At J&L, we take great pride in the variety and the quality of our flowers; both 'Annual Flowers' and 'Perennial Flowers'.

What kind of flowers are you looking for - to plant in your flower beds?
How many do you need?
How far apart do you plant them?
How much fertilizer and water do they need?
These are the types of questions we can help you answer.

An annual flower is considered to be a plant which lives for just one growing season. The plant blooms during thesummer and then dies when the cold winter weather arrives. Marigolds, petunias, geraniums, begonias, and lobelia are considered annual flowers. Purple fountain grass is also considered an annual flower in this area while it is actually a perennial flower in southern California and Mexico. back to top

Perennial flowers are plants that lives three or more years. They usually do not bloom all summer but they bloom for specific periods during the summer. With proper selection, you can have a few perennial flowers blooming all summer. Mix a few perennial flowers among your annual flowers in your gardens this year. Daisies, daylilies, coreopsis, ferns, astilbe, hosta, lilies, chrysanthemums, and peonies are just a few of the common perennial flowers that really add variety to you flower gardens. Some flowers are considered short-lived perennials. They often die when they reach 3 years old. Delphiniums and lupine are often listed in this category. One of the biggest problems with perennial flowers is teaching them how to stay in the space allotted to them. Hence, dividing and replanting perennial flowers regularly is a must! back to top

Bi-ennial flowers are another classification of flowers. They usually live two years and then die. The plant grows but usually doesn't bloom the first year. The plant produces flowers and seeds during the second year. Pansies, foxglove, hollyhock, and some campanulas are biennials. Most bi-ennial flowers produce an abundance of seeds and seem to behave as perennial flowers. back to top

Container Gardening

Since early times gardeners have grown plants in containers. It is as old as gardening itself. Flowering plants were grown in ornate vases in China long before the Christian era began. Shrub-filled clay pots were a feature of the gardens in Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome. The Grand Gardens of Britain and France have long had their impressive stone urns filled to overflowing with flowers.

The concept of container gardening may have been around for hundreds of years, but it is now the fastest-growing sector of the gardening scene. planter Container gardening has become even more popular, partly due to the increase of apartment and condo dwellers, but also because many homeowners want to add color to their porches and patios. Container gardening is amazingly flexible. A broad spectrum of plants can be used, including some very pretty herbs and vegetable plants. Hanging Baskets are great to liven up that special corner of your patio and yard. With proper watering, they can provide added beauty to your landscape all summer long. J&L has gorgeous hanging baskets available from Mother's Day Weekend through the end of July. Water them consistently, fertilize them regularly, and they will bloom continually. You can sit back and enjoy their beauty.

If you get a chance to come and visit our nursery, be assured we will have well-trained and experienced sales people to help you find that specific plant you are looking for. back to top

Where does fragrance come from? flowerparts
Fragrance in flowers is nature’s way of encouraging pollination. Just as fragrance draws people to take a deeper whiff, it lures insects to blossoms hidden by leaves and other plants. Some flowers are fragrant only at night and attract only night-flying pollinators. Other flowers are more fragrant during the day and attract day flying insects. Still other flowers perfume the air both day and night, attracting both day and night insects.
The fragrance itself comes from essential oils called 'attars' that vaporize easily and infuse the air with their scents. They are present in different combinations in different plants, but often they’re markedly similar; which is why there are some Irises that smell like grapes. Watering the blossoms stops the fragrances from being as noticeable, so try to keep the water away from the flowers. back to top

Butterfly Gardening
Butterflies make a lovely ornament in a garden, and creating a butterfly garden is fun for the gardener and rewarding for the butterflies. You can attract butterflies for much of the year by growing a succession of flowers and herbs that bloom from spring through fall. Butterflies have a few simple needs; sunlight, nectar sources, host plants on which to lay eggs, water, basking areas and roosting areas. Food has to be available for the adult butterflies (which sip nectar) and for their caterpillar offspring (who eat specific plants). Some of the nectar plants for butterflies are Aster, Liatris, Coreopsis, Purple Coneflower, and Butterfly Bush. Most flowering herbs are also popular with butterflies. Try staggering wild and cultivated plants, as well as blooming times of the day and year. Groups of the same plants will be easier for butterflies to see than singly planted flowers. Place short species in front and tall ones in back, and clump them by species and color. Butterflies are attracted particularly to red, yellow, orange, and purple flowers. Avoid big showy flowers bred for their size; they are often poor sources of nectar. Although we find them delightful to watch, butterflies are insects, of course, so go easy on insecticides in the garden. back to top

