Today is the ninth of February and I’ll bet you’re wondering right now what blueberries plants look like this time of year. Okay you weren’t actually thinking about that so I’ll tell you. They look beautiful. Some varieties are bare of leaves and the stems range in color from bright red to a rich green, some varieties maintain their leaves through out the year and the leaf color, for example, on the Vaccinium corybosum‘Sunshine Blue’ is verdigris, a bluish green with a blush of red. Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Legacy’ is also evergreen and the leaves on this bush are a bronzy green. Our native evergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum, as the name suggests is a glossy green year round, very adaptable, very useful (and tasty) garden plant. Some of the brighter twigged blueberries are Vaccinium corybosum ‘Duke’ and Vaccinium corybosum ‘Patriot’. Whether you are growing fields of blueberries or just a few varieties in your city garden you will enjoy their winter beauty.
Today is the day to add some structure to your garden. It is January and a good time to get in the larger plants that you may have forgotten about or neglected to plant in the fall. By structure in your garden I mean the larger plants that have a year round presence. If you are lacking a bit of piazza in your garden and notice it this month it may mean you need a few more plants that look great year round. It’s a sunny, balmy day here in Pleasant Hill, Oregon and a good day to pick out a few evergreens or maples or sweet osmanthus. A rhododendron or two will add this element, the evergreen leaves and the buds that are appearing now and a lighter green dimension to the plant, almost like an ornament, or how about some brilliant nandina, with the red foliage lighting up the green backdrop. If you are inclined to add more edible plants how about a blueberry or three, some blueberries you will find are evergreen and some of the deciduous varieties have brilliant stem colors in shades of red and bright green. A visit to a nursery will give you some ideas if you don’t already have one and you are welcome here to poke around in the ‘off season’ to fill up a place in your garden that needs a little January kick. We look forward to seeing you.
Soft, fluffy, comfy looking shrub that has outstanding autumn foliage is a wonderful year round addition to your garden. Often used as a background plant, bluish green in the summer turning a mahogany plum color in late autumn and winter. The soft texture and lovely colors set off witch hazel and red and yellow twig dogwoods.
Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Pleasant Hill Nursery is pleased to offer gift certificates just in time for the holidays. Does someone on your gift list love plants? Is someone working on their landscape? The plants they select with their gift certificate will provide them with years of enjoyment. It is truly the gift that keeps giving. Our gift certificates make the perfect gift for family, friends, neighbors, customers, employees and anyone who has a yard or patio.
When I returned to the office today, I was thrilled to see Nancy's latest container design. She created two planters that are now on each side of our office entrance. In the center of the pot, is a Boulevard Cypress ( Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Cyano Viridis' ) that is pruned up a ways to expose the lower trunks. Around the base of the plant, level with the container edge are a Wooly Thyme and Irish Moss. A simple design but it definitely makes a statement.
PHN Growers Blog 
