SPRING HAS SPRUNG . . .
SO WHERE IS SUMMER ?

Once again we say “Welcome” to the ever-changing, ever-unpredictable Midwest weather scene. By now we normally would have all our annuals planted, be attending graduation parties, be planning our family summer trips, and be putting that nasty, cold weather behind us. Not so this year! Instead we’re mopping water out of our basements and garages, searching for alternate traffic routes and putting on a jacket when we go outdoors.

We’re mid-westerners, we’ve seen worse. We’ll make the best of it and hold out for summer to arrive, eventually. And when it does, we’ll put this cold, wet spring behind us.

Meantime though, for trees and shrubs, this is an excellent time to plant - take advantage of it, and plant now!

PARADISE FOUND - RIGHT IN
YOUR OWN BACK YARD !

We’re all trying to make the most out of every day, every week, and every month. As we’ve grown older, and wiser, we’ve learned to appreciate the things closer to home, and the things we used to take for granted. People are willing to spend money to improve their outdoor living spaces, and one of the most popular environmental additions is a picturesque water garden with a babbling stream, cascading waterfalls, colorful fish, and beautiful aquatic plants.

People are discovering that Paradise can exist a lot closer to home, even right in their own back yards! For these people, Paradise becomes a place to escape to, mentally, emotionally, and most important, physically. A place of solace to stop and smell the flowers, and keep the world and its pressures at bay. Water falling into a stream, meandering down into a pond, sounds tranquil and peaceful, while decompressing the most stressed out mind.

It’s common to hear water gardeners make the claim that they would never again live in a house without a water garden. Meal times, relaxation, enjoying coffee with the morning paper, family entertainment and environmental education all takes place next to the water - these people’s lives now seem to revolve around the water garden.

At night, with the underwater lights on display, there’s no way to overestimate the moonlit pond’s ability to transform an ordinary evening into an extraordinary evening, with friends, family, and especially when entertaining.

With an established water garden, very little time is spent maintaining it … 10 minutes a week or so. That’s a lot less time than one spends mowing the grass, and even less time than one spends maintaining a pool or hot tub. A nice water garden / pond setting even costs less money to build, than either a pool or a hot tub.

A Water Garden is an investment, but it isn’t a money pit. Like other landscape projects, water features add to the perceived value of your home. Remember, you aren’t buying a pond - you’re constructing your own place to escape to: a place to unwind and relax, a place where kids can see the inter-workings of an ecological system of plants, fish, water, and nature. What are you willing to pay to have all of this in your lives?

Mill Creek Nursery, in conjunction with Mike Greco Landscaping, can design and help you create a small piece of Paradise right in your own yard, at a cost less than you might have ever thought possible. Stop in at the Nursery, or call Michael to begin making your customized plans.

SUMMER SALES SPECIALS AT MILL CREEK !

All remaining annuals are now on sale at 25% off, while supplies last! This includes 2-gallon yellow and white Argyranthemum daisies, which are looking fantastic right now, bloomin’ their fool heads off! Also, 1 gallon Coleus plants, 1 gallon variegated Abutilon (Flowering Maple) plants, both purple and “White Ice” Osteospermum African daisies as well as 1-gallon Arctotis African daisies in both orange and red.

There are also some Bacopa “Snowflake” and “Wojo’s Gem” trailing Vinca still to be had. Looking for some instant flowering color and size for the Patio? Consider our large Silver Tidal Wave Petunias - they’re as big as small shrubs! Need something with height and intense color? Come pick out some Verbena bonariensis for your planting beds. Their gray-green foliage adds a nice contrast as well!

We also have available the smaller version of the “rubrum”/purple Fountain grass, as well as its taller cousin, a variety called “Burgundy Giant” which matures out at about 4’ in height. Take advantage of these sales and finish off those container plantings - in style!

During the months of June and July, perennials will also be on sale at 10% off regular prices, on perennial purchases of $75.00 or more.

We’ve got a wonderful selection of both sun and shade plants available for your selection. The 2 varieties of Turtlehead plants we’re growing are looking very nice this year. Our 6 year-old field clumps of Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass are huge and will add instant beauty to any landscape! And the large field-grown clumps of Hosta are very prime, too!

More shade-oriented, are we? How about Heuchera “Chocolate Ruffles” or “Can-Can” or the bright “Amber Waves”? These are all newer introductions with excellent foliage color and leaf-venation detailing. How about the P.P.A. Perennial of the year? The “Pictum” Japanese Painted Ferns are nice and full! The Autumn Fern, also known as the Copper Shield Fern, are gorgeous as well. The English Painted ferns are also looking great.

Need something taller that can take some moisture? Consider trying Ligularia “Othello” or Ligularia przewalskii, similar to the “Rocket” - we’ve got them both and they’re just now beginning to flower!

See our Plant Inventory page on our Website for more details on plants we have available this year. There are too many perennial options available for you, to not at least stop in, and see what your yard might be missing!

MILL CREEK NOTES . . .

Because of the cooler weather, many of our shrubs are flowering later than takes place in a “usual” spring. Right now our Miss Kim Lilacs, Autumn Jazz Arrowwood Viburnum, and Gumball Spirea are looking fantastic, and some of these offer wonderful flower fragrance for your gardens.

We locally grow, and have in stock, many varieties of shade trees and ornamentals available for delivery and / or planting in your yard’s landscape. Large Spruce, Austrian and Scotch Pines have been released from our fields and are ready to be planted now!

We would like to take this space to thank many of you for your past and present support that enables us to continue to propagate and grow unique and unusual plants for your gardens. THANK YOU !

INTRODUCING . . . THE DOUBLEFILE VIBURNUM

Botanical name: Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum

A very elegant flowering shrub, one of the more classic horizontal branching-habit types of Viburnum, in this large and wonderfully diverse family of plants. This is a shrub of very multi-seasonal interest.

Its growth habit is such that, at maturity (8’ to 10’ high by 9’ to 12’ wide), it takes on a pleasing aesthetic, almost architectural habit of very stratified, tiered, horizontal branching, very attractive even in winter when the plant is totally defoliated.

Flowers appear during May in 2” to 4” wide clusters that are carried on 2” peduncles above the foliage, creating a milky-way effect along the horizontal branches; a choice, flowering specimen Doublefile Viburnum is without equal. The flowers are then followed up during the summer months by berries that mature to a purple-black, which the birds devour with relish!

Foliage emerges in early May with a pronounced impressed ridged-and-furrowed effect along the length of the leaf. The foliage hangs somewhat “dog-eared” from the stems in a striking visual form. Fall color is an attractive, consistent burgundy to reddish-purple tone during late October.

Come out to Mill Creek Nursery and pick one up for your own yard - you won’t regret it!

If you should have any questions regarding any of these topics, please feel free to stop in at Mill Creek Nursery and ask any of the Sales staff - they’ll be more than happy to help you. Also, please take a moment and stop by our Growing Tips page for more helpful information on plants & gardening.