The folks at Mann’s Lawn and Landscaping, Moffet Nursery and Garden Shop and Knee Deep in June are three of the many local businesses gearing up to help gardeners and homeowners seeking to add variety to their yards and gardens.
For those who like hot, hot peppers, Mann’s and Moffet’s have a new variety that’s supposed to be akin to fire when bitten into.
“It’s called the Ghost Pepper and it will be the hottest pepper until someone develops the next latest and greatest pepper for next year,” says Krystin Kleinlein, an herbaceous specialist at Moffet’s.
For those who like tomatoes, Moffett’s recommends the new “Sweet Seedless” tomato. “It has more meat, less pulp and no seeds, Mrs. Kleinlein says.
Knee Deep in June cultivates its yards with hellebore and pulmonaria. They’re plants for those who want to see blooms in early spring.
The pulmonaria generally have pink, purple, lavender and white flowers, but the foliage is nice all year long, and they are good companion plants to go with other varieties, says Bev Hoyt, one of Knee Deep’s owners.
Mann’s and Moffet’s say the annual that everyone seems to like is petunias, and there are lots of new colors.
Moffet’s “rose man” Charles Anctil says roses are easy to maintain and hearty. He recommends drift roses. But if a drift rose isn’t the right thing, he says there are 55,000 registered rose varieties, and Moffet’s has between 1,500 and 2,000 different ones.
“Roses aren’t as hard to take care of as people think,” Mr. Anctil says.
Nicole Armendariz, Moffet’s landscape design specialist, recommends two trees — Dragon Eye Pine and Waterlily Magnolia with its white star flowers. The pine tree’s long soft needles have green and yellow stripes, Ms. Armendariz says.
Oaks and maples are still recommended, says Lisa Potter, Mann’s greenhouse manager.
A visit to Knee Deep, 16th and Boyd streets, in May will give visitors a chance to see sun-loving iris and shade-loving hostas. Both plants are low-maintenance.
After 30 years of hybridizing, the iris Lydia Safen Swiastyn is really getting interesting with its gold and purple colors, says Mitch Jamison, a Knee Deep owner.
Moffet’s (located on Missouri Highway 6 east on Frederick Boulevard) will have vessels for container gardens, and Mann’s (located on north U.S. 169 in Andrew County) will have a variety of specialty products for walls and other landscaping projects.
Stores all along the Belt Highway will be gearing up in the coming weeks with sales for homeowners looking to start new gardens or landscaping projects.
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