Russian Sage, Salvia, and Veronica: How to Tell Them Apart

It’s Apple season! But many Apples with thin skin won’t stick around for long and you’ll be rushing to use up your harvest. So you need good, old-fashioned storing Apples! Plus, once those early and mid-season Apples are done, you will still want a tree to fill your larders with Apples that will last through the late fall and winter! Late-season Apples last and last, and often get better in flavor after storage! Check out some of the best late-season winter and storage Apples for your home orchard! Honorable Mentions Storing Apples For A Year-Round Supply A Note About Apple Tree Pollinators Know When to Harvest Your Apples Tasty Long-Term Late-Season Goodness! Your usual long-storage Apple favorites include Fuji, Red Delicious, and Gala Apple trees that have a range of harvest dates and great storage capabilities! But maybe you are looking for one that isn’t regularly sold in stores! A good winter or long-term storage Apple needs good thick skin to resist bruising and cuts, plus help keep the flesh inside from drying out!   1. Wealthy Apple The Wealthy Apple Tree (Malus 'Wealthy') is a very juicy apple, with a tart and sweet, lively flavor and notes of honey, raspberry, and strawberry-like flavor. It was one of the first high-quality Apple varieties grown commercially and it is now often grown by backyard orchardists and great for smaller urban landscapes in the cold North. This mid-season Apple will be full of loads of red-blushed yellow-green fruit. The flesh is white with occasional streaks of red, which is crispy and very juicy. Very Juicy Red & Yellow-Green Apple Stores for 2-3 Months Semi-Dwarf Size Great Heirloom Apple 1,000 Chill Hours   2. Mutsu (Crispin) Apple The Mutsu Apple Tree (Malus 'Mutsu'), also known as the Crispin, is a cultivar first grown in Japan. It is a large to very large, greenish-yellow skin with a conical shape and an incredible sweet-tart flavor. Crisp and juicy with an alluring hint of tartness, the Mutsu has a unique exotic flare. Some say the flavor is closer to apple cider. Storing for a very long time, these are prolific producers! The Mutsu apple tree provides its bounty in September, and what a bounty it is! It has creamy white flesh and is delicious when eaten right off the tree, or stored for later use. Large to Very Large Green-Golden Fruit Sweet-Tart Crispy Flavor 500-600 Chill Hours Very Long Storage & Late Season Harvest Baking, Pies, Sauces, & Salads   3. Red Rome Beauty Apple Rosy red round fruit, the Red Rome Beauty Apple Tree (Malus domestica 'Rome') is a medium-large, Apple with lovely greenish-white, fine-grained, juicy flesh that is perfect for baking because it holds together great when cooked! These spur-bearing trees are named after the Ohio town where this chance seedling was discovered. Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 6 through 9, you can try pairing with an early season and a late season ripening Apple tree to extend your harvest! The late-arriving fragrant blossoms show up later to avoid lingering spring frosts to ensure an abundant crop by September to October. Flavorful Rosy Red Round Apples Fine-Grained Greenish-White Flesh Tart Long Storing Late Season Fruit Fantastic Firm Texture For Baking & Preserves Harvest September to October 700 Chill Hours   4. Granny Smith Apple One of the best-known Apple varieties for baking, and cooking, the Granny Smith Apple Tree (Malus 'Granny Smith') enjoys a long history of embodying an Apple with exceptional tartness for fresh eating and baking qualities! The greenish-white flesh is crisp and juicy! The juicy, white flesh is likewise energizing, with a crisp, tart flavor that's perfect for award-winning pies, culinary dishes...or just right off the tree! Its lovely, light-green skin (occasionally with a subtle, pink blush) presents a vibrant sight amid the branches in October, and in some growing zones can still be harvested until January! Storing remarkably well, these fruits remain crisp in cold storage or refrigeration for up to 6 months! Popular Green-Skinned Baking Apple Crisp Greenish-White Flesh Delicious Tart Apples Perfect Baking Apple - Holds Shape Well Late-Season Harvest & Stores 6 Months in Cold Storage! ~400 Chill Hours   5. Arkansas Black Outstanding color and flavor, with unique fruit on a gorgeous ornamental, the Arkansas Black Apple Tree (Malus 'Arkansas Black') will be full of dark red, nearly-black gems! This antique variety is a hardy and long-lived tree! The flavor is described as wine and honey, with hints of almonds and a mild vanilla finish, making them amazing dessert apples! It develops its best flavor after it has been stored chilled for a couple of months where it will darken and ripen where it sweetens. Dark Purple-Red Skin & Pure White-Flesh Late-Season Harvest Can Store 5 Months or More Honorable Mentions The Frostbite Apple is an extremely cold-hardy variety with sugar-sweet crisp fruit! Typically ripe late in the season in September to October, and then the red round fruit lasts 3 months in storage. For a late-season Apple with a very long hang time, the Jonagold is a standout sweet fruit! Storing Apples For A Year-Round Supply There are a few key points to remember when starting to store your Apple harvest! Apples must be of the best quality - no blemishes, bruises, or broken skin Clean your fruit well and dry the skin completely Wrap clean and dry Apples in newspaper or other clean wrapping Dry skin but higher air humidity You can wrap them in a plastic bag in a lower-humidity location Basements or cellars are great locations, crisper drawers or cardboard boxes Ideal storage conditions must include cool, dark locations above freezing with high humidity. Check your harvest frequently and immediately remove any that are bruised, showing signs of rotting, or spotting. A Note About Apple Tree Pollinators Some Apple trees are self-fruitful or partially self-pollinating, every fruiting variety does better with a friend! By planting in groupings, linear hedgerows, and high-density plantings, you’ll enjoy a far larger harvest per tree when planting your Apple with a pollination partner planted nearby. Know When to Harvest Your Apples Knowing when your Apple variety is typically ripe is the first step. It helps to know if you are growing an early, mid, or late-maturing Apple so you have an idea of when to start checking. Different apple varieties have different ripening dates, which can vary from year to year depending on the weather and your growing zone.  While picking one and taking a bite can let you know if it's time to harvest, there are a few other indicators that let you know when the time is right. Look for unbruised Apples that feel firm and heavy in your hand. The fruit should be firm and richly colored. The Apple should come off the tree easily when slightly pulled back from the fruiting spur on the tree. Cut the Apple in half to check for white flesh and if the seeds are brown. Then taste it … it should not be strongly sour or pithy.  Your local County Extension Office can be a good source for knowing when Apples are ripening in your area so check with them. Check out all of Nature Hills' #ProPlantTips on caring and maintaining your Apple tree for the healthiest plants, the most fruit, and a long lifetime of fruit! Tasty Long-Term Late-Season Goodness! Get ready to enjoy your harvest all year long! Imagine still having tasty Apples during the off-season or as winter and holiday gifts for your loved ones! All of Nature Hills’ fruiting trees and shrubs are shipped with mature 3-4-year-old root systems so you’ll enjoy fruit sooner! Find all these late-season and storage Winter Apple Tree varieties and more here at Nature Hills Nursery! Happy Planting!

