Fritz Creek Gardens Blog

On occasion we e-mail a short newsletter to subscribers. Much of what is contained in the e-mail is posted below as a blog. It's a great way to keep up with what's going on at Fritz Creek Gardens, alerts to sales specials, gardening tips, plant profiles, and much more.

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Closed for Season

August 15. Fritz Creek Gardens is now closed for the 2009 gardening season. Thank you to our great staff this year and to all of you, our loyal customers. We hope that you and your gardens continue to prosper. Look for us to reopen on April 15, 2010. Check back here from time to time, as we'll let you know what we have in store for next season.

We will continue to leave this blog up for a few months, as there is a lot of great information in here, even though some posts clearly are time-specific.

Final Countdown Sale

August 11. There are only a few days left here at Fritz Creek Gardens to shop for a few last minute perennials, trees, shrubs roses and vines. Our last day to be open for the season is Saturday, August 15.

I took a quick look last night and we have at least 8 very nice trees left. Two sugar maples, 2 weeping evergreens, 2 crab apples (remember how beautiful mine are in the spring in full bloom with their pink flowers), and 2 gorgeous weeping, maroon cut-leaf, white barked birch. Quite outstanding! You all know that our original prices are the best, then you also must know these trees at 50 percent off are the best buy you probably will ever see. If they are too big for your vehicle, we can make arrangements for delivery for $15 a tree. I was surprised to see about 15 roses left at 30 percent off so I lowered them to 50 percent this morning. I'm sure they'll be gone quickly. You know our Alaska Hardy® roses are sold all over the state, including North Pole and on the chain. They are truly hardy.

The purple spiky flowers you are seeing in bloom all over town now are probably Veronica, Nepeta or Salvias. We have two tables left of these wonderful plants at 30% off.

Other plants are priced up to 60 percent off. These are not sick or damaged plants, just a few too many I ordered for the season. Plus the fact we are closing early this year makes for a few "left overs."

I've missed seeing everyone these past two weeks with Leroy in the hospital but I think I have the absolute best total crew I've ever had and I know you've been getting good service. If I don't see you this week (I'll be around off and on) I look forward to seeing you next spring. Have a great winter.

Holding Beds and More

July 16. Do you have your holding beds ready? We've talked about this before. Every serious gardener needs a holding bed. This bed should be in the very best situation closest to your garden type. By that I mean if you have mostly shade gardens, your holding bed should be a shade bed, etc. This bed should have the best growing conditions possible, including good soils. The purpose is to accept plants that you aren't ready for your existing gardens. Why would you use this bed?

Suppose you have a huge iris that must be divided but you don't have another spot for the divisions. You can put the divisions in your holding bed until you have a new site for them, or you can keep them in good shape for trading material, one of my favorites. Suppose your friend has some divisions she or he doesn't need for his or her own gardens and is looking to trade or give away. You could put those in your holding bed, again, until you have a permanent home. And then there is the end of season sales about to begin right now. Buying on-sale plants is a double winner. First of all you get the best price and then putting them in your holding bed you have a much more mature plant for next year.

Hit n Miss Sales

We are working everyday getting plants ready for storage for next season, looking at reducing some inventory on certain items and putting them on special. These change daily as we adjust. Stop by when you have time to see what's up for grabs that day.

Sale on Bark is Back

I was able to find some more of the small nugget bark perfect for mulching gardens. I always buy in the fall at the discount stores for next year so I can pass on the savings to my customers. Why? Because the more successful you are, the better my business. Because our season is going on and on, and on and on, I have bark for this season now. The price is $7.75 for a 2 cubic foot bag. In addition to looking great, bark will hold moisture, which this year turns out to be more important than ever. Also, the mulch will protect your plants a bit for the winter. When we advertised this bark earlier, it was the larger bark more suitable for pathways and under trees and shrubs. This bark is perfect for perennial gardens.

Great Apple Tree Sale!

