Tomato Showdown – Heirloom vs. Hybrid

The battle between heirloom and hybrid varieties is longstanding.  There are positives and negatives to either and tomato aficionados will fight to the end to defend their favorites.  Heirloom varieties have been past down from generation to generation, where as, hybrids have been bred to take the best qualities from each parent plant.  It is said that hybrids tend to have better disease resistance and higher yields, while heirloom varieties tend to have better colors and taste.

As shared in our previous post Harvest Time Recipes , we have been growing and selling  our own tomatoes here at Romence Gardens.  The first batch of plants is now done and we have started a fresh crop that includes peppers and basil. In the first batch we grew 10 different varieties, some heirloom and some hybrid so that we could really see which type is supreme.  Here’s what we found:

The hybrid varieties that we grew included Fresh Salsa, Better Boy, Early Girl, Jet Star, Husky Cherry Red, and Napa Grape.  These as a group produced more tomatoes compared to the heirloom varieties and had less cracking and disease problems.  The Fresh Salsa was the clear winner when it came to amount of tomatoes produced.  It is a determinate variety, meaning it produces the majority of its fruit at one time (to see more info on determinate vs indeterminate check out one of our previous posts Tomato Talk). During our staff taste test Better Boy was the hybrid favorite with Napa Grape following behind.

Varieties in the taste test

The heirlooms we grew were Cherokee Purple, Yellow Pear, Mortgage Lifter,  and Kellogg’s Breakfast. Cherokee Purple and Yellow Pear were our top performers in terms of amount of fruit produced. Mortgage Lifter produced the least amount of tomatoes out of all of the varieties combined. Where the heirlooms seemed to lack in abundance they gained back during the taste test. The overall staff favorite was Cherokee Purple, with Kellogg’s Breakfast a very close second.  People also liked Mortgage Lifter’s meaty flavor.  These heirloom varieties also tended to be less acidic then the hybrid varieties we tasted.

The top 5 Romence Staff Picks are as follows:

1) Cherokee Purple

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Kellogg’s Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Better Boy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Napa Grape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Mortgage Lifter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall it was a fun experiment and made us realize the benefits to both types of tomatoes.  It is hard to pick a definitive winner, so we’ll let you form your own opinions on that!

With the tomato season coming to an end in your gardens be sure to come check out our stock of homegrown veggies; they’ll be ready in the next couple of weeks!

Large Leaf Basil

Tomato Big Beef

August Newsletter: Time Saving Gardening Tips

There’s no doubt that in the U.S. gardening is still a favorite hobby, that vegetable gardening is finding more fans, and that there are more attractive and tempting new plants, more new companies to sell them to us, and more books, blogs, newspaper and magazine articles, plus twitters to teach us the best way to garden. But homeowners are very busy.  There are so many demands on their time and energy levels that getting outdoors to garden as much as they’d like to (and we’d like them to) is not easy.  Therefore as much as they love gardening, shopping for plants and caring for gardens are proving to be difficult tasks.

In this issue to all our subscribers, we have chosen ’time’ as our main topic. The articles below will be about time-saving gardening tips and plants that require less time and energy. Check out the tip list, the plant lists, and the multiple images and links to web pages with more information. And please – make sure there is not only a place to sit in your garden but that you take the time to relax there and enjoy it!

 

Time Saving Ideas

Here’s lists of ideas that are not earth shaking but hopefully have value. On our web site we offer gardening aids to save you time like our Mulch Calculator and Plant Calculators – knowing how much you’ll need to purchase before you shop obviously will save you money but also saves you time.  Our time saving Home Delivery and In-Store Pick Up programs help local folks save shopping time.  Both online and in-store customers should use our Wish List tool (see the little pink heart on each plant’s online descriptive page) to keep track of plants you want so you don’t have to duplicate your efforts to find them again. Print the list and use it to help you remember your preferences when ordering or shopping. A service we offer that will speed up your gardening time is our Custom Garden Designing. This image shows you our Garden Design Center where you can schedule an appointment with our designer. If you want ideas on what to plant, stop in with photos of your garden – or send them to us – and we’ll quickly put a garden plan together that you can install all at once or over several years if you prefer. Click Here for details.

