2004 NEWSLETTER Contents

Happy Spring 2004,

It has been an exceptionally cold and snowy winter once again, but at long last, spring is on its way. Now that the bulbs are up and the weather is becoming milder, it is time to look over your gardening tools and make sure they are in proper working order for the season ahead.

Many exciting new things will be happening at the nursery this year, new promotions, display gardens, plant collections and web site. Details can be found in the newsletter under New For 2004 and Plant News. In addition, the expansion project continues to go forward, the fourth greenhouse is now up and ready to use.

Debbie Korwan has joined with Chris Anderson and Karl Roecker of Mountain Pine Gardens; together they have pooled their talents in creating a design team for our clients. If you are interested in having a one of a kind garden, designed just for you, call the nursery to set up a consultation. Debbie and Chris will come to your home to and create a design, which will turn your dreams into reality. Fees for this service are available upon request.

Opening Day for 2004 will be April 17th. The Nursery will be closed July 4th and September 5th and 6th for Labor Day.

Perennial Plant Association Design Competition
The design team of Mountain Pine Nursery and Gardens has entered their first international design competition. This prestigious award is given out annually by the Perennial Plant Association (PPA). Winners will be announced at the PPA symposium, held in New York City, in early July.

The design that was entered for the competition was installed in 2002 for a customer in Greenwood Lake, NY. The property, which has a steep slope, was over run with weeds and brush, and had an unusable in-ground pool. In redesigning the site, the pool was filled in and the slope was used to create a multi-level garden that includes a stream flowing into a large koi pond, new stone work, and an extensive cutting garden. Photographs of the garden will be on display at the Nursery in the sales house.

PLANT NEWS

2004 Perennial Plant of the Year
Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’)

Spectacular foliage from spring to fall, disease resistant, deer resistant, and easy to grow, its no wonder that Japanese Painted Fern has been named perennial plant of the year for 2004. The versatility of this stunning fern has made it a longtime favorite of both amateur gardeners and professional landscape designers.

A silver overlay and deep burgundy veining sets off the delicate, soft green, fronds of this fern. Growing12-18” tall Japanese Painted Fern, forms dense multi-crowned clumps that are easily divided in early spring. It is hardy from zone 3-8 and will withstand both harsh winters and hot, humid summers. Ideal growing conditions are moist, organic soil with full to part shade, part shade producing better foliage coloration. Some great companion plants are Ligularia ‘Desdemonda’, purple-leafed Heucheras, blue Hostas, Stachys, Asarum europeansis, Tiarellas, Bergenias, and Hydrangeas.

New Plant collections
Every year we expand our selection to bring you the best new perennials and varieties available. This season we have four special collections that we are pleased to be able to offer our customers. See the catalog for details about height, blooms, and growing conditions.

Agastasche: Humans may enjoy the wonderful herby fragrance of Agastasche, but deer definitely do not. Long blooming, drought resistant, and easy to grow, we will have five new varieties for 2004.

Delphinium-New Millennium Hybrids: Bred in New Zealand by Dowdeswell’s Delphiniums, these new hybrids are better suited than other Delphiniums when it comes to withstanding summer heat and humidity, as well as easier to grow and longer lived. Deer resistant.

Hellebore orientalis: This shade loving, evergreen, and deer resistant perennial, now comes in more colors than ever. This year we will have five new varieties with blooms ranging from double whites to single purplish blues. Deer resistant.

Lilies: You asked for them, we got them, Tiger lilies, Turk’s Caps and more. These of lilies all feature strong stems and flowers with recurved petals.

Gailardia ‘Fanfare’ The hot new Gailardia hybrid will be available this year as a Sunny Border Gold Pot. A sport of Gailardia ‘Dazzler’ this new introduction has large yellow and red flowers with distinctive tubular petals, grows 15-24” tall, and blooms from Mid May to September. You can find it in the Sunny Border Gold Pot section at the Nursery.

NEW FOR 2004

Display Gardens
To help our customers create the garden they have always wanted, we will be showcasing monthly displays next to the sales house. A different type of garden will be highlighted each month and handouts listing the plants used in the display will be available at the sales house.

The schedule for season is as follows:

April: Rock Gardens Aug: Moonlight Garden
May: Deer Resistant Garden
Sept: Plants for Cutting and Drying
June: Scented Garden Oct: Winter Garden
July: Butterfly and Hummingbird

New Web Site
While our address has not changed, the web site has been redesigned with a whole new look. Come check it out at www.mtnpinenursery.com

2004 Catalog
Last year the catalog was not updated due to Debbie’s illness. This year, the catalog has been amended to include all the new plants and varieties for 2003 and 2004. Feel free to pick up a new catalog when you visit the nursery.

PROMOTIONS

Plant of The week
Each week we will be putting one variety of perennial for sun and one for shade on sale at a discount of 20% off the regular retail price. All plants will be in prime condition and in peak form. Purchasing plants of the week will also ensure that you have color and interest in your garden from spring to fall. Discounted varieties will be posted at the sales house up to two weeks in advance.

Digging for Dollars
The Digging for Dollars promotion will continue again for 2004. Digging for Dollars is a thank you from Bill and Debbie for purchasing your plants at Mountain Pine Nursery. For every four hundred dollars you spend per year, we will mail you a fifty-dollar gift certificate (due to processing, gift certificates are not issued on site). Keep all your receipts in a Digging for Dollars envelope, available at the sales house, and bring them in when they total four hundred dollars to receive your gift certificate.

