Georgia Spring Gardens: What to Plant and Harvest

 Basket full of gardening toolsSpring is here, and that means it’s time to give your garden a little attention. Here are a few spring gardening tips to help determine what plants should be harvested and cycled out and what new plants are in their planting season.

Plants to Harvest in the Spring

Leafy greens, like kale and collards, are hardy plants generally planted in the fall. If they’ve survived our Georgia winter, now is the time to harvest them. Likewise, collards and cabbage are also harvestable now. If you have any root vegetables left in your garden, now is a good time to harvest them too. Alliums, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans, and onions are all having their harvest season right now. If you have many herbs in your garden, go ahead and harvest your parsley, cilantro, chives, mint, thyme, and dill too.

What Plants to Plant in Spring

Now that you have made a little more room in your garden, you should have room to plant some new plants. Right now is a good time squeeze in a second round of turnips, mustard, and radishes. Beets, carrots, various lettuces, peas, Irish potatoes, and spinach will also do well if planted now.

Don’t get overwhelmed trying to plan your garden because our Jasper Georgia nursery is here to help! At Whispering Springs Nursery, we have the perfect plants for your Georgia garden, and one of our specialists can even help you pick the right plants for you based on the season and how much sunlight and rainfall your garden gets. And if you’re looking to beautify your whole yard, we offer North Georgia landscape design and installation too!

4 Tips to Get Your Garden Ready for Spring

Hydrangea in bloomPunxsutawney Phil was right – spring has sprung! Flowering trees and shrubs in North Georgia are already showing their colors, and along with the profusion of blooms, we’ll soon be doused in the familiar pollen that accompanies them.

If you haven’t started preparing your garden for spring, now’s the time to grab your spade and get to work! Here are some spring gardening tips to help you prepare for the growing season!

  • Get rid of debris – Clean up any dead plants, weeds, leaves, and fallen branches. This is also a good time to prune if any of your perennials have gotten a little out of hand.
  • Clean and organize your tools – A little soap and water should take care of most tools, and mineral spirits can be used on wooden handles to help keep them from cracking.
  • Refresh your soil – Start by raking and tilling your soil. You will also want to add a little compost or manure to help keep your soil nutrient-rich.
  • Make a plan – We can help! Consider what you want out of your garden, from deer-resistant plants to pollinator-friendly blooms, low-maintenance landscaping to show-stopping stunners.

Whatever your garden goals may be, we can help you bring them to life with North Georgia landscape design and maintenance, hardscaping and softscaping, and our amazing Jasper nursery full of woodland-friendly plants that perform well in the low mountain environment of Pickens County. Contact us at 770-893-1254 for more info about our plants and lawn care services!

3 Reasons to Hire a Commercial Landscaping Company

Natural stone rain drainage bed curving through trees and plantingsIf you’re considering hiring a commercial landscaping company, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to learn how commercial landscaping can not only take a chore off your to-do list but can also help your business grow.

Make your first impressions count

What does your landscaping say about your business? Lush, tidy, thriving landscaping shows that your business is thriving as well. However, if your landscaping is sloppy, sad, and struggling, potential customers may perceive your business to be that way as well.

Stand out from the competition

Curb appeal isn’t just for selling houses, it can also help you sell your products or services to potential customers! Professional commercial landscaping can attract the attention of passers-by, helping your business to stand out from your neighbors and competitors. Something as simple as a flower bed around your sign can capture attention and get people interested in your business.

Leave it to the experts

People hire you or buy from you because you’re an expert at something. However, no one is an expert in everything! We can help you choose the perfect plants for your business, so you can feel confident that your landscaping will stand the test of time and even grow better with age.

Owning a business means wearing many hats, but sometimes it’s best to delegate certain tasks so you can focus on what you’re passionate about. If you’ve ever considered hiring a commercial landscaping company, get in touch with us to learn more about our services! We have the passion and experience to give your commercial property a great look, whether you need help solving a landscaping problem or just want to add some style to your property.

Bee Kind With A Pollinator-Friendly Garden!

bee on a pink crape myrtle flower

National Honey Bee Awareness Day is August 18th. Celebrate by doing your part to help stop the global decline of bees.

Bees are responsible for pollinating a huge percentage of the food we eat. They also help control many pests that destroy crops. Unfortunately, global bee populations are declining at an alarming rate. A major factor to this decline is mass lost of habit. Thankfully, there are a lot of things you can do to help make your yard and garden bee-friendly!

