We’ve decided we can’t wait any longer for spring to arrive. We’re ready for foliage and flowers now – and we’ve filled our flat-top greenhouse with hundreds of new trees, shrubs, and perennials to help you get an early start on the season. Our team from the Nursery Yard couldn’t be more excited. We talked with some of them about what it’s like to get this early jump on spring and to tell us which plants they can’t wait to show you when you come to visit.
Early Planning
Nursery Yard team member Kristin Tweedly says beginning the season in the flat-top greenhouse allows everyone to start enjoying many early spring favorites – from our collection of trees, shrubs, and perennials – a few weeks early and in a more climate-controlled environment. Fellow team member Tom Anderson says that with the cold snowy weather we’ve had recently, getting to see and touch the plants already makes spring feel that much closer. Tom has already talked with several customers about landscape planning and selecting the right plants, which he thinks is wonderful. Careful planning leads to landscape success, and Tom believes having the team available to start these conversations early results in healthier, more beautiful landscapes and happier homeowners in the long run.
So Many Spring Favorites
Planning ahead is great – before the spring rush begins – but of course, getting the chance to see green foliage and even blooms this early in the year is truly exciting too. In this first preview of our nursery collection, we’ve brought together some of your favorite early-spring performers like azaleas, rhododendons, forsythia, bleeding hearts, columbines, and more. We also have some amazing evergreens too, like the eye-catching spruce cultivar ‘Firefly’ that team member Jason Spring is excited to share. He says this unique little spruce stays only six feet tall and four feet wide, and it has bright yellow outer foliage that pops against the darker green interior. It’s a perfect choice for a splash of bright color that won’t get incredibly big either. If you’d like an evergreen that’s a little larger but with that same golden color in the needles, Jason pointed out another spruce cultivar called ‘Skylands’ that gets over ten feet tall. We also have a uniquely textured arborvitae called ‘Whipcord,’ a cool Japanese umbrella pine called ‘Joe Kozey,’ and the juniper ‘Wichita Blue.’ Kristin is particularly happy to see this one because we haven’t carried it in a while, and it has such bright blue foliage. And everyone was quick to point out the double-spiral Alberta spruce – although its fascinating shape draws its own attention.
If you’re craving flowers, team member Karen Martin would be happy to show you our flowering quince, azaleas, and our huge selection of rhododendrons – some of which are already showing off color. Kristin said another of her favorites is the Lenten rose cultivar ‘Ice N’ Roses’ which has gorgeous wine-colored flowers. It blooms in late winter and early spring and loves the shade. Even if they’re not blooming quite yet, many of our plants are putting out new foliage – like the lilacs, wintercreeper, and hydrangeas. And don’t miss longtime team member Nancy Hoffman’s picks – the weeping cherry trees and weeping redbuds. In addition to all the woody varieties, you’ll also see a wide selection of perennials including dianthus, geranium, astilbe, peony, daylily, iris, sedum and more.
So, if you’ve got a bad case of winter blahs and need a sneak peak at spring, come join the Nursery Yard team over in the flat-top greenhouse. It’s a great opportunity to see a little green, maybe a flower or two, and set those landscape plans in motion early this year.
