WE'RE BACK !!!!!!

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

The go to plant

  For the endless amount of time the backbone of any shady summer plantings was the impatiens. It was the central attraction of any garden, not to mention the gift of exploding with flowers.  It didn't matter how shady - impatiens were the core shade plant forever. 

The Devastation

 Then came Plasmopara obducens ! And it all fell apart.This water mold infected both regular garden impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), and balsam impatiens (Impatiens basamina) in what seemed like every garden in America.  It devastated any and every impatiens planting on the east coast.  Eventually nurseries stopped growing them.Fortunately we were able to find several alternatives. We switched to other low light bloomers like coleus, torenia, and begonia.  But we all missed the impatiens – it was very sad because the impatiens always had a corner of our heart. 

Impatiens downy mildew on underside of leaf.

Decimated buds and flowers from downy mildew.

 

The Future is here !

 Since then, seed companies got busy – and although it has taken a decade – we have new disease resistant impatiens varieties !!!!  Applause please!!!We now have the Imara XDR series from Syngenta and the Beacon series from PanAmerican Seed. 

Imara !

 

The new and improved old fashioned impatiens !

 Growers and nurseries have been planting them like crazy and making them available again.  We are all happy !!!  Because although we all love torenia, and begonia – there is nothing like a giant mass of impatiens bringing color to a shady spot in your garden. 

For a garden full of color - Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

Our Garden Care team can install some impatiens.

You will never lack for flowers!

Don't delay – the sooner the better !

  

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 51 YEARS !

 

 

 

Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK  

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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