Save 15% on Perennials Before Anyone Else!

Perennial plants provide unique form, beauty and texture to your garden year-after-year

June is perennial month at Estabrook's! Choose from a wide selection of big, beautiful plants and give your garden the distinction it deserves.

ALL perennials will be on sale starting this Monday, June 16th for 15% OFF, but as a newsletter subscriber and preferred customer, you can take advantage of this sale starting TODAY! Simply provide your phone number at the register during check-out to get these instant savings.

To help you get your new perennials off to a great start, follow these planting instructions from the experts at Estabrook's:

1. Choose the right number of plants for the area to be planted. This information can usually be found on the back of the plant tag, in our online catalog or by asking one of our knowledgeable staff members for help.
2. Pull any back bark mulch. Since most perennials enjoy a richer soil, Estabrook's recommends that a well balanced organic fertilizer and the addition of a 2-4" layer of compost, composted cow manure or other soil amendment is incorporated into the soil to a depth of 14-18" every time perennials are added to new areas or existing plantings. Level off the planting area after working in the soil amendment.
3. Make sure your plants are well watered, then dig a hole wider but not deeper than the root ball. Remove the plant from it's pot and if necessary, loosen its roots by gently fingering the bottom of the root ball or by scoring the sides of the root ball with a garden knife.
4. Insert your plant into the hole and backfill with soil while firming down well and making sure the plant remains level with the sides of the hole. Estabrook's recommends the addition of a 1" "dam" of soil built 6-8" from the crown of the plant to form a "dish" that helps retain water.
5. Mulch the planting with a 3-4" layer of bark mulch or 1-2" layer of buckwheat hull mulch and water thoroughly.
6. Check for dryness daily for the first two weeks and water when needed until established. All plants appreciate extra water in periods of drought.

How to Design a Low Maintenance Garden

Place the right plants in the right spots to reduce the amount of time maintaining them

Was the recent stretch of hot weather making you wish you had LESS to do in the garden?

When it's 90 degrees outside, the last thing you want to be doing is deadheading in the garden. By carefully planning your landscape you'll be able to create a beautiful, low maintenance garden and avoid these undesirable tasks.

Understanding and selecting plants that fit your climate, soil and sun is the key to success. If a plant is unsuited to survive in the area you place it (for example a shade plant in a sunny area) they will require more of your attention and time to survive.

Understand Your Site

Take some time to observe the area you would like to plant and consider these key condition factors:

• Sun - Determine how much sun your site will recieve each day. An area is considered full sun if it receives 4-6 hours, part sun is 2-4 hours, and anything under 2 hours is considered shade.
• Cold - Make sure you know your hardiness zone. Generally speaking, the Yarmouth area is a Zone 5 and can support any plant with a hardiness zone of 5 or below.
• Moisture - Most plants can thrive in a moist, well drained soil, but most sites aren't that easy. Luckily, there are plants perfectly suited for very wet or very dry conditions.
• Deer - They may be cute, but deer can devastate plantings (especially in the winter). The best way to fend off hungry deer is to plant things they prefer not to eat.
• Wind - Many plants are not suited to high wind conditions.

Do Your Research

Once you understand your site, begin researching plants that work for your conditions. You can visit our online plant catalog, ask our staff for plant particulars, or search the web. This could take some time, but can save on costly mistakes and many hours of maintenance in the future.

Follow a Few Basic Rules

Finally, follow these tips to reduce maintenance time:

• Plant more shrubs and trees and fewer perennials
• Plant "blocks" of color (multiples of the same plant) instead of a single variety
• Plant site appropriate groundcovers to inhibit weed growth
• Find plants that require little if no pruning, deadheading, or special care
• Plant native plants that are already perfectly suited to our weather
• Remove unwanted grass and weeds before preparing your bed
• Stay ahead of the weeds - never let them go to seed!
• Amend the soil with organic material
• Mulch to retain moisture and reduce weed growth

If you'd like help designing a lower maintenance landscape, please contact us about our Plan Before You Plant landscape design program.