga, Thalictrum or ferns.

PLANTING TIPS

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* Plant in shade to
***part shade***
* Plant in a loamy
***humus rich soil***
* Water deeply
***to promote***
***deep roots***
* Protect from hot
***afternoon sun***

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CARE

Regularly check Astilbes to make sure they are moist.
Astilbes spread quickly and form broad clumps.
Apply organic fertilizer in the spring.
Divide the overgrown clumps every 3 to 4 years in the spring.
Typically you can remove spent flower blooms to encourage
more blossoms but Astilbe are the exception.
Astilbes spent flowers have ornamental value.
They can be left standing if desired or cut down at any time.
Astilbes continue to provide attractive foliage until fall.

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VARIETIES

Vineyard Gardens we carry 25-30 different cultivars.

Astilbe chinensis Pumila: Forms a ground cover. Height: 10” tall.
Astilbe Hennie Graafland: Dwarf Astilbe. Height: 12”-18” tall.
Astilbe Superba: One of the tallest pinks. Height: 24”-48” tall.
Astilbe Mighty Red Quin: Height 39”-47” tall
Astilbe Montgomery: Height 20-24” tall
Other Varieties we carry:
Astilbe Erika, Mighty Pip, Purple Candles, Bressignham, Beauty, Delft Lace, Little Visions in Pink, Straussenfetter, Dueschland, Visions & Mauve
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perennial groundcovers

low maintenance groundcovers

JULY GARDENING TIPS

July 3, 2024 Karen Logan

JULY GARDENING TIPS

As the heat ramps up there are many ways to keep your garden looking beautiful.

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Season Extenders: Plant late bloomers and season extenders in your garden now. They will grow in nicely and then extend the color in your garden late into the season. Try adding tender salvias like Salvia guaranitica Black and Blue, Pineapple sage, or the new Dalvia uliginosa with a baby blue flower color. Also plant asters and mums or the more unusual chrysanthemum pacificum.
Spent bulb foliage: Now is the time to cut back any yellowing daffodil foliage. It should be left intact as long as possible as the plant photosynthesizes and stores energy for the next season in the bulb underground.

Shaping perennials: The last pinch to shape and encourage branching on asters, chrysanthemums and some late summer perennials should occur in early July. It’s still ok to thin stems on congested perennials to improve air circulation. Don’t be afraid to give a hard cut to catmint (Nepeta), lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) and perennial geraniums (Geranium sp.) after the spring flowering.
Container plants: Consider compost tea, organic liquid feed like fish emulsion or seaweed extract for container plants. Feed every 7-10 days. As the summer heats up, they may need to be watered every day if it is sunny. We recommend once per day deep watering and make them hold because it makes for a tougher plant. If plants are not wilting and look happy they do not need water. They will let you know if they need water by starting to wilt or lose their turgidity, then no question it’s time to water. It’s better to have tough plants than spoiled ones!
Weeds: Catch weeds before they go to seed and continue to add organic mulch to spots left bare or plant another plant, like a season extender. Shredded leaves held over from fall cleanup make a wonderful mulch for annual and perennial borders as well as vegetable gardens. It’s natural, free, local and breaks down over the course of the growing season to add organic material to the soil.
Peonies: Remove spent flowers from peonies once flowering is finished. If plants were staked or tied up to prevent flopping during bloom, the stakes and strings can now be removed which will make the stems stronger to stand on their own.
Vegetable garden: Direct sow succession crops in your vegetable garden for the next round of harvest, such as radish, lettuce, carrots, chard, and beets. Side dress heavy feeders and long season crops like corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers, potatoes, onions and eggplant with a balanced fertilizer now.
Biennials: Sow seeds of biennials like foxgloves, Angelica, Salvia sclarea, Lunaria and Dianthus now for planting in the garden in late summer. These will produce leaves this year, overwinter and flower next year, ending their life cycle when they set seed in their second season.
Irrigation: Irrigate borders and lawns infrequently and deeply. Generally, lawns and gardens need 1” of water each week, or a deep irrigation that penetrates to 6”. Keep track of rainfall using a rain gauge and supplement only as needed. Consider converting parts of your lawn to lower maintenance groundcovers, shrub or perennial borders, or meadow plantings.
Japanese beetles: Depending on your location, Japanese beetles begin to emerge from the soil around July 4th. Keep a close eye out for them, scouting in the morning when they are sluggish and knocking them into a pail of soapy water. The solitary fly, Istocheta aldrichi, is an internal parastite of adult Japanese beetle. Female flies lay eggs on the thorax of female beetles. Upon hatching, the maggot bores into the beetle, killing it. Japanese beetles observed with these eggs on them should be saved to encourage this natrual control method.
-Joann Vieira, Director of Horticulture, Trustees (UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program)

Always think ahead when gardening. Timing is everything!

