Adding fruit trees to your landscape

Fruit trees are a lovely addition to anyone’s landscape. They provide blooms in the spring, bring bees and pollinators to your yard, and supply you with a bounty of produce in the fall.

We live in North Iowa, so while its difficult to grow citrus or tropical fruits, we still have many options of fruit trees that will grow in our area, The most common are apples, pears, cherries, plums, and peaches.

*Note: we do not have all varieties in inventory at this time. Please call the nursery to inquire about current availabilities.

Apples 

At Natural Plus, we carry a nice selection of hardy semi-dwarf apples. (Apples can come in dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard sizes.) We prefer semi-dwarf trees as trees are sturdier than dwarf sizes, and apples are easier to pick than on bigger standard varieties.  For pollination, you will need to plant 2 apple trees that bloom at about the same time.

Some common varieties that we carry are Honeycrisp, Liberty, Cortland, Fireside, Haralson, Honeygold, State Fair, and Sweet 16.

Pears

Pears grow quite well in North Iowa if you select the right varieties.  You need 2 pears for pollination. Patten pear is a good pollinator for several other varieties. We also carry summercrisp and have carried several other varieties in the past.

Plums

We carry Mount Royal plum. The tree is small- 8-12’ and plums are good for eating and desserts. You need only plant 1 plum, as Mount Royal does not need another pollinator.

Cherries

We are carrying Evans Bali, Meteor, and North Star.  All of these varieties are tart and are good for pies, canning, and baking. (Most sweet cherries are not hardy in North Iowa).  They do not require another pollinator. The cherry trees we got in this year were very fruitful and I enjoyed many handfuls of cherries.

Peaches

We carry Contender which is now recommended for zone 4. Though recommended as hardy, they will still require extra attention and protection.  They do not need another pollinator.

There are lots of varieties to choose from and we would love to help you choose the perfect fruit tree to add to your landscape for you to enjoy the fruits for years to come!

Something to consider:

As we approach fall and winter, newly planted trees benefit from having their trunks wrapped to protect them against bunnies and deer.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HYDRANGEAS

HYDRANGEAS

Hydrangeas bloom in July and August and many varieties will continue to give beauty clear in to fall. There are many hydrangeas to choose from and they are easy to grow.  Here are some of our favorites.

Tree Hydrangeas :  Tree hydrangeas offer a small tree for those spots where you need something smaller in size. Most grow 8-12 feet tall and 6-12 feet wide. Some common varieties include Limelight (mint green blooms), Pee Gee (white/pink), and Strawberry Sundae (white/pink). Most require part to full sun.

An annabelle hydrangea bloom

Bush Hydrangeas:

·      Annabelles – Annabelles are a favorite because they grow in sun or shade. They have prolific large round white blooms and are easy to grow.  They grow 4-5’ tall. (SEE ABOVE PHOTO)

An endless summer hydrangea bloom

·      Endless Summer Varieties: These hydrangeas have beautiful large powder blue blooms. Most varieties grow 3-4 feet. They prefer part shade. Fertilize with a miracid fertilizer to keep blooms blue. If you forget to fertilize they will still bloom but blooms will be pink in color instead of blue.

Hydrangea bloom

·      Other bush hydrangeas: There are many varieties to choose from. Some include PeeGee, Strawberry Sundae, Angels Blush, and Quick Fire. These hydrangeas grow from app. 5-8 feet tall and bloom with large blooms that usually open white and fade to light pink or deep pink/red as they mature. Most prefer full sun. Blooms can be dried for fall arrangements.

·      Dwarf Hydrangeas: Many of the older larger varieties of hydrangea now come in dwarf sizes of 3-5 feet. Some varieties include Baby Lace, Bar Harbor, Bobo, and Hamptons. If you are short on space or need a smaller plant these are a good choice. Most prefer full or part sun.

Hydrangeas can add dramatic beautiful color to your landscaping. After planting they are low maintenance. Trim in the spring to shape them and trim in the fall to remove spent blooms. Be sure to choose the right size and variety for your spot. At Natural Plus we can advise you which varieties will work best for your spot or get started HERE.

Enjoy your summer garden

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’

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WHAT WE RECOMMEND: SPRING FLOWERING TREES

EARLY SPRING BLOOMERS

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What's New for Perennials

WHAT’S NEW FOR PERENNIALS

The number of new varieties of perennials coming on the market is staggering! We carry about 200 varieties of different perennials in stock (and this is just a fraction of what is available!)  

We thought you might enjoy hearing a little bit about where we buy our perennials. We have 3 suppliers of perennials, but our main one, and one of the most outstanding, is Walter’s Gardens of Michigan. They are a family owned business of 70 years and grow thousands of perennials. They offer some of the highest quality perennials grown anywhere. Their staff has hybridized and grown hundreds of award winning perennials, and they have hundreds of new introductions.  Every year they offer more new introductions. So we have access to the “latest and best” in perennials!  The main problem we have is that there are too many to choose from, so many we would like to carry!

Here are some of the newer varieties of perennials we are carrying this year:

Bee Balm (Monarda): Pardon My Cerise – A butterfly favorite, dwarf  variety (14”) with red blooms

Black Eyed Susan : Little Goldstar – A dwarf version of the old favorite Black Eyed Susan, grows 14” 

Butterfly Weed: All butterfly favorites.

• Cinderella (pink)

• Hello Yello (yellow)

• the old fashioned Tuberosa (orange).

Clematis: In addition to the old favorite Jackmanni, we carry other colors including (but not limited to):

• Julka ( burgundy red)

• Sapphire Indigo (sapphire blue)

• Sweet Autumn (a white fall favorite)

Coral Bells:  The number of new varieties is huge. This year look for a few of our new ones:

• Electric Plum (bright purple with black veins)

• Midnight Rose (Purple/black with pink accents)

• Peach Parfait (Ruffled peach/orange)

• Plum Pudding (plum purple with pewter)

Day lilies: So many to choose from including:

• Big Time Happy (Ruffled, rebloomer, yellow)

• Chicago Apache (Ruffled scarlet red)

• Passionate Returns (Ruffled rosy red, rebloomer)

• Rainbow Primal Scream (orange).

Hibiscus: These varieties are very north hardy, easy to grow, and have blooms the size of a dinner plate! :

• Dave Fleming (Red foliage, pink variegated flowers)

• Starry Night (Burgundy leaves, pink/white flowers)

• Vintage Wine (Green leaves, scarlet red flowers)

Hostas – We carry about 20 varieties and get new varieties each year along with a few of the old favorites. They vary in size from Sun Mouse (6” with yellow leaves with green edge) to Empress Wu (thick green leaves growing 4’ tall and wide) and every size in between.  Colors vary from blues to whites to greens to yellows.

Lavender – Finally !!! A north hardy lavender Phenomenal – Zone 4.

Peonies- Always a favorite – Now in yellow! Sunshine – it is expensive but worth it!  This year we also have the very hard to get Fern Leaf Peony

Turtlehead- A shade tolerant perennial with the cutest pink “turtle heads” popping out of bright green foliage.

Sedums – A must have for fall gardens. They attract butterflies like magnets. We carry several varieties in both groundcovers and upright varieties. A favorite is Mr. Goodbud– Compact, upright, vibrant purple/red flowers in fall.

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