Ceramic, plastic, wood, terracotta and more. You have many choices for your plants on your porch or patio. But there are so many different options out there for whimsical, unique, and even upcycled garden containers that won’t cost lots of money!
Often, we gardeners have some cracked and scratched, excess or even too many pots! Admit it, we can be hoarders sometimes too! Let your imagination and creativity free with something different than anyone else on the block, while using up some of these leftover and excess pieces laying around!
Need to add height among shrubs and perennial borders? Maybe something different on your porch this year? If you have varying sizes of large, medium and small pots, then you can create a multi-tiered planter!
They don’t have to match (a little outdoor spray paint goes a long way) or the pots can clash, because soon they’ll have plants covering them anyway! Don’t buy anything new, hit the thrift store or see if a neighbor will be glad to be relieved of some of their pottery!
Glue rocks and pebbles, make a mosaic out of broken pieces with mortar and grout, or paint them. Just be sure to paint or spray on some waterproofing sealant to keep it looking great after!
Choose a large, medium and small pot and make sure they have adequate drainage holes.
Set the largest base pot on a dribble/catch tray to collect water that will run out after watering.
Take broken or unwanted pots, recycled plastic containers or inexpensive pots, and turn them upside down into the first pot. This reduces how much water/soil and weight you will need.
Either center this inside pot or set it to the back of the largest planter for more room in the front for larger plants.
Fill with soil and water well, packing down gently.
Set the medium-sized pot upright onto the upside-down container and repeat - add a smaller upside-down pot inside it, fill, tamp down, and water.
Repeat with other pots to create your tier.
Lastly, add your smallest pot to the top and fill it with soil. You can glue or wire these pots together if you have pets or children, or wind, that tends to knock things over easily.
Decorate with lights, colorful decorations, flags, paint your house number or family name or a stylized initial onto the largest pot.
Try a Tipsy Planter!
If you have several pots all the same size and a pole, then you can make a tipsy planter!
This requires a firmly anchored pole 4-6 feet in height (or more!) so it will not move. If you wish, you can use a larger planter or container for the base.
Select pots that already have good-sized drainage holes (or create some).
Slide the largest/first pot onto the pole by way of the drainage hole, and set it onto the ground nice and level, then fill with good potting soil.
Slide the second pot down the pole the same way, but this time angling it - pushing it into the first pot's soil so you have a tilt. Not enough to spill soil and water, but enough to angle the pot nicely.
Repeat with your remaining pots, alternating your tilt on each side.
Fill with plants! Be sure to again choose a variety of upright, spilling and bushy plants to add variety.
Top it off - Top with a birdbath or fancy pot!
Planter Water Garden
If you have a large planter that’s water-tight, or one you can add pool liner to, then you can create a water garden! A fish tank pump or fancy (yet inexpensive) fountain are a bonus! There are even solar-powered ones available these days! Try this in your broken patio brick garden!
Add your pool liner or other waterproofing material to your large planter.
Add a layer of gravel or rocks to the bottom.
Set your fountain or fish tank pump for aeration purposes. If you don’t have this, you will want to change your water and add tablets to help kill excess bacteria formation and kill mosquito larvae.
Add soil for water gardens or aquariums/aquatic plants (generally clay-based or heavy loam works), and decorative rocks
Plant with Waterlily and Sedges, Papyrus, or other water-loving plants.
Have a large pot or urn that broke? Maybe just one you don’t use anymore. Tip it on its side or set the broken ends partially into the ground and fill with soil. Then plant creeping, mat-forming plants in it so it looks like they’re ‘spilling’ or ‘bursting’ out of the mouth of your pot!
Broken Pot Planter/Fairy Garden
If you have a large or medium terracotta pot with a crack or hole in one side, it's now a cute Fairy House!
Use the broken parts and/or parts of other broken pots to create tiers, stairs, and varying levels within the pot and plant small succulents, small plants and newly rooted seedlings into the cracks and gaps.
Add moss, pebbles, tiny action figures… it's up to you!
Top with a little house made from foraged bark, stones or a log and add a door.
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle!
Use odd things around your home that normally would end up in the trash and put them to work in the garden as funky décor!
Spray paint a row of old tires and alternately stack them onto each other, filling each row with some drainage holes, then potting soil. Fill with Annuals and small perennials (Not recommended for vegetables).
Paint a single tire and fill the bottom with soil and hang it on your fence post or hang with rope for an instant planter! (drill a couple of drainage holes if you can!)
Stack painted cinder blocks in alternating ways and tuck small pots into the holes, or plant directly into those holes!
Pallets become vertical planters when you line them with landscape fabric and fill them with soil! Cut holes for the plant roots to tuck into and water from the top! Fill with Herbs!
Got lots of old coffee or tin cans, paint cans, or large bottles? Clean them, paint them and drill holes for drainage and hang them up as small hanging planters, or attach them directly to a wall for a vertical garden!
Got some old shoes or boots? Fill them with soil and plant in them! You can paint or dip them in cement and they look like you spent a lot of money on your new planter.
Old pitchers, watering cans, teapots or crocks? You got it - plant it up!
Are the kids not playing with that dump truck or other toy cars? It’s now a children’s garden planter!
Drawers from an old bureau? Waterproof them, add legs and pot them up! They are now raised garden beds!
Broken seat in a chair? Waterproof paint it, reinforce the hole and drop a potted plant in the hole where the seat used to be!
Old baskets? Yep - you have a planter! Add coconut husk liners and plants! Go vertical and hang them up!
Plants in Your Pants!
Lots of old jeans or pants laying around? Zip Tie or sew up the leg holes, and fill them with soil and hang them from a sturdy fence. Pot up your old bottoms and fill your pockets with plants!
