Wondering if it’s okay to put pansies outside? At Van Wilgen’s we have a saying: pansies are tiny but tough. You might think they should be kept inside this time of year, but these spring annuals are not meant to be coffee table plants… they love the cool temps!

Ideally, you’ll want to keep these annuals between 45 and 65 degrees and in full sun, though they can tolerate temperatures as low as 28 degrees! If the pansies are frozen, any ice will melt in the morning sun and they’ll bounce right back to life. Unless you have a cold area in your house, they will begin wilting indoors in a day or two. If you’re worried about a steep temperature drop outside you can cover them overnight with a sheet or a box. If they aren’t planted, you can bring them in overnight before you go to bed but make sure they’re out again by the time you make the coffee in the morning.

Pansies typically last from March to the end of June so it’s the perfect time to take some home to brighten up your front door for instant springtime color. In cooler summers, they can even last as late as the end of August. To prolong the season and promote more flowers, be sure to deadhead your pansies as much as possible, and keep them in tip-top shape with Van Wilgen’s Super Bloom Booster.

No matter what color you prefer or how you enjoy them, pick up a few pansies now and enjoy these tough little signs of spring!

Everyone knows chrysanthemums as the classic autumn annual, but people often wonder just how long they will last, and when all those buds are going to open. The answers to these questions depend heavily on temperature and the intensity and duration of sun exposure. However, we can narrow down a window where you can expect to have a nice display of beautiful fall color from your mums!

Chrysanthemums do best in a full day’s worth of direct sun but will tolerate down to a part shade setting, and they prefer cooler days.

When chrysanthemums have more buds than flowers, it takes cooler nights and sunny days to help their blooms fully open. How long that takes depends on how nice Mother Nature is to us.

When in color, under optimum conditions, you can expect your mums to bloom for about 4-6 weeks. We have early, mid, and late-season bloomers; if timed correctly, your early blooming mums will provide color from August to September, the mid-season bloomers from September to mid-October, and the late-season bloomers will finish the season off from mid-October to the first frost.

Forget the thermometer, you know when the warm weather’s here when you see hummingbirds! Hummingbirds are incredibly smart little birds, capable of navigating great distances and clever enough to return to their previous summer’s feeding grounds. Their diet consists of nectar and small insects, with flower nectar as their main preference. To attract them, plant a yard full of nectar-rich plants. June is an excellent time to plant, so get out in the yard and start on your hummingbird garden with some of their favorite annual and perennial picks below!

PERENNIALS

Foxglove

Foxglove offers a ton of nectar in their tube-shaped flowers which hummingbirds and bees love. They also come in a beautiful variety of colors like deep pinks, peach, and purples, and have unique speckled throats.

Monarda (Bee Balm)

Bee Balm is surging in popularity as it is a well-known favorite of hummingbirds and one of the best options to attract them! It is also attractive to butterflies and bees, so you will see a ton of pollinators coming to visit. This plant does best in full sun, but can be grown in partial shade.

Hosta

This popular shade perennial is also a great choice for hummingbirds during their bloom period! Hostas usually flower for about 3-4 weeks between May and September, depending on the variety. Choose a more fragrant variety like ‘Stained Glass’ or ‘Royal Crest’, since hummingbirds tend to prefer these over less fragrant ones.

Gaura

Gaura is an excellent low-maintenance perennial option with good drought tolerance, perfect for withstanding high heat! Put this in your pollinator pathway and watch bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds enjoy them.

ANNUALS

Salvia guarnanitica

This annual is a fabulous summer performer for full sun and an excellent hummingbird magnet. 2 to 3′ tall spire flowers begin in May and continue until October. This salvia dispels the myth that hummingbirds only frequent red flowers. Yes, these little birds are attracted to reds but forage from countless other colors too!

Fuchsia

Consistent, heavy bloomer, making them a great choice for pots, planters, and hanging baskets. Well known for attracting hummingbirds!

Cuphea ignea “cigar plant“

Orange, tubular flowers cover the bushy plants starting in summer and continue until frost. Cigar plants have tons of flowers and are nectar-rich. More flowers mean more hummingbird visits! This annual can be used as a bedding plant or in containers.

Lantana

With its bright colors, fragrance, and plenty of nectar, Lantana is frequently visited by pollinators! It is an excellent container plant and able to withstand high temperatures. It is also left alone by deer and rabbits and is relatively disease-free.

FEEDERS

Start getting hummingbirds into your yard right now with our large variety of feeders!

