See You at Saltscapes Expo!

Some days it sure feels like spring of late, other days...not so much. But this is the season of colour and fragrance, and plants seem to be mostly on schedule with other years. This photo of Rob with 'Ramapo' rhododendrons is from last year, and a little later in the spring, so don't panic--we're just trying to get you excited about this spring!

Things are hopping around the nursery as we get ready for the 7th annual Saltscapes Expo. Baldwin's Nursery has been attending since the second year, and we're happy to be at this uniquely Atlantic Canadian show again this year. We can't say for sure what we'll be bringing along for plants, but there could be a fragrant viburnum...

A Japanese maple or two...maybe some seedlings?

Perhaps a magnolia that's just ready to burst into flower...

Or one of the amazing tree peonies we're carrying...

Some of the hellebores, like 'Winter Jewel Apricot Shades'

Though we probably won't be bringing any along, we're carrying a variety of spring ephemerals this year, including the delicately lovely bloodroot (Sanguinaria).

Or this unusual dapple-leafed red trillium.

The Saltscapes Expo runs from Friday, April 29, 12 noon-9 pm; Saturday, 30 April, 9am-6 pm, and Sunday, 1 May, 10 am-5 pm. Please come and say hello to us, and have a look at some of the great plants we have for sale this year! We hope to see you this weekend. Now, back to working with the nursery.

Spring arrives at Baldwin Nurseries

After the spectacular moon of last night, spring has been ushered in today with cool temperatures and winds but sparkling blue skies and brilliant sunshine. We're all feeling pretty happy that the snow has mostly disappeared and while we're a ways from planting yet, we just had to tell you about some of the new and new-to-us plants we're carrying this year at Baldwin's Nurseries.

The daphne that grows around here is budded up and will be blooming soon, and don't we love its fragrance. This year, we're also carrying the variegated-foliage 'Carol Mackie' daphne, hardy to zone 5 and beautiful whether in bloom or simply in leaf.

Winter-weary gardeners always welcome the sight of spring blossoms, including those of Chaenomeles, or flowering quince. This year along with the red and salmon-coloured varieties we've carried, we're offering the cheery 'Pink Lady' for those who are more fond of rosy colours.

Hamamelis or witch hazels bloom even earlier when they're in containers than when they're planted out, but it's about time for 'Arnold Promise' to be blooming in much of Nova Scotia. The hamamelis is very important for early-waking pollinators to visit for nutrients, and they're pretty important for those of us who want flowers in March, too.

There are many different types of flowering viburnums, and we at Baldwin Nurseries carry a great selection of native and introduced species. Some are spring-flowering and very fragrant; others are later blooming and cherished more for their prodigious amounts of sparkling white flowers, like 'Summer Snowflake'.

We've talked about hellebores before, and for many of you, the flowers are stirring and beginning to open. We are carrying a wide selection of hellebores, which are deer resistant and easy care perennials once they are situated where they like to grow. Look for the double or waterlily-type hellebores as well as new introductions in striking new colours,

...Such as 'Metallic Blue Lady', from Fraser's Thimble Farms in British Columbia. We're looking forward to seeing this and other unusual-coloured varieties bloom this spring.

We've carried 'Tricolor' beech (Fagus sylvatica) for several years, and while it's a pricy tree, it's perfect for those looking for a unique, marvelous specimen tree.

Cratageus or hawthorn is a terrific small tree, with a number of species native to Nova Scotia. Birds love the fruit of these thorny shrubs or trees. We are carrying 'Paul's Scarlet' this year, a popular hybrid with good disease resistance.

The dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is sometimes called the dinosaur tree because for years its existence was only known through fossil records. In the 1940s living specimens were found and propagated, and today this marvelous tree is widely available. The dawn redwood is similar to larches (Larix) in that it drops its needles in the autumn, and produces a new crop in spring. We have carried the standard species for several years, and this year have added the brilliant yellow-foliaged 'Gold Rush' (also known as 'Ogon' ) to our inventory.

