We are eagerly looking forward to our association with the Canton Farmers Market this year. We completely enjoyed meeting lots of new people and interacting with the other vendors at the market. This farmers market is very well attended and is a great example of what this sort of event should be. We are already in the process of growing lots of exciting new plants; both ornamentals and edibles.  Just a short trip from the Alliance area; I can be there in 30 minutes coming from the nursery. The parking is easy, the vendors are all great fun and there is a vast array of products for sale. The public is there promptly at 8 a.m. and are really keen on shopping. Please come visit this year. I don't know if the opening date is set yet and the market goes until late October. I will post the dates as soon as I find out.

We are also going to be attending the Farmers Market at Stan Hywett Hall in Akron this year. This will be a new experience for us . I have heard lots of wonderful things about this event. We have in teh past participated in some of plant sales that took place on the grounds of Stan Hywett. Always fun, and well attended. Of course, the setting is beyond compare for any outdoor event. This market happens on Thursday afternnoons. I will post the times as soon as I find out.   

Tropical elegance and intoxicating fragrance is available in Ohio. Properly knows as Brugmansia,these easy growing, non winter hardy sub-shrubs have become a huge hit with Kridler customers. Ideal for large containers on the deck,or even planted in the ground these plants will reward you with pendolus, large trumpet shaped flowers well into the fall. The fragrance from the flowers is a blend of orange blossom, jasmine and honeysuckle. Angel trumpets will tolerate sun to filtered shade through out the day. Easily overwintered in a cool basement with once a month watering, or if you have a sunny window you can occasionaly have a flower in the winter. update 2/5/10 : The general attitude on angel trumpets is that most everyone plants them in the ground and lets them freeze in the winter. They grow so fast from fresh planted every year you dont have to worry with saving them. You dont dig and save that basket of petunias in October do you?

 wListing of cultivars:  prices are 10.00 per gallon.and up according to size of the plant container. They are all  blooming size and will bloom starting this late spring on into late fall. We will have large specimen size in 10 gallon containers that range from 6 -7feet tall for sale as well@ 65.00 each for instant landscape appeal.

 

• Cassie's Curls. golden peach. super fragrant. the blooms have reflexing petals. lovely.
• Cherub. very deep rich pink. heavy repeat flowering.
• Kridler white. large flowers.fast growing. developed here at the nursery
• Kridler Pink. rich true pink. looks great with pale sky blue petunias
• Kridler Gold. a deep coral/salmon gold. shorter flowers but masses of them 

If you want to add a bit of exotic form to your garden give the Banana Canna a try this year. We have been finally been able to grow enough of this beautiful plant to be able to have them available this coming year. Very fast,  with upright growth this plant will form a lush backdrop in a bed. Sun loving and tolerates most soils. They respond to water and feeding...but, if you just simply get them in the ground, and off to a good start banana canna will love you all season.  The leaves medium green and  are long and arching outwards. I have them easily reach 12 foot tall by September. This varity rarely if ever flowers.

In the fall after a killing frost, just dig the clump and let dry for several days, out of the sun and cold. Put into an open crate with newspaper around the roots. store in the basement until early May. You can plant the clump back as one unit or divide and share with the people that you made envious the previous year. I think that this plant is a keeper.

If you want a really tropical planting use banana canna, Red Intrigue canna which has the deepest winer red foliage, a few yellow sweet potato vines and a hardy perennial hibiscus for a very easy and lush growing look. I like to add some brightly colored nasturtium plants into the whole thing....oh, and some of the sun loving coleus work well too. PLEASE just don't add any geraniums or marigolds, That would be so wrong.

As of today 4/12/10 the cannas are up and growing. 2 gallon containers with multiple plants, which will give instant effect will be 10.00 each. 

just some ramblings about things that looked good at the nursery in 2009

 

  We were all impressed last year with the new begonia called   BIG .  This amazing plant has individual flowers easily the size of .50cent pieces and lots of them, too !  The plants are 1 1/2 foot tall and easily 1 foot wide by fall.  sun loving to light shade and good in baskets, pots or beds. heavy non stop flowering and easy care only add to the charm. The outstanding vigor and huge mass of flowers will make this plant a continued must have.

The Ameri-Hybrid tuberous begonias were a sensational find for us in 2009. The tuberous begonias are NOT the tuberous begonias that you have been used to planting. The vigor and size of the plants and the blooms are amazing. The have much sturdier stems and the blooms face outward; unlike the seed grown types.The prices of the plants are the same as the old fashioned ones that you have grown. We do have to grow these in 6" pots to hanging basket just to accomodate the vigor/size..

The world of petunias is ever changing, and we were excited to have a great YELLOW petunia at last. In the past yellow petunias lacked vigor, and rarely produced a nice plant in the garden, or pot.   CITRON came along and everything has changed.  Full and dense growth is topped with true clean/clear yellow. This appears to be a keeper. It looks good with deep blue petunias and a companion contrast. We will also have a deeper yellow this spring 2010 called Baby Duck. A bit compact, and somewhat smaller flowers in mass. The name describes the color very well.

