A Tradition of Distinction
Since its founding in 1920, Wayside Gardens has brought the rarest and highest-quality plants to the garden market. Wayside was founded in 1920 by two acclaimed growers who came together to pursue their shared vision of marketing all high-end plants for the serious garden enthusiast. Originally located in Mentor, Ohio, Wayside Gardens swiftly grew a reputation for the highest-quality plants and the most sophisticated clientele. In 1975, Wayside was purchased by the Park Seed Company, and moved to Hodges, SC. The company has flourished since then, growing to become an undisputed leader in rare and unique plant growing.
Unparalleled Selection
Wayside's horticulturists travel the world in search of new and unusual plant cultivars and proudly offer the garden industry’s most sophisticated selection of high quality and rare perennial plants, bulbs, trees, shrubs, roses, vines, and indoor plants. Beginning with ties to the Dutch family bulb business in Holland, our horticulturists have developed close relationships with perennial and bulb growers throughout the United States and Europe, providing access to many rare and unique garden treasures. Throughout our history we have had the pleasure of introducing numerous exotic foreign and domestic plant cultivars to the American garden market. The Wayside collection of new and exclusive plant products is so preeminent that the catalog has long been lauded in the industry and is even used as a reference work in horticultural schools.
Impeccable Quality and Value – We Guarantee It!
At Wayside Gardens, “pedigreed plants” and “root strength” have always been watchwords. The Wayside Gardens impeccable plant quality begins with selecting only the finest new product offerings with improved plant features and numerous advantages for our gardening customers. These improved plant selections are then grown to our exacting quality standards by garden industry professionals. This produces superior plants with well developed root systems and healthy, vigorous plant growth habits. That is why we proudly guarantee all Wayside Gardens' products to perform as advertised, being of superior quality, true to type, and shipped properly.
Larger Containers & Well Established Root Systems
We use larger containers and grow bigger plants than other nurseries, leading to greater root strength. Where appropriate, Wayside Gardens propagates our plants vegetatively rather than from seed, to ensure the plants possess the correct form and are true to variety, like a true double form, as opposed to the single or semi-double forms that may result from seed propagation. Because we employ only the finest and most technologically advanced plant growing methods, you can be confident in receiving healthy plants ready to burst forth in glorious growth in your garden.
Superlative Service
- Unique, well-established and vigorous growing plants offer greater value for your money than other nurseries.
- Dedicated to providing detailed plant care instruction and informative plant information to make your product selection and planting truly enjoyable.
- Trained horticulturists are on-call to offer you any help or advice you need on how to care for your plants.
- All Wayside plants are carefully packaged to ensure a safe arrival.
- Your plants will be shipped to you at the proper time for planting.
- Honored to be your first choice in horticulture.
- If your item has received our recommended care and still doesn't perform to your satisfaction, we will replace it free of charge or credit you the item’s cost.
- Wayside Gardens is committed to helping you make your gardening an exquisite experience.
Take the time to research which tree you want and its needs. Try to get
as much information as you can about your tree before you plant. This section offers a few brief tips about general care that
should get you started in the right direction.
How to Plant Your Tree
When planting a new
tree, know the strengths and weaknesses of your
treevariety. For example, if your tree has delicate leaves placing the
trees fully exposed to drying sun and wind will certainly lead to scorched leaves
and a puny
trees. Think of your tree's habit and mature size when
planting. You would not want a
tree that will be 15' wide in a few
years planted too closely to any permanent structure or other trees.
Choose a place with plenty of room in a partially shaded place,
preferably a spot where your
tree can get a nice dose of morning sun
and be protected through the harshest part of those hot summer
afternoons.
Gardeners will often plant their
trees in holes that
are too deep and too narrow. Roots need access to oxygen and room to
grow. Dig a hole about three times the width of the root ball, and the
crown (the place where the roots meet the trunk) should be level with
the soil surface. If you have clay soil, make sure to break up the
sides and bottom of the hole to prevent water from being trapped and
rotting your brand new tree. If your tree was in a container, carefully
pull apart the roots to ensure that your tree does not become girdled
and strangle itself. Recover the soil to the crown, but do not pack it
down tightly—loose dirt allows roots to become established.
How to Feed and Water Your Tree
Trees, once established are very low-maintenance for most of the year. Most trees love moisture—during the warmer months, make sure you give your tree a deep watering
about twice a week during hot, dry summers to help it establish strong roots.Some
varieties with more delicate leaves may have a tendency to
dry up and scorch in the summer or freeze in a late frost and scorch.
If you suspect a late frost is headed your way, just go ahead and cover
the more delicate plants in your garden. Deep watering may be your only
hope against drying in the summer.