Are your coniferous evergreens turning yellow or brown in their interior or dropping needles this time of year? Did you just receive an evergreen from Nature Hills this fall and the bottom of the is full of needles?  Don't fret! Every year the calls and questions ramp up in the fall, usually after the first cold snap or after the first strong autumn storm. And every year Nature Hills is here to ease your worries and remind you that Evergreens shed their old 'leaves' too! Out With The Old What To Expect In Autumn Leaf Shed During Delivery When To Be Concerned About Evergreen Needle Drop It Is Called 'Fall' For a Reason! Out With The Old Just like deciduous trees do each fall, the oldest, most interior foliage drops as a way of making room for fresh new growth in the spring! Evergreens with needles or needle-like structures, like Pines, Spruce, Fir, and other types of conifers and broadleaf evergreens - All dispose of their old leaves that don't photosynthesize efficiently any longer. While an autumn drop of needles and leaving bare branches is completely normal for deciduous conifers like Larch, some Redwoods, and Bald Cypress, other evergreens also shed their needles in the autumn as well! Just not completely. Some evergreens hold only one year of foliage on the newest growth, while others may hold two years or more. Douglas Fir Trees and Hemlocks may stick around 3-4 years while some Spruce can hold needles up to 5! Broadleaf Evergreens such as Camellias, some Rhododendrons, types of Holly, and Boxwood drop their leaves throughout the year as they become less efficient. Chances are you probably won’t even notice. What To Expect In Autumn Pine trees like White Pine hold the green, newest needles at the branch tips, but the older needles towards the interior will turn lemon yellow, brown, or tan, and fall off in a matter of a week or so. Leading to many gardeners biting their nails worrying something is wrong. Don’t worry, all Pines will do exactly this, just some more noticeable than others! Spruce, Hemlock, and Fir trees also shed their older interior needles closest to the trunk, but it is much less obvious and sometimes the shed isn’t noticeable. Arborvitae shrubs and trees this time of year will also see their older foliage turning yellow or tan and getting ready to drop. All cultivars and species of Arborvitae will drop the older foliage each fall season, but some are much more obvious than others leading to some concerned gardeners. This holds true for plants that are established, in the ground, in containers and planters …and plants that have just been delivered! Oldest needles not photosynthesizing efficiently fall away Interior needles being shaded out by new growth drop since they can’t produce food Old needles in general Just like the old hair on our heads, needles fall out to be replaced by new fresh growth! Leaf Shed During Delivery Being boxed and shipped exasperates the needle and fall leaf drop. Changes in humidity, temperature, and being out of the sun while your new plants are being shipped to you stimulate plants that are going dormant for the winter to hurry up the process of dropping those old leaves. Shipping can be a bit stressful for a plant after all!  Not just for the plant but for you too! When you receive your newly delivered tree or shrub in the fall with the bottom of the box full of shed needles - we understand that can leave you with good reason to be concerned! Don’t worry! Follow the instructions for unboxing and inspecting limbs and roots, soak your new plant, and then get it planted as soon as possible! When To Be Concerned About Evergreen Needle Drop When should you be worried when your Evergreens drop their foliage? Any time during the growing season when entire branches or limbs suddenly become defoliated (lost all their needles) Whenever needles at the tips of your branches fall off If new buds drop before opening Any time new growth falls off either still green or turns brown/tan first Sometimes Spruce trees and shrubs can in some areas of the country be susceptible to a fungus called Rhizosphaera needle cast, or Spruce Tree Needle Drop, which causes the needles to turn brown and fall off. In other areas, Rusts and other fungal issues on the foliage can cause yellowing and lead to needle drop too. Spider mites can be an issue on stressed trees as well. It’s a good idea to always check your trees and shrubs yearly and check in with your local County Extension Office to see which evergreens perform best in your immediate area and which to avoid due to a higher probability of potential issues prevalent in your region. This is because susceptibility can change from one region/climate to another, and change from year to year as well! Sanitation is key so if you suspect any issues with your trees - both deciduous and evergreen - be sure to rake up and dispose of any possibly infected dropped needles or leaves each fall. Stopping it from spreading or reinfecting your plants from year to year. Any time you are concerned about your trees or shrubs, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local County Extension Office or contact Nature Hills! It Is Called 'Fall' For a Reason! Being aware that this happens, especially in a drought year, it is more obvious and may happen earlier in the fall. The key is keeping newly planted Arborvitae soil moist until the ground freezes. It also helps to provide supplemental water during the dry periods of the year and top off the root zone with a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch. So if you have needles dropping in the autumn - It's just your trees removing old needles that aren’t pulling their weight! Get the rake and gather up this free mulch for your acid-loving plants and break out the hose! Your conifers are just getting ready for the winter and preparing for bursts of fresh new spring growth! Nature Hills is here with you to help you get your garden tucked away for the winter and will be here for bright spring beginnings too! Check out all the fantastic Evergreen Trees available at Nature Hills today! Happy Planting!