You can even line kids' pants up on an old bench or wall so your plant people are sitting. Fill the legs with old towels or plastic shopping bags and set a pot inside the waist.
Add an old belt to hold the pants up and boots or old shoes.
Recycled Towel Planters
Do you have some old towels or sheets?
Cut to size (big circle or square) and saturate them in a mixture of cement that’s like very thick paint or pancake batter.
Then drape over a plastic-covered bucket or other object and drape it decoratively. (Don’t forget the dropcloth for easy clean-up!)
Cut a hole in the middle for drainage and let dry (takes a day or two).
Then ‘paint’ on more cement of the same consistency to thicken and reinforce the walls inside and on the outside of your new pots. (Might take a couple of coats.)
Paint it colorful and/or paint with water sealant spray, then go ahead and plant in your new recycled planters!
Add some imagination and whimsy!
Go ahead and include solar lights, pinwheels and garden décor everywhere! Put oversized novelty sunglasses on your potted plants or hide old children’s toy balls painted like eyes in your hedges. Go beyond the lawn gnome and have some fun with your garden!
Paint kids' toys or old clothing with cement to make them look like statues. Add a scarecrow with a sun hat and your old clothes in the veggie garden! Add a few homemade leaf stepping stones.
A garden that reflects you is around the corner if you just use a bit of imagination! Plus you’re helping the environment by recycling unwanted items! Let NatureHills.com help you add some fun and beauty to your garden, this and every year!
Check out our new and exciting herbs, perennials and flowering shrubs for 2022!
Long-lived, mighty, wildlife-friendly, iconic, and lasting legacies - the incredible Oak tree is the cornerstone of the tree world! Found growing around the world, these large fortresses cast incredible shade and have a high impact on the landscape because many can be seen far and wide, rising above the others.
A single tree is a valuable asset to your home's value and has an immense impact on your yard!
But these incredible trees are most known for casting their lush shade on your home and garden!
All About Oak Trees
Notable Oak Trees
Big and Small Oaks For All Landscapes!
Oak Tree Selection
Cold Hardy Oak Tree Varieties
Biggest Oak Trees Available
Best Oaks For Wet/Moist Ground
Best Oak Trees For Hot and Arid Conditions
Smallest Oaks and Street Trees With Narrow Profiles
Fastest Growing Oak Trees
Most Unique Oak Trees
Oak Tree Care
Great Shade and Mighty Oaks For You!
All About Oak Trees
There are both deciduous and evergreen Oak trees, found in a wide range of growing conditions from riparian to arid, hot and cold hardiness zones, and in large to small sizes for all needs! Both native and modern cultivars alike have the same hardiness, resilience, and beauty!
Oaks are usually trees but a few can be shrubs or very shrubby in form. Belonging to the genus Quercus and members of the Beech family, Fagaceae. With over 500 species, there are a lot of Oaks that thrive in a wide range of climates and conditions.
Oak trees are classified in general into White Oaks and Red Oaks:
Red Oak Family
Reds typically have pointed lobes (similar to classic Holly leaves). Acorns can take two years to mature before they drop. Includes Willow, Black, Water, Southern Live, Blackjack, Shingle, and Pin Oaks.
White Oak Family
White Oak type trees have rounded lobes to their leaves. Their acorns mature each year and can sprout almost right away! Common White Oaks include Swamp, Chestnut Oak, Post, White Oak, Chinkapin, and Bur.
Used for furniture, building materials, ships, and firewood, a single mature tree has a wide variety of uses even after they’re no longer growing in the landscape.
Oak trees have male flowers and female flowers on different parts of the branch. Often yellow or greenish, these monoecious blooms look different from each other as well. Male flowers are long catkins, while female flowers are tucked into the notches of the leaves (called the leaf axis).
Oaks are keystone species, meaning they support a ton of native beneficial insects, pollinators, birds and wildlife! The acorns, also called oak nuts, are produced in the autumn. These nuts are beloved by a wide variety of wildlife and can even be eaten by humans after processing. Birds and wildlife nest and take shelter in their limbs, and stand steadfast throughout the worst of storms. Some Oaks begin to produce acorns at age 10, and others do not produce until they are 50 years old. Heavy acorn production may occur only about four out of every 10 years, called 'mast' years.
Check out the Audubon® line of native Oak trees for your landscape and support local fauna!
Notable Oak Trees
The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire England is a local legend! This 1,000-year-old tree is rumored as being magical and the secret meeting spot of Robin Hood and his men would meet at this tree.
The Pechanga Great Oak tree is a Coastal Live Oak near Temecula, California. Estimated to be the world's oldest Living Oak and might be at least 2,000 years old.
Big and Small Oaks For All Landscapes!
Nature Hills has a remarkable selection of fantastic Oak trees available for you to choose from! So how do you choose the right one for you?
Oak Tree Selection
Find your growing zone and then find an Oak Tree that works for your area
Ensure you have a full sun location with a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight
Find a location that won’t get soggy after a rain because most Oaks need well-drained soil
Site Oaks where their roots will not interfere with driveways, sidewalks, foundations, etc.
Room for branches and roots at their mature height and won’t interfere with power lines
Now that you’ve narrowed down which Oak Tree works best for you, check out these fantastic varieties that will thrive in a wide range of unique conditions we typically find in the landscape while still casting luscious shade!
Cold Hardy Oak Tree Varieties
Many varieties hold their leaves over the winter to protect next year's buds from the chill!
