Welcome, everyone, to the first issue of News Out of Eden. We thank you all for signing up and are very excited about all the information this newsletter will offer.

Our goal is for you, our valued customer, to use the newsletter as a tool to answer many of your gardening questions. As we celebrate another year, we look to you and say thanks for helping our business thrive.

News Out of Eden offers prime material from the best growers, as well as the best products for all your gardening needs. Stop by our garden center any time and let us help make your dream garden a reality.

Your comments and questions are very welcome. We look forward to hearing from you.

When most people think about drought tolerant landscaping they conjure up images of rock, cactus and succulents. And while they can have a place in some drought tolerant gardens (if you live in the desert) most modern drought tolerant designs don't rely on them and are filled with the beauty and color of many favorite mainstream plants.

Most existing landscapes already have plants that can survive periods of drought. The key is to select plants for your particular growing conditions when planning and designing (or re-designing) your landscape and then placing these plants together according to their water needs.

Consider foliage texture and color, bloom period and the shape of each plant when selecting plants for your garden. Also incorporate some plants with grayish foliage; these have a natural reflective quality that allows them to survive in low-moisture, high-heat situations.

Along with proper plant selection are a couple of other very important principles which should be incorporated into any drought tolerant garden:

• Make sure to use a soil amendment like Fafard Soil Conditioner when planting.
• Cover open areas around plants and trees with a two inch layer of mulch, such as Espoma Flowertone, to reduce evaporation, keep the soil cool, and help prevent weeds.

Last, a drought tolerant garden needs to be watered correctly in order for you to succeed in your water-saving goals. Each water zone should be on a separate station and timer. Make sure to irrigate in the early morning to help reduce evaporation. Be sure to pull weeds as needed to reduce competition for water, and feed your garden at least quarterly to help your plants stay healthy and strong.

Check out our gallery of drought tolerant plants.

With careful selection, planning and execution, drought-tolerant landscapes can be as pleasing as those needing heavy irrigation. We have a great selection of colorful drought tolerant plants, and our staff of garden experts is available to help you every step of the way.

Powdery mildew is a common fungus disease characterized by spots or patches of white to grayish, talcum-powder-like growth. Although it can attack many types of plants, certain varieties of crape myrtles, bee balm, hydrangeas, roses, zinnias and types of cucumbers and squash are the most susceptible.

Fortunately, powdery mildew is usually more of an effect than a problem itself. In other words, in addition to treating the plant, you'll probably want to take a look at the surrounding conditions and make some adjustments. Bear in mind, it is most prevalent in moist and humid conditions.

First and foremost is to make sure you give plants plenty of room. Most plants require good air circulation. Trim plants that have gotten crowded or bushy. Avoid overhead watering, and don't make late summer applications of nitrogen fertilizer, as powdery mildew loves to attack the newest plant growth which, of course, nitrogen encourages. Also make sure your sun-loving plants are getting enough sunlight.

To halt the fungus in its tracks, spray with a good fungicide such as Bayer 3 in 1 Spray or Serenade (organic fungicide). We recommend at least one repeat application 7-10 days later and then only as needed if weather conditions persist.

There are several things you can do to ease your plants through a dry summer and even improve your landscape at the same time. While installing and using a drip system is a no-brainer, there are other steps you can take if you find yourself in a real pinch. Here’s how to make every drop of water count.

First of all, irrigate slowly, deeply and less frequently. Slow soaking limits runoff and encourages plants to develop deep root systems that are better able to tolerate drought. To minimize evaporation, irrigate in the early morning or evening. If you have to use a hose for watering, build soil berms around young trees and shrubs such as roses to concentrate water on the root zones. Fill the basin so the water soaks in.

It's also important to check the soil moisture occasionally between waterings to make sure the plants actually need to be watered as frequently as they are. Dig down one foot with a trowel or spade and feel a handful of soil. Another way to test moisture is to use a metal sampling tube to "read " the soil. Simply push it into the ground and twist it back out. It will show a 10-12" cross section of soil, showing how wet or dry the soil actually is. If the top 2 inches of the soil sample are dry, it's time to water.

If you don't have a drip irrigation system, consider using dripper hoses or root irrigators to concentrate water in specific areas. You can also be water-wise with pots by using glazed, foam or plastic pots, which are less porous and hold moisture better. Nesting smaller pots inside of larger ones will also create extra insulation.

If you have a grass lawn, raise your mower height. Taller grass shades the soil and will help reduce evaporation. Instead of high-nitrogen lawn food, apply a low-nitrogen iron product to help prevent excessive growth and improve the lawn's tolerance to heat stress.

