Kennedy's Country Gardens

Time to Plant!

ChrisK — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 02:11:56 +0000

Early spring is a safe time to transplant almost all trees, shrubs, evergreens, perennials, grasses, roses and more. Do so before they start to grow new leaves if possible. Avoid digging or dividing plants that bloom early unless you are willing to sacrifice the flowers this spring. All transplants should be watered regularly if Mother Nature does not do so. It is also a great time to clean up the lawn and gardens. Fill in bare spots in the lawn with new grass seed before the weeds do. Weed and mulch the gardens before the perennials, bulbs and more weeds emerge all the way and get in the way. It is safe to plant all plants that are available at Kennedy’s now. Our general rule is that if it is outside, it can be planted. If it is the greenhouse, you may need to wait. Pansies and other cold season annuals and veggies may need to be brought inside or protected with a blanket, but only on cold nights when the temps dip into the low 30′s. Besides that, let planting season begin!

Time to Water!

ChrisK — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:21:00 +0000

Rain is in the forecast, we hope, but it has been a dry spring as of this writing. Even in spring, plants can dry out and suffer drought stress. Make sure any plants that have been planted or transplanted with in the last 12 months get a good soaking once per week. Anything newly planted this spring may require more water, up to three times per week depending how the weather is. New grass seed needs to be lightly sprinkled up to several times per day until it germinates. For more information on watering, click over to our info sheet page to find Chris’ guide to watering.

Cutting Back Grasses in the Garden

ChrisK — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:49:27 +0000

Ornamental Grasses add beauty and texture to a garden. Grasses in New England start emerging from the ground in the spring as the weather begins to warm. By late spring early summer they are usually full grown and looking great! As the summer rolls along many varieties start to send up plumes/flowers. Others wait until fall. When the weather turns cold in the fall, all the of the green foliage starts to turn tan colored and most grasses will look this way all through the winter. There can be disagreement on the best time to cut back grasses. Based on my experience, the people who like an extra clean, neat, tidy appearance often cannot wait until late winter/early spring to cut them back. they might cut them back as early as Thanksgiving. However, the majority of people wait until March or April to cut them back because they enjoy and appreciate the winter appearance. The choice is yours, but everyone agrees it is best to cut Ornamental Grasses back before they start to grow in the spring. Try to get this done by mid-to late April. This removes all of last years tan, old growth. It give the plant a fresh start and nice clean appearance. If you wait until May, it will be much harder to trim out last years growth without cutting back the new green growth. The new green growth will soon emerge and replace all of last years growth and more. It is best to cut the grasses (aesthetically) as close to the ground as possible. I suggest using a pair of hand pruners for small grasses. Put tension on the the grasses by pulling up on the stems as you are cutting and they pruners are less likely to bind. For older grasses I prefer to use electric hedge shears. It saves a lot of time in the garden. Then I toss the clipping into a wheel barrow and dump them into a compost pile. Call us at Kennedy’s if you have further questions. Have fun in the garden!

Winter Farmer’s Market

ChrisK — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:37:13 +0000

Sundays 11:00 to 3:00 through March 25^th

Available this Sunday March 4th, fresh eggs, artisan breads, fish, squash, carrots, onions, potatoes, hot house tomatoes, baby spinach, kale and lettuces, apple cider donuts, maple syrup, vegan and gluten free power snacks, wonderful hand made cheese spreads, delicious and healthy baked goods and hot chocolate mixes.

On the Edge Knife Sharpening will be here to service knives and garden pruners.

Old Harbor Catering will be serving lunch!

Participants include Authentically You, Al’s Backwoods Berrie Company, Beachouse Baking Company, David Knight Wood Products, Engelnook Farm, Great Cape Baking Company, Marshfield Trading Post, Morningbird Soaps, Oakdale Farm, Snug Harbor Fish Market and Photographs by Sandi Smith

Kennedy’s Country Gardens 85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy (Rte 3A), Scituate-781-545-1266

Why Houseplants?