White Oak Tree - Native with russet fall color
Black Oak Tree - Native with yellow fall color, 80 feet tall and 50 feet wide at maturity
Urban Pinacle® Bur Oak - Cultivar with red fall color 55 feet tall and just 25 feet wide
Biggest Oak Trees Available
If you got the room, these massive and far-reaching Oak trees will envelop your entire landscape in cooling shady relief!
Southern Live Oak - Broad-leaved Evergreen 90 feet wide for four seasons of shade
Sawtooth Oak - Native Oak with toothy leaves 60 feet wide
Bur Oak - 100 feet spread of cooling relief
White Oak - The best wildlife-friendly tree, grows up to 90 feet tall and wide at maturity
English Oak - Magnificent all round Oak tree
Best Oaks For Wet/Moist Ground
Got a soggy spot or are planting near a body of water, check out these great varieties.
Pin Oak - Best in acidic soil that’s very moist or occasionally wet
Overcup Oak
Bur Oak - Can handle wet/alkaline conditions
Swamp White Oak
Water Oak Tree - A southern native that also likes moist soil
Nuttal and Texana Nuttall Oak
Audubon® Native Swamp Chestnut Oak Tree - distinct gray scaly bark
Best Oak Trees For Hot and Arid Conditions
Heat, humidity, drought, and Oaks go hand in hand for these hardy specimens.
Southern Live Oak - Classic evergreen southern bell that spreads wide and grows tall!
Bur Oak - Drought tolerant once established
Chinquapin Oak - Also urban environment tolerant!
Audubon® Native Southern Red Oak
Water Oak Tree - Southern native likes moist soil but zone 10 heat & coastal salt spray
Smallest Oaks and Street Trees With Narrow Profiles
Big Oak shade and attitude in a tidy smaller footprint!
Audubon® Dwarf Chestnut Oak - Grows 6-8 feet tall, up to 12 feet wide and handles clay
Texana Nuttall Oak - Fast growing to under 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide
Streetspire® Oak - Narrow growing
Urban Pinacle® Bur Oak - Tall and slender profile
Crimson Spire™ Oak - Just 12-15 feet wide with red fall color!
Green Pillar® Pin Oak - Columnar Oak tree
Skinny Genes® Oak - Reaching 45 feet tall but spreading just 8-10 feet wide!
Regal Prince® Oak - Super skinny columnar Oak
Fastest Growing Oak Trees
Get shade faster without the wait.
Shumard Oak - Handles clay soil and great fall color
Northern Red Oak
Nuttall Oak - Pyramidal-shaped native
Pin Oak
Heritage Oak Tree
Most Unique Oak Trees
Get an Oak that sets itself apart from the rest!
Willow Oak - Finely-textured small leaves unlike other Oaks
Chinkapin Oak - Wavy scalloped leaf margins!
Shingle Oak - Rounded oval-shaped leaves without lobes
Pacific Brilliance™ Pin Oak - Produces fewer acorns than other Oaks
Overcup Oak - Unique acorns with enlarged acorn caps that cover most of the nut
Pin, Red, and White Oaks - Can handle saline conditions
Audubon® Native Blackjack Oak - Two-tone leaves and great for fire-scaping!
Audubon® Native Shingle Oak - Unique bark texture!
Audubon® Native Cherrybark Oak - Reddish glossy bark like a Cherry tree
Oak Tree Care
While most Oak trees prefer full sun, a few can handle partial shade/afternoon shade, especially while they are young. Often, however, even these trees outgrow and outlast any competition and eventually earn their spot in the full sunlight. Southern Live, Swamp White and White Oaks, Overcup and Water Oaks can handle these lower light conditions. Unfortunately, no Oak can tolerate full shade.
Give your new tree an enriched site with well-drained soil (unless it is one of the moist/wet soil tolerant trees listed above) and supply it with regular moisture until established. Even moist soil-loving Oaks need good drainage and cannot stand soggy conditions while they get their roots established. If you find yourself in a soggy environment, add 18-24 inches of soil over the native soil to create a berm and plant your new tree into that mound to give it a good start above the water table.
All Oaks prefer a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch chips covering their entire root system to help hold in moisture and keep their roots cool.
Prune Oaks while they are dormant in the winter or very early spring. Evergreen Oaks like the Southern Live Oak should be pruned during the winter as well. Correct the branch structure while your tree is young for the best results.
Fertilize in spring with a formula for trees or good general slow-release formula. Follow application rates on the label.
Great Shade and Mighty Oaks For You!
Fantastic windbreaks and shelterbelts, privacy, and of course - luscious shade! The mighty Oak tree is a large-scale but versatile and easy-to-grow addition to your landscape. Sure to stick around for years to come!
Plant a lasting and shady legacy for yourself and future generations by making room for one of these incredible specimens with the help of Nature Hills Nursery!
Happy Planting!
Ultra fragrant, gleaming white blooms, Mock Orange Bushes are gorgeous flowering ornamentals! Count on these reliable, rounded plants to add spectacular features you'll appreciate for many years.
Known as the Gardenias of the North, learn more about these incredible deciduous shrubs and how to keep them blooming year after year to perfume your garden each spring! Mock Orange shrubs bloom just after the massive spring bloom of many other shrubs, so they fill a flowering void in the landscape bloom procession when many spring bloomers are done.
About Mock Oranges
Choosing Mock Oranges
Mock Orange Shrub Care and Pruning
Do Mock Orange bushes like sun or shade?
What soil does Mock Orange prefer?
How much water do Mock Orange bushes need?
Mock Orange Pruning
Mock Oranges in the Landscape
Amazing Clouds of White!
