Ted Lare Garden Center Blog

The Most Gorgeous Air Plants . . . Ever!

Posted on June 27, 2011 by tedsgardens

We just got the absolutely coolest shipment of air plants that I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. Seriously. You might think I’m over exaggerating but hopefully the pictures below will convice you otherwise. (Once again my coworkers had to physically restrain me from taking every last one of them home with me).

Red Air Plants

Air Plants are great for adding a little green to your house. They are also great for people who travel and for people who just don’t have the time or energy for high maintenance house plants. Air plants grow without soil. They are able to absorb everything they need through the air into their leaves. They are found natively in Latin American growing on rocks and in trees. They produce colorful blooms which will turn into an off shoot or baby air plant when it is done blooming.

Pretty Pink Air Plant

Taking Care of Your Air Plant

Place your air plant in an area where it will get bright filtered light (within 6 feet of a window is a good spot). Do not place it in direct sunlight, as it can get sunburned.

Blooming Air Plant

Water two to three times per week. The easiest way to accomplish this is to soak your airplant in a dish or glass of clean water. You can submerge the entire plant for one to three hours. If the plant is blooming only submerge the roots or foliage (not the bloom). It is almost impossible to over water an air plant. Rest assured if you need to travel out of town your air plant can survive for several weeks without water.

Wacky Air Plant

Catch the next blog for how to docorate or use your air plants.

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Peonies with Pizazz

Posted on June 25, 2011 by tedsgardens

If you love peonies as much as I do, you will go crazy for the Itoh peonies we have in the garden center right now. The blooms are so large and pretty I found myself perusing the grounds daily to check up on their progress.

Kopper Kettle Itoh Peony

Itoh peonies have been around for the last 10 years or so but it has only been recently that they have become affordable (at one time they were as much as $1000 per plant, Yikes!) Itoh peonies are a cross between a tree peony and an herbaceos peony. The results are an exotic peony that has the best characteristics of both peonies. Itoh peonies have large 7″ to 10″ semi-double flowers that require no staking to stay upright. They are also prolific bloomers since they can produce primary and secondary buds. The foliage is disease resistant and beautiful dark green like an herbaceous peony.

Yumi Itoh Peony

Itoh peonies prefer well drained soil in a spot with full sun to dappled shade. For best results they must receive eight hours of full sun. Plants will get 2.5′ to 3′ tall and wide, space accordingly when planting multiples. Once you have planted the peonies, make sure you water them weekly until they are initially established.

Keiko Pink Itoh Peony

In the fall trim your Itoh peonies to the ground. Most of the flower buds for next year are located just under or at soil level. For new plants or in harsh winter climates it is good to put a thin layer of mulch over the peony plant. The mulch can be pulled back in early spring to allow the plant to grow. Expect your first round of blooms in mid Spring. Happy planting!

Posted in Shrubs, Spring Plants, Summer Plants | 1 Comment

Lovely Lilies!

Posted on June 23, 2011 by tedsgardens

Asiatic and Oriental Lilies are in full bloom right now and they are quite lovely, in every way. They come in a wide array of heights and fantastically bright bold colors. Some varieties are extremely fragrant and they also make excellent cut flowers.

Tiny Padhye Lily

Asiatic lilies are the most common type of lilies. They come in every color except blue. They are solid in color and often have spotted petals. Their brightly colored flowers are often the first to bloom in late May or early June. They come in a wide variety of sizes ranging from 1′ tall to 5′ tall.

Tino Dino Lily

Tiny Hope LilyTiny Bee Lily

Oriental Lilies are the most fragrant of the lilies. They come in shades of white, pink, and fuchsia. Their petals can be a combination of these colors and have different colored edges. They are typically 3′ to 6′ tall.

Stargazer Lily--Sunny After Eight Lily

Sunny Bonaire Lily

Planting Lilies

Lily plants can be planted in the spring or summer. The bulbs can be planted in the fall months. Plant them in well drained soil in a sunny spot. Lilies prefer full sun to light shade growing conditions and slightly acidic soils. They will not do well in heavy wet clay soils. They are very hardy and are known for their ability to thrive and product vibrant colored blooms.

Tiny Ghost Lily

Posted in Bulbs, Perennials, Summer Plants, Sun Loving Plants | Leave a comment

Colorful Coneflowers

Posted on May 15, 2011 by tedsgardens

Over the last several years, our garden center has had a huge demand for all the cool new varieties of Coneflowers that are out there. Just the names alone are enough to make me want to buy them—Pink Poodle, Mac N Cheese, Tomato Soup, Tiki Torch – the list goes on and on! The charm of the flower blooms just cinch the deal for me, and I can’t help adding to my ever growing collection of Coneflowers in my own garden whenever I see them. I know if you come visit us to check them out in person, you’ll feel the same way I do.