ChrisK — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:00:19 +0000

There are a lot of beautiful large homes on the South Shore, but one of the things I have noticed to be absent in a lot of these homes is houseplants. It is true most people do not have a lot of time to care for plants, never mind taking care of kids, cleaning, cooking, soccer games, church, etc. So it makes sense houseplants do not get high on the priority list. However, there are a lot of benefits, some mental and others biological. NASA has done studies on houseplants. In fact, plants inside the home or office are very beneficial. Not only are they pretty and cheerful to look at, they also take pollutants and harmful CO2 out of the air. According to Wikipedia, CO2 is known to cause people to lose productivity in the office. Guessing that happens in the home too? For the most part, if you match your conditions with the correct plants, house plants can be very easy to care for. We hear stories all the time of how many years and in some instances generations people have managed to kept their houseplants going. Let our experts at Kennedy’s match up the right houseplants with your conditions. The rewards will make you breath deep!

Garden Matters Lecture Series at Kennedy’s in Scituate

ChrisK — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:38:35 +0000

Saturday February 25 Kennedy’s Country Gardens kicks off our “Garden Matters” Lecture Series in the greenhouses. Lectures on the first Saturday include Horticulturist Paul F. Split discussing “Seed Starting” then doing a ”Cooking With Herbs” demonstration. Our own Chris Kennedy, MCH will talk about “Landscaping – Adding Beauty & Property Value to Your Home” and Nick Vallas of Bartlett Tree Company will talk “Pruning & Garden Pests”. Old Harbor Catering will be available for lunch options. Volunteers from the Massachusetts Master Gardeners will have a booth to answering your gardening questions and Betty Greene, Kennedy’s landscape design partner, will be on hand taking your landscape design questions. Click here for more details.

Fall Harvest Festival

ChrisK — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:03:49 +0000

This event just keeps getting bigger, we may need customers to car pool! Journalist Kelly Anne Clinton, wrote a really terrific article about our Fall Harvest Festival and Hope In Bloom in this weeks edition of the Mariner – here is the Wickedlocal online version. I also confirmed with Debbie at Local Vines and Gourmet Wine Shop (Rt 3a Cohasset near the train station) that they will be coming Sunday afternoon to let us taste some great wines. Just so happens they will be setting up next to the Dixieland Jazz, I look forward to hanging out in that area! Also we just signed on a new vendor from the Scituate Farmer’s Market that will be serving Loster bisque, German brats, etc. on Saturday, he said he might be back Sunday with steak tips – I hear his food is delicious! See you at Kennedy’s!!! Chris

Fall is Coming!!!!

Chris K — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:22:47 +0000

Fall is almost here…and so are a beautiful bacth of new fall plants!!! We have just received vibrant annuals as well as perennials to brighten up your fall yard. In addition, summer annuals and perennials are now on clearance, up to 60% off! Stop by today.

April Tip – Planting

ChrisK — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:08:37 +0000

It is okay to plant all trees & shrubs, grasses and rose bushes in April. It is also safe to plant cold season annuals and vegetables. At Kennedy’s we stoe our outdoor ready plants outside and our tender material inside. You only need to worry about planiting the above listed plants if they have been inside a warm greenhouse or were shipped in from a warmer climate. A sudden dip in temperature could injure plants in this situation, but it is rare. Ask a Kennedy’s asscociate for any assistance.

April Pruning Tip

ChrisK — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:44:41 +0000

Chris Kennedy’s Green Gardener early April tip of the week. Let’s talk about pruning. Early spring is the time to cleanup and prune back tender perennials such as Hosta, Coneflowers, Sedums and all of your ornamental grasses. Cut them as close to the ground as possible. Woodier perennials such as Catmint, Russian Sage and Montauk Daisies should be cut back, but it is best to leave last year’s stems about 3-6” long. It is also time to cut back Butterfly Bushes and Roses. They can be cut back dramatically to about 18-24” from the ground. Climbing roses shouls not be cut back, but thinned out as needed. Later flowering shrubs such as Spirea, Rose-of-Sharon and PG Hydrangea can be pruned back and shaped now. Please resist the urge to cut back the typical blue and pink hydrangeas, any significant pruning can be detrimental to them blooming this summer. Also be patient with spring flowering shrubs such as Azaleas, Rhododendron, and lilacs. Spring pruning will remove the flower buds, so avoid this unless you are willing to sacrifice the flowers. Follow up your pruning with a boost of organic fertilizer. Have a great week in the garden!