About Mock Oranges
Also known as Mockoranges, these glorious white-flowering shrubs have a heavenly scent like their namesake - a sweet citrusy scent mixed with an orange blossom-like perfume. Even if you live in Minnesota, you'll feel like you’ve just been dropped into an orange grove in Florida!
Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius) shrubs are known for being very cold-hardy and widely adaptable! They shine in spring with the blossoms and hold their rich green leaves densely through the summer. You'll enjoy an abundance of flowers on the tips of every branch!
Pollinators adore these blooms and arrive to check them out and the flowers look fantastic in bouquets! What bride wouldn’t want a few of these snow-white blossoms perfuming their march down the aisle?
Choosing Mock Oranges
What is the best variety of Mock Orange? Nature Hills is sure you won’t be able to pick just one of our many varieties and forms of these gorgeous ornamentals. The species can be large shrubs, but the many new selections are much more refined from the old-fashioned plants you have seen in the past.
Miniature Snowflake Mock Orange - Darling dwarf shrub
Buckleys Quill Mock Orange - Wonderful oval and upright double-petalled form
Bouquet Blanc Mock Orange - Ultra fragrant pompom blossoms and tall form
First Editions® Snow White™ Mock Orange - Darling scented double blooms!
Snowbelle Mock Orange - Dwarf size and double blossoms
Natchez Mock Orange - The largest of our Mock Orange and fast-growing
Goose Creek Mock Orange - Arching habit and large size with double blooms
Illuminati Tower® Mock Orange - Unique dwarf with vertical spires of fragrant blooms
Mock Orange Shrub Care and Pruning
There are no serious pests or diseases that affect this shrub. It will even thrive in city environments. Mock Orange shrubs are very easy to get in the ground and very easy to care for!
Do Mock Orange bushes like sun or shade?
Mock Orange can tolerate a little shade but will flower more profusely in full sun. They can handle a bit of shade, but you'll get the best flower display in a full sun position that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.
What soil does Mock Orange prefer?
Mock Oranges adapt to a wide range of soils if they are located in a well-drained site. Mock Orange shrubs thrive just about anywhere, including slightly acidic, slightly alkaline, sandy soil, and even heavy clay! Clay soil is often the bane of many gardeners, but as long as the clay soil drains before the water gets stagnant, Mock Oranges can handle it!
Although widely adapted to many different soil types, grows best when planted in fast-draining soil, rich in organic matter. The roots won't tolerate constantly wet locations, so mound up if you see puddles that remain long after a rain. It's easy, just bring in additional topsoil and heap it into a mound 18 inches high. Plant directly in that mound.
Once the plant is well established in your soil, it can tolerate short periods of drought, but not for long. Add a nice, thick layer of mulch all around to three feet outside the shrub. Wood mulch helps your plant to maintain surface moisture and keep roots cool. However, mulch should never pile up against the main stems of your plant. Once you've spread the mulch out, be sure to pull mulch back by 3 inches all the way around the main stems to give them proper air circulation.
How much water do Mock Orange bushes need?
While Mock Orange does need a moderate amount of water on a regular basis, it's important not to overwater your plants. The best trick is to use the Finger Test. Poke your finger into the soil up to your second knuckle. Is it getting dry? Time to water. Is it still moist? Hold off for now and check tomorrow.
Mock Orange Pruning
How do you shape a Mock Orange bush? This is an easy shrub that requires little care and even less maintenance!
Once the flowering is done, it's best to prune just as the flowers finish blooming only. Mock Orange shrubs bloom on last year’s wood. Pruning this plant is best accomplished by cutting out the largest stems, at no more than 30% a year. Don't be surprised to see reblooming in mid to late summer. This will encourage flowering and keep the shrub neat and full. If your plant gets thick and woody, it is best to Renewal Prune out the thickest stems down to the ground leaving the thinner younger stems in place for best blooms each year.
Mock Oranges in the Landscape
All Mock Oranges have glorious snow-white flowers and they work well as a specimen or accent plant in the landscape.
Soften harsh angles at the corner of your house with the sweet rounded outline of these flowering ornamental accents! Use one on either side of a special Garden Room or grow several together as a fragrant hedge. Mix and match dwarf, mid-sized, and large Mock Oranges for a heavenly display in a Moon Garden where the white blossoms really shine!
Mock Orange to a mixed shrub border. in a high-profile location. You and your guest will enjoy the fragrance during the spring and early summer bloom. Cut back after blooming to keep container plants short and sweet. Every pollinator in the area will arrive on the scene to sip the ample nectar of these summer-time blooms
They love wind, so try them on the open prairie or on windswept hillsides. This durable shrub even tolerates salty breezes. They are even pollution tolerant! Use these fragrant shrubs in urban plantings, as well. Try a long row of them across the front of a busy sidewalk for a friendly privacy fence.
Dwarf varieties are adaptable to large planters and tubs, enabling you to perfume your porch seating, balcony, and deck entertainment areas too!
Amazing Clouds of White!
For fragrance, brilliance, and easy-of-care, you can’t go wrong with the glorious scented blooms of the Mock Orange! Head over to NatureHills.com and get yours today!
You’ll fill your landscape with perfume, butterflies, and three seasons of beauty without all the work!
Happy Planting!
Protect the trunk of your young and vulnerable trees!
The trunk transports minerals and moisture between the roots and the canopy, plus it is the main support for the branches. Beneath the bark (tree skin) is a thin green layer, called the cambium, which is the living vascular system of the tree (containing its xylem and phloem).
Young trees don’t have a thick bark layer (like calluses on our hands and feet) that has formed thick enough to protect the tree from the rigors of its environment.
