By Dave Zeldon and Ely Schweyer

In late June and early July we will be witnessing the annual invasion of the Japanese Beetle on many of our favourite landscape plantings including Hollyhocks, Dahlias, Hibiscus, Roses, Grapes, and Raspberries.

   Adult beetles skeletonize foliage.

   Many of us have tried the various means available to curb this yearly destruction like pheromone traps, Nematode lawn inoculation, hand picking, and concoctive sprays. But still, we get substantive damage.

   Interestingly enough, some plants such as Geranium, Castor Bean, and the flowers of Bottlebrush Buckeye, will cause paralysis and death of these beetles when eaten.

Maybe it’s Time We Look at Whole New Approach

Why not slowly invest in a landscape makeover? One with Japanese Beetle resistant plants!

   Trees such as Red Maple, Red Oak, Hickory, and Redbud could replace the susceptible Japanese Maple, Norway Maple, Pin Oak, Linden, and Mountain Ash.

   Why not consider growing more Evergreens such as Holly, Yew, Boxwood, and Aborvitae instead of the prone Virginia Creeper, Apple and Plum family of trees, and Birches.

   You also may want to contemplate planting perennials such as Coral-Bells, Hostas, Pachysandra, Sedum and Foxglove as opposed to the Japanese Beetle standard menu fare of Evening Primrose, Hydrangea, Clematis, Potentilla, and Zinnia.

   Yes, we do have some preventative measures at our disposal to battle the Japanese Beetle (find how to use beneficial nematodes in our fall chore blog) but due to the nature of this pest, it will inevitably win the war. If we continue to grow the some 400+ preferred host plants in our landscape, providing an adequate food source for this invasive pest rather than replacing them with resistant species, surely this pest will make gardening a chore instead of the pleasure it should be.

We hope this article will aid in the prevention of Japanese Beetles in your garden space! For more information – and Japanese Beetle resistant plants – visit Eising Greenhouse and Garden Centre! 🪲

November. It’s not quite winter, but pumpkin season is officially over. After you’ve put away the Fall decorations and cooked your pumpkin, it’s time to head outdoors to green up your decor again! 

This is the perfect time to drop by Eisings to gather fresh greenery and decorations that are weather-resistant and hardy for your outdoor urns. Perfect because it’s that in-between time of year when autumn’s splendour starts to fade and temperatures begin to drop. 

You can purchase urns that are already artistically filled with beautiful greenery and decorations, or you can find the supplies you need to fill an urn or pot you already have. Whether embellishing a premade urn or creating your own, here are some handy tips to help create a dramatic display.

“Planting” Medium

If you have had annuals or perennials in outdoor planters, don’t empty the soil - reuse it for your winter greenery! You may need a bag of soil to top it up, or ideally, you can use blocks of floral foam which can be purchased from our shop. These foam blocks can be nestled into the top of the soil and secured by crisscrossing a few pieces of tape across the top of the pot. If you’re starting with a fresh urn, find a pot that fits inside it and fill it with your planting medium. Soil and floral foam retain moisture for your fresh greens, and they also hold the plant material in place.

A Little Inspiration

Find some pictures online, or draw inspiration from the decorated planters at Eisings. Having a picture to work from will help you determine the supplies that you’ll need and how to arrange the items in your urn.

Gather Greens

Evergreen boughs will keep your planter looking fresh and green. Spruce, fir, pine and cedar branches will hold up well and retain their shape and colour throughout the holiday season.

Focal Points and Accents

Birch branches, curly willow, grapevine decorations, and dogwood branches all provide upright focal points with height in your planter.

Magnolia leaves, boxwood, inkberry and holly branches add texture and interest. Use pine cones, rose hips, faux berries, moss balls, seed pods, ornaments, and bows for some great final touches.

Adding lights will make the planter stand out and give it an ambiance that’s warm and inviting.

Build It!

3. Add accent pieces like dogwood, willow, holly and inkberry branches. 

4. Embellish with decorations. This is a great way to fill in any blank spaces and draw your eyes in to focus on the details. 

Begin by decorating with a cluster of pine cones, a bow or any decoration grouping in a lower section of the planter, then space out other decorations around the planter. Later, as the holidays draw near, you may want to add some Christmas decorations as well.

Helpful Tips:

- Find a good sturdy “poker” (a screwdriver or a strong bamboo stake) to make holes in the soil or foam blocks, allowing you to insert smaller branches and delicate seed pods or ornaments easily. You may need to secure smaller items onto sticks or some of the stronger branches in the planter by wrapping wire around them. 

- Don’t forget to water your arrangement to help your greens stay fresh longer!

In winter, the blanket of snow and grey winter skies can create a somewhat monotonous landscape. That’s when greenery urns make a big difference. Blending evergreen boughs with rustic and seasonal accents and some lights creates a welcoming outdoor display for November and beyond. Just be sure to use materials that can hold up to the frost, wind and snow that will be coming!

Other Resources

https://eising.ca/how-to-decorate-with-fresh-greenery-for-christmas/

https://eising.ca/holiday-home-decor-ideas-you-can-make-yourself/

https://eising.ca/holiday-decorating-tips/

Planting new trees into the landscape is always a worthwhile investment! Not only are they pretty to look at and provide cool shade on hot days, but they add a pretty significant increase in property value. Watching trees transition through each season is always a delight, but trees in autumn are especially beautiful. But did you know that autumn is actuaslly the perfect time to plant many of our favourite trees?

