Stonepocket Unique Landscapes

April Plant of the Month

Tim — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:11:53 +0000

April Plant of the Month – Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrichium angustifolium ‘Lucerne’)

BOTANICAL NAME Sisyrichium angustifolium ‘Lucerne’

COMMON NAME Blue-eyed Grass

DESCRIPTION Bright blue, star-shaped flowers with gold centers rise above fine, semi-evergreen, iris-like foliage from late May through July.

FAMILY Campanulaceae

HEIGHT 10 inches

WIDTH 10 inches

HABIT Mound

ZONES 3 to 9

EXPOSURE Full Sun

FLOWER COLOR Purple

BLOOM SEASON Summer

COMPANION PLANTS Schizachyrium, Geum, Sedum

GROWING AND MAINTENANCE TIPS Plants maybe sheared back after bloom to avoid self seeding. Plant in well-drained soil. Divide every three years.

NOTES Important source of nectar for pollinators, Cardinals, song sparrows, and house finches eat the seed. Good cut flowers and deer resistant.

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March Plant of the Month – Variegated Jacob’s Ladder

Tim — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:39:28 +0000

March Plant of the Month – Variegated Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum ‘Brise D’Anjou’)

BOTANICAL NAME Polemonium caeruleum ‘Brise D’Anjou’

COMMON NAME Variegated Jacob’s Ladder

DESCRIPTION BRISE D’ANJOU is a Jacob’s ladder cultivar that features variegated foliage. It is a naturally occurring mutation that was discovered growing at a nursery in Brissac-Quince, France. It is an erect, clump-forming perennial that typically forms a foliage mound to 18-24” tall and as wide. Odd-pinnate compound leaves appear ladder-like, hence the common name. The leaves of this cultivar are bright green variegated with creamy yellowish-white edges. Cup-shaped, violet-blue flowers appear in loose, drooping, terminal clusters in spring

FAMILY Polemoniaceae

HEIGHT 1.5 feet

WIDTH 1.5 feet

HABIT Mound

ZONES 3 to 8

EXPOSURE Full Shade to partial shade

FLOWER COLOR Blue

BLOOM SEASON Spring

COMPANION PLANTS Hosta, Pulmonaria, Dicentra

GROWING AND MAINTENANCE TIPS Grow in rich well-drained soil. Clean-up foliage in spring.

NOTES Woodlands, Shade Gardens

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Stonepocket Features Local Artists at Minneapolis Home and Garden Show

Tim — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 04:32:23 +0000

Stonepocket Features Local Artists at Minneapolis Home and Garden Show

Glass ball hand-blown in Jordan, Minnesota

Copper stand produced in Prior Lake, Minneasota

Concrete Planter cast in South St. Paul

Table made from Northern Minnesota taconite tailings.

Available through Accent Elegance

Corten steel planters from Hugo, Minnesota planted with herbs

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Stonepocket at Minneapolis Home and Garden Show

Tim — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:02:55 +0000

Visit Stonepocket at Minneapolis Home and Garden Show

February 29th – March 4th at Minneapolis Convention Center

Handcrafted in Minnesota

Hand blown glass ball light blown in Jordan, copper stand welded in Prior Lake, concrete planter cast in South St. Paul, steel planters from Hugo and a table made from taconite tailings. All this and more can be since at booth 300 at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show.

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Stonepocket at Roseville Living Smarter Fair

Tim — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:49:02 +0000

February 17th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Come have your landscape questions answered at the Roseville Living Smart Fair on February 17th at the Fairview Community Center, Roseville, MN. The fair runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn how to have a beautiful and sustainable landscape by visiting with Tim Heelan, owner of Stonepocket located in Chanhassen, MN. Will be able to discuss proper plant choices, drainage situations, water use in the landscape, how to brighten your garden using energy efficient LED landscape lighting and other landscaping tips and suggestions. So bring your landscape questions so we can help you start planning for an early spring.

Educate, Entertain, Escape into your Outdoor Environment Today!