It is very important this remains undamaged so this nutrient and moisture transport can take place uninterrupted and keep the tree healthy.
Read on to learn more about how to protect your trees during their first few years in your landscape and give them all the support they need for a long, beautiful life!
Common Issues & Solutions for Trunk Protection
Sunscorch and Frost Crack
Borers and Insect Damage
Protecting Tree Trunks From Deer
Deer Repellent
Physical Protection
Other Methods of Protection
Protecting Trunks from Rabbits, Squirrels, and More
Protecting Trunks From Physical Damage
Protecting Tree Trunks from Storms and Weather
Happy Healthy Tree Trunks!
Trees can heal their bark, but it takes time, and any damage can cause excessive scarring and open wounds that insects or diseases can walk right into their system like an open door.
If the bark is damaged only partially, it will heal and the tree will continue to grow, though you may see a branch or two that depended on that section die back. If the bark is damaged all the way around the trunks, they will eventually die. This is called girdling, or ring-barking, which cuts the canopy off from the roots.
What can you use to protect your tree trunks? Do tree trunk protectors work?
Here are the common ways that tree trunks can become damaged, and how you can prevent and treat each.
Common Issues & Solutions for Trunk Protection
It’s not just young trees, trees with thin bark also need protection!
Sunscorch and Frost Crack
Have you ever been walking or driving and noticed the trunks of trees painted white? This method is called whitewashing. The white paint or latex paint reflects the sunlight and keeps the bark cooler by protecting it from sudden temperature changes in late fall and winter. Extreme heat and sun can actually blister young tree stems and bark, called Sunscorch. This may be more commonly used in orchards in warmer climates.
Wrapping the trunks of young trees with white or light-colored reflective tape also stops Frost Crack which is caused by the sudden freezing at night after an especially warm day in the spring or fall. This can cause the tree to think it's time to grow, and begin moving fluids from the roots into the canopy, but then freeze at night when temps drop, causing the bark and trunk to split open as the liquid expands during freezes. Usually unsightly, sometimes damaging, rarely deadly, but completely avoidable if you are in an area where these temperature swings are a common occurrence.
Borers and Insect Damage
Whitewashing is also an effective method of reducing re-infestation of borers and other insects. You can spray or mix pesticide into the whitewashing or simply spray it or a dormant oil onto your tree trunk to protect it from insect damage.
Setting out lures and traps for typical borers in your area (your County Extension Office can help with that) also helps prevent the bugs from getting into your tree in the first place! Especially in areas with Emerald Ash Borer and other issues in their areas.
Protecting Tree Trunks From Deer
For most newly planted trees, deer is a nightmare. From torn tree bark to broken branches, deer damage is a common end to smaller trees that have yet to be established.
A common result of males scraping their antlers against the trunk of various trees, or all deer eating bark, leaves, and twigs. After some time, serious damage starts to occur. During mating season the number of trees damaged begins to increase. Male deer will use trees as a way to ‘mark their territory’ and to signal other males to stay away. You may also find the soil around your tree dug up slightly or a few branches that have been broken and then chewed on. All very damaging to your tree.
Deer Repellent
Spray young trees (and all new plants) with deer repellent from day one and reapply per product directions to train deer that this plant tastes bad. Unfortunately, deer repellent doesn’t stop the physical damage from antlers and marking territory. Use deer repellent to make trees smell and taste bad to the browsing deer. It's good practice to spray your tree before nightfall just to remind deer that they don’t like your new plant.
Physical Protection
The best way to protect your trees is to prevent the deer from having close access to the tree trunk or low-hanging branches.
Surround tree trunks with a protective wrap or tree guards made from chicken wire or other metal screening. These cages should stand at least 6 feet tall and should be positioned a few feet away from the base of your young trees. Wooden or metal stakes will need to be placed in the ground with the cage for extra support. This is easy to set up and doesn’t take up space in the landscape.
Using a screen, paper or plastic tree wrap, or hardware cloth allows the bark to breathe and rain and snow to dry quickly.
Wrap starting at the bottom, just under the soil surface, and wrap up 2-3 feet up (or up to the first set of branches). You can leave it on the tree if the trunk is not being restricted from expanding so it may have to be loosened as the tree grows. Check each year to be sure it is loose enough.
Another method is to use Tree Guards which are widely available. The important thing to remember is to select light-colored guards (and not black drain tile) so that during the winter months, the trunks do not heat up (which can kill the tree).
Other Methods of Protection
Installing a deer-proof fence around your property (about 8 feet)
Install motion-detector sprinklers or noisemakers to scare deer away
There’s also a great selection of deer-resistant trees available at Nature Hills too
Protecting Trunks from Rabbits, Squirrels, and More
Rabbits, rodents, and squirrels that are desperate in the winter, plus beavers and occasionally other wildlife, can strip the bark off young trees to eat the inner bark.
Adding rabbit or rodent repellent to whitewashing paint, or using chicken wire, metal screening, hardware cloth, or other physical barriers around the trunk of your young tree, helps protect the tree from winter foraging.
Be sure to use products that allow the tree trunks to dry quickly following the snow and rainfall. You will want to replace the wraps every few months. This ensures no moisture is building up or insects starting to infest. Using black drain tile pipes on the trunks of the trees is not a good idea as it can allow the trunks to heat up too much and does not always protect them from rodents getting inside.
Newly planted young trees, especially Fruit Trees, and Ornamental Cherries, and those more expensive grafted weeping ornamental specimen plants are easily damaged by rodents and rabbits during the winter months.
Protecting Trunks From Physical Damage
Clipping your tree with a lawnmower or the weedwhacker, kids running into the tree with their toys, and other physical damage can wreak havoc on a young tree in many ways.