Here's the deal: our apple trees usually sell for $65. Now, we are offering the first tree at this regular price but the second tree is half price ($32.50). That's a sweet deal.

Currently in stock:

7 'Harcourt' — medium-sized bright red, mild and pleasant flavored apple. Excellent apple for eating, cooking and storage. Ripens in late summer, early fall.

5 'Battleford' — medium sized, green-yellow with red stripe. Good for eating and cooking with fair storage qualities. Ripens in late summer, early fall.

4 'Goodland' — large green blushed-red apple. Excellent for eating, cooking or storing. Ripens in late fall.

1 'Norland' — medium-sized green eating and cooking apple with red stripes. Stores well if picked under-ripe. Semi-dwarf habit. Ripens in late summer, early fall.

2 'September Ruby' — large, sweet bright red apple excellent for fresh eating and juicing with good storage quality. Ripens late summer, early fall.

Questions Continue About Dormancy

June 30. I have a theory that makes common sense. You know that I've admitted many times that I am not a scientist, so I have to look for things that make common sense to me. My trees did not lose their leaves last fall. When the trees are making leaves and blooms, the sap or nutrients are flowing up to feed that part of the tree. When fall comes (we had no fall last year) the leaves fall off and the starches (nutrients) start going down and into the roots. That didn't happen last year. There are still brown leaves on some of our trees from last year. We went from a crummy summer to winter.

I think our trees, shrubs and even our bigger perennials are confused. They didn't get the starches they needed last fall and are way behind in production. The sad part of this story is that they may come back weakly this year and not make it back next year. This also is common sense. They won't get robust enough to make it back. Wish I had better answers. We, too, have lots of trees and shrubs that have only a few leaves close to the bottoms of their trunks, etc. No flowers. The only exception is my crabapples. One has bloomed magnificently and is a treasure even more since the others are still slow.

Our large perennials and woody-stemmed perennials also seem to have taken a hit. Oh well, I've been working in the gardens myself this past week (yeah) and I'm looking at these losses as an opportunity to try something new or redo a garden I've been contemplating for a while. And I must admit, I am enjoying myself.

The photo at right is one I took on one of my trips to Tennessee. Just a "tickler" of some of the endless ideas out there!

The Infamous $2 Table is Back

Every year about this time we have pots of plants that aren't quite up to our high standards. They may not be full enough, tall enough, or maybe there is more than one variety in the same pot — or even in the wrong size pot. Rather than throw them out (like the nursery manual says I should do) I pass these still great plants on to you by putting them on the $2 table. It's fun for me and my gardeners to see if there isn't something on that table that is just perfect for a hole in their garden. After all, we all love a bargain.

Christmas Shopping Now?

We sell a lot of gift certificates year-round. We've never had a customer come in with a gift certificate who wasn't ecstatic with his or her gift. Many are first time visitors and this is fun for everyone. We love to show folk around. These are the people from whom we hear such words as "enchanting," "hidden treasure," "peaceful," "haven," "sanctuary," "charming." We love it. And they love you for the gift. We think you also are special, so we have a gift for you, too! When you purchase a gift certificate for $25 or more, we'll give you a special plant as a little gift of your own. This way, you have a memory as well as your giftee.

Alders for Blocking Views, Dust and Noise

This next week we will start clearing our property across the road for the next Paeonia project. This area is covered with nice alders. You remember that alders grow very quickly, and they have little pea-sized pods of nitrogen at the end of their roots to help build up better soils. They can go wild or be trimmed up for a nice structured look.

We will be mechanically pulling these alders out and many will be viable. We would rather see them go to a good home at a great price than chip them. They will be somewhat stripped of their soils and will require immediate planting and to keep the price down, we will not be wrapping them or potting them as we do our regular trees. If you bring out a five-gallon bucket, we would fill it with water for the trip home. Please call ahead as I'm not in control of this project and it will be a catch-as-catch-can thing.