Plant Pollinator-Friendly Plants

One of the most important ways to help bees is by adding flowering plants to your yard. There are lots of beautiful pollinator-friendly flowering plants that can give bees back a little of their lost habit:

  • Crape Myrtle – This beautiful non-native ornamental is attractive to both bees and people!
  • Coral Honeysuckle – This lovely ground cover is perfect for adding a bit of color to your space and bees love it.
  • Cethra – This a shrub with gold foliage. It’s known to attract butterflies and hummingbirds in addition to bees.
  • Flowering Quince – This plant grows 4 to 6 feet tall and boasts a beautiful red flower.

Other Ways to Help

Of course, there are other things you can do to help. Buying local raw honey and organic produce helps. So does leaving out water for your bees. Incorporating a birdbath or small water feature into your yard can give bees a much-needed spot to rest and re-hydrate.

Ready to make your yard or garden more bee-friendly? Then contact us today at 770-893-1254 to let Whispering Springs Nursery help you select the pollinator-friendly plants that are right for your home. Our plant nursery, landscape design, hardscaping and softscaping, and landscape maintenance services can help you realize the potential of your outdoor spaces. 

Yard Maintenance Tips for a Healthy Lawn

yard maintenanceSummer may be coming to a close, but there is no “off season” concerning yard work. For those who love to get their hands dirty and work in the garden, you’ll love these yard maintenance tips that our team at Whispering Springs Nursery put together for you. Consider the following yard maintenance tips to keep your lawn looking beautiful:

Be Mindful While Mowing

Many people make the mistake of mowing their grass too short. When grass is cut too short, the water that the soil has stored dries up and grass quickly turns brown. When you mow, make sure your lawnmower is set to the highest blade setting, so it leaves plenty of grass.

Keep Your Lawn Hydrated

Due to the summer heat, you’ll want to make sure your grass is well hydrated. However, it’s important to know when and how often to water your lawn. In general, your grass needs roughly one inch of water for optimum growth (yes, rainwater counts!). Water your lawn early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the summer sun from evaporating the water.

Rake When Necessary

When you see leaves and twigs on the ground after a rainstorm, do your best to rake them or remove them as soon as possible. It’s important to keep your lawn free of debris so your grass is not suppressed. Also, this allows the sun to reach the soil and help your lawn grow green and full.

These summer yard maintenance tips may seem overwhelming, but we promise that they will transform your lawn into a beautiful haven. If you want our team to help, we’d be more than happy to! We offer yard maintenance services – from pruning trees to maintaining ponds – the team at Whispering Springs Nursery is here for you. Contact us today with your questions.

Our Favorite Woodland Shrubs for Your Outdoor Landscape

shrubsAre you searching for beautiful shrubs for your outdoor landscape? The right shrubs can transform your lawn into an outdoor oasis you’ll never want to leave. Consider three of the best shrubs to plant in your lawn:

Attractive Azaleas

Azaleas are a beautiful addition to your outdoor landscape. They add that pop of color you’ve been searching for, and it truly brings out the green in your lawn. Because azaleas have shallow roots, you’ll want to plant them in an area that easily drains water. If your lawn collects water easily, you may want to create a container garden with your azaleas. (Did you know? Gibbs Garden in Ball Ground, Georgia, has a 70-acre azalea garden!)

Beautiful Boxwood

If you have an empty area in your lawn or want a simple shrub to compliment your blooming azaleas, boxwood shrubs would be perfect. These easy-to-maintain shrubs provide a stunning look to your landscape. When you plant them, make sure to put them in an area with a lot of light. Additionally, boxwood shrubs need plenty of deep watering for at least the first two years so they can thrive.

Gorgeous Gardenia

If you’re searching for a shrub that’s beautiful and produces pleasant-smelling flowers, look no further than the gardenia shrub. This shrub produces shiny, green leaves and stunning flowers all summer long. (They love the summer sun!) Because these shrubs have a re-blooming capability, you can enjoy these flowers through the fall season.

The team at Whispering Springs Nursery would be more than happy to help you pick out the shrubs for your outdoor landscape. Come by our nursery or contact us today with your questions.

3 Must-Do’s to Add to Your Summer Gardening Checklist

gardening tipsSpring has sprung, and the first official day of summer is weeks away. You’ve likely been busy in your garden since March, but the work isn’t done yet. For many, it’s just beginning. But don’t worry – your hard work to keep your garden healthy will be extremely rewarding.

Consider the following summer gardening tips to keep your garden bright and healthy:

Pull Weeds

You may see an influx of weeds in your yard during June because weeds LOVE the warm weather that summer brings. But, if you spot them early when they’re still small sprouts, they’re easy to pull. Make sure you pull them at their root, so they can’t grow back.