Coneflowers are available in endless colors—hot reds, oranges, pinks, yellows, even colors that transition throughout the life of bloom. There are also double blooms, single blooms, large centers, small centers, dwarf and large sizes, the varieties are endless! Lucky for us Coneflower lovers, there are more in store for this year at the garden center. Here are just some of the great new varieties we will have on hand this year.

The Coral Reef Coneflower has large pompom-like flowers of peachy orange, surrounded by smaller peach colored petals. The plant grows to be about 36” tall and starts blooming in mid-June. As with all Coneflowers, they prefer well-drained soils and full sun.

Coral Reef Coneflower courtesy of Willoway Nursery

Raspberry Tart Coneflowers have small deep magenta colored flowers. This compact plant grows 18” to 24” tall with masses of flowers and blooms during July and August.

Raspberry Tart Coneflower photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

The Rocky Top Coneflower has pink slightly upturned petals. It is compact and grows 24” to 36” tall. This coneflower in native to Iowa and will tolerate dry conditions and rockier poorer soil sties.

Rocky Top Coneflower photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

Milkshake Coneflowers have French Vanilla white blooms with a Pompom center and a row of creamy white surrounding petals. It grows to about 24” tall and has sturdy stems. They bloom in mid Summer through the Fall.

Milk Shake Coneflower photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery.

Posted in Perennials, Sun Loving Plants, What's New | Leave a comment

Part III of New Plants for 2011 at Ted Lare Garden Center

Posted on May 8, 2011 by tedsgardens

The Coralbells Autumn Leaves variety has pink and red leaves that are accented by tan hues through the summer months. The leaves turn a blazing ruby-red in fall. Plant is part shade to full shade.

Autumn Leaves Coralbells photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

Add some red-hot color to the shade garden with this remarkable new Coralbell Peach Flambe! In Spring the plant has blinding orange-red leaves that change to rich tones of peach-plum for Autumn. Plant in part to full shade.

Peach Flambe Coralbells photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

Lupine Russels have towering flower stocks bloom in the Spring in a variety of bright and beautiful colors. It prefers a sunny spot. Grows 24” to 36” tall.

Russels Lupine, photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery.

This Fern Dre’s Dagger has a unique crisscross pattern of leaves which makes a “wow” statement in any yard. It grows up to 18” tall and does best in full to part shade.

Posted in Perennials, Shade Plants, Sun Loving Plants, What's New | Leave a comment

Part II of New Plants for 2011 at Ted Lare Garden Center

Posted on May 5, 2011 by tedsgardens

The Chinese Ground Orchid is a gorgeous addition to any garden. It is grown from a bulb and has papery green leaves and purple to pinkish orchid like flowers in that appear in mid Spring. It does best in part shade (no hot afternoon sun). Grows 12” tall and long.

Chinese Ground Orchid photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

The Pig Squeek is an evergreen plant with thick rubbery green leaves that will make a bold statement in your garden. When the leaves are rubbed between the fingers, it makes a “pig squeek” noise, giving this plant its humorous and unusual name. Although it’s typically grown for it’s foliage, the Pig Squeek sports pink flowers that bloom in the spring and can be used in cut flower bouquets, perfect for those of you who love to bring the outdoors in. It thrives best in part to full shade and grows 12” tall and wide.

Pig Squeek photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

The charming Cardinal Flower plant has maroon foliage which are topped with bright red flower spikes in the summer months. It prefers full sun to part shade and grows 36” to 48” tall.

Cardinal Flower photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

The Catchfly Firefly has airy flower stems that are dotted with double magenta flowers. They prefer well-drained soil and full sun. Growing 8” to 12” tall, the bloom during the summer months.

Firefly Catchfly photo courtesy of Willoway Nursery

Posted in Perennials, Shade Plants, Sun Loving Plants, What's New | Leave a comment

New Plants for 2011 at Ted Lare Garden Center

Posted on May 1, 2011 by tedsgardens

We always get excited at the garden center when new plants arrive at the store. The staff gathers around the delivery truck like complete plant geeks, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the latest additions to the garden center. Sometimes we’ll even argue over who is taking home which plants before we remember that we might want to save some for the customer too.

One of our most important goals for our company is to ensure that every plant we bring into the garden center will not only survive but actually thrive in our area. We want you to be successful in your yard and gardening adventures, which means we do our homework! Below are some of the latest and greatest new plant additions to the garden center this year. We promise these plants will live up to your expectations.