Our Special Holiday Drawings

If you've been out this past week, you know we are giving you a flier about our 4th of July celebration. Take a close look because your flier has a number on it. We will be giving away several gifts, including trees, shrubs, roses and perennials during the 4th celebration based on that number on your flier. Shop this week to be included in this special give-away. Stay tuned for our 4th specials and, as always, our loyal e-mail customers will be offered the opportunity to shop early before the general public.

Expanded Hours to Compensate for Closing Early

Last year we were open into October. This year we are probably going to close much earlier, maybe even as early as July 30. I haven't decided for sure yet. In order to help compensate for this and because I can't turn folk away, we have changed our open hours back to 7 days a week. I know, it's confusing, and I apologize. Here's the deal: When I'm working in my gardens on Monday and Tuesdays (previously closed) and a van from Seward, Sterling or Anchorage arrives with 2, 3, or 4 of our wonderful gardeners, it's pretty hard to say "oh, yes, we're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays." Not! So I've asked my crew, and they have agreed to help split up and cover all 7 days. I may not be here all 7 days, but someone will be here to help you with your choices.

Garden Mulch

The perennials, trees, shrubs and roses we sell are hardy. They do not require winter mulches. Having said that, I believe in mulch. Not for hardiness but for weed control, moisture control and, finally, appearance. There are many good mulch materials out there. But there are a few you shouldn't use, too. One you don't want to use is sawdust. Sawdust is decomposing and requires nitrogen to do that job. It is not discriminate. Sawdust will suck the nitrogen out of your soil and leave you with poor soils. Another no-no is applying too much mulch. This will keep the weeds out but will also keep the soils colder in the spring and will require you to remove the mulch in the spring or have a very late — if ever — garden.

We use bark at lot and prefer the tiny bark. Sometimes it isn't available, like last year, and we had to use the larger bark. I've found this is not only unattractive, but my gardens with this bulky bark mulch are coming up a lot slower than other gardens with the smaller bark. I think the large bark is keeping the soil colder longer, certainly something we don't need.

Another mulch we use, especially in our rock gardens, is pea gravel. I love this little gravel. It looks great and if you put enough on, it really does help with weeds and watering. Usually rock gardens require little watering and, with the mulch, they are practically self-sufficient. One caveat: when you see the scree at the bottom of rock mountains, you don't see everything the same exact size as what you purchased at the gravel yard. You'll see various sizes, so what we do is after we get everything mulched, we go around the driveway or walkways where we have mixed sizes of gravel and scoop up a few shovelfuls and scatter that on top of the pea gravel. It certainly makes for a more natural look. In larger areas we even try to find a few larger fist-sized rocks to break up the surface.

I'm sure there are several sources for this pea gravel but we just got an entire pick-up load this past week from Dibble Creek's lot up by the dump on Baycrest, and I'm sure the cost will be less than $30. Can't beat that for economics.

Summer is Here!

June 24. It's officially summer and what a perfect way to usher in an Alaskan summer. First, with the rain we needed so very much, giving a good deep drink to our gardens, saving water from our overused wells and giving a good wetting of our forests to ward off fires and help the understudy growth. And just about as perfect as you can get, the sun is out now! We gardeners are certainly blessed this year with great weather.

It was nice seeing all of our Anchorage gardeners Sunday at the Alaska Botanical Garden Fair, especially those Primula addicts I love so very much. It's nice to have fellow enthusiasts to talk Primula. And, yes, I saw a few I don't have and I'm working on my trade material right now. Money doesn't work with true Primula lovers.

I was certainly disappointed recently to find out I'm not Super Woman. I've been living an illusion for years now. Even the "energy bunny" title my kids call me may not be valid after all. But, I feel great and I will carry on with maybe a couple more breaks here and there and possibly shorten my season a bit. Stay tuned for that decision. Currently we are scheduled to close August 15. I may have to move that up to July 30. I will try to give you as much notice as possible.