Mulch Your Garden

If you have a garden, spreading mulch over your soil is one of the best ways to keep your soil healthy. The mulch provides a much-needed barrier from intense weather conditions and pesky animals. A two-inch layer of mulch is the perfect amount to spread over your soil.

Watch for Pests

Throughout the summer, many critters will want to make a home in your garden. (Can you blame them? Your garden is beautiful due to the jaw-dropping plants you bought from our nursery.) So, make sure you keep an eye out for pests that may harm your plants. Take the appropriate measures to ward them off or eliminate them if they invade.

At Whispering Springs Nursery, we are dedicated to helping our customers make the garden of their dreams. Let us know if you have any questions. One of our team members will gladly assist you!

Deer-Free Yards for Spring

Deer are adorable, but that doesn’t mean we want them in our gardens. Now that the weather is warming up and outdoor spaces are in full bloom, they’re creeping closer to chomp on what we’re growing. Keep deer away from your garden with these tips from Whispering Springs Nursery!

First of all, did you know that many plants are deer-resistant? Whispering Springs has a huge selection of beautiful growables that humans love but deer find unpleasant, whether because of their taste, texture, or smell. Not all the plants in your garden need to be deer-proof, of course. Creating a perimeter of these plants will help to keep deer away from the more tender plants in the interior of your garden.

If you’re dealing with ambitious deer, consider adding a fence to your property. Whispering Springs offers fencing services. Not only do we consider the practicalities of keeping large critters from your garden, we also take into account your needs, your existing landscaping, and the aesthetics of your home.

Finally, don’t forget about deer repellents! Whether predator urine, dried blood, or a noisy dog with free range of your garden, consistent use of repellents may work where nothing else has. The trick is to be really consistent–remember, you’re training deer to think of your yard as a danger zone.

It will take some effort, but don’t get discouraged. You can protect your garden from Bambi before he and his friends destroy all your hard work. Come talk to us at Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA–we’ve been doing this a long time, and we love to talk landscaping.

3 Ways We Can Help Beautify Your Outdoor Space

backyard careThe random bouts of cold weather have officially subsided, and the warm weather has finally arrived. Spring and summer are two of the best seasons of the year because it’s backyard season! All of your TLC during fall and winter will show as flowers start to bloom and trees stretch their branches.

If you are looking to add an extra touch of beauty to your yard, we can help. Here are a few of many ways we can help beautify your outdoor space:

Landscape Design

Do you want to transform your yard into a backyard oasis? Through our landscape design and installation, our team can do just that. You can choose from a variety of options – lighting systems, hardscapes, and softscapes are just a few of many. We can even plant more trees and shrubs, if needed, to add more dimension and color to your future oasis.

Yard Maintenance

Yards, just like our homes and vehicles, need regular maintenance to keep them in prime condition. Our professional team members can prune your shrubs and small trees to ensure optimal growth. If you have planting beds, we will remove leaves and weeds that threaten to choke the seasonal plants. Additionally, if you have ponds or water features, we will maintain and clean those areas.

Water Features

To add extra oomph to your oasis, allow us to install a water feature to enhance the look of your property. Our expert team members work with your current lawn to ensure the new feature blends well with what is currently there. Beautiful hardscape options you can choose from include waterfalls, ponds, rock gardens, dry creek beds, and drainage creeks.

At Whispering Springs Nursery, we take pride in beautifying the beautiful mountain land in which we live. If you’d like to beautify your landscape, contact us today.

DIY Fertilizer for Your Garden

Good gardeners do everything for their gardens. You select and position your plants with care, water them, maybe even talk to them, and of course, take plenty of pictures of them. You also feed and nourish them with the right kind of fertilizer, but that can become expensive! Fertilizer can also be a pain to purchase in stores. Check out these DIY fertilizer ideas from Whispering Springs Nursery.

  • Compost tea. Once your compost is fully finished, you can turn it into a tea-like mixture that your plants will love as much as you love real tea. Fill a five-gallon bucket about a third of the way with compost, and the rest of the way with water. After about three or four days of stirring as often as you can, strain it through cheesecloth or another fine strainer. Dilute the mixture until it looks like weak tea (about a 10:1 ratio of water to tea) and then use it on the soil.
  • Grass clippings are rich in nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. Make sure that your grass hasn’t been treated with herbicides before you use it! The process of making grass fertilizer is similar to compost tea, except that you’ll fill the bucket about two-thirds of the way with grass, and you’ll dilute the tea with equal parts water before you use it.
  • Do you have a freshwater fish tank? Fertilizing is as easy as pouring the old water over your plants next time you clean the tank!

Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA is so much more than a nursery. We’re in the business of education and growth as much as selling plants, and we love to hear from you. Contact us or come down to visit us and let’s talk about your garden!