What can go outside and when? We get this question a lot this time of year. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as simple as giving you a date—nighttime temperatures drive it, so staying on top of the daily weather forecast is crucial. Since Mother Nature is unpredictable, we stick to the following rules of thumb, knowing that it’s all about being flexible and keeping an eye on the forecast.

Annuals fall into a couple of basic planting temperatures:

  • Cold Tolerant (40 degrees or higher): This category includes Fuchsias, Petunias, Nemesia, Dianthus, Osteospermum Daisies, Sweet Alyssum, Snapdragons, and Dusty Miller. If you want summer color in early spring, these are great options.
  • Tropical (over 50 degrees): Everything else requires temperatures over 50 degrees (24/7) to be safely put outside. This includes tropicals, houseplants, citrus, and figs.

Mother Nature is always in control. Our smartphones make it a lot easier; simply look at any weather app and check the hourly tracking. If temperatures are forecast to drop below those listed above, cover your plants with some type of cloth … but never use plastic! Better yet, bring your plants inside at night (if possible).

Hint: watch what we do at Van Wilgen’s on our front patio. When it’s safe to put tropicals out for good, you will see them everywhere!

As winter’s grip becomes weaker, the first signs of Spring are the audible ones– American Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds starting to announce their presence after their long winter silence.

March is the transition from Winter to Spring and with warmer days ahead plants and flowers, just like our Van Wilgen’s customers, are starting to venture outside. Last week one of my neighbors had been unwell, so I asked Brianna to make up a planter for them. Cold-tolerant plants such as Pansies, Violas, Ranunculus, Tulips, Hyacinths and Daffodils offer resilience against any occasional cold nights or frosty mornings and are guaranteed to bring some colorful cheer back into our lives.

As the old English proverb says, March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb!

As our days get shorter and the nights get cooler, it’s time to start thinking about fall colors and decorating for the season!

One of our staple fall plants here at the garden center is traditional fall mums. They’re available in a wide range of colors, which means you can create a beautiful fall container to match any décor. So what pairs well with mums? Mum buddies! (Or at least that’s what we call them.) There’s really no shortage of mum companion plants, especially given the large variety of colors. We’ve rounded up a short list of just a few of our favorites.

 

Mums

What goes better with mums than more mums? Mix and match colors for a striking combination.

 

Cabbage & Kale

We love using these hearty, leafy plants in containers since they’ll continue to look great even as temperatures start to drop. They’re even known to withstand snow.

 

Grasses

There’s a wide range of grasses you can use in your fall containers to add a touch of color, texture, and interest with varying heights. We especially love varieties that turn red and burgundy as it gets cooler.

 

Aster

Daisy-like blossoms, with a resemblance to a star, will give your garden a fresh new shade of color. While many fall color pallets are in the conventional red, orange, yellow, Asters offer some cool alternatives in purples, whites, and pinks.

 

Croton

For bright fall color which nearly resembles tie-dye, we love using Croton in our containers, and later bringing it back inside as a houseplant.

 

Pansies

One of our favorite spring flowers makes a comeback in the fall! With lots of colors available you can match your flowers to any arrangement, or add a contrasting pop of color.

 

Celosia

Celosia offers fun textures for your fall containers or landscapes that last all the way into the fall.

 

Heather

These late bloomers are great for adding fall color right as more tender plants begin to die back.

 

Sedum

Stunning fall texture comes from both the foliage and flowers of sedum. Both drought and heat tolerant, sedum is especially ideal for late summer/early fall containers which may still be exposed to hot temperatures.

 

Ornamental Peppers

With constantly ripening fruit, you can expect to see a range of colors on one single plant, for an evolving fall display.

 

Once you have the perfect fall container planted up with mums and their buddies, you can pair it with pumpkins, cornstalks, hay bales, and even some Indian corn. Your space will be feeling like fall in no time! Need Help? Stop by the garden center and we can give you a hand selecting your fall plants and accessories!

With summer here, it means more time spent outside, with lots of cookouts and family gatherings on decks and patios. To create a welcoming space that everyone will enjoy, dress up your outdoor areas with beautiful custom containers for a colorful focal point.

Putting together a unique container might sound overwhelming, but we’re here to help! Just follow these simple steps:

Pick your container:

There are tons of container options to choose from ranging from ceramic, terra cotta, plastic, or wood. With so many options available, you can be sure to find something to match any style or decor. Depending on the size of your space you can consider large statement containers, which look especially lovely flanking either side of a door. Or if you have a smaller space you can pot up some smaller containers to sprinkle around your space. Having several containers in the same style or color can really tie together your space. Experiment with grouping different sized containers together, or play around with different heights by incorporating a plant stand. There are no hard rules, so have fun experimenting until you find something you like. The one thing to be mindful of with containers is drainage. Check to make sure each container has holes in the bottom. Luckily, most materials are easy enough to drill through if your container is lacking drainage (ceramic may require a special drill bit).