More Goodies

We were able to make a quick trip to our grower north of Anchorage and picked up a few more great plants, including more Anemone sylvestris. This is one of my very favorite plants. Some say it really self-seeds for them and I asked them. Their answer was, yes it's great. I thought perhaps they were calling this beauty a thug. I would have had to have a discussion with them. It does self-seed, but it is so sweet and not big enough to cause any problems. If you are really concerned, you can cut the cotton ball of seeds off in the fall. Personally, I love the informal look I get in my gardens when plants make babies in their own chosen locations.

Deadheading

Which leads me to deadheading. Why do we deadhead? First of all, the remaining plant will bloom longer and better. Why is that? Because you are removing the dead head, which when not removed, will go to seed, taking the energy that would continue to make blooms and using it for seed making. The second reason is to keep the plant from going to seed and making babies perhaps where you don't want them. This is how we control thugs in the garden, by removing their capacity to make seeds. There are thugs that spread other than by seeds so deadheading isn't the answer for everything.

Some plants spread by rhizome underground. Those can be real problems to control. You might consider planting these tough guys in big pots and sinking the entire pot into the ground. Then there are those that spread by rhizome and seeds. It is decision time. If this particular plant is something you really, really want in your garden, you must make a commitment to deadhead and plant in pots. If you don't, you won't lose your job, you won't gain 10 pounds and your 401s won't go in the toilet, but there will be dire consequences. You will be weeding seedlings out for many years to come. Not just one season mind you, but for years to come.

Odds & Ends

This is the last week we will offer mail or stage coach orders. If you need something, please let us know ASAP. We are now moving into the garden maintenance phase and the propagation for next year phase. If you happen to be at the gardens when we are digging up our mother plants, you might have an opportunity to get a piece of something we've not had available for several seasons, or at least this season. For example, we will be propagating the coveted brightest of all purple Primula marginata next week.

I keep thinking this is my favorite time of the year. When we first open the greenhouses and we see everyone for the first time in the season, the new plants are so welcome after a long winter; this must be my favorite time. Then there is the time when the gardens start to wake up and the first blooms arrive — and of course the anxiety of what did or didn't make it — must be my favorite time, and now. The greenhouse business has slowed just enough, the new crew knows enough to work alone and I actually have time to get out into my own gardens. Surely, this is my favorite time.

If you are a new gardener and are interested in learning a bit, stop by and follow me around the garden as I weed, fertilize, mulch, move plants around, deadhead, add new plants and so forth. Call ahead to make sure I'm doing that on your free day. I don't plan very far in advance. Maybe that is my favorite thing, sharing what I have learned and experienced with other gardeners.

See you in the gardens!

Rita Jo

Dormancy Issues

June 17. Just in case you missed my e-mail about dormancy, here it is again. Trees and shrubs are taking an extraordinary time breaking dormancy this year for reasons I can't fathom. So don't despair. We had two smaller trees show buds for the first time this Friday. We still have a few shrubs that are showing no new growth but when we cut the stems, there is green showing, which indicates life somewhere. So be patient. Don't dig anything up yet. There's always time later to replace it if necessary, or make a new garden or as we call it, when something dies — an opportunity.

Hanging Basket Sale

You know how much maintenance one hanging basket requires? It requires watering and making sure it's not too much or too little, and it requires a weekly inspection for bugs or diseases. That's what everyone should be doing right now with their baskets. How about if you have about 100 of them? Well that's where we are, along with 7,500 Paeonia tubers coming, etc. So something has to give (or go). We decided the hanging baskets are first on the list. So until they are gone they are buy the first one at regular price and get the second one at 50 percent off. We have a radio ad that started today that says "Take advantage of our sale on fully blooming hanging baskets. Bring your biggest vehicles as they are really, truly huge. Buy one basket and get 50 percent off the second basket." Our baskets are the best: they are made with water crystals, our secret soil formula, 12-inch plastic pots with water wells and Proven Winners plants. Hope you have time to take advantage of this offer and help us out too.

