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March 2024

Mar 20
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Plant of the Week - Pansy

Plant of the Week: Pansy

By Plant of the Week No Comments

Common name:

Pansy

Botanical name:

Viola x wittrockiana

Pansies are hybrid plants derived from several species within the Viola genus and are part of the Violaceae family. Pansies are a welcome sight after a long, cold winter. Pansies are often the first flower we see arrive in garden centers due to their ability to withstand colder temperatures.

With multiple color variations, the pansy is a versatile flower to add color to your garden and help usher in spring. As we move into the heat of the summer season, we will see pansies begin to fade away due to their inability to tolerate high temperatures. However, in fall, pansies arrive again in garden centers to add more color to fall plantings. Depending on winter temperatures, pansies can last into winter time.

Pansies can be a hungry plant. It is best to add a slow release fertilizer to ground plantings roughly once per month. Container plantings will benefit from a liquid fertilizer about every two weeks during their growing season. You can deadhead, or prune, faded flowers and bare stems regularly to promote new buds and new growth.

  • Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Aim for partial shade in warmer climates.
  • Water Requirements: Pansies prefer evenly moist soil. Be sure to have drain holes if your pansies are planted in a container, or well draining soil if they are planted in the ground.
  • Characteristics: Pansies are characterized by their five petal formation. Some varieties are characterized by a darker blotch, or “face”, at the center of the flower. Pansies can range in shades of red, blue, purple, yellow, and white.
  • Uses: Pansies are a great addition to containers and flower beds in early spring and early fall. Their variety of colors allows them to be versatile to compliment any additional plants in the landscape.
  • Interesting Facts: The name pansy comes from the French pensée and reflects the meaning of ‘remembrance’ or ‘thought’ in the 19th century language of flowers.
  • Varieties:
    • Matrix Series: This series features flowers that are 3” – 3.5” on a short, strong stem to support the flower.
    • Cool Wave: has a prostrate habit that fills in landscapes and containers. It has superior overwintering capabilities and is one of earliest to re-emerge in spring.
    • Frizzle Sizzle: offers a frilly flower form with unique and bold colors
Both the blooms and the leaves of pansies are edible and high in vitamins A and C.
Pansies taste like a slightly floral version of lettuce, and the flowers can be used to make syrup, flavored honey, and natural dyes.
February’s birth flower is the pansy
In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the juice of a pansy was used in a love potion, referencing the Ancient Greeks’ use of the flower in herbal remedies and love potions.
Pansy Care Sheet
Download Care Sheet PDF
Mar 13
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Plant of the Week: Columbine

Plant of the Week: Columbine

By Plant of the Week No Comments

Common name:

Columbine

Botanical name:

Aquilegia spp.

Columbine is known for its uniquely shaped flowers and bright colors. They are native to meadows and woodlands across the northern hemisphere, including North America. Columbine will tolerate a variety of soil conditions but do best in rich, well draining soils.

  • Light Requirements: They prefer light to moderate shade, especially in the afternoon.
  • Water Requirements: They prefer moist but not water logged soil, especially the first growing season. Mature plants are somewhat drought tolerant but will benefit from watering during prolonged periods without rain.
  • Characteristics: Columbine have delicate, airy foliage and graceful, nodding flowers.  The flower colors include blue, yellow, red, pink and white, many having bicolored or multicolored blooms. They are a clump forming perennial that reach 1 to 3 feet in height. While they are mostly deer and rabbit resistant, they are attractive to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
  • Uses: Columbine are so versatile that they can be incorporated into cottage gardens, woodland gardens, pollinator gardens, mixed borders and containers.
  • Interesting Facts: Columbines are distinctive for their five petaled flowers that have long backward extending spurs that contain little pockets of nectar. The genus name derives from the Latin aquila (eagle) and lego (together), suggesting that the curved nectaries or spurs resemble the closing talons of an eagle.
  • Varieties:
    • Aquilegia canadensis: (Eastern Red Columbine) is native to North America. This species has red and yellow tubular flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds. It is more tolerant of heat and humidity than other varieties.
    • Aquilegia canadensis: ‘Little Lanterns’ is a dwarf version of the native species, reaching only 8 to 10 inches tall.
    • Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Winky’ Series: The Winky Series produces loads of more upward facing blooms. The series features a wide range of bicolored combinations.
    • Aquilegia x. Hybrida ‘Earlybird’ Series: This mixture was bred for vibrant colors and unusual color combinations. They feature a neat, rounded habit growing 10 to 12 inches.
Plant of the Week: Columbine
Columbine was named for the Latin word columba, which means dove.
Native Americans used the seeds to make an infusion to treat headaches.
The long spurs on the flowers produce nectar, which makes them a favorite of hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.
Download Care Sheet PDF
Mar 05
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Outdoor Living Trends 2024

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Our slogan at Himmel’s is Get Outside – and we live in a great place for it! As the weather warms and schedules become crammed with sports activities, concerts, picnics and other school and social events, it’s natural to long for some quiet space to relax and unwind. That space could be in your own backyard!

