Learn How to Care for Patio Plants | NatureHills.com

Did you know that growing blueberries in containers is one of the easiest ways to expand your edible garden without using valuable backyard real estate? That’s right! With a little preparation and patience, you can be enjoying delicious, farm-fresh, berries straight from the bush, no matter how much space you have!

Blueberries are notorious for their vitamin C and E packed fruit and have become a widely popular addition to backyards everywhere! However, you absolutely must make sure you’re setting yourself up for success and picking bushes that are best for your area.

The wrong kind of blueberry bush can leave you wondering why you aren’t getting much fruit, or why it doesn’t fare as well in the colder months.

Just getting started? Read our Selection Guide for the best Citrus varieties for container culture.

Already ordered your new Improved Dwarf Meyer Lemons, Bearss Limes or Calamondin Oranges? Congrats!

Let's get started early to prepare for the arrival of your new tree.

Finding a Suitable Pot or Fabric Grow Bag

Making good choices about containers doesn't have to be expensive. People are getting really creative in their Victory Garden designs. Go fancy if you can, or "cheap out" if you need to.

Either

Join the Victory Garden movement! It seems like everyone is adding fruiting trees and plants to their landscape, no matter how large or small. After all, one of the best things in life to enjoy the taste, fragrance and health benefits of homegrown fruit.

There is also something very satisfying about the feeling of being prepared. People all across the country are realizing how fulfilling it is to grow food for themselves, family and friends.

Beyond sowing the seeds of a vegetable garden, why not add Citrus trees in your Victory Garden design? Growing your own lemons, limes, oranges and other Citrus varieties save you a lot of money over the long haul.

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!

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.

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

Think only green thumbs can enjoy a rose garden? Think again! Unlike the old-fashioned fussy selections grown decades ago, modern roses are hardy, versatile plants that can thrive on neglect. In fact, roses are much easier to care for than you think, especially when you select the right variety for your garden’s unique climate and soil.

From small city balconies to water-wise landscapes, the amazing, versatile rose can be at home in almost any garden.

What Makes Modern Roses So Easy to Grow?

If you’ve been hesitating to start a little rose garden of your own, consider this:

1. Most modern roses have disease resistance built into the plants.  No need to lose sleep over black spot or mildew worries.
2. Once esta

The first crop that sells out on the Nature Hills site is our super popular smaller ornamental trees. Some customers call them “Patio Trees.” No matter what you call them, we see the trend to use smaller trees in both front and backyard landscapes getting bigger.

To keep up with the demand, we’ve really beefed up our numbers of smaller, more ornamental trees. After all, they fit so nicely into your landscape, and help you enjoy time spent outside on your patio.

Short on Space? Choose a Small Tree

With higher density housing in many areas, modern yards are not huge. Where space is limited, people want to choose plants with more ornamental attributes.

We’ve talked before about plant trends for more color and more seasons of interest. Plant breeders have introduced selections of high