SUMMER BLOOMING PERENNIALS

June 21, 2024 Karen Logan

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JOIN US THIS SATURDAY MORNING

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GARDEN WORKSHOP

PLANTING FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE

SATURDAY JUNE 22ND // 11:00AM // VINEYARD GARDENS NURSERY

We are very excited to welcome Andrea Berry, Executive Director of Wild Seed Project in Maine. She will share her knowledge about planting climate resilient habitats in northeast landscapes.

Scrub Oak Barren- Sandplain Grassland : Scrub oak, little bluestem, sweetfern,Northern blazing star, butterfly milkweed, wood lily & flax leaved aster. Illustration by karen blackerby logan

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SUMMER BLOOMING PERENNIALS

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SUMMER BLOOMING PERENNIALS AT THE NURSERY

* Salvia Purple Rain

* Nepeta Walkers Low

* Nepeta Prelude Blue
* Monarda

* Stachys
* Coreopsis Gold
***Standard, Zagreb***
***& Uptick Red***
* Filipendula Kahome
* Alchemilla mollis
***Thriller***
* Lobelia Queen
***Victoria, Starship***
***Scarlet***
* Clematis Boulevard
***Acropolis & Nubia***
* Hibiscus Ballet Slippers

***Asclepias tuberosa Orange ‘Butterflyweed’***

* Rudbeckia Herbstone
* Gaura Sparkle White
* Gaura Belleza Dark
***Pink***
* Rudbeckia Goldblitz
* Asclepias tuberosa
***Orange & Hello Yellow***
* Incarnata Ice Ballet
***& Cinderella***
* Kniphophea
* Thalictrum flavum
***glaucum***
* Thalictrum
***rochebrunianum***

* Thalictrum black
***stockings***

* Thalictrum elin

Clematis Boulevard Acropolis

Clematis Boulevard Nubia

Lady%27s+Mantle%2C+alchemilla+thriller.jpg

JUNE GARDENING TIPS

June 3, 2024 Karen Logan

Achillea (Yarrow) & Purple Prairie Clover

JUNE GARDENING TIPS

June is here and gardening season is in full swing! We have longer days of sun, warmer temperatures and the flowers are abundant. Now while working in the garden you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor, picking fresh flowers, nibbling on fresh veggies and berries, watching pollinators at work and enjoying all the summer scents.

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VEGETABLE GARDENS

We are still in the midst of our planting season and this is a great time for planting! All the warm season vegetables can go in now: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans, corn and squash. A second crop of most of the spring plants can also go in now: lettuce, arugula, carrots and beets. Stake vines and veggies as needed. Mulch or top dress around vegetables to prevent weeds and conserve moisture. Our new favorite mulch is Leaf Mold. Ask about it at the nursery.

PRUNE

Pinch terminal buds on rhododendrons for more flowers next year.
Prune spring flowering shrubs immediately after they flower (lilacs for example)
Lightly prune boxwood after they show new growth to get a pleasing shape.

WEED

Stay ahead of weeds! Fill in holes with more plants, that helps keep out the weeds.

MULCH

Apply fresh mulch if you have not done so already. Add or mulch with Leaf Mold. We carry bagged Coast of Maine mulches as well.

FERTILIZE

If not done so already it is a good time to feed anything that is already in the ground. Use a time release fertilizer to avoid burning plant roots and give gentle nutrients that will last for several months.
Use organic fertilizers. The Espoma fertilizers break down slowly and are packed with micronutrients in addition to the three macronutrients Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium.
For quicker nutrient availability, water it in using a liquid fertilizer. Ask about our organic liquid fertilizers at the Garden Center.

ANNUALS

Plant out your containers, window boxes and garden beds with annuals. Don’t forget to deadhead your flowers to encourage more and enhance the appearance of beds and containers. Add slow-release organic fertilizer when planting, then give them a weekly snack with a quarter-strength liquid fertilizer.