The gorgeous and glossy Holly has been a landscaping backbone for centuries! With their unique leaf shapes, dainty little white blooms, and their incredibly showy berries in the fall, it’s no wonder they’ve inspired folklore and superstition, and have embedded themselves in our Holiday traditions so seamlessly! But did you know there were so many types of Holly? Holly Bush and Tree Varieties at Nature Hills Get Growing Diversity With Holly from Nature Hills! Holly Bush and Tree Varieties at Nature Hills Botanically known as Ilex, Holly is a vast genus of about 400 species! All have gorgeous foliage, pollinator-friendly white or greenish flowers, and colorful berries to further enhance their unique foliage and dependable growth! Check out the many different types of Holly and what they bring to the landscape! 1. American Holly The great American Holly (Ilex opaca) is native to North America. Typically very large trees and shrubs, the American Holly features white spring blooms and the female plants produce glossy brilliant red berries for fall and winter interest! Growing very large - upwards of 50 feet in height or more, American Holly features spiny, pointed lobes like the Red Oak leaf shape. The very kind you think of when picturing a Holly! Dioecious - needs a male plant to pollinate the female plants American native Holly Mighty windbreaks Privacy hedges Garden backdrops and anchors Grand specimens and focal points Bird-friendly shelterbelts Snow barriers for drifting snow Armed deterrents and property definition Year-round screening Able to be sheared and shaped, American Holly are often used as impressive privacy hedges for when you need to block the view from not just eye level, but also from 3, 4, and even 5-story windows (in time)! Just give these large-scale broadleaved evergreens some space, or prune them more narrow as needed. Or create unique Holly Trees by removing their lower limbs and exposing the single-stem or multi-trunked stems. 2. Winterberry Holly Another type of native Holly is the American Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata). Also known as the Michigan Holly, or Canada Holly, Winterberry Holly are native deciduous Holly. The female shrubs display brilliant red, orange, or even yellow-colored berries for fall and winter interest! Both male and female shrubs have inconspicuous green-to-white flowers that the pollinators love, even if you won’t see them. The leaves lack the spines of the American Holly, but are still a gorgeous glossy green throughout the growing season. Deciduous Holly with separate male and female shrubs Brilliant berries for winter interest & natural decorations Great in moist soil locations & rain gardens Backdrops and back-of-the-border landscaping Foundation plants and hedges Light screening and property definition American native with Spineless foliage Bird-friendly fruit if a male is nearby to pollinate the female A great deciduous shrub that tolerates lowland areas where it grows natively. Typically occurring in swamps, damp thickets, low woods, and along ponds and streams, Winterberry looks great in your Rain Garden or in locations that can have more than moist soil! Male Winterberry Holly like Southern Gentleman look great on their own as landscaping workhorses, plus a single male shrub pollinates up to 10 female Winterberry plants, such as Winter Red or Sparkleberry. Try an orange-fruited Little Goblin® Orange Winterberry Holly and its male pollinator little Goblin® Guy. You’ll love the dark green leaves of Winter Red Holly or the light green leaves of the Berry Heavy® Winterberry Holly. 3. Inkberry Holly Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) are another native American southern and coastal species with dark black berries. The long, slender leaves only have small teeth at the tips of each leaf, and have a leathery texture. The leaves are green and glossy resembling a Boxwood and have no spines, so try them as a native alternative to Boxwood that features every bit as much elegance. Mostly evergreen species Dioecious - need male and female plants near each other for pollination Toothy leaves resemble Boxwood Historically beneficial native Holly Unique black berries for birds Handle wet soil and rain gardens Hedges for privacy, screening, and foundations Great property definition, backdrops, and light barrier plantings Typically broadleaf evergreens, Inkberry are also known as Appalachian Tea (Indigenous Americans used the dried leaves as tea), and Gallberry. They earned their name because Civil War soldiers wrote home using the fruit as homespun ink. These are another great native plant that loves a slightly acidic soil, medium to wet soils, and full sun to part shade. Adaptable to both light and heavy soils, and even tolerates wet soils well! Try a Shamrock, Gem Box® or Densa, for compact low-growing and space-saving hedges, edging, and facer plants! Inkberry also features separate male and female shrubs like Winterberry and will need at least one male shrub to pollinate up to 10 female shrubs. 4. Yaupon Holly Another American native Holly is the Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria). Also found in the southeastern US, these dioecious shrubs have ornamental gray bark and broadleaf evergreen foliage. While not as showy or fast-growing as typical Holly, the leaves are also not spiny, and the red berries look fantastic in holiday decorations. Another American native species Dioecious and broadleaf evergreen Holly shrubs Spineless foliage & white flowers for pollinators Brilliant berries for winter interest & decoration Leaves brewed into a flavorful tea have some caffeine Slower-growing shrubs = lower maintenance and care! Hedges, backdrops and year-round screening Great landscape workhorses and easy-to-grow They earned their scientific name because the leaves do contain some caffeine and were prepared as tea by Indigenous Americans. When mixed with other ingredients, the tea induced vomiting for ceremonial reasons, but this was not caused by the Yaupon leaf itself. In fact, Yaupon Tea is still consumed safely today and is similar to the South American Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis), and has antioxidants that may reduce inflammation and have a role in preventing chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. 