Take Splendor in Maples

What is better than sitting in the shade under a large maple tree on  a hot summer day drinking lemonade? 

Or taking splendor in the yellows, oranges, and reds of a maple tree in the fall? 

Maple trees have stood the test of time. And now there are new varieties available that will help you choose a maple best suited for your yard.

Here are some of our best selling maples:

Amur Maple: Small maple in single or multi stems, beautiful red fall color, grows 15’

Autumn Blaze – Stunning bright red color in fall – cross between a silver and a red maple, fast growing but not as sturdy as a sugar maple, upright grower 50-60’

Brandywine – beautiful deep red/burgundy color in fall, Seedless, oval shape, 30-45’

Burgundy Belle – beautiful deep red foliage in fall, 45’

Crimson King or Royal Red – deep burgundy color all year, slow growing but worth the wait, grow 35’

Deborah- Foliage has red cast in spring, turns deep green in summer, grows 40-50’

Emerald Luster – a Norway maple, fast growing but sturdy, bright green leaves in summer, resistant to leaf tater, yellow in fall, grows 45’

Matador: beautiful red fall color, grows 40-50’

Red Sunset- Early fall color of bright orange/red, fast growing, 40-50’

Silver Maple- if you had a lot of seeds this spring you may have a silver maple, fast growing but not as sturdy or long lived as sugar maples, good for windbreaks, grow 50-60’

Sugar Maples:  Sugar maples bring us some of the most beautiful colors of fall.  We carry

·      Fall Fiesta – this variety is very resistant to winter sun scald on the bark grow 50-75’

·      Green Mountain -  Beautiful orange/red fall color, grow 40-60’

·      Majesty – Beautiful orange/red color in fall, grow 60’

Sun Valley – a small maple if your space is limited, beautiful red fall color, grows 25’

 MORE: 10 Reason to Plant a Tree HERE

Mike's Top 5 Plants

What makes you LOVE a certain plant? Do you look for COLOR? Texture? The shape? Do certain plants have special meaning for you? Or maybe you have memories of plants that your grandparents had in their yard growing up?

All of us here at Natural Plus love helping you find the perfect plants for your yard that you will love for years to come. And, after being in business for 42 years, we have figured out what plants do well and are our favorites!

If you’re in the market for some new trees, shrubs, or perennials, you’re going to want to follow along with these blog posts, I’ll be sharing each of our top 5 favorite plants with all of you!

Next up is Mike Watson, who has been employed at Natural Plus for 36 years. He is drawn more towards trees because they are stately and he enjoys the longevity.

And now here are Mike’s top 5 plant picks:

1. Gingko: It’s one of the oldest trees known. It has few pests and problems. Nice yellow fall color and once you get a freeze the majority of the leaves drop within 24 hours.

   Fun fact: Mike’s license plate used to say GINGKO

Photo from Nature Hills Nursery

2. White Oak: because of the beautiful fall red color

image from Bailey’s Nursery

3. Weeping White Spruce: it’s very tall and narrow and unusual, takes up little space

photo from monrovia.com

4. Kentucky Coffeetree: Mike loves the picturesque branching habit that is highlighted in wintertime, native to parts of Iowa

Photo from The Morton Arboretum

5. Shagbark hickory because of the interesting bark

image from Illinois Wildflowers

And, in case you missed it, here are owner Dave’s Top 5 Plant Picks.

Fall Around Natural Plus Nursery

Fall Around Natural Plus Nursery

I had a hard time coming up with a blog post this week but I looked at some of the pictures I took around the nursery today, and decided those were definitely worth sharing. The first day of fall was this week, and we are seeing the colors change and feeling the temperatures shift.

MORE POSTS ABOUT FALL YOU MIGHT LIKE:

PLANTING TREES FOR FALL COLOR

PLANTING SHRUBS FOR FALL COLOR

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FALL PRUNING

FALL BLOOMING PERENNIALS

LATE FALL PERENNIALS

The Beauty of Spring: Flowering Crabs

The beauty of spring: Flowering Crabs

For many gardeners the first couple weeks of May are their favorite time of the year.  Tulips, daffodils, bluebells, rhododendrons, creeping phlox and other flowers are in full bloom. To top off the spring glory, flowering crabs and other spring blooming trees are in full array.

Flowering crabs are a great addition to any yard.  They are hardy and easy to grow. Blooms range in color from white to pink to reds and sizes vary from 8’ to 30’.

Now is a good time to purchase and plant a flowering crab as you will be able to see bloom colors at the nursery.

New varieties of crabs have been chosen so that they have no berries or very small berries. In addition, they are resistant to a fungus (cedar apple rust) that would cause older varieties to lose their leaves by July.  New varieties also come in dwarf sizes for the homeowner with limited space.

Here are some of our favorite varieties of flowering crabs:

Prairie Fire: (probably our best seller) – blooms are deep pink/red, grow 15-20’, small berries birds will mostly clean

Spring Snow: White blooms, no berries, grow 25-30’

Rejoice: Semi double rose pink blooms, grow upright 15-20’, small berries birds will mostly clean

Royal Raindrops: Leaves are burgundy, flowers deep pink, grow to 20’, small berries birds will mostly clean

Camelot:  Dwarf, grow 10’, Buds red changing to pink and then fade to white, blooms follow entire length of branches, small berries birds will mostly clean

Golden Raindrops: White blooms, tiny golden yellow fruit (1/4”), grows upright (20’), vase shaped

Showtime: Large bright fuschia pink showy flowers in the spring, dark green foliage with a red overlay, grows 15-20’

Read similar articles:

WHAT WE RECOMMEND: SPRING FLOWERING TREES

EARLY SPRING BLOOMERS

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