First up is the Hydrangea Vanilla Strawberry, which is just as enticing to look at as its delicious sounding name. The blooms start off as a creamy white in the mid summer, eventually turning to pink and then to a deep red in the early Fall. Vanilla Strawberry is similar to Pinky Winky Hydrangea but it has more of an upright growth habit. Plant in full sun to part shade. Extremely hardy for our area.

Stawberry Vanilla Hydrangea photo courtesy of Willoway Nurseries.

One of my personal favorites is the Hydrangea Bella Anna, which is a strikingly beautiful plant with large, bright pink flower heads. It is the first truly hardy pink Annabelle Hydrangea and will begin blooming in early Summer and continue to bloom through Fall. Plant in full sun to part shade. It grows 3’ wide x 3’ tall.

Bella Anna Hydrangea photo courtesy of Willoway Nurseries

Posted in Shrubs, Summer Plants, What's New | Leave a comment

Crocus, Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths

Bulbs are a quick and easy way to add early Spring color to your yard. They are planted in the Fall, during October or November, and they begin blooming in the early Spring. Crocus are the first to emerge, sometimes even when there is snow on the ground, followed by Daffodils, and then Tulips and Hyacinths.

Blooming Crocus Bulbs

Bright red tulip bloomsHyacinth Blooms

Bleeding Heart

Bleeding hearts get their name from their beautiful teardrop, heart shaped flowers. Their elegant blooms are pink or white and will delight you with their delicate beauty. They are one of the first perennials to show their blooms in the spring and flourish when planted in well drained soil located in part to full shade.

Pink Bleeding Heart

White Bleeding Heart

Posted on April 30, 2011 by tedsgardens | Leave a comment

Part II of Our Favorite Early Spring Bloomers

Posted on April 25, 2011 by tedsgardens

Redbud

Continuing with our list of early bloomers is the pretty and whimsical Redbud tree. Redbuds are a beautiful tree year round. They have lovely pink pea shaped flowers in the spring, which are followed by green heart shaped leaves. Plant Redbuds in full sun to part shade for the best results.

Redbud Tree in Bloom

Close up of Redbud Flowers

Redbud once it leafs out.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are two varieties of shrub that will really add color to your landscape. Azaleas are available in a multitude of colors including red, orange, yellow and pink. Rhododendrons are usually pink to purplish in color. Both prefer acidic soils. Azaleas prefer a location with full sun to part shade, and Rhododendrons do best in part shade.

Dwarf Korean RhododendronMandarin Lights Azalea

Northern Lights

Posted in Shrubs, Spring Plants, Trees | Leave a comment

Spring color has just arrived at Ted Lare Garden Center!

Posted on April 19, 2011 by tedsgardens

I love when the spring rains come and wash away the dreary gray that winter has left behind. In only a week, the yard is magically transformed into a lush paradise with early blooming plants, green grass, shrubs and trees, budding out their new leaves.

A number of spring plants bloom early, and we’ve put together a series of short posts on some of our favorites, with the first being Forsythias and Magnolias. We’ll be revealing the rest of our list throughout the week, so stay tuned. We promise that if you add any one or combination of these fun plants with spring color to your yard, they’ll banish the winter blahs away in a hurry!

Forsythia

Forsythia’s bright yellow blooms appear early in Spring, even before leaves begin to appear on the shrub, infusing a jolt of happiness into every yard they grace. These flowering shrubs grow best in full sun and well drained soil. Smaller varieties will grow from 4’ to 6’ tall and wide, while larger varieties can grow are large as 8’ to 10’ tall and wide. When grouped together, they also make a great hedge, which can serve as a natural boundary and provide privacy to your yard during the Spring and Summer months.

Forsythia Blooms in the Spring

Magnolias

Magnolia trees have either pink tulip shaped blooms or white blooms that appear in the early spring, and they generally make their debut following the Forsythia buds. There are a number of different varieties, and those that do well here in Iowa are Jayne, Anne, or Royal Star. Magnolias can grow anywhere from 10’ to 20’ tall depending on the variety. Plant them in a sunny location and watch them flourish.

Saucer Magnolia Tree in Bloom

Stay tuned this week for the rest of our spring blooming plants

Posted in Shrubs, Spring Plants, Trees | Leave a comment

The Most Gorgeous Air Plants . . . Ever!

Peonies with Pizazz

Lovely Lilies!

Colorful Coneflowers

Part III of New Plants for 2011 at Ted Lare Garden Center

Part II of New Plants for 2011 at Ted Lare Garden Center

New Plants for 2011 at Ted Lare Garden Center

Part II of Our Favorite Early Spring Bloomers

Spring color has just arrived at Ted Lare Garden Center!

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