Fraleighs

‘Key for Trees’ Vouchers

Dan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:25:23 +0000

Fraleighs Landscape Nursery is glad to partner with W4 Country and Key Bank to provide trees to community members who have suffered damage from the recent Dexter tornado. Our staff is planning to work individually with voucher recipients to get the plants they need to start to recover their landscapes. The vouchers are valid toward the purchase of any in-stock plant material (potted and ball & burlap trees, shrubs, and perennials) OR special order plant material to suit the recipient’s needs. The vouchers are valid through October of this year, so we’ll have both spring and fall planting seasons to satisfy individual requirements. For those with vouchers, we will be discounting all plant material according to type and variety to maximize the value of the voucher. If voucher recipients have any further questions or would like to investigate what trees or plants would work best for them, please contact our Nursery Manager at 426 5067 x14, or stop by the nursery to speak with our staff. Fraleighs is very proud of our community and looks forward to participating in this and other efforts to help return our neighborhoods to beauty.

UPDATE 5/15/2012:

We received a nice selection of Michigan-grown Shade Trees appropriate for the K4T program into stock today. Stop by soon to get the ‘pick of the litter’ Oak, Maple, or Sweet Gum. Please note that we are extending the same discounting available to the K4T Voucher-holders to other folks that suffered damage from the March 15th Dexter Tornado. Please call 462 5067 x14 for details.

Its New & Improved HollyTone Time!

Dan — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:18:11 +0000

Remember, Fraleighs recommends an application of HollyTone fertilizer twice annually to maintain and enhance your gardens and landscapes. April Fool’s Day and Halloween are the approximate dates we set to help folks to remember to feed their plants. HollyTone is a great organic low-analysis (4-3-4) acidifying fertilizer well suited to our alkaline soil types. The HollyTone formulation also contains beneficial organisms — helper microbes — that complement and enhance healthy root systems. Perennials, shrubs, ornamental grasses, evergreens, and trees can all benefit from a twice-annual application. Stop by today — our staff would be glad to help you calculate how much you need, explain the simple application process, or arrange for our crews to make the application for you.

New this spring, Espoma has tweaked the formulation of HollyTone. The product is now an even better soil acidifier with 5% instead of 2% Sulfur. That’s great for most of us contending with high soil pH. Most ornamental plants prefer a neutral-to-moderately-acidic soil, and HollyTone is now an even better way to mildly acidify gardens. Likewise, their new production method is providing a more ‘crumbly’ texture to their fertilizer, and this means less dust and hence a little less of HollyTone’s characteristic organic ‘aroma’. Best of all, these improvements have been made with no changes in pricing or volume! That’s a relief to those of us still searching for an actual half-gallon of ice cream in the frozen aisle…

Click here to learn more about the product.

Spring burning

Amy — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:33:34 +0000

One of the benefits of perennial grasses is the vertical winter interest they provide. They are usually pruned back in late winter or early spring, before the new shoots emerge. Granted, the new growth on these grasses comes out very late (mid May) by our impatient gardener standards.

Here at the nursery we have the option of burning ornamental grasses to make ready for the 2012 growth. This is a preferred method for us, partly for the ease of disposal and partly for the excitement.

The grasses shown are Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’, a 6-7’ grass, which burns extremely quick and hot. Therefore, proximity to any other combustible matter renders this process dangerous and ill advised. Note that these grasses stand alone, well away from plants or structures.

Address your spring planting needs now!

Call or email Doug Fraleigh directly at 734-426-5067 ext. 12 or email him at DVF1960@aol.com to discuss unique solutions for your landscape.

New USDA Hardiness Zone

Dan — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:39:23 +0000

In the first official revision since 1990, the US Department of Agriculture has updated its Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Most of Washtenaw County is now classified Zone 6a, with average annual low tempertures between negative five and negative ten degrees Farenheit. What does that mean for Washtenaw County gardeners? Not necessarily a whole lot, as cold hardiness is only one of many factors that affect how any given plant flourishes or perishes. Soil type, sun and wind exposure, and appropriate moisture levels are just a few factors that are coequal to cold hardiness in determining the fate of plants in our landscapes. What the new zonation does mean is justification to explore new plant possibilities previously thought to be a fuzz too tender for our winters. Fraleighs will be trialing a few such candidate plants in the coming years. If you have any suggestions you’d like to try, let us know. We’ll be glad to give you our opinion for the odds on a specific plant, and source them if we can.