I will make a comment on our new hosta selections in another page...there are a lot

Last year, while planning our plantings here at the nursery and for landscape clients we took a firm look at plant value, easy care, and the "feel" of gardeners attitudes. The way we feel about the economy obviously translates into how much we spend on our hobby.  Also the economy afffects our mind and sense of security about what is going on around us. We luckily decided to grow and offer a broad range of "old-fashioned", easy care and "Dang impressive" plants that give a "Bang for the Buck". Sadly overlooked plants like nasturtiums, morning glory vines, cosmos, cannas and castor beans made a huge impact in plantings. oh, and i forgot to mention Dahlias. We have now collected and have for sale what i can guarantee to be the largest listing of dahlias grown in containers in Ohio.  I will put up a listing of what we will have for sale. These are long overdue and neglected in the garden. You will get flowers from July through October. Excellent for long lasting cut flowers, too.

Of course, I can't list all of the new plants that will be coming to us in 2010. But, another hot new plant is the new Cali-Callas. I think most of you are familiar with calla lily blooms. Many of you have probably picked up a plant at the grocery store or box store in the past. You had a small, cute little plant that shot up a few flowers...and, then you watched them fizzle out. CALI-Callas are a genetically clean plant that is devoid the viruses in older types. This virus just caused the overall decline in vigor of the plant. These new ones have outstanding vigor, stem strength, flower stem length and ability to flower for a long period of time. These are no longer "throw away" after blooming plants. Just continue to grow on until late fall and then let the plants dry off and store in the basement. Start again next year.  We will have 4 colors for sale. A vivid yellow, a pink, a flame orange red and a red tone.

 It seems that we haven't created a calendar of upcoming events yet for 2010. ( NO ONE TELLS ME ANYTHING)  ...i just found out for myself, so hear goes.

We will be hosting the Midland Hosta society on April 17th, 2010. The meeting time is listed starting at 12 noon.  The public is invited to attend and join this lively, well informed group of hosta nuts !  A friendlier group of people is hard to find.  All levels of gardening experience is present and welcome to join.  oh, if you do come.......please a covered dish of delicious food ! We don't care what it is as long as it is yummy.We have lots of good cooks represented as well. We also like to eat and talk plants; I think that is a  healthy way to enjoy life. This is also the day that our daffodil plantings are normally "getting pretty". for more information you can contact Priscilla Kiehl @ commstat@aolcom

 

We will be selling our plants at the two most well attended and professionally run garden events again this year.

look for us at Holden Arboretum in May (will supply dates/times), and we will be at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburg in May (will post dates/times)

Holden arboretum is located just outside of Chardon Ohio. The trip is quick and the scenery while driving is beautiful. The arboretum is a vast acre development of trees and shrubs; along with lakes and woods. In essence it is a park with an education ! The knowledge of the staff is amazing and they are very helpful and glad to be there. They have a wonderful website that will have the schedule for the plant sale.

Phipps  is a wonderful host for a plant sale. The location is on the grounds of the Phipps Conservatory in the downtown area. A beautiful setting in a park like atmosphere overlooking the university areas of pittsburgh makes this a huge draw for the gardening public. Vendors from all over Pa., New York and Ohio have an incredible selection of plant materials for sale. Please, Please take a moment to rethink how hard it is to drive in Pittsbugh. Getting to Phipps is very easy and quick. Also, being that the plant sale is also on a saturday the traffic is at a minimum. This coming from me; a person who is very content to drive only in our 500 population village is a big endorsement. Nursery to Phipps is just 1 hour and 20 minutes. And, if you havent been to Pittsburgh in a few years....well, it IS a spectacular city. Phipps also has a website that will post the sale times and dates.  Please come see it !!

WHAT TO DO IN APRIL.

WELL AS I WRITE THIS TODAY 4/11/10 I HAVE so much to do myself that I shouldn't be telling anyone what to do!! .

   If you haven't fed the lawn yet..you still have plenty of time. The one thing that is going to be a chance call is when to apply the pre emergent weed killer to the lawn. Normally, that isn't needed until later April when the forsythia blooms. But, due to the very unseasonable heat that we have experienced in the last 2 weeks, everything is off schedule. You can get the treatment out now, or more along when the dandelions are in full bloom. you will have missed the crabgrass control this year for the early treatmens.

You should still be planning on fertilizing everything for late spring and summer growth.

Treat your hydrangeas to correct them for rich pink or true blue. this is done by using either lime or sulphur along with a bit of aluminum mixture. And, do not prune those hydrangeas either!! this year, though the winter was long in duration the snow cover protected the hydrangeas and we should have a spectaclur display on large plants in all gardens in n.e. ohio.

You still have time to divide perennials, and of course April and May are excellent times to plant trees and shrubs.

Really, I suppose you can find plenty to do on your own. Just address the basics of feed, weed control by chemicals, and/ or mulch and just wait for consistent warm weather to start planting. You of course, can plant petunias, pansy, sweet peas and a few other frost tolerant annuals now. If you get those petunias out in late April....they will be huge by Memorial Day.

 

 

OHHHH!!!!!  PUT UP A BIRDHOUSE THIS YEAR !! The average size city property can easily support 2 house.  Everyone especially needs a wren house. This little bird is an excellent garden supervisor. They eat insects, and the chatter they make is entertaining. Wren boxes have a substantially smaller opening that prevents bigger birds from taking over.  If you have an overhang on a barn/shed why not put a shelf for robins to nest on. Larger in town properties can support a blue bird box. And, yes we do see blue birds in town...mostly the neighborhoods that have large lawn areas surrounding residences. There are somewhat specific guidelines for putting up a blue bird box; but nothing that is hard to do.  Birds start scouting for homes in early spring so this might be a good time to do an inexpensive, and an ecologically responsible garden chore. We just happen to have for sale,here at the store some wonderful locally made bluebird houses. They are 10.00 each , and that is cheap rent!