5. English Holly What is the difference between English Holly and American Holly? By and large, English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) are typically smaller than American Holly but have few other differences other than where they grow natively. English Holly features the same marvelously distinctive, toothed green leaves on a broadleaf evergreen shrub and pollinator-friendly small white flowers in the spring. Sprinkle some of the bell-shaped blooms on top of a pool of water to see if the old wives' tale is true - It's said that springtime Holly flowers turn water to ice! Like many English plants, Holly has more than its fair share of legends and folklore. After all, this is the showy evergreen that develops the celebrated red berries. Deck your halls at Christmastime with wreaths and garlands. Or leave the berries on the bush to feed the songbirds in your area after a few freeze-and-thaw cycles. 6. Japanese Holly Also known as Box Leaved, Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) have Boxwood-like leaves that usually do not have spines and are smaller than English and American Holly (both smaller leaves and smaller in size!). Like Inkberry, Japanese Holly are dioecious plants with separate male and female shrubs that must be planted close together for the black berries to form.  It features wavy, spineless, smaller (almost oval) foliage instead of the pointed lobes of more ‘traditional’ Holly. The finer texture lends itself to shearing and shaping like Boxwood too! The glossy leaves create lush privacy and many slender, more columnar forms of Japanese Holly are ideal as hedges and space-saving borders, backdrops, and property definition! Wide range of sizes & shapes to choose from - rounded, columnar, upright & pyramidal Dioecious broadleaved evergreen shrubs Small black fruit for birds on female shrubs Great garden definition, borders, edging, backdrops & low hedges Can be formally sheared or grown naturally Space-saving columnar forms for along pathways, driveways, and tight spaces Privacy and screening year-round Great in containers! Try varieties such as Sky Pencil, and First Editions® Straight & Narrow® Japanese Holly for small-footprint landscape workhorses! There are also more foliage colors available in the Japanese Holly family including yellow-leafed forms like Drops Of Gold Japanese Holly! 7. Chinese Holly Similar to Japanese Holly, Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta) are also broadleaf evergreens, these densely packed shrubs are naturally compact and can be kept as tidy shrubs or small trees. These natives to China and Korea have naturalized in parts of the Southeastern US. Dioecious - separate male and female shrubs Brilliant berries for birds and decorations Spiny evergreen leaves - oval-shaped with pointed ends Little white blooms attract pollinators Underutilized evergreen shrub Versatile landscape uses - hedges, definition, screening, and more! The tiny white blooms attract pollinators and if a male shrub is nearby, female shrubs show off a few bright red fruit for birds. Favorites at Nature Hills include the Carissa Holly, and the fine-textured Needlepoint Holly.  8. Meserve Holly Blue Holly (Ilex x meserveae) are also known as Meserve Holly, have a wide range of shiny leaf forms in a soothing blue-green, plus brilliantly hued fruit on female plants. Like Winterberry Holly, Meserve Holly needs a male pollinator to pollinate the female plants in the area for a good fruit set. Even if only growing the male plants, they are very handsome with their glossy broadleaved evergreen foliage all year round all on their own. Dioecious evergreens for year-round blue-greenery Dainty white blossoms for pollinators Brilliant display of red fruit! Very showy fall and winter show Hedges, backdrops, showy foundation plantings and privacy Spiny leaves - Good thorny deterrents for property definition and borders Smaller container sizes to large landscape specimens Try pairs like Castle Wall® with Castle Spire®, the Blue Prince and Blue Princess Holly pairs, or the China Girl® and China Boy® Holly. Or splash out with the creamy two-tone variegated foliage of Honey Maid Holly! 9. Hybrid Red Holly Also known as Oakleaf® or Red Holly, these hybrids are taller, often pyramidal-shaped Holly with typical Holly-leaf-shaped, deeply dissected, spiny leaves. Featuring glossy broadleaf evergreen foliage, but also orange-to-red berries in the fall! Red Holly are different from their cousins as there is no need for a pollinator shrub planted nearby to get the fruit! However, as with any pollination situation - the more the merrier - literally. You’ll get a bigger fruit set with multiple plants in proximity to each other to help spread the pollen around. Broadleaf evergreens with spiny foliage Hybrid plants will pollinate themselves - more fruit with more plants though Showy bird-friendly fall and winter display of fruit Great hedges, backdrops and foundation plants Standout focal points and specimens Windbreaks and stop drifting snow Lush privacy all year long Try an Oakleaf® Red Holly or Acadiana™ Holly for impressive barrier plantings and fast-growing living deterrent hedges. Very adaptable to shearing and shaping, you can create unique topiary for your containers and garden conversation pieces! Foster’s Holly (Ilex x attenuata) is another type of Hybrid Holly that is generally self-pollinating and boasts Dahoon and American Holly parentage. 10. Possomhaw Holly Another fantastic American native are the bird-friendly powerhouses known as Possomhaw Holly (Ilex decidua). Brilliant red berries and ornately toothy, oval leaves of this deciduous Holly are not only beneficial for songbirds, but also a pollinator Host Plant for many butterfly larvae too. Wildlife devours the fruit as quickly as songbirds do, but if you can steal a few branches, your interior and exterior holiday containers will benefit from the bright red fruit on bare stems. Oval deciduous foliage with toothy margins and spiny ends Dioecious - plant multiples together for pollination Big brilliant red berries in the fall Wildlife, songbird, and pollinator food sources Large hedges, windbreaks, shelterbelts, and naturalized groupings Can be limbed up as small ornamental trees with spreading, open crowns Hardy native Holly can handle very moist soils and drought Get Growing Diversity With Holly from Nature Hills! While this shrub may seem a bit old-fashioned, there is a good reason why it was once a landscape standard! With all the new varieties out there, the magnificent Holly is sure to make a return to the American garden once again! Easy to grow, long-lived, and oh-so-versatile, the Holly bush or tree will inspire you to sing their praises as so many have before you have because of their steadfast beauty! Happy Planting!