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First Signs of Spring in the Landscape

Tim — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:55:24 +0000

Sorry to say, Winter is only half way through but now is the time to start thinking about spring. With our short growing seasons it is important to get the most out of each opportunity to grow colorful flowers. Spring is often overlooked by weeks until the arrival of tulips and daffodils, but why continue with the winter doldrums when garden life can be enjoyed in April instead of May. On warmer years some of these favorites have even bloomed in March. Here a some of my favorite blooms of spring. More information for all of these plants can be found at stonepocketkwyg.com.

Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold) – Minnesota Native found in marshes, wet meadows, and creeks

Caltha palustris

Forsythia x intermedia ‘Fiesta’ – Not only is this an early spring bloomer of tiny yellow flowers but is it more compact then traditional forsythia and leaves are variegated giving multiple seasons of interest.

Forsythia x intermedia 'Fiesta'

Helleborus x ‘Royal Heritage’ (Lenten Rose)- the nodding, colorful cup-shaped emerge from evergreen foliage even during late snows of spring.

Helleborus x ‘Royal Heritage’

Iris cristata – one of my most favorite of the early flowers of spring for is color and cheerfulness. Very dwarf, only rising four inches but spectaular in large colonies.

Iris cristata

Anemon patens (Pasque Flower) – Minnesota Native blooming around the time of Easter with a beautiful purple cup of petals holding yellow stamens. Hairy leaves and stems capture early morning frost making this little plant a real standout in early spring.

Anemone patens

Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrops) – Usually the first sign of spring in Twin City Landscapes. Single green stems emerge from late spring snows carrying a small, white, nodding flower tipped with green.

Galanthus nivalis

Anemone acutiloba/Heptica nobilis (Sharp-Lobed Heptica) – Minnesota Native that offers a variety of pastel colors in the spring from white, pink, to blue. Look for this early spring gift at St. Croix State Park.

Anemone acutiloba

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Stonepocket Visits Gardens of Cleveland

Tim — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:29:46 +0000

A photo tour of Stonepocket’s garden trip to Cleveland. Enjoy the great gardens!

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February Plant of the Month – Rue Anemone

Tim — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:01:55 +0000

BOTANICAL NAME Anemonella thalictroides

COMMON NAME Rue Anemone

DESCRIPTION Native Minnesota woodland wildflower grows up to 9″ high and features white flowers with 5-10 petal-like sepals and numerous greenish-yellow stamens. Flowers appear in loose clusters above whorls of three-lobed leaves, but each flower has its own stem. A long-blooming spring flower with a delicate, dainty appearance.

FAMILY Ranunculaceae

HEIGHT 12 inches

WIDTH 12 inches

HABIT Upright

ZONES 4 to 8

EXPOSURE Part Shade

FLOWER COLOR White

BLOOM SEASON Spring

COMPANION PLANTS Asarum, Aquilegia, Dicentra

GROWING AND MAINTENANCE TIPS Plant in average to soils that are well drained. Will not tolerate wet soils. Plant will go dormant in the summer.

NOTES Typically grows in the wild on wooded slopes and ridges. Anemonella in Greek means small windflower in reference to the fact that this flower resembles a small anemone.

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Fairies at the Arboretum

Tim — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:24:14 +0000

Don’t miss the wonders of fairies at the Oswald Visitor Center at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum located in Chanhassen. Truly magnificent miniature wonders await your discovery. The fairy exhibits run now until March 4th. Never lose the imagination and innocence of gardens, true wonders always await those with keen eyes.

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Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses – Complete List at Know What You Grow

Tim — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:12:44 +0000

Stonepocket’s database is growing. A complete list of almost 30 grasses, sedges, and even a rush can now be viewed at Know What You Grow – a plant database for northern gardeners and landscapers. Learn about cultural needs, landscape uses, companion plants, and interesting characteristics of ornamental grasses. Here is a sample of images, but go to stonepocketkwyg.com to learn more.

Panicum virgatum ‘Prairie Fire’

Carex caryophyllea ‘Beatleman

Helictotrichon sempervirens

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