We’ve some other general gardening suggestions in the Read More. Your additional ideas are welcome and we will share them with our  subscribers with your permission.

Read More

 

 

THYME

OK – I just couldn’t resist the play on words and since thyme is one of my favorite plants, what better place to start!  This is an image of lemon (aroma and taste) thyme but we sell at least 8 thyme varieties at Romence Gardens and if you go to the ’plant search’ on the top left side of our web page you can read about all of them.  There’s a variegated leaf lemon thyme, a woolly thyme, an Elfin thyme, etc. to name our favorites. Thyme will grow well in less than average soil, can withstand dry conditions once established, is winter hardy here in zone 5 , and some varieties make a lovely spreading ground cover between stepping stones or great trailing plants to cascade over the edge of special containers.  Read about other herbs that are also easy on your time to grow – and some that are not!

 

Read More

 

 

 

‘Timely’ Plant list

Many of us who work at Romence Gardens don’t get to plant our own gardens till after the 4th of July when things start slowing down here! We know how important the right plant choices are when time is short.

This is a list of just a few plants which we know from experience will do their own thing with very little supervisory care. Some are perennials [P], some are annuals [A], some are shrubs [S]. To save time, only a brief description is included or a reason for mentioning each one. And of course, it is by no means a complete list – only the tip of possible tips.  Remember we are talking zone 5.

 

Read More

Harvest Time Recipes

It is finally that time of year where the “fruits of our labor” can be enjoyed, literally!  For those who took on the exciting, yet sometimes daunting task of growing your own vegetables, there is nothing better then picking the first ripe tomato of the season. It is an almost therapeutic feeling when you see your hard work pay off and the taste of homegrown vegetables is beyond compare.

We here at Romence Gardens know the feeling, as we have been growing about 30 pots of our own tomatoes to sell to our wonderful customers and will continue selling them into the fall.  We have chosen both heirloom and hybrid varieties to see which grow better and which taste better. As we compile the data we will update you on how our staff rates each variety.

With all the different vegetable options out there and with the (hopefully )  abundant harvests it can be overwhelming to figure out how to use all of that produce. Burpee Home Gardens (which is the brand of vegetables we grow) have a wonderful website with great recipes. We thought we would post some of our favorites to get you started.

Just click on the links below to get the full recipe.

Greek Salad with Peppers – this is a great recipe that combines many vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dill Pickle Spears – quick and easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh Tomato Salsa – a refreshing treat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zucchini Cookies – a new way to enjoy the great flavors of zucchini bread

Tomato Talk: Determinate vs. Indeterminate

What is the difference between Determinate and Indeterminate tomatoes…that is the question! The most simple explanation of the difference between the two is that determinate tomatoes bear their crop all at once, while indeterminate tomatoes bear fruit over the course of a season. Indeterminate varieties tend to grow longer vines and will require more support in terms of staking or caging over the course of a season. Determinate varieties often (but not always) tend to be more compact and manageable.

If you have a larger garden and are interested in larger amounts of fruit all at once (canning etc) then determinate varieties could be for you. Look for the number of days at which the plant will set fruit. To get several nice harvests, try to combine determinate varieties that bear early, mid, and late season crops.

If you want tomatoes for the course of the season for snacking and adding to salads and sandwiches, it is best to go with indeterminate varieties. Several types of indeterminate tomatoes are very prolific, and a plant or two will more than suffice to meet your needs. Many favorite heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate varieties.

If you are growing your tomatoes in containers your best bet is going with a few different determinate varieties as these plants are easier to manage and don’t usually grow as large.

Below are a few of our great tomatoes we will have this season. To see all of our varieties please click here.

Tomato ‘Bush Early Girl’

(Determinate)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato ‘Fresh Salsa’

(Determinate)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato ‘Cherokee Purple’

(Indeterminate)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomato ‘Tomatoberry’

(Indeterminate)

NEW Colocasias for 2011: Pineapple Princess, Hilo Bay, Diamond Head, & Blue Hawaii

Colocasia or Elephant Ear plants are always a hit in our greenhouse.  They bring a tropical flare to the garden without having to leave home.  We like to use Elephant Ears in the center of combination pots to add nice height and a dramatic touch.  This year we have four new, exciting varieties that we wanted to share with you.  They are all part of the Royal Hawaiian Series and have tidy-clumping habits. Known for being more shade loving plants, these varieties defy that. They are all suited for full sun!