The season of giving is upon us! For the person that has it all, to the person on your list that is impossible to shop for … Nature Hills is here to help you find the perfect gift! For the outdoor and plant enthusiasts, foodies, and novice growers alike, you’ll be sure to find the perfect stocking stuffers and unbeatable gifts for even the pickiest family and friends! Our 10 Favorite Holiday Gifts For 2023! From the hardcore gardener in all Hardiness Zones, to the bird lover in your life, Home décor and holiday decorations, to the aspiring herbalist in your family, Nature Hills has an amazing selection of unique offerings throughout the year! 1. Newest Plants At Nature Hills! Give the gift of plants! What’s better - Plants that no one else on the block has yet! Not only will Nature Hills ship quality plants to their doorstep, we deliver them at the proper planting time for your recipient's growing zone, but we also send all the planting instructions and care with them too! Check out these newest offerings in trees and shrubs for a gift that keeps on giving for years to come! French Manicure Panicle Hydrangea - sweet and color-changing, this fashionable new Hydrangea will knock their socks off! Black Pearl Redbud Tree - high glossy heart-shaped leaves in a dramatic purple-black with incredible early spring blooms in magenta pink. 2. Bloomables® New Flowering Shrubs! Hitting the website soon, the new and improved Bloomables® line of flowering shrubs is known for its flower power and smaller-sized compact offerings that fit in any sized landscape! From new Brick House® Roses in Red and Pink, to the Gilded Sun™ Rose, plus there is the ethereal Pearlescent™ Rose bush. These compact gems bloom all growing season long! You’ll also love the Dapper® White or Dapper® Lavender Butterfly Bushes that won’t get leggy or too tall. Check out the Bloomables® Bellini® Strawberry, Bellini® Raspberry, or Bellini® Guava Crape Myrtles that won’t take up all your landscape but still pump out full-sized blooms! The Empire® Ice Dragon™ Spirea is a non-stop bloomer with colorful foliage in the spring, summer, and fall! 3. Fresh and Artificial Home Décor! Everyone loves home décor, especially around the holidays! But not everyone has the time or that craft gene at their disposal. Check out these fresh and artificial wreaths, door swags, table arrangements, and garlands at Nature Hills! Don’t forget the Wreath Spray to keep them looking fresh all season! Tabletop and container Christmas trees that you can decorate and give as gifts, then plant in the yard for lasting landscape beauty! Topiary Shrubs! Already trained and pruned and ready for planting in the garden or dropping into a front door container display! Dwarf Alberta Spruce Pom Pom Topiary Spartan Juniper Spiral Topiary Dwarf Alberta Spruce Spiral Topiary Proven Winners® Color Choice® Castle Wall® Blue Holly Pyramidal Topiary Proven Winners® Color Choice® Castle Spire® Blue Holly Tree Form Topiary Oakland® Holly Pom Pom Topiary 3. The Meat & Cheese Gift Boxes A gift that not only they will enjoy but others can too! Locally sourced with a delicious variety of snacks, this gift box is sure to be a hit. Perfect for placing on a charcuterie board when entertaining guests or for pairing with a glass of wine on a stay-at-home Saturday night. Whether you’re gifting to someone with a sweet or savory taste, a Meat & Cheese Gift Box has it all! Executive Meat & Cheese Gift Box Elite Meat & Cheese Gift Box Marcootery Meat & Cheese Starter Pack The Entertainer Meat & Cheese Gift Box MJC Pride Meat & Cheese Gift Box "Brewed" Meat & Cheese Gift Box The Dog Lovers Cheese Gift Box From Our Farm Cheese Gift Box 4. Instant Wall and Tabletop Planters For the desk or the wall, these easy-to-put-together Instant Planters are perfect for the Succulent enthusiast! With video and easy-to-follow instructions, anyone can begin growing these vertical gardens in pretty frames to create living works of art! Choose from different sizes and colors, then pick out some Succulents or other small houseplants for them to add as well! No green thumb? You can also use artificial plants in them too! We also have DIY Kits, windowsill Grow Kits, and Terrariums to choose from! 5. Wood Fired Pizza Oven Okay, who doesn’t love pizza? These Wood Fired Pizza Ovens are a great gift for the beginner chef or pizza connoisseur on your list. Better yet, it’s portable! Get fresh, delicious, home-cooked pizza anywhere you’d like. Spice it up with homegrown vegetables, herbs, or even fruit found at NatureHills.com. Enjoy family time with a fun, interactive cooking environment! The most important gifts are the ones that bring people together, especially when it’s for pizza! Lil Luigi Wood Fired Pizza Oven Kit Le Peppe Wood Fired Pizza Oven Wood Fired Garden Oven Plus we carry the Utensil Kits, Covers, Pizza Peels, and other accessories to go with them! 6. Kokedamas With so many fun, quirky options to choose from, how could you go wrong with a Kokedama? Even better, the plant has its roots and soil bundled in a ball of moss and wrapped in twine or string, so there’s no need for a pot or container. Kokedamas are forgiving and easy-going plants that are long-lasting and low-maintenance. Head on over to NatureHills.com for more Kokedama care tips and information! With a rich history, the Kokedama is the perfect conversation starter! If you know someone whose office space could use a refresh and is always on the go, give the gift of a Kokedama this year.  7. E-Gift Certificate Need a stocking stuffer or last-minute gift that is equally as exciting? Give the gift of nature with a NatureHills.com E-Gift Certificate! That way, the plant enthusiast in your life can choose from our wide selection of items and, as an added bonus, you won’t have to worry about the hassle of returns. While every one of our items is amazing (at least in our opinion), they’ll be able to pick something especially to their liking! You’re