Rutgers Nursery is pleased to announce its recent partnership with J.P. Case Middle School in Flemington to enhance their horticulture and environmental programs! We are so excited to share our love of plants with a new generation — together we can plant for the future!
Stay tuned for upcoming programs and events!
Evergreens are a hearty bunch. Though they hang onto much of their leaves throughout the year, evergreens are fall-shedding and drop leaves too! The secondary growth (old) from the center of the trunk is where they drop their leaves to store carbs for winter. This is how they make it through tough winters! But from time to time, they need a little help from us. There are a few easy DIY methods to help reduce leaf burn and branch damage. One product that we recommend is WiltPruf, a polymer spray derived from pine trees. WiltPruf is great to help protect the moisture content of leaves in evergreen trees and shrubs including skip laurels, azaleas, hollies, magnolias, rhododendrons, and boxwoods. The best time to spray WiltPruf is during the fall on a mild day when rain is not in the immediate forecast, as it needs dry conditions to be effective.
Another method that can really help reduce evergreen damage is by being a proactive home gardener. After snowfall, knock off the snow from your shrubs with a long handled broom. The key is to not let the snow sit for too long and freeze into a hard block of ice.
Recently, one of our customers told us how they’d construct open plywood boxes around their boxwoods which sat slightly under the eaves. The boxes helped prevent the melting snow and ice from landing on top of them.
With a little preparation and by being proactive, your evergreens will be healthy and happy come Spring!
Stressful weather conditions are inevitable factors that can harm your trees and shrubs. If you’re lucky, mother nature may grant your plant a second chance. Even with significant seasonal damage, you may be able to revive what’s left if there are signs of new growth. For example, take a look at the crape myrtle ‘bush’ in the foreground. Winter damage killed off the central trunk, but not the entire tree. New shoots came up from the bottom, yielding a more bush-like form, which still produced a multitude of gorgeous flowers in the summertime. This new form can be kept, or you may be able to achieve its former upright appearance. As new “suckers” begin to grow from below, you can select the 3-4 that look the strongest and let them grow, pruning the others away. To encourage the “suckers” to develop nice and straight, twine can be used to help brace the new young trunks upwards.
To learn more about how to revive a stressed crape myrtle, stop by our nursery — our knowledgeable staff is happy to help!
The colors of the season sure are shining bright! Kick it up a notch by adding festive pumpkins and gourds to accent steps, container planters and entryways. A customer recently shared with us how she carves pumpkins to make an au natural vase for fall flowers! Come stop by our nursery and check out our stunning collection of decorative pumpkins and gourds, many of which are grown on our farm!
To me, the specimens we carry in our Plant Gallery are those that serve more as artistic pieces. They both improve the landscape and intrigue the beholder.
As you might guess, it’s hard for me to pick just one! A few of my favorites include the Fernleaf Maple (Acer Japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’), Paperbark Maple (Acer Griseum), Japanese Snowbell (Styrax Japonica), and the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) — whose foliage right now is quite spectacular!
Contrary to what one may think, they actually require less maintenance! You generally get the benefit of the slow growth and hardiness of a specimen plant — with the exception of the Dawn Redwood, which is hardy and grows exceptionally fast!
Like any plant, it truly depends on its needs as far as nutrients, light requirements, and pruning. Most are very easy to care for.
Attendees are welcome to bring pictures of their property to help assess which specimen might be a good fit. They are also welcome to take pictures as well!
For more information on plants carried or grown by Rutgers Nursery, click here.
Believe it or not, this showy flowering tree is native to our area, offering eye-catching color along with sweet, fragrant summertime blossoms. The Sourwood tree prefers acidic, rich, well-drained soil, and can reach heights of 20-40.’ As it’s typically an understory tree, it can handle part sun as well as full, making it quite adaptable to landscape location. The Sourwood tree gets its name because its leaves have a sour taste — which contradicts its sweet shades of peachy orange and red as it comes into fall color (another sweet fact is that bees love its blossoms, and sourwood honey is a delicious local treat).
This color is truly boldness to behold — stop in for a visit!
This gorgeous evergreen exhibits classic and beautifully decorative cones in the fall. Elegant and slender in habit, this tree is great in a grouping or as an individual specimen, reaching a mature height of about 30′ tall, and 10′ wide.
This majestic spruce produces compact cones of a deep purple hue. Combine that with a height reaching 50′ tall and 20′ wide, it’s not hard to see how this tree is a true show stopper.
This slow growing, stripe-needled pine is another tree that’s two-fold ornamental. Vibrant alternating yellow and green needles truly illustrate its name, and light, creamy green cones are wonderful cool season highlights.
This viburnum variety boasts showy white flowers in the spring which turn into super beautiful glossy blue drupes in the fall. This shrub reaches a mature height of about 8′ tall and 8′ wide, and attracts both birds and butterflies.
Bright, cheery berries adorn this deep, blue-green foliaged holly that reaches a moderate height of 10′ tall and 8′ wide. This is an excellent choice for a partially sunny spot that could use a little brightening up!
This festive, fall-berried viburnum has a sweet lacecap bloom in the spring that attracts a host of friendly pollinators! Come fall, blooms burst into gemmed bright cranberry red clusters.
Golden hues abound at the nursery, and these gorgeous trees are certainly stealing the spotlight.
The Ogon Dawn Redwood (also appropriately called Gold Rush), is a chartreuse, pyramidal variety that is fast growing and can reach a mature height of up to 80 feet! It puts on a fantastic, eye-catching display in any garden landscape.
Frans Fontaine Hornbeam is also quite literally beaming, displaying its stately columnar shape, which is excellent planted individually, as a hedge, or for situating in narrow planting spaces. With an average height of 30′ tall and about 12′ wide, it takes and becomes its own spotlight!
Our Maidenhair Ginkos are also letting down their golden hair, with vibrant bright yellow fan-like leaves. This gorgeous ornamental shade tree can get 40′ tall with a canopy of 25.’ It holds a pyramidal shape, and is drought tolerant and can handle many soil types.
Come in and experience the glow!
Who needs Blu-ray when you can get this type of high definition naturally? Whether or not you’re ready for fall, our Japanese Maples sure are, and currently are putting on quite the fiery display. Japanese Maples make a great addition to your backyard landscape, and because they can handle part shade, are excellent for brightening up an area that needs a little kick of color. We have many types to choose from in stock, ranging from adorable ornamentals to stately Japanese Bloodgoods.
Lovely Pagoda Dogwood. Photo credit: Distant Hill via photopin
Make the Pagoda Dogwood part of your backyard sanctuary!
The Pagoda Dogwood is named after its unique, distinctive layered branches, much like a multi-tiered pagoda temple. This dogwood variety is a bit heartier than other flowering dogwood; better tolerates the cold and wind; and thrives in moist soil and partial shade. Ranging from 15-30′ in height with an equal spread in its canopy, Pagoda Dogwoods make a statement whether planted alone or together in a row.
Pagoda Dogwoods are most noted for their beautiful masses of sweet-smelling, luscious white flowers that bloom in early summer (birdwatchers take note: the blossoms and fruit attract a variety of birds and butterflies!). Blooms later yield fruit that ripen to shades of deep-purple. Summertime is upon us, and soon these fragrant blossoms will be too — so stop into our nursery to indulge your senses!