Colocasia ‘Pineapple Princess’ is a fantastic variety with large yellow-green leaves and purple veins. The leaves have a matte finish with burgundy stems and undulating purple leaf margins.  Pair with Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Saffron’, Petunia ‘Supertunia Bermuda Beach’, Lantana ‘Luscious Citrus Blend’ and Chrysocephalum ‘Moxie Gold’.

 

For information or to purchase this plant click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colocasia ‘Hilo Bay’ brings a lot of texture to the landscape with its ruffled, olive green, glossy leaves. The large foliage is very attractive and easily becomes a focal point. This is a great plant to use in large containers. It goes nicely with Petunia ‘Supertunia Lavender Skies’, Ipomoea ‘Illusion Midnight Lace’, and Scaveola ‘Whirlwind Blue’.

 

For information or to purchase this plant click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colocasia ‘Diamond Head’ produces a spectacular display of purple-black leaves that have a glossy finish. The dark foliage adds rich color and amazing presence to the garden.  Combine with Ipomoea ‘Illusion Emerald Lace’, Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Blackberry Punch’, Verbena ‘Superbena Pink Shades’, and Petunia ‘Black Velvet’ for a colorful and dramatic container.

 

For information or to purchase this plant click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colocasia ‘Blue Hawaii’ lends a bit of the tropics to the garden. With its large green leaves that have prominent blue-purple veins and glossy blue-purple stems it will surely become a favorite. Plant in large containers with Nemesia ‘Juicy Fruits Kumquat’, Talinum ‘Limon’, Verbena ‘Tukana Raspberry’, Petunia ‘Supertunia Citrus’, and Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Dreamsicle’ for a truly tropical experience.

 

For information or to purchase this plant click here.

February Newsletter: Black Magic, Garden Watchdog, Sowing Seeds, & More from Romence Gardens

HERE WE GROW AGAIN!

Are you shivering and suffering from bleak mid-winter blahs and blandness right now?

For Romence Gardens it’s actually becoming a wonderfully warm, colorful time of year!  Our greenhouses are nicely heated; our great planting crew is back to work; smiley customers are stopping by for flowers; and online orders are streaming in.  Best of all, because of the hundreds of new plant varieties, everyone’s hopes are springing blue-sky-high that this summer we are all going to have the loveliest gardens ever!

In this newsletter:

1. See what we mean about green!  See why we also love black!
2. See our staff’s favorite new annuals, new perennials, new shrubs for 2011
3. See what’s already our top sellers online!
4. See what’s so great about  ‘Seed Savers Exchange’

Hold on tight - we’re springing into action!

GREEN GREEN (GRASS) OF HOME

When things start growing here in our greenhouses in the middle of winter, it’s a joy to see - and you can actually feel it in the air!  First the geranium cuttings arrive and are planted, and as they grow larger, we keep taking and planting more cuttings.  Then we begin seeding the annuals that you will buy in flats, and plant the purchased, patented plugs of hybrid flowers into trays. Before you know it, our greenhouses are turning all shades of green! Customers coming in the store usually have to take time to slip into our growing areas to see what’s happening and to breath in that wonderfully humusy air. You are welcome to come over and walk around for that ‘healthy fix’ we all seem to need when yet another blast of winter is predicted! Or take a minute now to see the next page of images recently taken inside our greenhouses.  (To read more and see photos click here)

BLACK MAGIC

Black Flowers are magic for many gardeners!

Yes, one of our hottest sellers* so far for 2011 is Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Blackberry Punch’.  New from Proven Winners this year, Blackberry Punch has masses of tiny petunia like flowers that are a beautiful pinkish purple with a large dark throat.  The Superbells series from Proven Winners has been bred for high disease resistance and low maintenance.  There is no deadheading required! They are a great choice for … (to read more click here)

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Our Romence Gardens staff are one of them! They are great gardeners. They know great plants and great varieties from experience.  Would you like to know what plants they recommend from our Plant Library list this year?