able to choose amounts of $25, $50, $100 or $250. When tempted with plant money, we could spend IT ALL and they will be tempted to as well! 8. Outdoor/Indoor Fireplaces Bring warmth into an indoor/outdoor setting with our wide selection of high-quality fireplaces. Designed especially for those seeking a modern style for their home or landscape. Our selection uses clean-burning bio-ethanol fuel, unlike any contemporary or gas fireplace. These fireplaces are low maintenance and you’ll never have to worry about safety. Any time is a good time to snuggle up with your loved ones (especially the Christmas season) next to a roaring fire. Any of our fireplaces are sure to keep you warm & bring tidings of comfort and joy for years to come! 9. Deluxe PopUp Garden Planter Who needs a yard when you can garden Up! Balcony and back deck gardener can enjoy these tiered vertical planters for their herbs, vegetables, annuals and more! Easy to use and assemble, the rugged Deluxe PopUp Gardens are also modular and configurable! Garden without taking up lots of space, without bending or reaching, and without tools! Trade hours of assembling on Christmas Day for set up in just minutes! Edible gardening is in reach! Give the gift that keeps on growing this holiday season! Perfect for the container gardener or the renter with a green thumb in your life, planters and raised beds offer space-saving solutions!! 10. Amaryllis & Other Holiday Bulbs So cheerful and so easy - the colorful Amaryllis Bulb is perfect for indoor décor throughout the winter months! From snowy whites and peppermint striped, apricots and pinks, to the deepest or most brilliant reds, there is a huge array of single and double-petalled forms for you to choose from to coordinate perfectly with anyone's home décor! Other fall-planted spring-flowering bulbs ideal for winter forcing are also available for shipping now! From Paperwhites and Hyacinths, to Tulips, Daffodils, and Muscari, you’ll add perfume and flower power to sunny windows while the snow flies outside! Enjoy The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Stay in this Black Friday and snuggle up in your PJs instead. Log onto Nature Hills and you’re done! Now that you’ve found something for everyone on your gifting list, you can sit back and enjoy the Christmas season and let Nature Hills take care of the shipping! When it comes time, you will be able to see their faces light up after receiving your wonderful, thoughtful gifts found exclusively at NatureHills.com! Happy Shopping!

Bring joy to your yard with Holly! Rediscover the joys of traditional plantings to beef up the look of your landscaping! They easily become an integral part of your garden design as fences, hardscapes, and sculptural living statues! Holly are popular because of their glossy leaves and classically dense branching. They have small spring flowers for pollinators, and many have brilliantly-colored fruit in the fall and winter months for birds and winter décor! Using The Versatile Holly Hedge In Your Landscape Tips on Planning Your Holly Hedge Pruning Holly For Hedges & Screens Easy Holly Hedges! Using The Versatile Holly Hedge In Your Landscape Dynamic accents, both broadleaved evergreen and deciduous Holly bushes are landscape workhorses throughout a wide range of climates and conditions! Handling pollution and sun, Holly tolerates cold and heat beautifully! Thriving in more acid soils and even taking on drought occasionally, there’s little that will make these long-lived shrubs fail.  Urban-tolerant Holly bushes are highly adaptable and versatile, as easy to grow in rural areas as they are in the city courtyard and even rooftop garden! Native Winterberry Holly shrubs even tolerate soggy, wet soils! Use these moisture-loving Holly as excellent low hedges in low-lying areas and Rain Gardens. Cold-hardy, native Inkberry Hollies are gaining a well-deserved reputation as a superior landscape choice. Feed the birds with native Possomhaw or Red Holly, while inviting wildlife and pollinators galore! 1. Holly as Hedges and Barrier Plantings Effective as elegant privacy screens, hedges, and groupings, Holly adds their delightful presence to your yard and garden! Often used to grow together into one solid continuous hedge for better screening, a Holly hedge keeps prying eyes and trespassers at bay. Both deciduous and evergreen Holly create great windbreaks, as wildlife shelterbelts, and are often used as living snow-fencing! Surround an outdoor room with a living wall of evergreen Holly to keep prying eyes from peeking in, or even hide an unsightly neighbor or utilitarian landscape feature! Holly hedges grow together to form a solid screen to create a perfectly special destination spot! The more spiny types of Holly create amazing deterrents and keep trespassers out of pools and backyard areas that are sure to make anyone (or anything) think twice before crossing them! The grand American Holly tree grows into a stately, screening grandfather in a modern forest or mixed-shrub border! Plus you’ll screen out anything up to 50 feet high! Nellie Stephens Holly is a fast-growing and very tall Holly that brings seclusion in a hurry!   