Those Bloomin' Roses

The second ad you may hear running is for our roses. That ad goes like this: It's easy to understand why we repeatedly receive requests to mail out our Alaska Hardy roses to gardeners all over the state. After all, what grows successfully in Yakatat, North Pole, King Salmon, and Homer? With over 26 varieties, many hardy to as cold as minus 50 F, a range of colors from yellows to reds, from pinks to whites, and sizes from 18 inches to our beautiful 10-foot climbers, again, it's a no brainer. That's Rosa 'Morden Belle' in the photo at right.

The only surprise might be, why don't you have an Alaska Hardy Rose from Fritz Creek Gardens? They are not on sale; however if you give the secret code (R101) to Caitlin or Megan when you cash out, they will give you a 10 percent discount. That is not on the radio. Only for our very special e-mail customers (and readers). The instructions for successful planting and growing of these beauties is here but we will be glad to give you a hard copy if you need it.

There always is something happening at the greenhouse that we don't have time to write about or mention on the radio. So when you have time, take a quick trip out to see what's happening. The gardens are starting to look fantastic, too, so that is another reason to make the trip.

We'll see our Anchorage gardeners at the Alaska Botanical Garden Fair in Anchorage on Sunday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you need something, let me know and I'll do my best to include it in the packing.

Plants & Dirty Shoes

June 12. I just returned from an unplanned trip to visit Walt Mayr and wife, Elsie. Walt is 95 years old now and I think the oldest nurseryman in Alaska. He is retiring after 51 years in the business. When he called to tell me this, I had to make one more trip. And it was rewarding to me, and it could be for you, too, as I was able to get some plants I've been coveting for years. Some are available now and others will be in the future as we propagate them.

Clematis integrifolia

This shrubby Clematis is always a No. 1 sell-out the minute folk see it (photo at right). The leaves of Clematis integrifolia cocoon the bright blue flower until it's at the exact maturity then — pop! — and out comes the bloom. Pretty exciting to witness from beginning to end. We had a waiting list for years until we decided we wouldn't ever be able to fill it and now we have them from Walt.

Trollius, Trollius and Trollius

But, if you like something a bit different, there's the early-blooming T. europaeus that is orange, 'Orange Prince'.

The little Trollius pumilus bloom early also but are only about 5-8 inches tall, extremely fragrant and totally loveable. We have a few of these in full, full pots.

Finally the rare white Trollius. We have been trying to find these for years. Remember the 500 tissue culture plants I got from Belgium that died? Remember all those years (13) of hearing me complain about not being able to get them to germinate from seed and that they grow so slow so not much chance of division? Well, wouldn't you know, I found 'Alabaster' in Holland this year in a bareroot and was so excited (even though they are spendy at $20) and then we found T. 'laxus' at Walt's in the same year. The one from Walt's isn't quite as mature so we are selling it for $15, but it is every bit as gorgeous. The picture is of 'Alabaster' in our gardens. Both of these are in limited supply but just to have any is such a bonus for us.

Dirty Shoes

You may be organized enough to divide your day and duties into going outside to garden until you are done. But not me. I'm in and out, in and out all day with muddy or dirt-caked shoes. You can buy (and pay for) cute little things you slip on your shoes when you have to run into the house or — you can take the free shower caps you brought home from your last hotel visit and slip them on your feet (or the booties from the hospital I hope you don't have). These work just as well and can be pitched without guilt when dirty.

What a whirlwind week. Our 3,500 Paeonia in the cut flower field are up and about right along with the horsetail, the gardens are finally really waking up, although the shrubs are being a bit stubborn, our successful trip to Walt's, mom is visiting, plus the greenhouse is humming right along. This is supposed to keep me young right?