Another favorite thing is the icon here. It’s our rating on Dave’s Garden Forum Watch Dog Page ” - a complete directory of gardening resources and companies – which lets members know the ratings of more than a thousand internet ordering sites. We’re quite proud they placed us in the top five for our annuals! (To read more click here)

SEEDS

What comes first – the seed or the plant? That’s our take on the age old question about the chicken and the egg. We’ve shown you plants so far in this newsletter; now it’s time to talk seeds. For the second year, we have chosen to sell packets of seed from Seed Saver Exchange.  This is a non-profit organization of gardeners dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds.  Since 1975, Seed Savers Exchange members have passed on approximately one million samples of rare garden seeds to other gardeners. We like their mission, we like the quality and packaging of their seeds, and we like the unusual variety choices they offer - some heirloom classics and many that are new to us. However, the important thing to note about SEEDS right now is TIME. (To read more click here)

CONSIDERATIONS:

Pre-orders are coming in! Are you thinking about what you want in your garden this year?  Delivery will start when weather permits. Local customers can also pre-order for express In Store Pick-up.

Use the My Favorites icon to create your Wish List as you peruse our web site – it helps you keep track of your ‘likes’ and not get confused as you read about our thousands of plants

Classes to help you become a better gardener are coming. Watch for topics and schedules on Facebook about Garden Coaching.  Contests, discounts, ‘first-to know’ and more will be in these fun Saturday events.

NEW Perennial for 2011! Echinacea ‘Secret Passion’

New for 2011 and one of our standouts here at Romence Gardens is Echinacea ‘Secret Passion’. With its bright flamingo pink color and amazing flower power that goes into the fall, its not hard to see why its a favorite. Echinaceas are a popular choice among gardeners because of their beauty and easy going care in the garden. The main upkeep with this plant is to deadhead the flowers. This will encourage continued blooming and helps to maintain a tidy habit. Pair with Heuchera ‘Havana’, Coreopsis ‘Creme Brulee’, and Platycodon ‘Astra Pink’ for amazing color that will last throughout the season. Be sure to also check out the other two ‘Secret’ varieties  Echinacea ‘Secret Desire’ and Echinacea ‘Secret Romance’.

This is one echinacea that should not be kept a secret!

For more information on this plant or to place an order click here.

NEW for 2011! Superbells ‘Blackberry Punch’

One of our hottest sellers so far for 2011 is Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Blackberry Punch’.  New from Proven Winners this year, Blackberry Punch has masses of tiny petunia like flowers that are a beautiful pinkish purple with a large dark throat.  The Superbells series from Proven Winners has been bred for high disease resistance and low maintenance.  There is no deadheading required!  They are a great choice for masses of color to spill over hanging baskets and window boxes.  They play very well with other plants in combinations.  Use them as a spiller plant to flow over the side of the pot.  Some ideas to combine it with include; Bidens ‘Goldilocks Rocks’, Supertunia ‘Royal Velvet’, Verbena ‘Superbena Pink Shades’, Bacopa ‘Snowstorm Pink’.

To purchase Blackberry Punch or for more information click here.

 

Lobularia hybrid ‘Snow Princess™’

The flowers in this hanging basket are the BIG NEWS for 2010! It’s the plant that really grew well for us last summer here at Romence Gardens in our trial garden. You’re going to first look at it and wonder why all the excitement – isn’t that simply alyssum? But it’s not! Sure, it’s covered with small white flowers but there’s so much more to it than that.

P. Allen Smith calls it “a unique breakthrough for heat tolerance and extended season performance. This sterile Lobularia is extremely vigorous, and because it puts no energy into setting seed it has an incredibly long bloom time.” When trialed in 2009 it receivd at least 42 awards from growers and universities all around the country.

Snow Princess [Lobularia hybrid 'Inlbusnopr' USPPAF, CPBRAF] will display mounds of fragrant, white blooms from the time you plant it until there’s a hard frost. That is great news! And you can use it almost anywhere: sun or part shade (all shade down south), in hanging baskets or window boxes, in combination pots or the landscape.

