Martin Garden Center sells almost 10,000 shrubs and vines in the spring. Beginning March 1st, we will be receiving new shipments every week. We carry over 1500 different varieties of shrubs, vines & grasses though all varieties may not be in stock at any given time. The single most popular shrubs we sell include Crimson Fire Loropetalum, Anna’s Magic Ball Arborvitae, and Sunshine Ligustrum so we always attempt to have these shrubs available. As most customers are looking for shrubs for foundation planting, two-thirds of the shrub zones are composed of shrubs that are less than 4 feet. Our garden center has several distinct zones for shrubs and they are well-labeled. These areas include:
- Sun Evergreen
- Shade Evergreen
- Azalea Hill
- Rhododendron & Boxwood House
- Camellias
- Deciduous
- Vines
- Grasses
- Fruit.
Azalea Hill
All of our different shrub zones are always arranged by height, from shortest to tallest, as you go up the hill. Our Azaleas are sorted by color on Azalea Hill. Our Encore and multi-season blooming Azaleas are arranged solely on the left side by mature heigh. On the right side, we arrange our spring-blooming Azaleas by color then height, beginning with pink, then white, followed by red. Orange & purple varieties are after red.
Our Most Popular Shrubs
Our Hydrangeas can be found in our shade house, where they are safe from our marauding deer population. Our Hostas, which are Gallon Perennials, are also safely situated in the shade house as they too are deer fodder. Note that although many hydrangea varieties that we offer can tolerate the full sun, we must keep them safely in our shade house. Consequently, as the season progresses, it is incumbent upon our customers to acclimate their sun-tolerant hydrangea from our shade house to a full sun environment prior to planting in the sun else the hydrangeas will suffer from sunburn.
More About Shrubs…
We have placed informational signs for all varieties of shrubs in each of our shrub zones. Much information can be gleaned by reading these signs. Each shrub is tagged with a 1-inch strip tag. The strip tag will have the same or similar information as the sign, and the strip tag will also have the price of the plant. Occasionally, customers will remove tags and not purchase the plant. If there is no tag, we can access the price in our Point of Sale system, which contains descriptions and prices of all items in our store.
Martin Garden Center does not sell instant gratification shrubs. Instead, we sell shrubs in 2-3 gallon containers that will grow into maturity to their full size. Customers should be cognizant of the ultimate mature size of the shrub and plant accordingly. For example, if a plant’s mature height and width will be 5’X5′, plant them at least 6 feet apart to prevent them from touching. We provide planting guides for all shrubs & trees which describe the best way to plant in our lovely native clay soil and how to water your new plant. This involves using a soil amendment (either Soil Conditioner or Mushroom Compost), to loosen the soil, provide organic nutrients, and help with drainage. To jumpstart your root growth and help your plant grow faster, we recommend Espoma Bio-Tone, a starter fertilizer with mycorrhizae fungus.
When contributing to the death of a plant, most people tend to love their plants to death (Overwatering) so pay close attention to your guide. Martin Garden Center has a 30-day warranty on the plants we sell with the only exceptions being over-watering and under-watering. We warranty that we are selling you a viable plant but after it arrives at your home, we cannot control other circumstances that can cause the death of your shrub so please be prepared to take proper care of your plant.