Check out the latest outdoor living trends for 2024 and gather inspiration for creating the tranquil backyard oasis of your dreams.

Go Big with Hardscaping

Outstanding outdoor gathering spaces are designed for comfort, convenience, and entertainment. Start with a patio large enough to accommodate seating for family and friends. Patio trends this year include large format pavers in monochromatic colors, porcelain pavers, permeable pavers, and bluestone. Do you enjoy cooking outdoors? Consider a grill nook with a few built-in stone planters for handy access to fresh herbs and veggies, or go bold with a complete outdoor kitchen and bar area beneath a custom pergola.

Carefully designed seating areas bring the comfort of indoor living to the outdoors, whether it’s a book and coffee nook for two, an outdoor bar for a few, or a bench and firepit combo for your whole crew! Trends in outdoor seating include bold sitting boulders that double as accents, and cozy Adirondack chairs with pillows situated close to the firepit for long nights hanging out with family, friends, and neighbors.

Fire features are trending more than ever, and are available in a wide range of sizes and finishes to suit your unique style. Oversized firepits and fire tables are very popular for those who love entertaining larger groups. Want to try something different?

Consider a cauldron style firepit that doubles as a grill.

The soothing sound of splashing water adds a touch of Zen-like tranquility to your outdoor space. Trends in water features include small scale fountains, bubblers, reflecting pools, and tiny ponds that incorporate interesting materials.

Don’t forget lighting! Color-changing LED lights controlled with an app on your smartphone are the latest in landscape lighting, and can transform your yard with fun and festive seasonal color!

Formal Gardens with Classically Inspired Architectural Elements

Carefully manicured landscapes in cool shades of green and white can bring a sense of peace and elegance to your surroundings, separating your space from the hectic outside world. Crisp hedges create privacy, while a few well-placed topiaries or carefully pruned trees add a three-dimensional quality that draws the eye. Stone paths and thoughtfully selected statuary add architectural interest. Columns, pillars, and urns in marble tones are timeless elements! The whole effect is enhanced by a few touches of whimsy – either with pops of perennial color in shades of purple and pink, a small water feature, or an ornate mirror or sundial as a focal point. Even the smallest spaces can benefit from the classic elements of a formal garden.

Native Plants to Attract Pollinators

The native trend is no longer a trend… It’s here to stay! Native plants benefit the environment by creating food and habitat for beautiful birds, precious pollinators, and local wildlife. The many varieties of native trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials create 4-season interest, featuring outstanding flowers and fragrance, evergreen interest, edible berries, gorgeous fall color, and more! Even a small patio planter full of flowering native perennials can benefit bees and butterflies. Enhance your outdoor space with a few native selections and draw nature into your oasis!

Make it Happen

Wherever your daydreams take you… let the friendly experts at Himmel’s Landscape and Garden Center help you transform your yard into a uniquely beautiful habitat.

Contact landscaping@himmelsgardencenter.com or call 410-255-7730 to schedule a free consultation.

Mar 01
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Bulk Garden Materials Pasadena, MD

Bulk Material – Mulch, Soil, Compost, Stone, Sand

By Himmel's Blog No Comments
Whether you’re prepping raised bed vegetable gardens, building a DIY patio, or applying fresh mulch to your garden beds, at some point you will need to decide about bulk material – what to buy, how much the project requires, and where to purchase the material.
Himmel’s can help!

Know what you are paying for!

Himmel’s sells bulk items by volume. This is because we do not have a mechanism for weighing material to sell by the ton. Our machines are equipped with ½ yard and 1-yard buckets. A yard is a volume measurement.

  • Note that 1 yard is approximately equivalent to 1.5 tons
  • A half yard is approximately equivalent to ¾ tons

If you are comparing pricing for bulk material, make sure to ask if the material is sold by the yard or by the ton. Once you have your price list, you can do some simple math to break all the pricing down to ½ ton increments and make a fair comparison.

Price per ton vs. price per yard – The Math!

Divide the price per ton by 2 to arrive at the ½ ton price, then multiply by 3 to arrive at the price per yard [because remember… one yard = ~1.5 tons].