Blueberries & Other Edibles

May 31 What a beautiful Sunday morning. A nice rain last night means less watering today and more time for playing in the gardens. The small misty/rainy days are really the best for planting, however, even if not the best for us humans. It is a shock to move or plant new plants and the mist is very welcome, as it provides a natural defense against extreme transpiration. Transpiration is the normal escape of water vapor from a plant's leaves that affects growth and wilting. I'm sure you've planted a gorgeous specimen in the ground only to watch it go through a wilt stage and — maybe yes or no — recover. If you are a greenhouse grower you probably have a mist system for your new plants. It's really nice when Mother Nature provides this atmosphere for us, isn't it? Every serious gardener has a comfy set of rain gear for planting!

Perfect "Fake" Blueberries

If you're one of the folk who have tried unsuccessfully to grow blueberries, don't despair. These new honeyberry plants (Lonicera) are the answer. They are, first of all, easy to grow. Yes, I'm serious. Secondly, they taste just like blueberries. And thirdly, the berries are larger than regular blueberries so you get more blueberries for your buck and time and effort.

This year we are carrying Lonicera caerulea, variety L. edulis 'Polar Night' and 'Jewel'. Both of these male and female plants are in the same pot. If you recognize the word Lonicera as a honeysuckle, you are correct. Not a vine but a shrub, these great new plants produce a dark purple elongated berry that carries all the same health benefits and the same taste as regular blueberries. Our plants are in 5-gallon pots, selling for $45 (both male and female plants) and right now you can see the berries hanging beautifully all over the plants.

Other Edibles

We're very proud of our supply of edible trees and shrubs. We still have the popular apple varieties, several varieties of currents, gooseberries, cranberries, and much more. You can check out this web site for a data list. Which brings up a funny story. BOTANICAL NAMES are sometimes difficult and many gardeners refer to the "common names." Well, there are often many common names for the same plant. I can remember the first time someone asked for "old man's beard" and I had no clue. It's the Tangutica Clematis, named for the seed pods that turn yellow in the fall and do actually look like an old man's beard. So when our wonderful guru webmaster and our new just as wonderful tree and shrub gal started trying to agree on common names for trees and shrubs, I could hardly be polite. It was quite funny to me. I'm just going to let them duke it out between themselves. In the meantime, enjoy the list and perhaps gloss over the common names for now.

2009 Shrub & Tree List »

Anchorage Trip: First Warning

We will be coming to Anchorage to pick up my mom on June 9. We will be bringing trees, shrubs, and perennials. If you have something you would like, just let me know and we'll see if we have room. We ALWAYS fill up the 15-passenger van, so don't wait too long to make a decision. I'm happy to say I inherited my energy from my mom. She is 89 now and still holds down a part time paying job!

Dandelions

Jeff Lowenfels had a great column this past week on dandelions. They are such notorious ladies. With 25-plus acres surrounding our Paeonia fields, there is no way I'll ever be dandelion-free, so we take steps. The first step is right now: we take a plastic sack and walk up and down every row and pick off the flower buds and dispose them in the trash, not the compost pile. When and if we have time we'll dig up as many as we can. And the last step is that if we miss some (and we always do) we'll take our little dust bunny battery-operated vacuum and suck up the seed heads. Hand picking them at that stage is impossible without broadcasting thousands of seeds. And you thought you'd seen everything in the gardens!

Hanging Baskets

Our famous huge hanging baskets are ready to go to their new homes. There are just enough blooms so that you can make a good decision but not so full they won't still fit in your trunk. Well, most of them will still fit in the trunk. They sell for $35 and they are in 12-inch plastic pots with strong wire hangers. About one-half of our baskets are already spoken for by the folk who come every year for these special baskets. They know we use water-absorbing crystals, bone meal, and kelp for better blooming experiences and easier maintenance. We hope you'll give them a try and we're sure you'll be on the "reserve" list next year.

The Gardens

Our display gardens are open and are free this time of year. We will impose the $2 charge beginning around June 15. Remember, the $2 can be used to purchase plants after your garden stroll.

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Fritz Creek Gardens
PO Box 15226, Homer, AK 99603
Phone: (907) 235-4969
Fax: (907) 235-8116


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