A classic way that you can protect the bark on young trees is to wrap the trunks with 2-3 inch wide strips of hardware cloth, burlap, or metal screening.
If the tree just needs protection from lawn maintenance damage, is a wide swath of mulch or other groundcover around its base to separate it from the turf. This helps two-fold since most flowering and fruiting trees do not like having excessive nitrogen from lawn fertilizer anyway! A ring of mulch extending out past the drip line (the zone where the branches reach out and the canopy casts shade) helps prevent these issues. Turf rarely likes to grow under dense shade anyway.
Protecting Tree Trunks from Storms and Weather
It’s a good idea to use metal cages combined with a sturdy tree stake as a support system against harsh weather conditions. Take a thin rope or strong string and tie multiple pieces to the trunk of the tree then to the metal cage or stake in a balanced manner.
On windy days, this will help keep your new tree stable and straight during its first growing season. This also helps in the event of Hurricanes and strong storms.
Happy Healthy Tree Trunks!
Straight trunks and healthy bark, keep this essential portion of your tree free of damage and growing tall in just a few easy steps!
Check out our all-in-one Tree Starter Kits to keep your young tree growing strong in its first few years in your landscape! Protect your trees and shrubs with the help of Nature Hills and a bit of planning!
Happy Planting!
If you are like us, you like collecting some of the dizzying arrays of different perennial Hosta plants for your yard. The diversity of size and color is endless and the new cultivars continue to be introduced every year.
Keep your Hosta collection healthy and happy with these tips and tricks!
All About Hosta!
Some of Nature Hills Best Hosta Plants
Hostas With Blue-Green Foliage
Largest & Smallest Hosta
Hostas White Variegated Leaves
Hostas With Yellow Variegated Foliage
Hostas With Chartreuse Foliage
Beautifully Unique Hosta Varieties!
Planting Hostas
Great Ideas for Hostas in the Landscape:
Basic Hosta Care
Pruning & Hosta Division
Hosta Pruning
Happy Healthy Hosta
All About Hosta!
A popular perennial with striking good looks, Hosta plants are a landscaping favorite. You’ll find a spectacular selection of Hostas for sale right here at Nature Hills Nursery.
Also known as Plantain Lily, Hostas originally came from Japan, China, and Korea. Introduced to the United States in the mid-1800s, the Hosta is a shade-tolerant foliage plant. Hostas are perennials sporting ornate leaves that vary widely in size, with the smallest varieties called miniatures.
Broad and coarse heart-shaped leaves with prominent veins, crinkled or quilted leaves, and the unique ability to let water bead up on their surfaces!
Hosta flowers have six petals and are generally white, lavender, or violet, held on stems called scapes. These plants provide an ornamental focal point in any garden with eye-catching foliage. They are also edible and grown as vegetables in some Asian cultures, although they are toxic to some animals in large quantities.
These blooms are loved by Hummingbirds and pollinators, and look great in floral bouquets indoors too!
You’ll find Hostas for sale online in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors. Some are variegated, while others display brilliant hues of blue, green, and even chartreuse.
You can find the perfect Hosta plant for your planting zone using our USDA zone filters. You can also filter the Hosta selection by sun exposure levels, color, and other options.
Some of Nature Hills Best Hosta Plants
With so many Hosta to choose from, here’s a quick rundown of our best sellers!
Hostas With Blue-Green Foliage
Elegans Hosta
Blue Angel Hosta
Krossa Regal Hosta - Large, nearly silvery/gray blue-green leaves
Arctic Blast Hosta
Largest & Smallest Hosta
Big Daddy Hosta - Big softly matte blue-green leaves
Empress Wu - Can grow 6 feet wide!
Mighty Mouse Hosta - Little foot tall and wide blue-green and white leaves
Blue Mouse Ears Hosta - Little leaves in ribbed blue-green, 6-8 inches tall
Krossa Regal
Hostas White Variegated Leaves
Patriot Hosta
Francee Hosta
Wheee Hosta - Ruffled and rippled leaves!
Fire and Ice Hosta
Remember Me Hosta
Hostas With Yellow Variegated Foliage
Stained Glass Hosta - Big green and chartreuse leaves
Hosta Paul's Glory
Rainbow's End Hosta
Guacamole Hosta - Bright green mix with fragrant blooms
Satisfaction Hosta - Light green-edged green leaves that turn gold in summer
Hostas With Chartreuse Foliage
August Moon Hosta - bright lemon-green leaves
Fire Island Hosta - Lemon-lime leaves
Key West Hosta
Maui Buttercups Hosta
Sum and Substance Hosta - Very light lime-green leaves
Beautifully Unique Hosta Varieties!
Hosta Waterslide - Curvy and wavy blue-green foliage
Fragrant Bouquet Hosta - Fragrant lavender blooms with white and green leaves
Praying Hands Hosta - Folded foliage that grows upright to the sky
Hosta Fireworks - Curvy leaves are more white than green
Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta - Big textured, cupped, and curled leaves that catch water
Planting Hostas
The process for planting Hostas is not much different than any other Perennial. The planting hole should be dug at least a foot deep but the width should be one and a half times the expected mature size of the clump. Check the Plant Highlights section to find your Hosta’s mature spread and situate it so it can achieve its full potential without being crowded.
Generally, Hosta roots grow and spread horizontally, so a large wide hole is best. When planting Hostas that are grown in a container:
Carefully remove the plant from the nursery pot
Sometimes the roots may be bound to the container
Tapping the container sides should loosen the roots from the pot
If the roots are difficult to loosen, it may be necessary to cut through some of them
Shake the excess soil from the roots and set it into the prepared planting hole
Take care to plant Hosta at the same level as it grew in the container
The area where the leaves and roots meet should be at ground level
Soak the root zone thoroughly with water to remove dry pockets and air pockets in the surrounding soil.