The root ball of a tree is quite sensitive. After all, it acts like their “brain” or central nervous system, so if you stress those roots out too much, you’re going to have a very tired looking tree on your hands. Here in Southern Ontario, if you plant in late spring or in the middle of summer, those high temperatures may be a bit too much for the roots to handle. The cool, mild temperatures of autumn are just right for transplanting.

6 Trees You Can Plant In Fall

Want to liven up your landscape with some colourful foliage? These ornamental trees for fall are so distinctly beautiful in their own different ways—it’s hard to pick just one!  

Tulip Tree

This tree has so much style, and it grows surprisingly quickly, so if you’re a bit of an impatient gardener, you’ll love watching the tulip tree develop over the years. It gets its name from its gorgeous spring flowers, which you probably have guessed, look quite similar to the classic tulip! While it puts on quite a show in spring, it has a reputation for being especially beautiful in fall, when its sunny golden foliage turns a fiery orange shade.  

Because the tulip tree grows so quickly, its branches tend to be a bit thin, so you may want to put it in a spot that gets some protection from the wind. Just make sure it gets at least some partial sun and isn’t too shaded, or else its leaves may turn brown. Regular pruning of your tulip tree and cleanup of any damaged branches will help keep things neat and help prevent pests from showing up.

 

Autumn Blaze Maple 

There’s something so charming about a giant maple, and the blazing red leaves of this maple tree in autumn look so classically Canadian! It’s a perennial favourite, because it’s actually a cross between the red maple and the silver maple, and it seems to have taken on the best traits of both. Overall, it has stunning colours, a nice, balanced branching habit, and pretty sturdy limbs despite being a very fast grower.

Autumn blaze maples need full sun to grow to their best potential, but the condition of the soil is much less critical. This variety is actually quite drought tolerant and doesn’t mind poorer soils—just be sure you water it very regularly for those first couple of months after planting to help the roots establish. 

Eastern Redbud

You’ll always look forward to spring in your yard with this show-stopping beauty around! It bursts into bright magenta blossoms and looks like it’s straight off the pages of a fairytale book. They don’t grow especially big—about 30 feet tall and wide at its largest—so if you’re looking for something a little smaller scale, the eastern redbud will suit the landscape nicely.

 Ideally, you’ll want to plant your tree in a spot that gets direct sunlight in the morning, but a bit of shade in the afternoon, so a North or East-facing spot in the yard would work best. Plant it at least 8 feet away from any buildings to give it adequate room to spread, and try to put it in a spot that isn’t at the bottom of any slopes. This could cause too much moisture to collect near its roots, and this tree doesn’t like to sit in soggy soil. So long as the soil is quick-draining and isn’t piled up around the trunk of the tree, you aren’t likely to encounter any problems.  

Emerald Cedar

We had to add a nice evergreen into the mix! Having vibrant foliage to admire year-round is always such a treat. This narrow variety is upright and handsome, reaching around 12 feet at maturity, so it’s super easy to integrate into the landscape and works particularly well as a hedge border. Its emerald green foliage is finely textured and lush all year long; it’s so classically refined!

This evergreen prefers full to partial sun. It likes well-drained soils, but isn’t very drought-tolerant and prefers moderate moisture, so if we go through a long stretch without rain, you’ll definitely want to water the roots with the hose to keep conditions comfortable. You aren’t likely to have too many pests issues with the emerald cedar, but in December, you may want to wrap it up with burlap to prevent the foliage from getting winter burn. 

Heritage Birch

The bark of the birch tree is so uniquely beautiful and textured—we love the way it naturally peels off like paper, revealing fresh new bark underneath. The mature bark of the heritage birch almost has a pinkish tint to it, revealing creamy white new growth underneath. Growing up to around 70 feet tall and wide, it’s quite a sight to behold when grown with multiple trunks, instead of being trained into a single-trunked tree. 

The heritage birch actually prefers its soil to be a bit more on the moist side and is more tolerant of clay soils compared to many other common landscape trees. It’s also quite heat tolerant, so as long as it gets some extra water, it shouldn’t be too fazed by a summer heatwave. If you’re going to prune your heritage birch, wait until fall to do so—in spring, the sap is a lot runnier and will make quite a mess!

Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry

This compact tree loves to show off its personality, covered with pretty white flowers every spring, and outdoing itself with orangey-red fall foliage. It produces berries from late spring and into summer, and it has smooth grayish-silver bark. It’s a nice small tree at just 25 feet maximum height. This is a great shade choice for small-scale landscapes. This serviceberry is suitable for planting under power lines. 

Serviceberries grow best in full to part sun, and should not be allowed to dry out. This serviceberry is relatively low maintenance, and a beautiful addition to any yard. 

 

Ready to plant some new trees at home? We’ve still got plenty in stock at Eising, and if you aren’t feeling super confident in your own tree-planting abilities, our experts are happy to provide landscaping services. Visit us in-store, or shop online to see our selection of trees that are ready for fall planting, and if you’d like to arrange for home delivery or curbside pickup, we can make that happen!