2. Holly as Backdrops and Landscape Definition Line the back of a garden border with a steady green backdrop that shows off everything planted before it! You’ll create garden vignettes and highlight special garden art, a garden bench, or a quiet nook beautifully! Asian-inspired gardens rely on Japanese Holly much like Boxwood shrubs are used! They also are fantastic alternatives to Privet and Boxwood! Some of the most popular backdrop Holly shrubs include the Compact Japanese Holly, or the Soft Touch Japanese Holly because of their fine-textured leaves. Create a toothy backdrop with the Sky Box® Japanese Holly and its pyramidal forms evenly spaced. The rounded Emerald Magic® Meserve Holly stays small enough to use under windows and makes an intelligent choice in low-maintenance foundation plantings! Try alternating Castle Wall® and Castle Spire® Hollies for your foundation planting, using the Castle Spire® between windows and as corner anchors. Or use this pairing to create a unique hedge! Add a pair of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Castle Wall® Blue Holly Pyramidal Topiary in a fancy set of pots for your front steps! Shamrock Inkberry and Strongbox® Inkberry Hollies are fantastic low-growing shrubs for use as edging, garden borders, and facer plants to hide the bare leggy stems of larger, more established hedges. Box in a garden with a low hedge of Shamrock Inkberry, or Dwarf Yaupon Holly, whether sheared or left to grow naturally, you’ll create a showy landscape feature that won’t need much maintenance! Try the evergreen Patty O Box® Japanese Holly for a low-maintenance landscape! You'll relish the depth of dark color, along with the incredible lustrous shine of the leaves.   3. Holly as Specimens and Focal Points Only have room for one or two new plants? Holly are gorgeous stand-alone accents and focal points! Taking to pruning, training, and shearing, you can control the size, create tree-form versions, or shear them into tidy formal shapes that stand out! Showy topiaries and perform beautifully as an accent or conversation piece! Drops of Gold Japanese Holly is a fantastic yellow-leaved Holly bush and you’ll add a sunny finishing touch with these compact, spreading shrubs! The Oakland® Holly is a statuesque rounded pyramidal-formed shrub that creates an ideal garden anchor or for softening the corner of a home or garage! Try a bold Winter Red Holly with its bold red berry display, or a variegated Honey Maid Holly for brilliant color year-round. The topiary forms of our popular Holly become instant conversation pieces and garden accents! Try an Oakland® Holly Pom Pom Topiary in a small garden surrounded by a low evergreen Japanese Hoogendorn Holly hedge for a modern take on classic courtyards and formal gardens!   4. Using Holly in Containers & Container Gardening Even without a yard, there’s no need to rely on artificial Holly bushes. Although you can't grow Holly indoors, you can grow a live, narrow Holly bush in an outdoor container. Prune your Holly as large or small, as round or as skinny as you need to have it thrive in a planter. Select Sky Pencil Holly Bushes gives you the skinny jeans style that reaches high and stays slender. Or simply plant our expertly crafted Castle Spire Blue Holly tree-form topiary as a stand-out live Holly cultivar! You’ll enhance your front entry and be able to decorate your container topiaries to fit the season all year round! Gem Box® Inkberry Holly shrubs make lovely container focal-point plants and can be kept as an easy-peasy rounded thriller. Line a balcony or back deck with matching containers of Blue Princess Holly Pyramidal Topiary, or line your driveway with slim, yet tall planters of First Editions® Straight & Narrow® Japanese Holly.   5. Holly for Winter Color & Decorations Holly are well-known for their ornamental foliage in wreaths, crafts, and outdoor container decorations, but the berries are just as ornate! Create gorgeous holiday and winter garlands, wreaths, container décor, and winter arrangements of both the fruit and leaves! Left on the shrub, however, the berries bring much-needed color to the dreary fall and winter landscape! Not to mention feeding songbirds!   6. Holly for Wildlife American Native Holly includes the Winterberry, Inkberry, and Yaupon Holly bushes! These durable shrubs feed birds with their bountiful and colorful berries. Persisting through the fall and even the winter months for much-needed color. The dense branching provides shelter and nesting for a wide variety of birds too! The tiny flowers in the spring feed a wide assortment of bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects! Tips on Planning Your Holly Hedge Planning your living fence starts with how many plants you are going to need, knowing their mature widths and sometimes heights, and knowing your soil's drainage. These plants need sun to partial sun locations and well-drained soil that won’t become soggy or stagnant after heavy rains. The number of plants is determined by the mature size of the plants you are using for your hedge and the size of the area being filled. Spacing Holly For Hedges Find a Holly you’d like to use as a hedge. Check the Plant Highlights to find the mature width. Then when it's time to plant, choose how you want your hedge to look! Space your shrubs just under their mature width to create a solid screen that grows together seamlessly in time. Remember, rows don’t need to be stick-straight! For a more informal spacing that highlights each shrub as an individual, yet still creates a solid hedge, space each shrub its mature width apart or a bit more. You can even zig-zag your shrubs or create unevenly spaced groupings. For a more visual hedge or one that is mixed among other shrubs of varying type and size, plant at evenly spaced intervals as far apart as you’d like. Let's say you are using a Castle Wall Holly variety that gets to be about 6' tall or more and spreads about 3 - 4' wide. You are planting your new plants from Nature Hills that will be delivered in #3 containers, and not yet at the fully mature size that they will become in time. Choose a larger container size for faster results and more immediate impact. You must also decide how quickly you want your new hedge to be a solid screen. If you planted your new plants 3 feet apart, it may take several years for the plants to touch each other. Consider how the bottoms of the hedge will mesh together as an older hedge as well. You may decide you do not want to wait years for the hedge to become a solid screen. In that case, you will want to plan on planting them closer together. If you plant your Castle Wall Holly plant every 3 feet on center (which means they can spread 1 ½ feet on each side of the