While not for the colder parts of Nova Scotia, the redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a terrific tree for early spring flowers. It covers itself with pink or white flowers in May, and has beautiful heart-shaped foliage to boot.

These are just a few of the new plants you'll find at Baldwin's this spring. Others include a number of new Japanese maples; 'Satomi' flowering dogwood as well as the beautiful native Pagoda dogwood; a hardy apricot for the fruit tree fanciers, the bald cypress (Taxodium), and more. Stay tuned for more new arrivals very soon.

Thank you for your patronage in 2010

To all our valued customers, we'd like to offer our sincere thanks for your patronage this year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone, and we'll look forward to seeing you in 2011.

Nothing false about falsecypresses

To continue with the evergreen love, we turn now to one of the most diverse and excellent genera in the ornamental plant world: the Chamaecyparis, also known as falsecypress. Sure, the genus name is a bit tricky to say, but these are excellent garden and landscaping shrubs.

Some become tall, stately, graceful trees, like the weeping Nootka in this photo...

Some have truly fascinating capsule like cones, which take two years to develop.

For those with small spaces, there are the excellent dwarf varieties, like this sculptured golden Hinoki.

And as with other evergreens, there are falsecypresses with a great variety of autumn and winter colour. 'Heatherbun' is a fascinating variety, with bronze to plum winter foliage.

Threadleaf chamaecyparis make a striking display at the front of a border or as specimen shrubs. Make sure to match your plant's mature growth to the proper site, as you don't want it overgrowing its area. There are compact forms that don't grow more than 3 feet tall, and others with a much larger mature height.

For something choice and handsome, look for the golden fernleaf falsecypress, C. obtusa 'Tetragona Aurea'. Its brilliant yellow summer growth deepens to a more bronzed gold in winter.

The odd little charmer Golden Sawara Pincushion grows in a mound about three feet tall and wide. It's a good choice for an alpine garden or dwarf conifer collection.

Some more dwarf chamaecyparis in pots, waiting for their new owners to come and find them. They resemble the graceful sculpture of potted bonsai.

As we start to put things away for the winter months, there is more and more fall colour showing up in the conifers and broadleaf evergreens at Baldwin's Nurseries. We're working most days, weather permitting, so do stop in and have a look around, and let our fall colour display inspire your garden plans for next spring. Thanks as always for visiting!

Native Plant Sale at Acadia University!

Want to get to know about us and about native plants? Come out on Saturday morning, June 5, 2010, because Baldwin Nurseries will be at the Native Plant Sale at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, from 9am to 12 noon.
The plant sale is being held in the Walled Garden and Conservatory area of the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, adjoining the KC Irving Environmental Science Centre.
Plants grown by the Friends of the Acadia Forest Region Society, as well as nurseries like Baldwins and our friend Jill from Bunchberry Nurseries, will be available for sale.
We're great fans of native plants, because they are adapted to our soils and climate conditions, usually are resistant to local pests, and are handsome, hardworking plants for any landscape situation.

There is a growing interest in using plants native to our region in gardens, and you'd be surprised at just how many native species of perennials, shrubs and trees there are available for you to work with. Many of them are highly attractive to pollinators, have great fall colour, and produce terrific fruit, berries or seeds for wildlife to enjoy as well as for winter interest for us.

So we hope to see you at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens on Saturday morning. Please come and say hello, and mention you saw our blog; we're open for suggestions about posts and information you'd like to hear from us!

We're in Garden Making Magazine!

Gee, this is exciting! Baldwin Nurseries has been written up in the summer issue of the brand new Garden Making magazine. Some writer named Jodi DeLong wrote a piece about the nursery. If you're not acquainted with Garden Making magazine, it's a great read: all about "inspiring and informing Canada's gardeners", just as a gardening magazine should be!

There's a nice sidebar mentioning three other great Nova Scotian nurseries, too. Bayport Plant Farm, established by our late, lamented friend Captain Dick Steele; Ouestville Perennials down in West Pubnico, owned and operated by Alice d'Entremont, and Bunchberry Nurseries in Upper Clements, owned and operated by Jill Covill.