What the heck is a Doorpot?

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Mark

It’s a giant Mum. But not just any giant Mum. Doorpots have been grown exclusively here at Rainbow Mums since the summer of 1988. I set out then to produce a sturdy and amazingly colorful plant that, so far, everybody else has failed to duplicate.

It has taken years of careful practice growing only those varieties of Mums that have the ability to withstand the rigors of Fall weather. To maintain their characteristic globe shape in the fierce rains and winds of two tropical storms this year alone, proves just how tough they are! Yet they remain unbelievably beautiful in a rich assortment of over 50 colors.

Doorpots are grown in a 12 inch pot. Right now there are only a few flowers opening on most varieties, and the average width of the plant is 24 to 28 inches. The flowers and unopened buds on most varieties are so numerous as to be impossible to count. As the season progresses, we will see many plants with widths of 30 to as wide as 35 inches!

All the nutrients that they need are packed into the special soil that we use. Just add water. Most colors bloom for 2 full months. And they make an unforgettable gift.

The Door pot costs just $23.53. The color selection and varied bloom times make them irreplaceable decorations for any fall gathering, especially weddings. Literally thousands of our Doorpots have been the primary decorations at weddings over the years.

On Wed. Sept. 14, I took the pictures below of part of the Doorpot crop. Which ones will you want to take home and enjoy for the entire Fall season?

Note the thousands upon thousands of buds that are glistening in the sunshine in these photos. Better hurry up and get over here to get your Doorpots!

 

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Gardening, any project – large or small…

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Mark

When simple gardening is the chosen activity, proper planning is essential to achieve a beautiful garden reclamation or start a totally new planting. Plan to work with and around the immediate weather conditions, and bring all the elements together to do the job on a nice day.

Break the job up into site preparation and plant procurement. Take a before photograph, then get the area to be planted weeded and turned over. Then, go shopping to pick out plants.  I can’t help noticing that most of you do the picking out of plants on the wrong day. You all want it to be the nicest day of the week when you shop.

For instance, today was  overcast and it drizzled on and off. I was outside all day long and barely got wet.  Yet nobody was shopping for perennial plants. So I have to ask, since it takes awhile to decide which plants you want, and you only do it on the nicer days, why would you waste the beautiful sunny planting weather being  here in our nursery? By the time most of you have finished shopping, at least one nice day is gone!

When the weather is on and off rainy like it is sometimes in the Spring and Fall, try using the inclement days to gather your perennial plants, Mums, Asters and other supplies. When the sun dawns brightly, you will be off to an early start, and you could be finished before lunch, leaving time for a quick trip to get the last few plants that could make the job perfect!

Still reading? O.K. I’ll give you a further incentive. If you come to our nursery this fall on a day while it is raining, I’ll give you a 10 % discount off a 100 dollar or more purchase just for mentioning this blog post. How can you beat that?

O.K. We’ll probably not be able to wait on you in a tropical storm…so try not to take this too far!

Below some pics of Irene’s wrath at the nursery.

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Pictures on Sunday morning Sept. 4

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Mark

I am just going to go out and snap a few pictures of the Mums and Asters and a few other shots of the nursery to show you some of the more interesting  plants that you will find when you come this  Labor Day weekend.    (Click on pics to enlarge)

P.S. I just missed a humming bird on the Phlox and the Butterfly Bushes. It is a shy one, and flies away when it sees me. It flies around Kathy all the time.

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Fall Blooms: Hardy Mums and Asters

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Mark

Do you remember where you got your Hardy Mums last year? Chances are, if you didn’t get them here, you don’t. Why is that? Well, for one, many of Rainbow Mums’ customers tell us that they never had a Hardy Mum come back until they started buying them here! Although they are not considered true perennials, Hardy Mums that are well grown and fresh when you plant them, have a great chance of surviving the winter and growing into a beautiful plant again next year.

So you would have remembered because our mums would have been there this spring to remind you. But there are many other reasons. You would have had choices that are simply not available to Mum shoppers at other retailers. We grow at least 135 different varieties of Hardy Mums. For 10 weeks starting Aug. 15,  there will be at least 5 different choices for each main color group. There will be large flowers, as well as different flower forms from daisy types to poms, and tiny buttons to anemones and spikes.

You could have remembered because we helped you to plan the mums for  a wedding, party or other special occasion. Because we grow them here, we are familiar with the bloom date for all of our varieties, and how they will look for your special weekend.

Or you could have remembered simply because, like thousands of our regular customers, you’ve found great quality Hardy Mums and Asters here for the last 25 years!  It’s easy to park, easier to shop, and we will always help you to find just the right plants for all your fall decorating needs.

 

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Hydrangeas

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Mark

Quite a few “new” Hydrangeas have shown up in the last few years. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, they have disappointed gardeners as the years pass, in failing to live up to expectations. Some have spots on the foliage, they are weak branched,  or they fail to bloom, a cardinal sin for Hydrangeas in the Northeast.

At Rainbow Mums’ Perennials we grow 10 different Hydrangeas. They are in a 2 gallon pot and are all 2 or more years old. They come in a range of colors, including several different pinks, blues, and 3 different whites. They range from a true dwarf (Pia-2 ft. tall), to a large specimen Paniculata type (Unique-7 ft.tall).   They all bloom in this area. Many of them have been considered reliable plants for more than 50 years!

Hydrangeas bloom in mid summer, when all of your spring flowering shrubs are just a fond memory. Each plant becomes a mound of beautiful color just when you need it most. And many of the varieties last in bloom for almost 2 months.