Consider applying mulch to your garden. It helps reduce evaporation, insulates the roots from hot temperatures, helps prevent weeds and just plain makes a garden look better. We recommend applying a 2" layer of for best results.

If you face a real pinch in water availability, survey your landscape and give the highest priority to established trees and foundation shrubs, because they would be the hardest to replace. With just a little extra diligence, most gardens will make it through a drought period just fine.

Long valued for their profuse sprays of flowers from spring to early summer, coral bells (heucheras) are now also being valued for their bold, showy foliage. This genus of perennials has received a lot of attention from horticultural breeding programs in the last decade, and the result is an introduction of wonderful variations in foliage colors, leaf shapes, and flower colors.

While most original coral bell selections produced light green early spring foliage which then matured to a darker green later in summer, newer varieties are now available in amber, bronze, burgundy, purple and ruby tones. Even the newest green-leafed varieties now come dressed up with silver veins, mottling or streaks. Many new cultivars also come with exquisite ruffled foliage.

Using coral bells in the landscape provides a contrast to other plants, making your garden more interesting. Adding bronze, red, or purple foliage to the landscape brings out a new dimension of color. When these vibrant colors are placed next to green plants, your eye is drawn to the entire landscape--creating interest and depth. Most coral bells form evergreen mounds less than a foot high and across; the flowers appear 1-2' above the foliage.

Even the flower colors have benefited from breeding programs and now come in shades of bright pink, coral, red, cream, and white. The flowers provide an extra benefit to the garden by attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and beneficial insects to the garden. The spent flowers are easy to remove; you need only tug gently from the base of the stem to remove them.

While coral bells prefer partly shaded locations, these hardy plants can also tolerate full sun in milder summer regions of the U.S. They perform best in moist (but not wet) soils and need only a modest amount of feeding during the growing season. Don't neglect them completely though, because the nutrients in plant foods help bring out a deeper, darker more intense color in the foliage.

Plant them in borders or in clusters of three or more, so that their sprays of blooms will have an even more dramatic effect in the garden. Coral bells also make great container plants because they don't have an aggressive root system. Coral bells are just what you need to add some flair to your garden.

This will be (hopefully) a very basic, non-technical guide to fertilizing (feeding) your plants.

First of all, when we fertilize keep in mind this is supplement feeding. Many nutrients are in our soil already but they are "locked up" or unavailable in a form that plants can utilize due to pH (have acid or alkalinesoil--more about that later) or soil texture problems.

Remember--the more pliable your soil is, with lots of organic materials, the fewer added nutrients are needed. A good soil will feed your plants naturally. Supplemental feeding can make them grow bigger and better! Working the amendment into the top few inches of the soil is for small plants (they can sink and have crown rot problems). Larger plants would be amended according to their size needs. A good rule of thumb is to till or dig a shovel's depth and work/mix in any amendments very well.

Organics vs. chemical fertilizers:
The plant doesn't know the difference between them, but the soil does. Chemical fertilizers feed the plant. Organic fertilizers feed the soil so the soil feeds the plant naturally. Both have advantages: chemical fertilizers are fast acting and may later take care of specific problems. In any case, remember to feed your plants organically or chemically, and remember to always follow the label directions.

Work the fertilizer into the soil at the drip line of the plant- that's where the feeding roots are. The drip line is where, if you draw an imaginary line from the outermost branches to the ground as rain would fall. Always water in well, fertilizers need to be in liquid form for roots to absorb; water plants first, never feed a dry plant!

Understanding "NPK":
All fertilizers have 3 numbers on the bag; the first (N) is nitrogen-for the green, second (P) is phosphorous- for fruit & flowers, and third (K) is potassium-for overall vigor of the plant.

For our soils the most important is nitrogen; it needs to be replenished because it moves freely through the soil and can be washed out. Complete or all-purpose type fertilizers are good to use at planting time (phosphorus and potassium need to be worked in) as they don't move well through our alkaline soils. It is especially important to feed plants in containers regularly or they won't have anything to eat!

How often? Follow label directions, usually it will say monthly during the growing season or with organics every other month because they are slower acting (you will also notice the NPK numbers on those bags are smaller). Follow label directions for specialty fertilizers such as those for azaleas or fruit trees.

To review:
1. Check fertilizer choice for NPK numbers and choose one with plenty of nitrogen.
2. Follow label directions!
3. Work into soil at the drip line
4. Water in well--never fertilize a dry plant!

It grows 12-18 inches high and wide and makes an excellent addition for color in any semi-shaded areas.