Beginning April 1st ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDENS will be open 7 days a week to serve you.
Our hours will be:          Monday - Saturday 9AM - 6PM
                                         Sunday, after Church, from 2PM - 6PM

We have started planting for Spring 2012. Today we planted:

Crocosmia Babylon

Crocosmia Ember Glow


Crocosmia Emily McKenzie


Crocosmia George Davidson

Crocosmia Lucifer

Crocosmia enjoys full sun and will reach heights from 18" to 40" tall depending on the variety. Best spaced 6-8 inches apart. Crocosmia is excellent in the perennial border or in flower beds. Makes a spectacular display when planted in groups of 5 or more for intense color impact. Cut stems when half the flowers are open for the best cut flower results. Crocosmia grows well in containers and provides long lasting cut flowers for added height in your arrangements. Crocosmia performs best in well-drained soil.

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Dicentra Spectabilis Bleeding Heart

Our bleeding hearts enjoy full sun/part shade and will grow approximately 30" tall, best planted 18-24" apart. Beautiful pink hearts Dicentra Spectabilis Bleeding Heart is a good specimen plant or planted in groups to create a soft background. Excellent for filling shaded gaps in a perennial border. Dicentra prefers well-drained, humus rich soil and is an excellent choice for moist partially shaded locations. Plant may go dormant in late summer.

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Kniphofia Royal Standard or Red Hot Poker as it is sometimes called is a wonderful full sun plant that can reach a height of 35" tall and should be spaced about 18" apart. This plant flowers from yellow to bright orange as it reaches its apex of colour. Very nice as a specimen plant of three or more plants and is excellent for cut flowers. This one will attract both hummingbirds AND butterflies. Prefers well-drained, humus rich soil. Water generously before bloom time. Mulch to protect during winter months. Cut flower stems after blooming period.

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Liatris Spicata is another tall flowering plant (30" tall). Best results when planted 10-12" apart. Liatris is exceptionally striking when planted in groups and used in borders or to provide a tall backdrop in your garden. Plant in groups of three or more for more impressive display. This is another great cut flower plant and will thrive in full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. Good tolerance of sandy or poor soil.

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Lilium Bright Pixie

Lilium Crimson Pixie

Lilium Garden Party

Lilium Lollypop

Our Asiatic Lilium varieties will lend an exotic touch to your garden or patio. With growth from 14" - 30" tall (depending on variety) you will enjoy these around border plantings or as specimen plants. Groupings will provide you with a stunning effect but don't forget these are an excellent choice for containers. Well drained soil is a must. Asiatic Lilium prefer a sunny or lightly shaded location.

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Lilium Mona Lisa

Lilium Muscadet

Our Oriental Lilium varieties are sometimes called the "pot lily" because they perform so well in containers but remember that they also perform well around patios, foundations, or as border or specimen plants. Well-drained soil is essential. They prefer sunny or lightly shaded locations and will grow 20" - 30" tall depending on variety.

THE SEEDING PROGRAM IS RIGHT ON SCHEDULE
Below is a list of the seeds we have sown and we will update their progress appropriately.

Basil - several different varieties
Birdhouse Gourd
Broccoli -
Cabbage - including red cabbage
Cat Mint
Cat Nip - did you know that Cat Nip is more effective than deet at repelling mosquitoes?
Cauliflower
Chives - two varieties including garlic
Cilantro - this also makes a great addition to hand made soaps for removing the odor of onions from your hands
Coleus
Dill - two varieties: Vierling and Bouquet
Dusty Miller
Eggplant - three varieties: Black Beauty, Rosa Bianca, and Beatrice.
Swiss Chard
Verbena


                                         A map to our location.


English Country Gardens is your only local greenhouse grower and Garden Center that grows all of our product onsite to ensure you always have plants 'GROWN IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THRIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS.'

Beginning in June 2012 Michael Clark will be at the Blairsville Farmer's Market every Saturday morning from 7AM - 1PM and Tuesday afternoon from 3PM - 7PM thru the rest of the Summer and into the Fall so come check us out.

For your convenience, English Country Gardens will be open every day during the Spring, Summer, and Fall so visit us at our greenhouse/garden center location at 973 Village Road, Hiawassee, GA (hours are listed at the top of this page). Michael can not always be on site but if you need to speak with him directly, please call 706-896-8947 or ask one of our other trained specialists to assist you. Our plants are also available at other independent garden centers and retail plant suppliers throughout the area. When visiting other graden centers, please remember to ask for plants by English Country Gardens by name to ensure you receive plants "GROWN IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THRIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS."

English Country Gardens has been a Proven Winner Certified Garden Center since 2002. We are the ONLY Proven Winner Certified Garden Center in Hiawassee and the Towns County area growing Proven Winner product on-site.

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OLDER POSTS FROM OUR 2011 SEASON

Fall is traditionally the favored time for planting but you should also consider planting in Spring. Spring planting allows our part-time residents to ensure plants have time to fully establish themselves in the garden before the home owner leaves for the winter. Also, many of our flowering shrubs will provide you several months of beautiful flowers and some very attractive Fall colour if planted in the Spring.