An all-purpose
slow-release fertilizer or rich compost will supply the basic nutrients to feed most trees. Just work the
fertilizer into the soil around the tree at the beginning of every
season to get the best results.
How to Prune Your Tree
If
your tree has been properly planted, has established itself, and has
developed a strong root system, the only thing left to do is periodic
pruning and shaping. Pruning maples is really simple. Remove dead or
damaged limbs, and any new growth that appears on the main trunk
(allowing your tree to focus its energy on filling out its distinctly
beautiful branches). You may also want to shorten long limbs that
distract from the overall shape of the tree.
Choosing Tree Varieties to Suit Your Garden
Want to make a dramatic change in the overall look of your garden? Planting a trees is the quickest way to change the look and feel of your garden. Trees add
structure and height, and they have striking presence and
style. A few strategically placed trees in your landscape design can
change the entire look and feel of your yard. Planting a tree provides incredible results for the modest amount money and time
invested, it's good for the environment, and it's fun.
Some of the quickest growers are also the most
interesting. Many varieties of dense firs, colorful maples, and wispy
willows grow quickly enough to noticeably change the look of your
garden in just one season. Fast-growing trees are as functional as they
are beautiful—quickly providing privacy screens, shade trees, and
dramatic color and fragrance that could take years to achieve with
slower varieties.
Landscape Design with Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
Most
Pines, Cypresses, and
Thujas grow incredibly fast, and make a great
quick fix for most of your tree-related garden needs. A tall pine, like
a Loblolly or Rock Pine, can reach impressive shade-tree heights in a
third of the time that it would take many deciduous trees to reach the
same height. And the long, dark-green, wispy needles give an
ephemeral—almost mystical—feel, turning your garden into the setting
of a great fairytale. Thujas, also known as Arborvitae, are the
fastest-growing evergreens around. Their dense green foliage is perfect
for blocking outside sights, sounds, and wind—turning your garden into
a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle.
Fast Growing Deciduous Trees
Many of the most popular trees for gardeners are also some of the fastest
growers. Red Maples and Weeping Willows are sold bare-root, about two
or three years old, and not more than a few feet tall. But often, after
being planted in your yard, they will grow 3 to 5 feet in one year.
These trees are popular because of their interesting foliage and habit,
and because they offer such quick return on investment, they have
become indispensable in landscape design.
Grow Your Own Fruit
Growing your own fruit is cheaper, more fun, and usually a lot safer than buying fruit from the grocery store. Also, fruit trees are usually very impressive in the garden--they usually have pretty, fragrant blooms, and they attract humming birds and butterflies.
Fruit trees are always
popular, but often it takes several years before a tree produces a
substantial amount of fruit. There are a few fast-growing fruit
tree varieties that produce a useful amount of fruit within a
couple seasons. Dwarf citrus trees are small, and mature very fast, but
you can only grow these in containers unless you live in a very warm
place. Trees from the genus Prunus, like cherries, apricots, plums, and
peaches, all grow fairly quickly, and they are so diverse that any
gardener will be able to find exactly what they need.
The dry, sparse appearance of bareroot perennials can be alarming to the novice gardener, but in reality ordering bare root is often the smarter choice. Foliage and blooms can be seductive, but the health and long-term potential of a plant truly lies in its roots. Bareroot plants have several advantages over plants in containers—bare roots are less likely to be harmed in the shipping process, their timing is easier to control, and they are field-grown for larger, healthier root systems. This why Wayside Gardens has had great success with bare root plants, and you can too!
It is safer to ship plants in bareroot form because there is no risk in harming new growth, and therefore the plant actually has a better chance of making it safely into the customer’s garden.
And thanks to refrigerated storage, the timing of bareroot perennials can be precisely controlled. "(Bareroot perennials) are dormant," explains JPPA Lead Horticulturist Benjamin Chester, "But as soon as they leave the refrigerated storage they'll begin breaking dormancy." And once the plant 'wakes up', it is ready to begin the growing season in earnest, which means it will quickly catch up to the level of container plants.
The most important benefit of bareroot perennials is that they can be field grown rather than confined to containers. The bareroot Cherry Cheesecake Hibiscus pictured hereperfectly illustrates the difference between a field-grown perennial and a containerized one. Wayside Gardens used to offer this variety in a quart container, like the Monarda next to it. But the Hibiscus was simply too cramped in that space, so Wayside switched to growing it in the earth and selling it bare root. The result is a thick, fibrous mass of roots that used to fill up several cubic feet of soil and which, even in its bare, pruned form would be too large to fit back into the 1 Quart container. What a difference a little space makes! While small and slow-growing cultivars can start well in containers, large and vigorous cultivars need more room to stretch out and develop a solid root system.