Bulbs

Fall Planting - Spring Blooming Bulbs

Fall bulbs are perhaps the easiest of all flowers to plant, grow, and have bloom. It is almost impossible to make a mistake planting fall bulbs because all the nutrients the bulbs need to bloom are already stored inside the bulb before you buy them. To keep bulbs healthy year after year requires a little more care. The most important steps for planting and keeping bulbs healthy are:

Prepare the soil before planting
Choose healthy bulbs
Plan your design
Plant bulbs properly
Take care of your bulbs properly after they bloom.

The hardest part about planting bulbs is deciding which bulbs you like best and knowing when to stop buying bulbs. back to top

Spring Planting - Summer Blooming Bulbs

Whether you grow dahlias from seeds or from tubers, Dahlias can furnish a vast array of colorful flowers from summer through fall. From a few wild Mexican and Guatemalan dahlia varieties, hybridizers have created a myriad of showy varieties of garden dahlias. The plants range in height from six inches to six feet tall. The blossoms vary from one inch to over twelve inches in diameter. There is a wide variety of colors, styles and shapes available, perfect to add color and variety to your flower gardens. back to top

Cannas grow best in the full, hot sun. They look their best when they are planted in groups of three to five roots; either with all the same color or with multiple colors or varieties. Cannas are easy to plant, easy to grow, and are fun to watch bloom. Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of cannas is that deer don't seem to care for the taste of the canna leaves; deer just seem to leave them alone. The only real problem cannas encounter is that slugs and snails love to eat little holes in their big leaves. With just a little slug and snail bait, you can plant cannas and just watch them grow without much fuss. back to top

Gladiolus bring beauty and color to gardens and flower beds throughout the summer. They are members of the Iris family and were first found growing among the tall grasses along riverbanks in Africa. The gladiolus have been hybridized over the years to produce the large florets we have become accustomed to. Gladiolus blossoms start opening from the bottom and work their way up the stem, opening one or two at a time. The blossom period, of each blossom stem, can be two weeks long. They make great cut flowers and will remain beautiful in flower vases up to two full weeks, especially if you cut your flower stem when the first floret opens. back to top

Amaryllis

The Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is truly a spectacular plant that has become a conversation piece for the indoor gardener. Amaryllis Bulbs originated in the tropical areas of South America but they have been grown and hybridized throughout the world. The Amaryllis bulb is a perennial bulb but it must be taken inside during the winter in cold climates. With proper care the Amaryllis bulb can produce spectacular blossoms for several years.

Amaryllis bulbs vary in size. As a rule, larger bulbs produce more stems and flowers than smaller bulbs. Small (26cm - 28cm size) bulbs produce one or two flower stems with three to five flowers on each stem. Medium (34cm size) bulbs produce two to four flower stems with four to five flowers on each stem. Large (40cm size) bulbs produce three to five flower stems with four to five flowers on each stem. Amaryllis bulbs produce an abundance of flowers and make a real show! J&L specializes in the 34cm and larger bulbs. We feature at least 15 different varieties of amaryllis bulbs to choose from. Amaryllis bulbs are available from October through January. We try to have some available for Valentines day, but that does not always happen, we sell them too fast. back to top

Forcing Bulbs

The fragrance, the color, and the special magic of spring flowers can brighten your home this winter. With a little planning and preparation you can have blooming flowers from December through April. A pot of flowering bulbs makes a wonderful gift for a birthday or other special occasion.

Although most bulbs can be forced to bloom early, some bulb varieties are easier to force than others. Paperwhite narcissus do not have any special cold treatments and can be grown with or without soil: they can be grown in just gravel and water. Paperwhite narcissus will bloom about four to eight weeks after they are planted. Hyacinths can also be forced to grow and bloom with or without soil, however, hyacinths must be chilled eight to twelve weeks to bloom. Following a few simple steps will produce amazing results. back to top