Learn How to Care for Patio Plants | NatureHills.com

Here are the Top 20 “Thriller” plants to adorn your front entrance this fall. Decorate them for the holiday season and enjoy them all winter long!

Many of us struggle to grow a beautiful (but high maintenance) garden. Between work, family and other responsibilities, it’s simply hard to find the time.

Rather than let your garden fall by the wayside, consider making some small changes to save you time and hassle in the long run. Use these low maintenance landscaping tips, so you can spend more time enjoying your garden, and less time maintaining it.

Low Maintenance Landscaping Tips & Strategies

Use mulch

Mulch is a must-have for a successful, low maintenance garden. It looks great, and gives garden beds a nice, finished look, but it does so much more:

• Mulch helps prevent weeds
• Mulch acts like a blanket, insulating plants from extreme heat and cold
• Mulch keeps moisture i

LINK: https://www.naturehills.com/cooperative_extension

Nature Hills Horticultural Staff is always happy to assist you with your gardening questions and challenges. But sometimes, customers pose location-specific questions to us that we are unable to answer. We don't always have knowledge of the regional climate and soil conditions. We do not want to pass on incorrect information to you. In situations such as these, we always recommend the customer contact their local cooperative extension office.

The cooperative extension offices

These days, every region is becoming more aware of precious water resources. And, gardeners are busy people, so time is also something to carefully safeguard. Watch the video below to get the pros and cons of different techniques, and learn how to adjust automatic water systems as you need to. 

Water-Wise landscaping is here, and we don't think that philosophy is going away. This is true all across the country as people realize how expensive water bills are getting. Learn the finer details of using timer for watering plants and automatic watering system for plants. That means automatic sprinkler systems, too. 

Have a question? Email us at [email protected]!

#ProPlantTips from Nature Hills on Repotting Container Grown Fruit Trees

Let Ed Laivo, Nature Hills resident Fruit Horticulturalist, show you tips and tricks of repotting container grown fruit trees for the best results. 

What size pot comes next as you repot your fruit tree into a larger size container? You'll learn everything from the right potting soil mix to use to how to handle the roots of the plant as you repot it.

Growing fruit in containers is a wonderful way to produce delicious food, and gain a highly ornamental patio plant in the process. If you live in a cold growing zone, and must grow tender fruit - like the Australian Finger Lime - in containers, you'll definitely want to watch.

Magnolias are relatively pest free and easy to grow and care for. Read on for care tips from the Nature Hills Horticulture team.

Select the Right Site for Your Magnolia

Pick the right Magnolia variety that fits the space in your yard. Be sure to check the Plant Highlights on every product page for the hardiness zone to ensure it will grow where you live.

Make sure the soil is well drained and that your new Magnolia will get more than half a day of sun for best flowering. 

Ideal growing conditions? Easy!  A rich, moist, well drained soil with an even moisture supply is suggested, but know they are very adaptable. 

How to Improve Your Soil Conditions

Perhaps you don’t have ideal c

Having fresh Lemons, Limes, and Oranges from your own potted plants is pretty exciting. However, in many parts of the country, your plants will have to come indoors to prevent them from being exposed to freezing temperatures.

We always get some calls this time of the year from people overwintering their Citrus trees inside. Their questions are usually because of some leaf drop and some general thinning of the foliage. Here's the right way to care for these special patio plants. 

Expert Care Tips for Your Indoor/Outdoor Citrus Trees

Gradually move your plants in late summer from full sun to a shaded location to get your plant used to lower light. When they make the trip indoors in the fall, they will transition much easier.

Once they are inside, you'll want to give your plant plenty

The Crape Myrtle has been renowned for its wonderful long-lasting bloom, its wide range of adaptation, and its versatility as both a tree and a shrub. With the introduction of exciting new varieties, the love affair with the Crape Myrtle is sure to continue.

All Crape Myrtles sold in the United States are deciduous. They are mostly admired for their long bloom period from late spring to fall. Most also feature an outstanding fall color display of oranges, reds and yellows. This fall color varies in degrees by variety.

They are tolerant of a wide range of soils but do require good drainage. Once established, they are quite drought tolerant, good news for water-wise landscapes.

Ouch! This picture shows a horrible "Crape Murder."

Please, don't use heading or topping cuts to pollard Crape Myrtles, it's just won't give you that natural look you want. You'll also avoid creating those knobby knuckles, which sadly wreck the appearance of that beautiful Crape Myrtle bark.

Instead, let's watch Ed Laivo, one of Nature Hills horticulturalists, as he gives valuable information on how to correctly prune this beautiful tree.

The Right Way to Prune a Crape Myrtle

The goal is to get air circulation and sunlight into the canopy of the tree. You also want to allow your Crape Myrtle to showcase the beautiful bark as part of its character.

In the video, you'll learn when to prune Crape Myrtles, and get a step-by-step approach to determine your pruning plan. Hint, start

People have loved Plums for a long time. Cultivated Plum tree varieties trace back to the beginning of human history, and Plum remains have been discovered in archeological sites back to the Stone Age.

The two primary varieties of plums that are most common in our diet today, Prunus domestica (European Plums) and the Prunus salicina (Japanese Plums) are not found in nature at all, but rather are a human creation. These varieties are the results of selective hybridization over the course of centuries.

Plum Trees are Great for Beginners

Because there are so many varieties available across a diverse set of climates and zones, growing Plum Trees are the ideal fruit for the beginning home gardener. Plum varieties like the American hybrids, Burbank, Superior and Toka have adapted to the