Links to the new Zone Map:

USDA PHZM Revision 1/25 Press Release

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map circa 2012

Boxwood Blight

Dan — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:03:17 +0000

Recently, a devastating exotic fungal disease has been identified in boxwood in eight states and Canada. To date, its presence has not to be confirmed in Michigan.

The experts are working to ascertain the extent of the disease’s spread and develop management strategies. We at Fraleighs are concerned with this disease, especially since boxwood has become a staple deer-resistant evergreen element in the last decade. We will continue to monitor developments and will post any preventative measures that are presented.

In the mean time, following recommended procedures, we are limiting our incoming boxwood stock to plants grown by a trusted supplier here within Washtenaw County. She has had all of her plants growing on site for many months now, and the liners she grows her stock from are all produced by Michigan propagators.

Likewise, we are expanding our plant palette to allow for more deer-safe evergreen alternatives. We have dabbled in other options in the past, and while none of the alternatives have been as flexible as boxwood, several now merit a place in our designs. Come see us this spring to meet some goodies such as Cephalotaxus and Ilex glabra ‘Nordic’.

Links for more info on the boxwood crud:

Science News 1/20 article

Connecticut Extension PDF

Winter mulching

Dan — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:28:48 +0000

November is a great time to remulch your gardens. Firstly, it will provide a protective ‘blanket’ for your plants’ root systems, limiting stressful temperature swings in the soil. Secondly, the recent frosts have left most perennials in a fully dormant state, and they are ready to be cut back — this makes the actual spreading of mulch that much more efficient. Thirdly, don’t we all have enough to do in the spring already without worrying about mulching? We can get one thing checked off the list early, and the plants will benefit from the mulch all winter long. Refer to the ‘Mulch’ tab in the navigation bar above to learn more.

It’s HollyTone Time!

Dan — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:38:36 +0000

Remember, Fraleighs recommends an application of HollyTone fertilizer twice annually to maintain and enhance your gardens and landscapes. Halloween and April Fool’s Day are the approximate dates we set to help folks to remember to feed their plants. HollyTone is a great organic low-analysis (4-3-4) acidifying fertilizer well suited to our alkaline soil types. The HollyTone formulation also contains beneficial organisms — helper microbes — that complement and enhance healthy root systems. Perennials, shrubs, ornamental grasses, evergreens, and trees can all benefit from a twice-annual application. Stop by today — our staff would be glad to help you calculate how much you need, explain the simple application process, or arrange for our crews to make the application for you.

Click here to learn more about the product.

Fall Bulbs: Think Spring!

Dan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:20:12 +0000

The ideal season for planting bulbs is upon us, and Fraleighs is once again glad to offer our fall bulb consultation and installation services. We’d be glad to help you choose the right bulbs for your gardens — we have advice for folks dealing with deer browse, heavy soils, and odd spaces. We can either order bulbs for you to plant, or we can put you on our schedule for professional layout and installation of your bulbs. Call, email, or stop by today to learn more!

Don’t miss out!

Dan — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:50:18 +0000

Lots of color still available for your landscape and gardens…

and ON SALE, too!

Oh, deer…. there’s the rub.

Dan — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:35:09 +0000

The chillier weather reminds us that another season of deer damage is upon us. Specifically, the buck rub is beginning — the time in which adult male deer scrape the itchy velvet off their antlers. For scratching posts, they usually choose clear-trunked deciduous trees of small-to-medium size — about the same size of newly purchased, planted, and establishing landscape trees. What the general public may be unaware of is that bucks tend to be excellent appraisers of tree value — they always seem to choose the most expensive and beautiful young trees to maul! At best a buck rubbed tree is wounded and disfigured, at worst it can be girdled and wind up dying. It is important to note that deer are territorial and creatures of habit — if you see one of your prized trees rubbed lightly, it is critical to take immediate measures to prevent subsequent rubs from occurring.

Fraleighs stocks a number of products that will fend off buck rub, the most effective being trunk guards — sturdy tubes of black plastic mesh that can be affixed around the trunk of small-to-medium sized trees using zip-ties. While some find the trunk-guards unsightly, they are cheap and effective insurance versus a wounded or dying tree, AND they needn’t be left on year-round; just in the fall and early winter.

Contact our deer-damage abatement experts to learn more!