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Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox) with Euphorbia polychromatic

Delphinium, Foxglove with Yarrow and Oenothers Siskiyou Pink

WATER

Water consistently!

All the newly planted or transplanted plants need to be watered deeply 1 to 2 times a week depending on whether or not we get rain and how sunny it is.
The best rule of thumb for trees and woody shrubs is water once a day for the first week to get the soil good and moist around the root system. Then once a week for the first year if there is not a good rain. July and August are usually the most important months to water.
A “deep water” depends on the precipitation rate, for example holding a hose full flow on a shrub would only need a few minutes while a sprinkler that covers a large area should run an hour as long as there is not run off.
Morning is a good time to water because there will not be as much evaporation as when it is sunny and hot. It is a myth that watering in the heat of the day the water drops will be magnified by the sun and burn the leaves. If that were so it would happen every time there is a shower and then the sun comes out.
A 1 to 3 inch layer of mulch helps slow down evaporation and is very beneficial for plants. The mulch also breaks down over time and becomes organic matter which helps hold moisture and nutrients.

Vineyard Gardens can help you out with your watering needs, from a basic watering service to installing an irrigation system. We’d be happy to evaluate your needs and give a quote. We do hand water, especially newly planted beds or trees and shrubs.

pollinator plants

perennials, shrubs & trees

learn more

deer resistant plants and shrubs

[PLANT PROFILE] AMSONIA

May 29, 2024 Karen Logan

AMSONIA

The Amsonia tabernamontana was brought to my attention long ago with it’s recognizably distinct shape and blue flowers. That year I noticed the shape of the Amsonia again, in it’s beautiful yellow fall color. Their stupendous rounded form originates from the central crown of the plant. It’s rounded shape and sturdy form result from many individual stems with the exact right length to round it out. When in bloom, a cluster of small blue, star shaped flowers adorn every tip. Hence the common name, Blue Star.

THE AMSONIA TABERNAEMONTANA WAS ON THE LIST AWARDED BEST 75 GARDEN PLANTS BY AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY!

AMSONIA WE CARRY AT VINEYARD GARDENS

Amsonia has multi season interest with it’s blue spring flowers, fall color and interesting texture. Amsonia’s texture contrasts beautifully with the plants around it, in particular the hubrichtii with it’s long needle like foliage. Amsonia offers a lot in the garden plus it is deer resistant!

Amsonia tabernamontana: the species
Blue Ice: a more compact cultivar
Amsonia hubrichtii is another species of Amsonia we carry. It is quite different than the tabernamontana. It has very narrow, needle like leaves that line the stems, which again originate in a central crown. Tips lined with blue flowers. Amsonia hubrichtii was awarded the Perennial Plant of the Year Award in 2011.

PLANTS ARE CLASSIFIED BY THEIR FLOWERS. IT’S THE FLOWERS THAT HAVE TO BE SIMILAR FOR THE PLANTS TO BE RELATED.

CARE

Amsonia are easy to grow. They are US prairie plants so they are not fussy.
They prefer well drained soil
They prefer full sun, but tabernamontana does ok in a partial shade. It just won’t bloom as well.

Since that first encounter long ago I have grown to love the Genus!

Amsonia hubrichtii in Vinieyard Gardens garden bed

MAY GARDENING TIPS

May 3, 2024 Karen Logan

Fothergilla photo by karen blackerby logan

MAY GARDENING TIPS

May brings warmer sunnier days, cooler nights and springtime rains, the perfect combo to get your newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials established!

