Current Newsletter

Seed Starting, Creeping Phlox, Cornelian Cherry, and Gardenia

It’s March. Yay! For those of us in the Northeast, it’s been a long, snowy winter, but recent weather predictions call for a warm and dry spring. I’ll take it! March also means it’s time to start some seeds indoors. I’ve already started our leeks and onion seeds with some of the Brassicas and greens to follow later this month. I talk about seed starting in this newsletter. Give it a try. I describe how.

One of the most colorful perennials of spring is creeping phlox. This unassuming, evergreen ground cover plant is just green and creeping until spring hits. Then it explodes into flower with colors ranging from red to pink to lavender. It looks great planted en mass cascading over a raised bed, rock wall or slope. It’s a great early season splash of color and easy to divide and spread throughout your landscape. Learn more about creeping phlox here.

Many gardeners have small yards so are always on the lookout for small trees to fit in their landscape. I have a beauty for you. The Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) is a 15 foot tall and wide deciduous tree that’s slow growing, has very early, bright yellow flowers for pollinators, produces red edible fruits in summer and has purple fall foliage color. Check out this beautiful tree in this newsletter.

Proven Winners

If you traveled to warmer climates this winter you may have seen some gardenia shrubs. This tender, evergreen shrub hardly gets noticed until it flowers. The white blooms have an intoxicating fragrance. And it can be grown as a houseplant with some guidance. Let me tell you how in this newsletter.

Do you want to learn more about garden design? In my monthly garden blog I write for Proven Winners called What’s Up North. This month I talk about designing a Bird Friendly Garden. We all have heard of the plight of songbirds and other species, so growing plants that will support bird life is important. Check out my blog on Plants That Support a Bird Friendly Garden, here.

Until next time I’ll be seeing you, in the garden.

Charlie

Where to Find Charlie: (podcasts, TV and in-person)

• In the Garden (WCAX-TV CBS) – This week: Caring for Delphiniums
• All Things Gardening on Vt Public Radio– This week: Plant A Garden For Others
• WJOY In The Garden Podcast– This week: Care and feeding of holiday plants including the many Poinsettia varietals, Christmas Cactus, houseplants and pests, and fall pruning tips
• Where’s Charlie Speaking? 3/17/26: Sasqua Garden Club, Fairfield, CT

Seed Starting Tips

Depending on where you live, now is the time to start seed starting. I mentioned I’ve already started leek and onion seeds in our zone 5 climate. If you live in a warmer climate you can be starting broccoli, kale, lettuce, cabbage and Brussels sprouts now as well. Generally, you want to know how many weeks you’ll have to grow your seedlings indoors before setting them into the garden. Sow vegetable, herb and flower seeds according to the packet’s recommendations for how many weeks to start before the last frost date. Make sure you don’t start too early or your plants will be monsters before you can set them out. This is especially true of tomatoes. I like to start our tomatoes only 3- to 4-weeks before setting out. I’d rather have a young, fast growing transplant than large one that I’m holding back.

You’ll also need pots, soil and lights for the best growth. We have a grow light setup in our basement. We use heating mats to keep the soil warm in the pots for quick germination. We clean and disinfect our plastic pots and buy fresh seed starting soil mix each spring. Seed starting mix is more milled and finer than regular potting soil mix so it’s great for starting small seeded plants such as carrots and violas.

Once the seeds have germinated, keep the soil moist, but not wet. If the seedlings start rotting, it’s probably because you’re over watering. Once the true leaves form add a light dose of an organic fertilizer to help with their growth. Most seed starting mixes generally don’t have fertilizer in them.

When the plants’ height is 3 times the diameter of the pot, repot into a pot one size larger. This is generally needed for large plants such as tomatoes, eggplants and Brussels sprouts.

Before planting outdoors, harden off the transplants to get them used to the outdoor environment. Take the plants out for a few hours the first day, extending the time outdoors each day for about one week. Place them in a protected area without too much direct sunlight.

Go here for more on Seed Starting

Watch this Video on Vegetable Seed Starting (from a young, Charlie Nardozzi)

Go here for Solving Seed Starting Problems

How to Grow: Creeping Phlox

Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) always surprises me in the spring. They’re very unassuming, green, creeping plants, but come early spring they explode into color. When planted in groups, the flower show can be quite amazing. Creeping phlox are hardy, tough plants that expand their territory over time. They look great cascading over a rock wall or raised bed, planted among patio walkway stones or growing in front of a flower border.

There are many varieties and color variations of star-shaped flowers. ‘Emerald Blue’ has a classic lavender blue flower. ‘Scarlet Flame’ has magenta-pink colored blooms and ‘Candy Stripe’ has white and pink striped flowers. Of course you can also purchase a collection with a number of different colored types. 

Creeping phlox has evergreen foliage that contrasts well with the colorful flowers. The plants are deer, rabbit and drought tolerant and butterfly and bee magnets. The 6- inch tall plants grow best in well-drained soil and rapidly spread down a bank finding places to root and bloom. The plants are very cold hardy and low maintenance. Even if you have a hard, snowless winter, and the plants die back some, they will bounce back quickly with warmer weather and with a help of some water and fertilizer. Cut back plants after flowering to encourage thicker growth.

Learn more about Phlox here

How to Grow: Cornelian Cherry

Many gardeners have limited space to growth trees, but want the look and feel of an attractive tree in their landscape. The solution is to select dwarf trees that fill multiple functions in the yard. My suggestion is the Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). This tree is actually in the dogwood family. It’s hardy to zone 5 and low maintenance. Cornelian cherry trees are slow growing topping off at around 15 feet tall. They flower very early in spring with bright yellow blooms. For this reason they are favorites of bees and pollinators.

In summer Cornelian cherries form small, red fruits. The birds love these fruits, but humans like them, too. There are varieties of Cornelian cherry from their native lands around Ukraine and Turkey that feature larger and better tasting berries. These include ‘Red Dawn’ and ‘Red Star’. There are even yellow fruited varieties and tri-colored, foliage varieties.

Plant Cornelian cherries in full to part sun on well-drained soil. They don’t require much pruning other than removing dead and crossing branches. Deer and rabbits don’t seem to bother them. In fall, the foliage turns a purple color and once the leaves drop the attractive, exfoliating bark is revealed.

This tree pleases everyone, from bees to birds to people with its flowers, fruits and charm.

Learn more about Cornelian Cherry here

In Our Garden: Gardenia

You often don’t see gardenia plants, but smell them first. The attractive, white flowers have an intoxicating fragrance. The shiny, evergreen leaves are a perfect backdrop to the flowers. There are even yellow flower colored versions available.

In zone 8 gardens and warmer, this shrub will grow 4- to 8-feet tall and wide. In colder areas, it’s best grown in a container and protected in winter indoors. Gardenias are heat lovers, but in very hot summer climates, they benefit from some afternoon shade. They are a bit fussy about soil and moisture. They thrive in acidic soil that’s kept consistently moist. They flower best in full sun on well-drained soil.

Indoors in cold climates gardenias are less happy, mostly because of the low light and humidity levels in winter. To get them to flower, grow plants under grow lights or in a sun room. In summer, once it’s warm, move plants outdoors to the sunniest, hottest location and they may set flowers by fall.

Watch out for flower buds dropping due to uneven watering or lack of light. White flies can attack the shrub and caused sooty mold fungus to form. Control white flies with organic sprays.

Learn more about Gardenia here