We plan to use it along a low wall in a new garden this summer where we need something that will stand up well in a variety of light and soil conditions, be in color as long as possible, and very dependable. TIP: Make sure that you provide good drainage for this plant and enough water to keep the soil moist, especially when first planted. We found out last summer, however, that if we occcasionally missed, it did come back. We think the plant’s fragrance will be nice for the wall’s walkway, it doesn’t need deadheading [removing old blossoms], it will spread, not get real tall, and butterflies are attracted to it as added fun. For all that, keeping it well watered is a small price to pay.

It’s a ‘spiller’ and a ‘filler’ if you use the ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ recipe for containers, but make sure that the other plants in the pot or basket are also vigorous growers and won’t mind a few dropped petals on their foliage. The larger the pot, the better for this plant!

Written by Mary Romence.

3 New Astilbe

Tried and true is really a good description of the plants we call Astilbes. They are long-lived, easy care perennials for shady, part shady, or sometimes sunny situations. Romence Gardens already carries more than a dozen varieties, and yet we added 3 more new ones this year! Do you know why?

One reason might be a new color, another reason is a more compact or bigger growth habit, and a third would be a better or different flower shape.

Astilbe flowers come in favorite garden colors: reds, pinks and whites – more descriptively named lilac, rose, magenta, cream, and lavender – in the form of airy plumes. Some of these blooms are quite densely packed, others are more open; some are tall and upright and others are nodding or weeping. But all are beautiful, colorful, great texture filler flowers/plants for your perennial garden. They start to bloom in late spring, in mid-summer, or even late summer depending on the variety. Most gardeners leave the faded flowers on the plants to enjoy the dried heads all fall and even into the winter.

The foliage on most Astilbes is fern-like and deeply divided with small-toothed leaflets. Most are deep green in color, with glossy or hairy leaves. All grow from thick, fibrous-rooted crowns and form nice roundy clumps that slowly spread.
ALL ASTILBES ARE CONSIDERED DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT!

The Astilbe Younique Series that is new this year fits all of these categories. But they also offer a higher flower scape count and more compact foliage than many other varieties. The fast growing plants quickly form a nice mound of petite foliage. Younique Carmine has stronger stems, and more colorful flowers – bunches of fragrant, triangular, fuchsia-red plumes getting about 18 inches tall in bloom, with the plant itself spreading about 24 inches in maturity. Younique Lilac is topped by bunches of fragrant, triangular, lavender pink plumes which grow to about 18 inches tall and the plant to about 18 inches wide.

Astible chinensis ‘Delft Lace’ is a recently discovered variety of unknown parentage (suspected to be a combination of neighboring chinensis and japanica plants). It has deep blue-green, waxy foliage with a silver-lacey overlay, much like the foliage of the ever popular selection ‘Visions’, with a softer, much more garden-worthy bloom, strongly held high above the foliage on candy apple red stems. The buds emerge deep salmon-pink and open to a soft apricot-pink. It blooms in mid to late summer.

Astilbes are regal flowers that are also popular because of their versatility. Use them with ferns, irises, hostas and other plants that need moisture and average soil. A partly shady setting or along a pond is good. The chinensis variety can tolerate drier conditions for use in rock gardens or as groundcovers. In mixed beds combine astilbes with lady’s mantle, lung-worts, or Siberian iris. Taller plants can be used with Soloman’s seals in a garden or as the ‘thriller’ in combination pots. Shorter plants can be uses as the ‘fillers’.

Astilbe TIPS:
1. Moisture – consistant = #1 requirement, especially if grown in full sun. Summer droughts are its biggest problem. So is too much winter wetness – so provide drainage.
2. Best blooming will be in part shade – either morning sun and afternoon shade or filtered light. It will grow in full shade but not bloom as well. The edge of a woodland garden is nice.
3. It likes to be fed. Use high nitrogen (20-10-10) as you do for your lawn. Experts say that the best time is in October because the plant’s growth pattern is to beef up for the winter in November; but others say early spring is fine.
4. Buds are formed in the fall so best to get it planted in the ground before September ends.
5. Divide the overgrown plants every 3-4 years. Again, get this done after blooming but before the end of September.

Astilbe Aspirations – definitely a good thing to have!