With Halloween just around the corner and Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up after that, everyone is thinking about home decor. While it’s fun to shop for new and interesting things to decorate for the holidays, don’t overlook one of your primary sources of inspiration: your garden! 

Here are some ways to decorate your garden for Halloween:

• Garden Graveyard! A collection of headstones will look creepy, but also mysterious and pretty. You can easily buy fake headstones anywhere Halloween decorations are sold, but you can also carve them out of styrofoam if or make them out of sturdy cardboard (of course, remember that cardboard isn’t waterproof, so rain or dew will damage it).
• Add Some Monsters! If you want to make your garden graveyard scarier, add some zombies or ghosts. You can make ghosts out of chicken wire and cheesecloth (make sure you wear gloves, as chicken wire can cut your hands). Zombies are a little trickier, but they can also be purchased at many Halloween stores. Even just mannequin hands or stuffed gloves sticking out from a “grave” can look really spooky.

Don’t forget to bring in items from your garden to decorate your home! Aside from the assortment of fall flowers available at Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA, you can make beautiful seasonal bouquets out of fall herbs, fallen leaves, and dead branches. Spray paint branches black, orange, and purple to add a little bit of Halloween color!

Here at Whispering Springs we love decorating for all holidays! Come down to our nursery and let’s talk about how to put together beautiful decorations for your landscape.

Three-gallon shrubs have arrived at Whispering Springs in Jasper, GA!

Three-gallon shrubs are a great size–they’re more developed than smaller sizes, giving you beautiful color and coverage without having to wait. They are also easier to transport than larger sizes, which is great for DIY landscaping projects. 

Fall is a great time to plant shrubs. The summer heat is over but the winter cold hasn’t started, which gives plants plenty of time to establish their roots. In the fall many plants are essentially dormant, but their roots will continue to grow anytime the soil is over about 40 degrees. With the lingering summer weather, that’s not a high bar to clear in Georgia! Plants with well-established root systems will be nicely positioned to take advantage of the spring growing season.

When you’re planting shrubs, remember to consider their sunlight and space needs. Avoid placing them too close to power lines, the house, or other plants, or you may find they don’t grow as tall and wide as they could. Dig your planting holes with two to three feet of extra space so the roots have room to spread out. Give your shrub a look to make sure everything is in order, and don’t forget to water your shrubs as soon as you plant them! This helps ease the shock of transition. Mulching is also an important step to help protect the new roots. Fortunately, a three-gallon shrub will have less maintenance than a smaller plant.

Come down to the Whispering Springs showroom and let’s select the best types of shrubs for you!

Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to bring out the best in people. And after Hurricane Harvey flooded out the Gulf coast of Texas last week, we are seeing Americans come together as one to help good people who have lost everything.

At Whispering Springs Nursery, we wanted to step away from our usual blog postings to let our customers know how they can be most effective when donating to hurricane victims in Texas. Donating what you can for those affected by the floods in Houston and the surrounding areas can make a huge impact. Even if you can only give a small donation, every bit helps. Mothers will be able to feed their babies, families will be able to stay together in a safe, dry space with warm food, and even the hardest-hit communities can start to rebuild.

If you’re curious about which organizations you can donate to for the greatest impact, have a look at the list below.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston: Donations can be made directly through their Facebook page or by clicking here. The Boys & Girls Club of Houston has opened its doors to people left homeless after the storm. Your donation goes directly to supplying the shelter with food and water.
• Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund: Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner, established this fund to make sure your monetary donations are used to directly benefit those who were hit hardest by the storm and flooding in Houston.
• United Way Relief Fund: The United Way of Greater Houston provides immediate necessities like water, food and dry shelter. They also work to make the long-term recovery manageable.

If you are interested in finding out how else you can help from afar, give the Whispering Springs team a call in Jasper, Georgia at 770-893-1254 today.