SOIL CARE: Nourish your soil! Applying nutrients to the soil nourishes it, making it richer with the minerals and essential elements your plants need to grow. Learn to make your own compost out of your biodegradable waste and use that to feed your plants. We have Coast of Maine compost and manure, as well as Fafard products. You can also take this time to test your soil with a soil testing kit to see what your soil needs. We have those in stock as well.
FERTILIZE: Time to fertilize last years new plantings by top dressing. Sprinkling handfuls of fertilizer around the drip line of the shrubs. Not too close to main stem. The roots grow outward. Organic fertilizers are slower release and contain a lot of secondary and micronutrients. We recommend them! The macronutrients are N,P and K (Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Pottasium) the 3 numbers represented on most fertilizer products. The secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulfur and there are quite a few micronutrients.
MULCH: Leaf compost is a great island resource to use in your garden beds! This imitates the annual forest leaf fall and provides established plants with all the nutrients they need. Use leaves from your own yard and and/or leaf compost (shredded leaf mulch) that we carry to return local island nutrients to your gardens. We carry shredded leaf compost (island grown) as well as bagged Coast of Main mulches.
ANNUALS: Cool weather annuals now ready to plant. Pansies, violas, alyssum, calendulas, bachelor buttons, argyranthemum daisies, osteospermum and lobelia!
PERENNIALS: It’s time to start planting your perennials!
DIVIDE PERENNIALS: This is a good time to divide summer and fall blooming perennials when they are just emerging.
VEGETABLE GARDENS: Vegetable gardens to be prepped and planted. This is the season to plant cool weather veggies, small fruits and fruit trees. All these are now available at the nursery! Mid to late May we will be bringing our basil and tomatoes out from our production facility to the nursery. But don't push these it's still a little cool at night.
TREES & SHRUBS: Now is a great time to add trees or shrubs to your property. Early May brings sunny day, cool nights and springtime rain which are all great ingredients to get your trees and shrubs established!
PRUNE: Prune any diseased or dead wood on your trees and deciduous shrubs. Prune plants that bloom on new growth.
LAWN CARE: Water your lawns less often and deeper to promote deeper roots. Mow your lawns a little higher and they won't brown out in the heat of summer. May is still a good time to fertilize your lawn if you did not do it in April. It is also a good time to lime, if you didn’t do it in the fall. It takes many months for lime to cause a change in the ph of the soil. Lime now to ensure a healthy fall lawn.

Always think ahead when gardening. Timing is everything!

Viburnum burkwoodii photo by Keith Kurman

[PLANT PROFILE] LAVENDER

May 1, 2024 Karen Logan

LAVENDER

Fragrant, deep blue spikes that stick straight up above the grey green foliage. Lavender thrives in full hot sun, in well drained soil. It is drought tolerant once established and deer resistant. They are highly effective in mass plantings. We sell most of them in both 1 gallon and 4” pots. A few varieties we sell in only one size.

Perennial Lavenders

Lavandula angustifolium: These are the hardiest species of lavender. All of these lavenders should overwinter if they have good drainage otherwise they will rot when it is cold and wet. We sell several of these varieties.

Munstead and Hidcote are the oldest varieties and still two of our favorites.
Provence has become very popular.
Phenomenal is a newer cultivar, showing a lot of promise.
Blue cushion and Super Blue are a few newer cultivars that we are trying out and testing their hardiness. They claim to be hardy.

Annual Lavenders

The annual lavenders bloom longer than the perennial lavenders but they will not overwinter and come back year after year.

Goodwin Creek
Grosso
Elegance Purple
Lavandula dentata, the fringed French lavender
Lavandula stoechas: This year we are growing a Spanish Lavender from seed in two colors, deep purple and deep rose. , They will not overwinter.
Lavender pinnata: Also known as French Fringed lavender
Lavender multimodal ‘Torch Blue’: We grow this lavender from seed

Deer do not eat lavender!

VINEYARD GARDENS WORKSHOPS & COOL WEATHER VEGGIES

April 5, 2024 Karen Logan

Lettuce, herbs and lavender illustration by karen blackerby logan

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Join us Saturday Morning

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GARDEN WORKSHOP

EARLY SPRING PRUNING

SATURDAY APRIL 6TH // 11:00AM // VINEYARD GARDENS

Andrew Wiley will be leading a talk about the ins and outs of early spring pruning.

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GREENS & COOL WEATHER VEGGIES

GROW YOUR OWN GREENS

Salad material, lettuce, spinach, endive, mignonette

The lettuces and the cilantro, in particular, can be done by direct seeding in Mid April.

Start the other herbs and cool weather veggies inside first and then plant out as seedlings.

WE GROW ALL THESE IN PACKS FROM SEED . WE HAVE A WONDERFUL SELECTION OF SEEDS & WILL HAVE A GREAT VARIETY OF PACK SELECTIONS!

COOL WEATHER VEGGIES

Brassicas (like broccoli), Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kale, Swiss Chard, Mustards, Collards

EAT LOCAL, GROW IT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD!