Top off with a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch over the entire surface of the root system of your Hosta to keep the roots cool and moist while enriching the soil.
For bareroot Hosta, the process is about the same, just ensure the crown of the root is just below the soil surface as far as depth and backfill with native soil, topping with mulch to insulate the roots.
Great Ideas for Hostas in the Landscape:
Big shade garden perennials
Bold color and large-sized foliage
Dramatic array of colors - Bright color lights up shade gardens and dappled shade
Scented trumpet-shaped blooms for Pollinator Gardens
Loves having more moisture - Rain Gardens
Spread and are great groundcover/living mulch
Edging and great along pathways and driveways
Great lawn replacement in areas too shady for Turf
Flowers for cut flower bouquets
Lovely skirting and underplanting around larger shrubs and trees
Great facer plants to hide bare leggy stems
Easy to grow and low-maintenance for en masse installations
The silvery/blue-leaved varieties look great in Moon Gardens!
Basic Hosta Care
Vigorous, very easy-care, and fast-growing, Hosta are fantastic herbaceous perennials that are great to use en masse without requiring much in the way of maintenance, and ideal for beginner gardeners and busy gardeners alike!
Some Hostas need full shade and appreciate the morning sun, especially when planted in hotter growing zones, which can range throughout USDA planting zones 3 and up to 11. In mid-range climates and cooler growing zones, Hosta’s can tolerate partial sun/shade and especially afternoon shade.
Hostas grow best in moist, well-drained, highly organic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. These perennials do best in well-drained soil that is enriched and won’t become soggy after a rain or water-logged in the winter. Provide regular moisture for young plants and do not let them dry out. Use the ‘Finger-Test’ to ensure your plant is watered deeply. Mulch helps to retain moisture and keep the root system cool.
You can top the crowns with mulch or compost for the winter to give them added protection from the frost and snow.
Pruning & Hosta Division
Dividing Hostas is easy and helps maintain the vigor of the root system and will improve the plant's appearance. Most home gardeners will propagate their Hostas by division and be able to expand their collection!
Divide every 3-5 years, Hosta division is best done when no shoots are growing from the center of the mature clump as this bare area detracts from the appearance of the plant.
Early spring is a good time for dividing and relocating Hostas because the new shoots are only a few inches high and the leaves have not expanded. Divide just as you see where the plants are emerging before any foliage unfurls and move a small portion of the plant to a new location. Hosta can also be dug and divided in September in the colder regions so they have plenty of time to re-establish.
Going around the entire plant with a shovel, push down straight about a foot deep
Lift the entire Hosta clump and remove excess soil carefully (a hose works great)
Plan out where to make your cuts and how many are needed
Use a sharp knife, or sharp spade to make the cuts (2-4 cuts depending on their size)
Place the divided plants in their planting holes and backfill, tamping down firmly
Water in very well to ensure it reaches the lowest section of the root system
Keep them well-watered for the first two weeks
Keep the plants consistently moist after plant division
Hosta Pruning
During the summer, once the flowers have finished flowering, it's time to deadhead to clean up your mounds.
Have a little patience, and wait until mother nature puts your Hosta to sleep before pruning. Wait until Jack Frost comes along and kills back the tops of your Hosta plants and let them turn brown before cutting your plants back at the end of the season. This helps keep the dead leaves from retaining fungal issues or harboring snails and slugs over the winter.
Allowing your Hosta leaves to turn brown and dry before cutting the leaves off will prevent the spread of viruses between plants. Remove the foliage from the area and either compost it or place it in yard waste bags away from your Hosta and other plants.
Happy Healthy Hosta
Big bold foliage, and lovely trumpet-shaped blooms on tall scapes, this gorgeous ornamental foliage perennial Hosta will add its outstanding leafy clumps to your garden for years to come! Keep your low-maintenance herbaceous perennials happy and healthy with just a few easy steps!
Order your new Hosta and add their delightful color and unique leaves to your landscape with the help of Nature Hills!
Happy Planting!
Frilly, textured, coarse foliage in eye-popping colors seems to grow in contrast to the most delicate, airy, and dainty little blossoms ever! There’s just something about Coral Bells in the garden!
There has been extensive work done hybridizing and selecting new introductions of Coral Bells. The old-fashioned Alum Root selections were basically grown for the airy wispy flowers born on long wiry stems that hold the flowers above the foliage.
While there are still some selections of Coral Bells that were selected for the flowers, now many modern selections have been introduced for the incredible leaf color, with a dizzying array of different species and new hybrids for you to choose from!
Check out Nature Hills' favorite Coral Bells and how to keep your favorites looking their best!
All About Coral Bells
Coral Bells in the Landscape
Top 10 Coral Bells at Nature Hills!
Coral Bell Care
Gorgeous Coral Bells!
All About Coral Bells
There are around 55 species of Heuchera and all are natives to North America! Also known as Alum Root or Alumroot, or called Rock Geranium, Coral Bells belong to a genus of the herbaceous family of Saxifragaceae. Heuchera is named after a German physician named Johann Heinrich von Heucher.
Coral Bells come in a myriad of colors from yellows, oranges, silver, reds, pinks, and purples of many shades and combinations. They are wildly attractive herbaceous perennials but have become more commonly used as landscape plants and en masse plantings!