If you do wish to wait until Fall to plant your shrubs you will also want to take a look at the Fall MUMS to add to your Fall flora and enhance the colour in your garden.

What's growing on at English Country Gardens?

Flowering Shrubs are READY NOW including Knock Out Roses in Yellow, Double Red, and Double Pink

      
Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) in several colours



Black Lace, (Photo coming soon)

Rose of Sharon from Proven Winners in several colours

And YES, WE HAVE BANANAS - - COLD HARDY BANANA TREES FOR YOU.  English Country Gardens introduces cold hardy Basjoo Banana Trees.  These are hardy to zone 4 and perfect for adding a tropical accent look to your pool, patio, or garden!



Passion Flowers are in bloom



It's always a great day to visit English Country Gardens and with our expanded schedule it's almost always a great time to come on in to view our plants that are "GROWN IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THRIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS" to help ensure you a more successful gardening experience.

OUR FLOWERING SHRUBS ARE READY NOW INCLUDING:

Crepe Myrtle
Burgandy Cotton - white flowers with yellow stamens. New growth is wine, then wine/green when flowering. Broad upright growth reaching 5 feet or more in one growing season. High mildew resistance. Flowers early June and continues until first frost. Showy Burgandy flower buds.

Red Rocket - like Dynamite, Red Rocket produces Cherry Red flowers in hot sunny conditions. New growth is crimson then dark green. Upright form, high mildew and anthractnose resistance. Huge flower clusters up to 25" tall. May repeat bloom more than Dynamite.

Pink Velour - selected as one of the 2003 Oklahoma Proven and Winner of the 2007 Pennsylvania Horticulture Society's "Gold Medal Plant Award". Pink Velour has flashy pink flowers and distinct dark wine foliage which peaks in the Spring. High mildew resistance. Very showy foliage provides wine landscape colour before blooming.

Dynamite Red - This is the first true red tree form Crepe Myrtle. Dynamite produces cherry red flowers even in full sun and hot conditions. New growth is crimson. Upright form, high mildew resistance.

Mock Orange:
Innocence - perhaps the most fragrant of all Mock Oranges. Single pure white flowers, splashed with irregular creamy white and gold variegation.
Snow Belle - a low grower with a compact habit loaded with fragrant pure white flowers. NATIVE of North America.

Weigela
Red Prince - excellent dark red flowered weigelia with abundant blooms that resist fading. A hardy rebloomer from Iowa State.
Wine & Roses - It's appeared in over 600 news papers and many gardening magazines. Consumers ask for it by name. It has season long colour with its dark burgandy purple foliage and intense rosy pink coloured flowers. Full sun for darkest colour. A Knock-your-Socks-Off shrub developed by Herman Gers of Holland.

Knock Out Roses
Sunny [yes, we have YELLOW Knock-Out Roses] - This new release has the disease resistance of the original Knock-Out with similarly dark attractive foliage and a slightly upright habit. The single flowers are bright yellow at opening, turning creamy white when fully opened. The yellow colour will stay stronger during the cooler times of the year.
Double Knock-Out Red - Abundant small red double flowers, dark glossy foliage with superb disease resistance. Perfect for small gardens and continers.
Double Knock-Out Pink - The double pink Knock-Out has fabulous hot pink, double blooms. In Autumn the foliage turns a deep purple colour extending the season of interest.

Abeliophyllum Distichum Reseum
A very fine pink version of Forsythia.  Not a dark pink but a pleasant soft pink that in our opinion is an improvement over the species.

Buddleia
Black Knight - Relatively small, blackish, purple flowers. Green leaves and open habit.
Ellen's Blue - perhaps the truest blue. Good size flower heads and gray foliage.; Potter's Purple - a favorite dark purple. Thick and large violet panicles - a real stand-out.
Royal Red - rich purple red flowers; Miss Molly - this plant pushes the colour spectrum even further with blooms boasting rich hues of dark sangria red. Red colour may be more pronounced in the south. Developed by Dr. Denise Werner of NC State University.
Peacock - good sized approximately 10 - 12" pink flower heads on neat compact plant.
Adondis Blue - deep blue flowers of good size approximately 10 - 12" and fragrance on a compact plant.
Miss Ruby - this is Mike Clark's personal favorite. Miss Ruby is a sweetheart of a plant noted for its compact habit and remarkably vivid rich pink blooms. The flower colour is unlike that of any other Buddleia. Developed by Dr. Denise Werner of JC Raulston Arboretum in NC.
Lo & Behold Blue Chip - the first in series of new miniature butterfly bush. Lo and Behold Buddleia changes the way you think of Butterfly Bush. Blue Chip is a remarkable plant that blooms early and continously without deadheading or pruning. It can be used as a ground cover, low hedge, or in containers. Non-invasive. One of the highest cultivars in the RHS or European Buddleia trial.