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ORNAMENTAL CHERRIES, JAPANESE APRICOTS & SPRING FLOWERING TREES

Now is the time of year to plant Flowering Apricots and Ornamental Cherries. Japanese Apricot Trees erupt in pink fragrant flowers in mid to late winter. They are especially fragrant on warm days.

spring color

spring blooming trees & shrubs

[PLANT PROFILE] ENGLISH DAISIES

April 3, 2024 Karen Logan

English Daisies

(Bellis perennis)

ORIGIN

These little, long blooming English Daisies are native to western, central and northern Europe. Their Latin name is Bellis perennis. Bellis is Latin for pretty and perennis means everlasting. True to their name they are both pretty and long blooming. They thrive in full sun and in partial shade; and are hardy to zones 4-8.

FAMILY

They belong to the family Asteracea. Plants in this family are considered the most evolved in the plant kingdom. Every petal in a daisy flower is a complete flower. One flower can be made up of a hundred petals, thus 100 flowers! That is what makes them more evolved. More flowers, more seeds, more ability to propagate, which spells success in the world of plants.

AN EARLY SEASON PLANT

We sell them in the 5” black perennial pots and grow them in a mix of white, pink and red flowers.

Try our new Galaxy Mix or the Bellisima series in red and in rose bicolor.
We also carry the smaller flowered Pomponette mix.
The one variety we grow from seed is JL Hudson’s Bellis perennis White. This cultivar overwintered outside for us in little pots. These seed grown English Daisies spread and perennialize for us.
Many plants like the English Daisies, the Forget Me Nots and the Poppies are only available early in the season!

WHERE TO PLANT

Save the Bellis perennis white for the ground so it can spread.

Try the Galaxy, the Bellisima or Pomponette Mix in a pot.

They all will do well in front of your border or along a path. In a rock garden or in containers.

They will love a well drained spot.

Remember spring is the best time to plant English Daisies!

HAPPY GARDENING!

[PLANT PROFILE] PIERIS JAPONICA

March 27, 2024 Karen Logan

PIERIS JAPONICA

(ANDROMEDA)

Pieris japonica is a broadleaf evergreen shrub that provides multiseason interest. In early spring, their cascading, delicate, bell shaped flowers bloom for about two weeks. The blooms range in color from white to pink. Simultaneously, bright pink, red, or bronze new foliage emerges, gradually transforming into glossy, oblong evergreen leaves. Beadlike flower buds form in late summer and hold steadfast through winter against their evergreen backdrop.

Deer resistant, slow growing and shade tolerant, Pieris japonica are ideal for adding year round color to mixed borders.

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GROWING CONDITIONS & CARE

Pieris japonica are beautiful year round. They are easy to grow but need to be shielded from rough weather conditions, such as intense wind or rain and do not do well in soggy soil. Keep soil moist and well drained.

Growth: 9–12 ft. tall, 6–8 ft. wide, slow growing
Light: Sun, partial shade. In Martha’s Vineyard is can be treated as a full sun plant.
Soil: Prefers rich, acidic, moist but well-drained soil
Bloom Time: Late winter, early spring
Flower Color: White, pink
Deer resistant!!
Good choice for foundations and shrub borders
Smaller dwarf varieties can also be planted in containers

(photo credit Ray Ewing)

photo: Ray Ewing

PXL_20230505_173639208.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg

Pieris japonica in late winter

PXL_20240327_150028329.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL.jpg

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HAPPY GARDENING!

PALM SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE

March 22, 2024 Karen Logan

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PALM SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE

SUNDAY MARCH 24, 2024 // 11-2PM

Mark it on your calendars, Sunday March 24, a day to celebrate the beauty of spring!

CELEBRATIONS INCLUDE:

A FREE PLANT GIVE AWAY

Customers will get to pick between two surprise plants

A RAFFLE

This Palm Sunday anyone who makes a purchase at the nursery will get their name thrown into a hat to win a $25 dollar gift card. The name will be drawn Monday, March 25th.

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Vineyard Gardens Nursery is stocked with vegetable seedlings in six-packs, from early season greens to peas. We offer a nice range of plants from the cabbage and mustard family. Kale is in the cabbage family and we are growing at least four kinds of kale. These veggies need to be started early in order to get established before the warm weather hits.