The foliage has pointed lobes and deep, exaggerated venation, often with different colors to really show off their heavily textured leaves! Many can remain semi-to-fully evergreen in mild winters and warmer climates, which for this family is far and wide. With some tolerating chill down to USDA zone 3, and others handling up to zone 10!
With colorful stems and wonderful spreading mounded forms, Coral Bells won’t take up much space but have high-impact color to make up for their space-saving nature! All have striking, prominent veins and deeply pointed lobes with dramatic stem colors to match!
The dainty flowers are held atop wiry, slender stems that often match the color of the foliage. The flowers can be a range of pink, white, or their namesake coral hue! The graceful and airy ‘bells’ are a delight to every Bee and hummingbird in the area! They are great cut flowers to add to your arrangements too!
Coral Bells in the Landscape
Many Heuchera are grown predominantly for the amazing foliage colors! At some point, they do send up flower stalks and they do bloom. Adding both a coarse and airy feel to the sun or shade garden, these unique flowering foliage plants embrace their duality and add considerable interest to the garden well into the autumn and even winter in areas with mild winters! Ideal in the full shade garden and partial shade landscape, Coral Bells light up the garden with their color and elegant blossoms! You’ll have more vibrant colors in cooler zones in more sun, but prevent sun-scorch by planting in afternoon shade in hot climates.
You’ll love seeing Champagne Coral Bells' vibrant foliage color peeking out through the frost and gloom of the dreary autumn landscape, or Lime Rickey as it adds a shock of color to the shade!
Add these dainty blooms and lively colors to a Fairy Garden or Children's Garden to help inspire their imagination! Or enjoy soda-fountain-worthy bubbly color to foundation plantings, Rock Gardens, and throughout the dry shade garden like Cherry Cola or Root Beer. They’ll root on slopes, spill over the tops of retaining walls, or creep through the crevice garden in rock walls
Fantastic frilly edging along garden beds, the ruffled foliage of Longflower Alumroot adds a native touch to your garden transitional points. Happy rambling under larger shrubs or trees in their shade as facer plants and lacy skirting around their bases, or under an urn or sculpture, Coral Bells add three to four seasons of color, and even vibrant fall color! For year-round autumn vibes, try Zipper or Southern Comfort!
Mixed perennial gardens and cottage borders gain incredible highlights, while mixed containers and planters gain a vivid accent and filler! Add exotic pops of color to poolside decks with the likes of the juicy Berry Smoothie, or Miracle Coral Bells.
The silvery foliage of Silver Scrolls or Peppermint Spice Coral Bells will add cool calming vibes to your shade gardens and Moon Gardens! Gain a brooding look with the silver-purple Spellbound or purple-black of Obsidian Coral Bells.
Pop rows or groupings into pollinator gardens and cut flower gardens where both the flowers and the leaves will look great in your cutting garden! The gorgeous, uniquely variegated Snow Angel Coral Bells will grace your floral bouquets beautifully, and Berry Timeless Coral Bells will become the feature focal point of a floral arrangement! Both have ample nectar for bees, butterflies, and even Hummingbirds!
Top 10 Coral Bells at Nature Hills!
Primo® Black Pearl has unbeatable deep purple-black foliage!
Midnight Rose has deep purple color with pink color-changing spots on the leaves
Berry Smoothie has incredibly bright pink and rose blend foliage colorful all season
Peach Flambé has peachy red foliage that really stands out!
Green Spice has green leaves with a silvery overlay and very pronounced purple veining
Snow Angel has green and cream-variegated foliage and rosy blooms and stems
Triple Treat is a trio of three fantastic varieties in Lime, Purple and Red!
The heat and cold-tolerant Northern Exposure™ Coral Bells handle zones 3 to 10!
Lemon Supreme has lemony chartreuse foliage
Berry Timeless Coral Bells have outstanding pink and white blooms that take the cake!
Coral Bell Care
Heuchera can grow in some sun or shade, but most will have the best foliage color and bloom best in 4-6 hours of sun. The key to success is well-drained soil and water as needed to keep the plants stress-free. It is also important not to plant them too deep in the soil.
Removing the spent blooms keeps your Coral Bells looking clean and attractive. Some people like to cut the flowers as they arise and immediately use them in flower bouquets, maintaining them as foliage plants only in the landscape. Not a bad option, and a reliable source for bouquet fillers! But if you leave them in the landscape, your pollinators will relish them!
Coral Bells appreciate moderate, consistent moisture and thrive in enriched soil that is slightly acidic. All plants appreciate a 3-4 inch thick layer of arborist mulch to hold in moisture and keep the roots cool.
These herbaceous Perennials my die back in cold winters, but you can leave the foliage in place to act as additional winter protection and selectively prune out winter damaged foliage in the early spring before new growth emerges for a clean, tidy start to the year.
It is very important never to plant Heuchera too deep in the ground as they hate that. Root division every 3-5 years keeps the growth vigorous and prevents the roots from becoming overgrown and competing with themselves.
Once established, Coral Bells are:
Drought tolerant
Cold-hardy, heat, and humidity tolerant
Seldom bothered by deer or rabbits
Low maintenance and easy to grow
Juglone-tolerant, Coral Bells can be planted beneath Black Walnut trees
Somewhat Salt/Coastal/Saline tolerant
Very adaptable
Gorgeous Coral Bells!
With brilliant color, dramatic foliage, and dainty bell-shaped blooms, Coral Bells are must-haves for the garden and highly valued assets to the landscape!
There’s not a niche these gorgeous plants fill in your world, indoors and out, yard or no yard at all! Check out all the fantastic Heuchera available at Nature Hills and check back often to see all the exciting new varieties that are in store for our enjoyment in the future!
Happy Planting!