Hydrangea
Incrediball - a new and improved Annabelle Hydrangea. Incrediball has Beefy stems and massive blooms. The breeding goal was stronger stems to eliminate flop resulting in incredibly large blooms. Each bloom has roughly four times as many flowers as Annabelle. Lightly fragrant.
Invincibelle Spirit - finally a pink flowered form of Annabelle Hydrangea. It is a re-bloomer after years of breeding Dr. Tom Ranney and his team at NC State broke the colour barrier. This hydrangea grows from Manitoba to Mobile blooming with abundance every year in mid-summer and continuing to produce new flowers right up until frost.
Pinky Winky - an incredible hydrangea with unique two toned flower heads in mid-summer. A truly incredible sight as the large 12-16" long flowerheads emerge white, turn pink and continue to push new white flowers from the tip of the panicle. The flowers are held upright on strong stems, and contrast nicely against the dark green foliage. It blooms regardless of climate, soil, pH, or pruning. Use it as a specimen plant or to create a spectacular flowering hedge.

Physocapus
Coppertina - a new hybrid that flurishes and attractive copper in spring and transforms to a rich red in summer. Developed by Minier of France.

Rose
Oso Easy Huney Bun - has the highest level of disease resistance and it produces an abundance of semi-double blooms. The unique flower colour ranges from blush pink to butter yellow to creamy white.

Sanbucus, Black Lace
There has never been a plant with such appeal. Black Lace is reminiscent of a Japanese Maple with its lacy purple black foliage. Even better, it produces massive pink flowers that reach 6" in diameter. Its colour and texture make it a great plant for the perinnial garden, patio container, or the entrance garden.
Euonymus, Fireball - outstanding fall colour.

Forsythia
Show Off Starlet - this new dwarf forsythia is a mass of bright yellow spring flowers from base to tip. New from Minier Nursery of France.

Hibisus
Sugar Tip - an eye catching Rose of Sharon with brightly variegated creamy white and blue/green foliage, loads of clear, pink, double flowers in late summer. It does not produce seed.
Chiffon Lavender - a whole new look for hardy Hibiscus. Large single lavender flowers are adorned with a lacy center to create an anemone like bloom. Hybridzed by Dr. Rodeick Woods of England.
Chiffon White - breath taking large single white flowers are adorned with a lacy center to create an anemone like bloom. Hydridzed by Dr. Roderick Woods of England.
Satin Blush - very showy large single soft blushing pink flowers with a prominent red eye. Strong growing and long blooming. Hybridzed by Rien Verweij of the Netherlands.
Satin Rose - a stand out plant with large ruffled rose pink flowers adorned with a prominate red center. A strong growing plant hybridized by Claude Bellion of Minier Nurseries of France.
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                  IN THE FALL LOOK FOR OUR FALL GARDEN MUMS



MUMS, MUMS & MORE MUMS HARDY IGLOO SERIES MUMS

Many gardeners agree there is nothing like a Fall Garden MUM (Chrysanthemum) to decorate for the Fall holiday season. They are also especially colorful planted in your garden or strategically placed near an entrance or along the walkway in a decorative planter. At English Country Gardens you will find thousands of Hardy Fall Garden MUMS in hundreds of varieties and colours.

In 2011 English Country Gardens teamed with several local non-profit organizations who sold plants to raise funds for their causes. If you are interested in selling plants as a fund raising project, please contact us at 706-896-8947 to discuss details.

Whether you purchase your MUMS at one of the many local fund raising events, from your favorite local garden center or fruit stand, or directly from English Country Gardens, be sure to ask for MUMS from English Country Gardens.

In the Fall we carry IGLOO SERIES MUMS. The Igloo MUMS are the Hardiest of all Hardy Garden Mums. Watch for these and other MUMS in or about September thru November 1st.

Everything we sell at English Country Gardens is grown right here at our facility in Hiawassee, GA. This way you can always be assured it is “Grown in the Mountains to Thrive in the Mountains.”

Decorating Tips:

If you elect not to plant your MUMS but to use them in decorating, and plan to plant them in your garden later, you will want to make certain of a few things essential to help your MUMS survive through the decorating season and thrive after being planted in your garden.

1. Make certain you maintain watering as continually allowing your MUMS to “dry down” will cause your MUMS to be stressed and may result in your planting a MUM that cannot recover.

2. Allow yourself sufficient time to get your MUM planted in your garden at least 2 weeks prior to the first frost for the best opportunity to ensure your MUMS will reemerge for you in Spring.

3. When your MUMS lose their leaves and transition into their dormant stage during Winter give them a little help by providing them with a covering of mulch to help keep your roots from freezing.

Fall is traditionally the favored time for planting but you should also consider planting in Spring. Spring planting allows our part-time residents to ensure plants have time to fully establish themselves in the garden before the home owner leaves for the winter. Also, many of our flowering shrubs will provide you several months of beautiful flowers and some very attractive Fall colour if planted in the Spring.

If you do wish to wait until Fall to plant your shrubs you will also want to take a look at the Fall MUMS to add to your Fall flora and enhance the colour in your garden.