We have a gorgeous assortment of Pansies and Iceland Poppies to add spring color to your window boxes. We also carry a wide array of spring bulbs in pots that can be transplanted into mixed planters. We have an amazing stock of spring and early summer bloomers, including our hardy annuals that we seeded last fall. We also have a variety of beautiful shrubs, in-house grown veggies and all the gardening supplies you will need to to create a beautiful oasis!

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SPRING COLOR

The nip of spring is upon us, the geese are flying north, our garden center on State Road is open and the landscape crews are hard at work on spring clean-up’s. Our greenhouse teams have been busy for weeks sowing seeds and waking up the bulbs we prepared in the fall. Once the season starts there’s no time for resting. As welcome as spring is, the best is yet to come when all the colors start popping!

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VIBURNUM

Viburnums are one of the most popular flowering landscape shrubs. Their bloom spans from early spring through June, followed by attractive fruit and beautiful fall foliage. We have a variety of Viburnum available, including the native Viburnum dentata.

Viburnum varieties available :

Viburnum dentatum
Viburnum dentatum Blue Muffin

Viburnum pragense
Viburnum plicatum 'Mariesii'
Viburnum Nantucket

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MAGNOLIA

MAGNOLIA ROYAL STAR
"An early bloomer with large, fragrant, white, double flowers appearing before the foliage emerges in spring. Useful as an open-branched, multi-trunked large shrub or as a small specimen tree. Excellent cold and heat tolerance for a magnolia."

Magnolia Royal Stars are in bloom and ready to be planted out!
A smaller Magnolia that would add early color to your landscape.

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FORSYTHIA

FORSYTHIA LYNWOOD GOLD
"Brilliant yellow flowers cover the branches in spring. It has deep green foliage with a slight pop of purple tinges in fall."

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MORE SPRING BLOOMING SHRUBS

ORNAMENTAL CHERRIES, RED BUD, AND SAND CHERRIES

[PLANT PROFILE] NARCISSUS

March 19, 2024 Karen Logan

NARCISSUS

(DAFFODIL)

Narcissus, commonly called Daffodils, are hardy spring flowering perennials that come back year after year. They are harbingers of spring, announcing that winter is coming to an end. The large, yellow common daffodil is one of the most ubiquitous springtime plants. There are 40 different species of Narcissus varying in size and ranging in color from white to yellow. They are a great cut flower.

“Plant daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and crocuses together at the edge of a path or walkway. As the flowers bloom in succession, they’ll mask each other’s dying foliage.” Gardenista

Vineyard Gardens Nursery Front Garden Bed filled with Narcissus

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GROWING CONDITIONS & CARE

Narcissus are spring blooming bulbs that are best planted in September or October. They go dormant in the winter and will bloom year after year while multiplying.

Flowering bulbs best to plant in autumn
Light: Sun or some shade
Plant in clumps in well drained soil
Deer resistant!!
Flowers should be removed (deadheaded) as they fade.
After flowering, let the leaves die down naturally for at least six weeks before removal.

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NARCISSUS AVAILABLE AT VINEYARD GARDENS THIS YEAR

Our Netherland forced bulbs that we potted up in the fall are now available!

Narcissus Red Devon
Narcissus Double Flowering 'Tahiti'
Narcissus cyclamineus 'Jetfire'

Narcissus ‘Tete e tete’
Narcissus Trumpet 'Dutch Master'
Narcissus Fortune
Narcissus Large Cupped 'Ice Follies'

We have a lot of the Dutch master variety available!

HAPPY GARDENING!

TIME TO SOW YOUR COOL WEATHER CROPS

July 29, 2023 Karen Logan

TIME TO SOW YOUR COOL WEATHER CROPS FOR FALL

The warmest days of summer mark a time when Martha’s Vineyard gardeners can start a new round of crops. Being on an island surrounded by water allows for an extended growing season with a few light frosts in October but generally there is not a hard frost until November. This long beautiful fall makes it a great reason to plant now for a bountiful autumn harvest!

Lettuces

Mixed Mesclun Greens

Red Leaf Lettuce

Tat soi (miniature Chinese cabbage-like)

Spicy Micro Greens

Arugula Astro

Zonal Scented Geranium

Lavender hidcote

Sage tricolor

Thyme Lemon

Thyme Woolly

Mesculin Mix Asian Salad Greens

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VEGETABLE SEEDS & SEEDLINGS AVAILABLE NOW

START PLANTING TODAY!