Or – divide the price per yard by 3 to arrive at the price per ½ ton.

This quick equation will allow you to compare ½ ton pricing among different vendors.

For example:

$50 per ton / 2 = $25 per half ton. $25 per half ton x 3 = $75 per yard

$75 per yard / 3 = $25 per half ton

Quality, convenience, and price are important factors to consider when purchasing bulk material.

Make sure to compare delivery fees too!

But How Much Do I Need?

The amount of material depends on the type of project. For construction projects, safety regulations and building codes require a specific amount of aggregate or material for a base layer. The depth depends on whether the project is for pedestrian or vehicular application. For mulch beds,  2-3” is generally sufficient, although some gardeners prefer up to 4” of mulch. The amount of soil, compost, or fill dirt is related to the volume required for the area. A cubic yard measurement will most accurately meet your volume needs.

 We offer 3 options to help you determine the amount of material required for your project!

  1. Check out our materials calculator at himmelsgardencenter.com
  2. Call 410-255-7730 and ask for help! Our friendly and courteous staff will help you determine which product is best, and how much you will need.
  3. Calculate your volume needs using the steps listed below to arrive at cubic yards:
    • First determine square footage. Measure L x W for square footage. If your beds are oddly shaped, you can divide them into quadrants, or make a general sq. ft determination and round up to the nearest whole number.
    • Determine how deep you want the mulch/soil/stone to be.
    • Divide the square footage by the appropriate number to arrive at cubic yards:
      • 4″ deep – divide by 81
      • 3″ deep – divide by 108
      • 2″ deep – divide by 162
      • 1″ deep – divide by 324

For example, if you have 4 raised bed gardens, each one is 12’x4’, and you want to top-dress with 4” of compost:

12’x4’ garden bed = 48 sq. ft.

48 sq. ft. x 4 garden beds = 192 total sq. ft.

192 sq. ft. / 81 = 2.37 cubic yards.

Round up to the nearest whole number. You will need 2.5 yards of compost to top-dress your beds!

Next Steps

It’s the perfect time of year to start planning your next project! We would love to be a part of it.

Call Himmel’s or visit us online and let us help you determine your material and quantity needs. And if you decide you just don’t feel like doing it yourself, contact  us for a free consultation, and let our friendly and detail-oriented landscaping and hardscaping crews do it for you!

Phone:(410) 255-7730
Landscaping@himmelsgardencenter.com

Materials Calculator

Bulk Product Description

Topsoil –  locally produced, double screened topsoil suitable for a variety of landscape applications including backfilling, planting grass seed, and garden beds. $40 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Leafgro – also called leaf compost; made up of shredded leaves and grass clippings that are completely decomposed. Leafgro is locally produced. Excellent for overseeding or installing sod. Also used to amend soil for planting. Can be mixed with topsoil. Customers sometimes order half and half; this is usually a mix of half leafgro/half topsoil. $40 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Mushroom Compost – this is a blend of organic matter most suitable for vegetable and herb gardening. Can be mixed with topsoil. 1 part mushroom compost to 2 parts topsoil = 6.5 pH; perfect for gardening. $40 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Fill Dirt – Screened fill dirt for backfilling and for construction projects. Not recommended for gardening. $32 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Mulch – all Himmel’s high quality mulches are shredded hardwood. The dyed mulch is dyed with vegetable dye and is non-toxic. Prices range $35 – $58 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Concrete Sand – Useful for many construction, hardscape, and landscape applications. Concrete sand is the final layer before pavers are installed. Cannot be used as playground sand because it gets very dusty when dry and sometimes there are large, sharp particles. $90 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Crusher Run – Also called CR-6, crusher run stone is a mix of coarse and fine aggregate used in construction and hardscape applications. CR-6 is the base layer for patios and retaining walls and should be tamped down to builder specifications for safe use. Himmel’s carries blue gray CR-6 for $90 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

57# Stone – This stone is about 3/4″ in size. 57# stone is multipurpose and used in construction, hardscape, landscape, and drainage applications. Himmel’s carries 57# stone in two colors: marble chip [white] for $95 per yard, and blue gray for $95 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Chesapeake Blend River Rock – River rock, also called river jack and Delaware rounds, is a multi-colored stone with a smooth surface used for decorative applications. Himmel’s carries river rock in 3/4″; 1-3″; and 3-5” sizes. All sizes are $250 per yard. Delivery and pickup available.

Other aggregates and materials like rip rap, pea gravel, and more, are available for direct delivery. Just ask!

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