When you think about a beautiful landscape for your home, you may focus mostly on grass and flowers, but don’t forget about some trees! The right trees will add beauty and value to your home that you can enjoy for years to come. Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA offers landscaping design services for when you’re ready to reap all these benefits:  

• Shade. The right shade can help lower cooling costs in your home or just create a beautiful oasis in your yard, and trees are a great way to do it. Whispering Springs Nursery has a wide selection of shade trees and can help you select and plan the best varieties for your climate, soil type, etc.
• Wildlife. Trees aren’t just great for humans–critters love them too. Beautiful birds and woodland creatures will be attracted to well-kept trees. Pick the right trees and you might even get fresh fruit out of the deal, though this can take a few years.
• Privacy. Better than almost any other plant, trees make will your property truly your own by blocking noise and prying eyes. Create a beautiful perimeter or just add trees at windows depending on your budget and individual desires.
• Curb Appeal. Great landscaping adds so much to your home’s value if or when you want to sell it. Just think how a potential buyer will feel when they imagine their kids climbing on the trees in your yard!

When you’re ready to add beauty and value to your home property by adding trees, come see Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA. We’re so much more than a nursery!

When it comes to creating a beautiful and inviting outdoor space safe from prying eyes, nothing beats shrubs for a privacy screen. A living privacy screen not only adds beauty to your yard or garden, it also freshens the air, acts as a habitat for birds, and dampens noise! Here are some tips for designing your own private outdoor space.

• Plan Your Space. You’ll want to make sure that you give plants enough space to grow, but put them close enough they can grow together to actually create a privacy screen. If you’re using evergreen shrubs assume that three to four feet between each will work best.
• Pick the Right Plants. The best shrubs for your needs will vary based on soil, climate, budget, and existing habitat. We have a huge variety of shrubs, and we can help you pick the right kinds for your outdoor space!
• Arrange and Train. Once you’ve planted your shrubs, tie the stems together with string to make sure they grow in a straight line. You’ll also want to train them to grow correctly with judicious pruning so you wind up with the look and shape you want.

At Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA, we focus heavily on landscaping design, including the creation of natural-looking privacy screens. If you’re not sure what varieties of shrub you need, how best to plant them, or just need some help with design, give us a call! We’ve been doing this a long time, and you’ll love what we can create together!  

Spending long evenings in the garden with family and friends is one of the best parts of summer, but–ugh, what do you do about all those bloodsuckers? Mosquito bites aren’t just itchy; they can also be dangerous. Before you reach for the bug spray or smelly chemicals, however, consider mosquito-repellant plants for a beautiful, natural way to keep your skin free of bites.

Most of the plants that repel mosquitoes are herbs, which makes sense: herbs tend to have a pungent smell, which is what dissuades bugs. Perhaps most obviously, citronella plants are great for this! Citronella oil is an ingredient in almost all bug sprays. If you’ve only ever smelled citronella in a chemical candle or bug spray, though, don’t be fooled. Not only are they attractive and super effective but citronella plants have a fresh and clean scent that you’ll love as much as the mosquitoes hate it. If citronella isn’t your cup of tea, or if you’d just like a little more variety, consider strong-smelling herbs like lavender, peppermint, sage, and even catnip! Try tossing sage in the flames next time you gather around an outdoor fire for a little summer magic. 

Herbs aren’t the only plants that keep mosquitoes at bay. There are a couple of different flowers that can also get the job done, including marigolds and ageratum, also called the floss flower. Marigolds are a great choice, since these easy annuals don’t need much advanced care. Both marigolds and floss flowers will thrive in bright sunlight, and will be a colorful as well as useful addition to your garden.

If you’re ready to take control of your mosquito problem, call Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA or come down to our nursery any time. We’d love to help you create a beautiful solution!

With the summer weather so perfect for spending time outside, you’re probably getting a nice long look at your garden. Is it everything you’d hoped, or does it need a little bit of work? Here are some ways to freshen up your garden this summer.

Mid-summer is a good time to cut back your annuals and give them a boost of fertilizer to really freshen up their color. It’s also a good time to assess which plants are working out and which aren’t. Spend some time with your plants and decide which are thriving, which might need extra care, and which are ready to go to that big garden in the sky.