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VEGETABLES & GREENS

We have started our first batch of lettuce and arugula.
- We will continue to seed lettuce every couple of weeks into the fall.
- Late in summer we will focus on the hardier winter lettuces.
Our spinach has germinated.
Broccoli and cauliflower
Other greens we are growing:
- Kale
- Oakleaf Lettuce
- Red Swiss Chard
- Asian greens like Pac Choy and Bok Choy

HERBS

Now also available for planting!

Thyme (Lemon & White 'Albiflorus')
Alpine Strawberries
Scented Geraniums
Sage
Germander
Lavender
Rosemary
Greek Oregano
Chives
French Tarragon

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DESCRIPTION OF THE GREENS WE ARE GROWING FROM FEDCO SEED

Broccoli Waltham 29: "We’ve found a reliable strain that consistently produces 6" heads with medium beads on attractive stocky 20" plants."
Arugula Ice bread: "This is arugula with more bite, vigorous with complex full flavors."
Kale Dazzling Blue Dinosaur: "Vigorous 24–34" upright savoyed lacinato-leaved kale in a range of bluish-green shades and all with a dramatic pink mid-rib. Sure to attract attention of chefs, market growers and gardeners alike."
Swiss chard Red rhubarb: "Deep crimson stalks, dark green leaves. Very hardy. Beautiful for edible landscapes. Heirloom from Europe goes back to 1857"
Lettuce red sails: "An attractive large plant with purplish red-splashed rosettes serrated with bubbled frills, Red Sails delivers lightly crunchy lobes with good melting texture. "
Lettuce New red Fire: "Has Red Sails’ characteristic ruffled leaves, though slightly lighter coloration, and good size. Has been among the last to bolt, lasting as late as July 29. Also quite cold-hardy. Tender sweet flavor with almost no bitterness."
Lettuce Black Seeded Simpson: "The earliest and most popular looseleaf variety."
Spinach Tundra: "Tastefully crinkled oval leaves are held off the ground for easy baby-leaf and mature harvests."
Buttercrunch: “Dark green outer leaves with broad mid-ribs and a creamy white center heart. Slow to bolt. Excellent flavor.”
Blue Scotch Kale: “Dense frilly finely curled blue-green leaves on compact upright 12–16" plants stand well, maintain color and resist yellowing in cold and heat. Hardy and productive. Best as a fall crop, planted in July or early August. More variable than the hybrids. Cold-hardy.”
Bok Choy Prize Choy: “Open-pollinated. Classy pac choi with celery-like white stems and vase-shaped 15-18" tall heads. Succulent stems and tender greens.”
[*Descriptions cited from Fedco Seed Catalog]
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WE HAVE LOTS OF SMALL FRUITS AVAILABLE!

BLUEBERRIES (Patriot, Bluecrop, Chippewa, Chandler, Reka & Darrow) / RASPBERRIES (Killarney & Caroline) / BLACKBERRIES (Natchez) / ELDERBERRY (Samdal & Samyl)

RASPBERRIES 50%off

killarney & caroline raspberries

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WARM WEATHER CROPS SUMMER SALE

TOMATOES, EGGPLANT & PEPPERS

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[PLANT PROFILE] GERBER DAISIES

June 12, 2023 Karen Logan

GERBER DAISIES

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Vividly colored Gerber Daisies are best planted in spring after all chances of frost have passed. In our zone, they are considered annuals. They bloom beautifully throughout the summer and die off in winter.

***Varieties***

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* Patio Series:
*Tall larger flower*
*Available in two colors.*
* Jaguar Series:
*Short & ornamental*

GROWING TIPS

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* Bred for the outdoors
* Flourish all summer
* Best grown in 7” pots or
larger
* Large bloom size 4”-5”
* Height 15-18” with
flowers

unleash the wild on your yard

doug tallamy

ANNUALS

June 6, 2023 Karen Logan

ANNUALS

Annuals are plants that are glorious during the summer but do not survive the winter. They produce flowers and seeds all in one season and then the mother plant dies. The seed falls to the ground and often germinates the following spring and the next generation of seedlings emerge. Often the seedlings are identical or very similar to the mother but they also can be somewhat different and different from each other, like brothers and sisters. When the plant reseeds in the area where the mother plant was, it is called colonizing. Poppies, Bachelor Buttons, Cleome, Larkspur, Browallia americana and Nigella are annuals that colonize. Some biennials, like foxgloves, do this as well.

