The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.
                                 ~Julian Grenfell

According to the calendar, it's Spring! But, the recent cold surge across the country makes it feel like anything but Spring. Warm weather is sure to follow, even though we may still encounter some cooler temperatures periodically. The good news is those cool spells will be few and far between! For most of us, the garden is coming alive with color. Whether it is in the form of green grass, spring flowering shrubs or bulbs, or even the deciduous trees starting to leaf out, color is everywhere.

April is National Gardening Month. For gardeners, as they say in sports, "It's go time"! It is a magical time when dormant plants wake up and we begin spending more time outside in our outdoor living areas enjoying what is naturally growing around us. From seeds to trees, April is one of the best times to plant in almost every part of the country. The combination of warmer weather, plant availability, and pure gardening interest produces the phenomena called "Gardening Fever". Alas, it is an ailment that is easily cured!

The remedy for Gardening Fever is color. Along with texture, we are all looking for landscapes and planting areas in our yard and patio area that are colorful. Great plant selections, along with proper utilization, are key to creating color in your landscape. Using the plants listed in this edition of "The Scoop", you can ensure your landscape is full of color all season long!

Shrubs

Shrubs have exploded onto the gardening scene in the last ten years. Some of the best choices were not even considered shrubs in the past. Now, because of their penchant for blooming and ease of care, they are included here:

1. Floriferous Landscape Roses
   Roses usually are in their own category but the new hybrids bring color to the landscape for long periods of time, are pest resistant, and are very low maintenance.
   1. Flower Carpet™ Roses
      The "Easy-Care™ Rose" series is naturally disease resistant and boasts over 2,000 flowers on each plant each season! They are best planted in groups to maximize the color effect that lasts all growing season! click to buy!
   2. Knockout™ Roses
      Knockout™ Roses are the #1 selling rose in the world! Growing 3-5 feet high and wide, these blooming machines produce blooms all summer long and into fall. Cottage Farms Direct has two colors available: the original Knockout™ is dark cherry pink and, new for 2009, is Sunny Knockout™, a lemon yellow that is the first fragrant variety in the series.
2. Re-Blooming Hydrangeas
   From the first (Endless Summer) to the most recent (Mini Penny) introductions, Hydrangeas that flower on new wood are showing up in landscapes all over America. From far north where they have never performed to the Deep South where Hydrangeas have always had a special following, these big mophead blooms create sensational color all summer long!
3. Encore™ Azaleas
   Created for southern gardens (Zones 6b-9), and unlike the azaleas you grew up with, this strain blooms repeatedly all year long. click to buy!

Herbaceous Perennials

New introductions continue to produce more varieties that bloom and perform like the best annuals!

1. Early Bird Gold Rudbeckia
   This plant blooms more than two months earlier than the award-winning Goldsturm variety. click to buy!
2. Villosa Coral Bells
   With their ability to withstand heat, this collection of colorful foliage plants provides your shady landscape with great color all season long. click to buy!
3. Commotion Gaillardia Collection
   Blooming for over three months, these drought tolerant perennials act like annuals but come back every year! click to buy!

Annuals

Everyone should save some area for annuals to ensure the landscape has color from summer until frost!

1. SunPatiens
   New! Think Impatiens for the sun only on steroids! This hybrid cross produces the best performing, sun loving annual that tolerates full hot sun even in the south, with stunning blooms for up to four months! click to buy!
2. Tidal Wave Petunias
   Catch a wave, catch a big wave! Tidal Waves are the most vigorous of the popular Wave series of Petunia. Once they start blooming, there is no stopping the bloom display that lasts up to the first hard frost. click to buy!

Gardening Fever is not a disease. It is a way of life in April and hopefully throughout the year with these great plants! If it is color you want and need then it is color you can have with the plants found in this newsletter.

Cottage Farms Direct is now shipping to over 50% of the country. Click here to see when we will be shipping to you!

Don't forget our guarantee - If you’re not happy, we are not happy. If any plant fails to survive, Cottage Farms Direct will replace perennial plants for up to one year and annuals for 90 days.

Have a great week and Happy Easter!