Hydrangeas fare best in 1/2 day of sun, in a spot that is protected from winter winds. They can grow in full sun all day, and do well in as little as 2-3  hours of sun. In any case, our Hydrangeas are inexpensive enough for you to experiment a bit with their location.

All of our Hydrangeas sell for $16.95. You would expect to pay at least double for the  nice sized plants that we sell here. Many of them have flowers and buds coming. They are easy to grow with our planting instructions. We have just under a thousand plants left for this year. They can be safely planted any time we are open, until the end of October.

Below: Aug 25 pics of Hydrangea display bed, in bloom since June!(Click on pics for full size)

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Fragrant Hostas

Posted on August 22, 2011 by admin

The late summer air, it’s like a warm bath, but now things are changing as the evenings come a little earlier, and the mornings are a bit cooler than the last two months.  The impending fall is signaled all around us here at the farm, if you were here,  you wouldn’t need a change in temperatures to see it.

One of the many things that you can see that are not available any other time during the growing season are the 6 varieties of fragrant Hostas that are blooming right now. They wait until all of the other Hosta flowers are faded and gone, and then they take center stage, all alone.

Even in the dark as I ride by to restock the mums, I can smell the Plantiginea specimen that is planted in the front display garden. It is just one plant, yet I can detect its sweet smell as I go past. All of our fragrant Hostas have white flowers. We grow 6 varieties.

Plantiginea is the original fragrant species, all of the others are in one way or another descendants of it. It has incredible flowers longer than 3  inches, and it smells – heavenly. The other varieties are So Sweet, Stained Glass, Hoosier Harmony, Guacamole, and  Fragrant Blue. If you have never had the pleasure and surprise of owning a Hosta that was fragrant, take a ride out to our farm. You’ll see many other late summer surprises when you arrive.

Fragrant Hosta "Plantiginea" in our Garden Aug. 23

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Hardy Mums & Asters OPEN!

Posted on August 20, 2011 by admin

Our 26th season of mums and asters has begun! As the gorgeous summer weather continues, it’s easy to forget that fall is well on its way, and that you’ll soon be craving pumpkin pie, apple cider, and a beautiful arrangement of mums and asters in your garden or on your front porch. So before you get wrapped up in your other fall traditions, come down to Rainbow Mums to get your plants early this year– you’ll find an incredible selection with unbeatable quality. If you are in the habit of waiting until October to get your mums, you could miss out on some of your favorites!

While other growers and sellers are scaling back, we’re still New England’s destination for hardy mums and asters. Everything we sell is grown right here on the property from scratch. Truly everything! We are one of the last independent growers of great quality Hardy Mums and Perennial Asters in Boston area.

This is all in a beautiful setting. There are display gardens that surround our house, perennial beds filled with blooming plants, hydrangeas, hostas, and ornamental grasses that will inspire you. And of course, there are three big perennial nurseries from which to choose late summer and fall-blooming perennials. We are closer to you than you think and it is always worth the trip!

One last thought. There is one comment that each and every new visitor to our nursery makes without fail. I have heard it at least ten times in the last 2 weeks. Everyone says, “…And all the plants look SO HEALTHY!” They actually seem surprised! So if you’re tired of trying to revive those plants you bought somewhere else, discover what so many of your neighbors already know, and come see us.

This is how the selection of Doorpots that we have now will look on Labor Day Weekend (click on pictures for full size)

Buy Asters now with very few blooms

They will look like this September 21!

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“I didn’t know you grew this!”

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Mark

When local gardeners are ready to do some planting, they usually don’t associate the name “Rainbow Mums” with Perennial shopping, but they should!

In the last three years, Rainbow Mums’ Perennials has doubled the number of Varieties of Perennials that we grow. We now grow over 350 different varieties of winter- tested, healthy, beautiful perennials, and we are adding to that list daily.

Continue reading →

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Bark Mulch?

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Mark

It’s a basic decision: to mulch or not to mulch? A 250 sq. ft. flower bed will use up about a thousand dollars of mulch in about 10 years. That’s the rough equivalent of 77 of our perennials! Why spend on bark mulch when you can create a cascade of flowers with our fully grown and blooming plants?

With a denser garden, there will be no room for weeds, and the plain soil will be healthier for the plants. With the money you save on mulch this year, you could even hire the kid across the street to weed the bark mulch in your other flower beds!

Scientifically, bark mulch takes up just about all available plant nutrients as it breaks down, making it very difficult to grow in. I know some of you feel strongly about the mulch look. But dollar for dollar, it’s robbing you of an equivalent amount of beautiful flowers, butterflies, and little birdies!

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Does your landscape have enough fall color?

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Mark

When choosing perennials, gardeners often overlook an important factor: how will my plants look when cold weather arrives? Will they turn clear and collapse? Or will they give you a welcome surprise when the season starts to change?

I always recommend Hardy Mums for fall because they hold their blooms through most of the frosts of October, and can be perky through mid-November (or later in some years). Try sprinkling in a dozen or so hardy mums in a 25-foot-long garden, to keep it fresh for the fall.

In addition, many of our perennials show brilliant colors for weeks in late October and November. Examples of some that we grow are in the Gallery below:

The last three pictures show that, in the fall, ornamental grasses turn many different colors in both the body of the plant and in the tassels. Tassels are the flowers of many ornamental grasses, and they often emerge in hues of salmon, copper or maroon, and finish off as gold or silver. Nothing completes the season in your fall garden like ornamental grasses. Your yard will be the envy of the neighborhood!

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