If you have plants in containers, spice them up a bit. Try out new locations and new combinations of scent and color while you’ll be spending a lot of time outside and can decide if you really like them or not. Switch out old pots for new ones, or freshen up old pots with a new coat of paint. This is a great project to do with kids, who can help move potted plants, suggest colors, or even do the painting themselves!

And while you’re at it, give the patio or deck a good cleaning! Sweep and hose down the flooring, trim up the edges, wipe down furniture, and wash slipcovers for a brighter, fresher outdoor space. When you’re done, add cut flowers from your garden to bring a new pop of color that much closer to you.

Summer is also a great time for big landscaping projects. If you’re feeling ambitious about your outdoor space, contact Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA for beautiful, cohesive landscape design!

We know gardeners get worn out in the heat, but did you know your garden can suffer from heat stress too? If your plants have suddenly started dropping leaves or looking wilted or bleached, check the thermostat. Soaring temperatures may be to blame. At Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA we understand the hot Georgia climate and how it can harm your garden. Here are some ways to protect your plants from heat stress.

First, continue to water your plants properly. Enough water is extra important when it’s very hot, because heat increases evaporation and can dry out the soil. You don’t want to drown or rot your plants, so avoid the temptation to overwater–just make sure the soil is as moist as your plants need. When it’s very hot outside, watering early in the morning will help your soil absorb the water before the sun light becomes too strong. 

Otherwise, consider ways to keep direct sunlight off your plants, such as mulching, shade cloths, or row covers. Row covers and shade cloths will keep the direct sunlight off your plants while still allowing proper airflow if you make sure they are placed high enough. Mulch will help keep water evaporation to a minimum and protect your plants’ roots from the sun. This is great for plants that need protection from heat but still need many hours of sunlight. Whispering Springs Nursery has a great selection of mulches, plus the expertise to help you pick the correct one for your specific garden’s needs.

Come by our nursery and let’s get started protecting your garden from heat!

Sometimes it’s exciting to see a deer, but there are definitely places we don’t want them to be–especially in front of our cars and in our gardens! Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA offers a beautiful variety of deer-resistant plants to help keep your garden nibble-free, but here are some other tips to keep these gentle nuisances away.

Your first step is probably deer-proof fencing. Deer are pretty stubborn, but with a little work you can deter them from bothering your garden. In addition to traditional fencing solutions, consider stringing fishing wire around your garden. Fishing wire is tough enough to repel deer, but not injure them. Plus, since it’s invisible, it won’t interfere with your view. 

Look for unpleasant smells. Deer, like many animals, live and die by their sense of smell. There are many deer repellent sprays on the market. Make sure to rotate them throughout the growing season so deer don’t get used to them. Human hair and the urine of predators will also deter deer. Also look for plants with a distinctive, lingering smell, like lavender or other herbs. Deer will try to avoid these smells because they don’t want predators to be able to smell them later.

And finally, if you have a dog, let them into the garden as often as possible! They can keep an eye out for deer when you’re not around, and deer will smell your pup even when he or she is inside and avoid the area.

Still having trouble with deer gnawing on your precious plants? Come talk to us at Whispering Springs Nursery!

Container gardening has so many advantages, especially for a beginner. You can totally control the soil and water, protect your plants from bad weather if they’re in a small enough container, and move it when you are ready for a change. And with a smaller space to care for, it’s easier to keep track of all the little factors that go into successful planting. But where exactly do you start when you want to create a container garden?

First, make sure you pick the right container. Keep in mind that different plants will require different levels of drainage and ventilation, and select accordingly. Also keep an eye on the size of your container relative to your plants–you don’t want them to feel cramped! 

Make sure you also pick the right conditions for your container garden: just like any garden, you want to make sure your plants get the right amount of sun or shade, the best soil composition, and correct water and fertilizer mixtures. Whispering Springs can help make sure you know what your plants need!

If you’re going to mix plants for the fuller appearance of a more traditional garden, look for plants that thrive when planted together. Whispering Springs in Jasper, GA has a huge selection of flowers and herbs that thrive in North Georgia. We can help you select the best plants and either plant them for you, or help you plant them in your own container.  

Come by our beautiful nursery in Jasper, GA and let’s talk about the kind of container garden you want to create!