EVENTS

Opening Day for 2004 will be April 17th. The Nursery will be closed July 4th and September 5th and 6th for Labor Day.

Seminars
This will be our 9th year hosting gardening seminars at the nursery. Bill and Debbie have always felt very strongly about Mountain Pine Nursery not only being a place for our customers to purchase plants, but to come and learn about gardening. To further this goal they started the seminars, which have evolved, into fun, educational events. All seminars are free of charge and the topics are chosen from our customers’ requests. There is always time for your questions, whether you are a beginner or an experienced gardener.

May 15 &16: Container Planting and Design*

June 12 & 13: Deer Resistant Plants

July 17 & 18 Alpines: Big Gardens in Small Spaces

Aug 14 & 15 Herb Uses: Ornamental & Culinary

Sept 11 & 12 Wow: Designing with Impact

*The purchase of plants and containers is not included

Repellex
The labeling issues, which caused the sale of Repellex to be suspended last fall, have been resolved and it is once again available for sale. (Repellex is a Canadian product and the label needed to be redesigned in order to comply with NY DEC standards). As always, if you are experiencing a problem with deer, you may always call the nursery to purchase Repellex before opening day.

Deer Resistant Plants
We understand that deer are a serious problem for many of our customers, and because of this we are trying to bring as many deer resistant varieties as possible to you for your garden. Our sales staff will be happy to assist you in selecting deer resistant plants when you come to the nursery.

Deer Seminar
There will be a seminar on deer resistant plants June 12th & 13th and a deer resistant garden on display next to the sales house during the month of May.

BREAST CANCER UPDATES

Debbie’s Health
As many of you are aware, Debbie Korwan, co-owner of Mountain Pine Nursery was diagnosed with Breast cancer in late 2002. Since that time, she has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Happily, her treatments have been successful and at this time, there is not only no sign of a recurrence, but every hope for a full recovery.

Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ Sales
In 2003 the nursery ran a promotion to raise money for breast cancer research through the sale of Debbie’s favorite plant, Coreopsis v. ‘Moonbeam’. For every one-gallon pot that was sold, a fifty-cent donation was made and for every two-gallon pot, a one-dollar donation was made. All told, a contribution of $263.00 was made to the American Cancer Society. Thanks to every one who contributed by purchasing these plants.

Making Strides Walk-a-thon
On October 10th, 2003, a sixteen-member team, known as the Mountain Pine Margaritas, participated in the Making Strides Walk-a-thon at Woodbury Commons Outlet in Central Valley, NY. The Making Strides Organization is a branch of the American Cancer Society, which offers support for both women with breast cancer and medical research. Despite the inclement weather the team completed the walk and raised over $5600.00 for this worthy cause. While we are sincerely grateful to all our sponsors, we would like to give special thanks to the following who contributed 75.00 or more.

A Special Message from Debbie
Being diagnosed with breast cancer was a terrible shock. I would like to let all of you know how very blessed I feel for the wonderful support I received from my family and the many great friends I have made through Mountain Pine Nursery over the years. Thank you for all the warm wishes, thoughts, and prayers, which helped me get through this very difficult time.
Sincerely, Debbie Korwan

Cat Alert
Our cats, Buttons and George enjoy keeping the sales area clear of voles and chipmunks, unfortunately they seem to think that sneaking off for a ride with our customers is even more fun. If you have left your windows or sunroof open, please check your car for these fuzzy stowaways. Buttons is the black and white cat and George is the gray. Both are very friendly, they just like to play hooky when they should be working.

SPRING GARDENING TIPS

Clean up
Spring is the time to clean up the garden and prepare for a new season of growth. Cut off last years flower stalks and dead foliage, remove fallen branches and debris from your beds, and trim any broken branches on your shrubs. Evergreen and semi-evergreen plants should not be cut back, simply remove any dead or broken foliage. Ornamental grasses need to be cut down before they break dormancy, so as not to cut off the new growth. We usually cut the grasses back at the nursery in early April.

Weeding
When in doubt, do not rip out! Do not weed until you are sure what you are weeding, many plants are pulled out because they have been mistaken for a weed. Give new plants plenty of time to emerge from the ground, as some plants break dormancy much later than others do. Bill and Debbie are always available to answer your questions, so please feel free to call them.

Fertilizing
April and May are the months to fertilize your garden. This will allow plants to get a good boost for growing and produce lush blooms during the summer and fall months. Two types of fertilizer are available for sale at the nursery. Osmocote, a time-release fertilizer, will last the entire growing season with one application. Electra, an organic fertilizer, will need to be applied twice during the growing season. Either one is very beneficial for growing spectacular perennials and annuals.

Mulching
Putting a two-inch layer of mulch down in early spring will not only conserve moisture and prevent water run-off, but will also retard weed growth. We recommend using Canadian cedar bark, which is available at the nursery in both 3 cubic ft. bags and 2.5 cubic yd. cubes, which cover approximately 500 sq. ft.

Soil Preparation
Whether you are planning a new garden bed or simply planting a hanging basket, soil preparation is important. Both compost and our own Mountain Pine soil mix are available for sale at the nursery in 3 cubic ft. bags and by the cubic yard.