Annuals usually have a much longer bloom season than perennials. Some bloom all summer long. Many reseed and colonize.

Calendula Bon Bon mix / A dwarf Calendula blooms all summer in full sun or part shade. Calendula flowers are edible. Other edible flowers to use as garnishes include Bachelor Buttons, Borage Borago officinalis, Nasturtiums and Violas.

Calibracoa Sweet Peach. Annual blooms all summer.

Calendulas(Taller). Taller calendulas make good cut flowers. Edible.

Reseeding Tips

__________________
* Deadheading flowers
***will keep the plant***
***blooming longer. If your***
***goal is for the plant to***
***reseed, stop***
***deadheading later***
***in the season to***
***let the seed mature.***
***Seeds need to mature in***
***order to reseed.***
* Do not mulch heavily
***around the mother plant***
***if you want it to reseed.***
***A lot of annuals need***
***light to germinate.***
* Many people mulch
***their beds after gardens***
***get cleaned up in fall.***
***You should do it lightly***
***or not at all if you want***
***annuals and biennials***
***to germinate.***
***These are details that***
***will enhance reseeding***
***success.***

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Annuals We Have Available

We have many favorites! The tried and true ones are still around.

There are new introductions of cultivars within each of these.

Geraniums / Impatiens / Cosmos / Cleome / Portulacas / Salvias / Marigolds / Alyssum / Ageratums / Nasturtiums / Nicotianas / Dahlias / Asters / Zinnias / Morning Glories / Amaranthus / Gomphrenas / Pentas / Lisianthus / Scabiosa / Snapdragons / Dusty Miller / Callas / Caladiums / Coleus / Agapanthus / Tropical Hibiscus / Fuchsia

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LONG BLOOMING PROVEN WINNER ANNUALS

Argyranthemums / Osteospermums / Lobularias / Calibrachoas / Euphorbia Diamond Frost / Petunias / Torenias / Diascias / Phlox / Verbenas

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LESSER KNOWN ANNUALS THAT ARE STRONG GARDEN PERFORMERS

Browallia americana / Orlaya grandiflora / Ammi majus / Erigeron karvinskianus / Nigella / Ceratotheca triloba / Rhemania angulata / Emilia coccinea / Tithonia / Sanvitalia / Dahlberg Daisies / Daturas Ricinus / Clary Sage (Blue Monday and Pink Sundae) / Tibouchina urvilleana

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RECOMMENDED DEER RESISTANT ANNUALS

Lantanas / Salvias / Daturas / Ricinus

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TRY ADDING ANNUAL VINES TO CONTAINERS & HANGING BASKETS

Mina lobata / Thunbergias / Cobaea scandens (Cup and Saucer Vine) / Mandevilla

Nasturtiums

Salvia Amistad / Salvia Hummingbird / Verbena Vanessa Purple / Nemesia Bluebird / Petunia Vista White / Hippo White Polka Dot / Dichondra / Euphorbia Frost

Dahlia

Cosmos Sonata Pink

Geraniums

Osteospermum Serenity Bronze

Petunia Easy Wave Blue

Portulaca Fuschia

Portulaca Fuchsia

Salpiglossis

Thunbergias

Calla Lily_Zantedeschia Snow Storm

Ipomoea Heavenly Blue

Calibrachoa_Million Bells

Sweet Alyssum

Nicotiana langsdorfii

Coleus

Cleome Senorita Blanca

Cleome Senorita Rosalita

Hibiscus Tropical Jewel Amber

Hibiscus Tropical Jewel Ruby

Lanatana Bandana Mango

Lantana Sunrise Rose

Lantana Bandana Lemon Zest

Lantana Bandera Red

Lantana Lucsious Golden Gate

Lantana Samantha

Tibouchina urvilleana

Tithonia

Eschscholtzia Californica Orange Poppy

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Add annuals to your perennial beds, containers & hanging baskets

Annuals long bloom season offers a consistency in color that defines the border. The reseeding characteristic helps tie the garden together with repeating blooms throughout the bed. They seem to come up between and within the perennials in a random fashion with no apparent pattern. It is best not to overcrowd perennials but you can plant plenty of annuals between your perennials. Learn to identify the seedlings so you don’t pull them out, thinking that they are weeds.