center of the plant before each plant touches the one next to it), it will make a nice hedge in a fairly short period. Remember that these plants will be wider as they continue to grow and develop and they will start to touch each other. As a solid hedge (formal sheared hedges or informal, untrimmed hedges) you want these plants to touch each other. They will grow together seamlessly with the plant on either side of them, and there is no reason to prevent that from happening. We have seen people trim the plants back into individuals that do not touch and that is not the goal here. Pruning Holly For Hedges & Screens These elegant plants can be used for screening and sheared formal hedges with the added bonus of cheerful fruit for birds! Pruning is a necessary part of shrub maintenance to keep them growing healthy and looking their best. Warning - Most of these plants have sharp pointed leaves that can be sharp and spiny - so be careful! Gear up with heavy long-sleeved shirts or coats, thick gloves, and even some eye protection! Don’t wear shorts or flip-flops for this task either! Lay down a tarp where you are pruning and have a sturdy yard-waste container at the ready. Sharpen your shears or hedge trimmers and you are ready to go! When and How To Prune Holly Bushes As with any flowering/fruiting shrub - when to prune comes down to timing! Holly blooms on old wood, so wait to prune Holly bushes until after the flowers are done, even if they are male shrubs - that way the female flowers can be pollinated. Allow the plants to flower so they can pollinate the female flowers and produce fruit.  Avoid removing more than a third of the shrub’s mass at a time per year! Of course, you can go ahead and snip the berried branches for seasonal decorations! Deciduous Holly Pruning Deciduous Hollies like Possomhaw and Winterberry should be pruned right after flowering. Deciduous type Holly plants lose their leaves in fall, leaving them ‘naked’ in the winter except for the fruit display on the female plants. Use these deciduous plants for larger screening, or along water-logged areas and natural sites for a more natural look. Grown as specimens and winter interest, or in front of evergreens to show off that incredible fruit display, these plants are not a good candidate for formal hedges.  These plants are large growers and offer no screening during the winter months so shearing isn’t the best method of pruning. They work best when allowed to grow more naturally by not reducing the size when trimming back. Instead, use renewal pruning methods as described below after flowering. Evergreen Holly Pruning Ideal for clean lines, topiary, and formal sheared hedges and screening, Evergreen Holly shrubs and trees produce those classic high-end curb appeal many homeowners desire! Whether straight rows and buzz-cut banks of green, or flowing curved lines and forms, the formal evergreen hedge, border, or backdrop creates a dignified effect on your home’s overall appeal. Evergreen Holly should be pruned or sheared in the early summer so that any new growth that forms later in the year has time to harden off and mature before the cold season sets in. Pruning and shearing too late in the season also will remove any potential fruit that these shrubs are typically grown for! 1. The First Year or Two   Very little pruning will be required for young plants. Only snipping off any tips that our out of the range of the rest of the plants. You want them to get established quickly, so minimal pruning is required. Let the plants produce lots of new leaves as they are making new food and it will establish the plants sooner than if you sheared them back at the start.   2. Holly Shearing Holly, especially those with smaller leaves like Japanese, Chinese, and Inkberry Holly, can be sheared after flowering for a formal look, but their slower growth means they look just as great when allowed to grow naturally. When you do shear these plants into hedges, it is very important to be sure the bottom of the plants are left wider than the tops. By doing this, the bottom limbs do not get shaded out by the upper portions (leading to leaf drop since they are of no use to the plant). This will ensure that the plants will always have leaves extending right down to the ground (if this type of screening is desired) and that they will always look best! This is not only true for a Holly hedge, but for all hedging plants whether they are deciduous or evergreen! 3. The Third Year and Beyond Maintenance pruning beyond shearing can involve selectively pruning out any growth that sticks out, sections that have died back from injury or winter damage, or anything that seems out of place and makes for an unbalanced shrub. Removing dead or broken branching can be done at any time, but hand pruning for size or shape control is best done after flowering. Keeping the interior of your shrub free of bare stems, leaf clutter and debris, and open for air circulation/light penetration is important too. Rake out any fallen leaf debris from beneath your hedge or shrub to keep it sanitary. 4. Renewal and Maintenance Pruning As with any flowering or fruiting shrub, the younger shoots are the most vigorous - both flowering and fruiting. Give your shrub a spa treatment by trimming out the old and letting the new growth have free rein - giving you a bigger and better show of berries and the freshest growth. This is especially true for Winterberry Holly and Meserve Holly. Renewal pruning can be done to keep the plants flowering and fruiting well on the younger thinner branches by selectively pruning out the older, thicker stems as needed (generally every 3-5 years). Easy Holly Hedges! You will be ecstatic with the year-round interest of Holly shrub hedges in your landscape! Nature Hills makes it easy to create the landscape you deserve! Put Holly to work in your landscape! You'll never regret your decision to include these classic shrubs and trees! Happy Planting!