Pick your soil:

Picking the right soil will set your plants up for a great beginning. Depending on what you’re planting we would recommend the following:

• Van Wilgen’s Natural and Organic Potting Mix for your herb and vegetable containers.

• Van Wilgen’s Premium Container Mix for any of your annual or perennial container plantings. This mix contains starter fertilizer and water-holding polymers perfect to keep your container looking its best.

• Van Wilgen’s Professional Potting Mix for any of your houseplant container pots. This is a lighter-weight soil ideal for most houseplants.

Add fertilizer:

Don’t forget to add fertilizer to all your containers. We have many to pick from but one of our favorites is our Van Wilgen’s Slow Release Fertilizer which will keep your plants looking beautiful.

Pick your plants:

Picking your plants is your time to shine and show your creativity. Just be mindful of the light the area gets and choose plants that will thrive under those conditions.

If you’re unsure of where to start, we always recommend the tried and true “thriller, filler, and spiller” method. Start by choosing a plant with some drama and height (thriller), add in a mid-height companion plant (filler), and then complete the arrangement with a hanging plant that will spill over the side of your container rather than grow upright (spiller). This method works well to give the appearance of a really full arrangement. Just keep in mind the size of your container when choosing the size of your houseplants. You don’t want to have too much excess space or squeeze plants into a container that’s too small.

Another way to plan your arrangements is to consider plant color. Choose contrasting colors (those that are opposite one another on a color wheel) for added drama or you can choose analogous colors (those next to one another) for more of a cohesive look. Be sure to factor in the color of your container when planning everything out. There are no hard fast rules here, so play around until you find a combination that you personally like.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. This is a great project you can do together with your kids for memories that will last a lifetime. And when in doubt, pay us a visit. We’re here to help!

Everyone is a gardener when it comes to annuals!

Annual plants only stick around with us for one year but with a little TLC, they can have one heck of a year! Annuals are rewarding, fun, and allow you to be as creative as you like. Anyone can plant annuals even with minimal gardening experience.

Half the fun is just picking out your flowers. This time of year the greenhouse is overflowing with annuals in different shapes, colors, and sizes for both the shade and sun. You can match your colors to your home decor or mix and match. The sky’s the limit!

Annuals are easy but you do have to show them a little love. Follow these easy steps for success:

As always, if you run into trouble or need a little advice, just pay us a visit or give us a call. We’re here to help!

Show your patriotic colors this year with a fun red, white and blue themed garden or planter. This color combination looks stunning in any sized yard, and with so many different plant options, you’re sure to have a unique space that pops! Below are just a few of our favorite plants in this popular color scheme.

Red Plants

Perennials

Red Fox Veronica

James Kelway Tanacetum

Crocosmia Lucifer

Trees & Shrubs

Mountain Laurel

Skookum Rhododendron

Wilgen’s Ruby Rhododendron

Tuff Stuff Red Hydrangea

Ruby Slippers Hydrangea

Miss Ruby Butterfly Bush

White Plants

Perennials

Gaura

Snow Hill Salvia

Peacock White Phlox

Trees & Shrubs

Hydrangea Little Quickfire

Hydrangea Incrediball

Rhododendron Cunningham White

Avalanche Andromeda

White Flowering Dogwood

Fothergilla

Blue Plants

Perennials

Veronica Venice Blue

Myosotis “Forget me not”

Blue Cross Gentiana

Trees & Shrubs

Buddleia Pugster Blue

Hydrangea Endless Summer

Fothergilla Blue Shadow

Viburnum Blue Muffin

Hydrangea Tiny Tuff Stuff

Blue Mist Shrub

April showers bring May flowers … and April brought us lots of showers.

May is the month of flowers in the greenhouse, and our greenhouse is bursting at the seams with more color this year than ever before!

As Mother’s Day approaches (Sunday, May 10th) it’s time to think big — just how big depends on you. Mother’s Day is a great day to spend with Mom walking around the greenhouse here at Van Wilgen’s where we have amazing combinations around every corner. Our woven rattan baskets are stunning this year, featuring new plant combinations along with new baskets. You have to check them out!

If you’re thinking bigger, let’s talk about making your own personal combo for Mom’s doorstep. Visit us in the custom container corner (in the front of our greenhouse) to create a combo that’s truly unique for her.

Flower combinations are a great way to have all your favorites in one pot. The best part? You don’t have to choose … you can have them all!