Utah's First
Family Nursery
The heat is here and it reminds us how lucky we are to have beautiful, waterwise perennials in our garden. With the increasing population here in Utah, conserving water is definitely a top priority.
There are many great resources in Utah for guidance on water conservation while gardening. We've shared many of these programs with you over the years: Utah Department of Water Resources, Conservation Garden Park, USU Extension Services, Red Butte Conservation Garden and Localscapes are all programs or resources we love. They all have Utah specific guidance with truly beautiful results.
Glover Nursery’s own landscape department participates in the Localscape design program. If you have done a Localscape design, you might have even worked with one of our experts to create your own waterwise oasis!
These make our top 7 for a number of reasons: beauty, aromatic, quick to establish, pollinators love them, season round interest, and of course, water-wise. We were going to just do 5, but it was impossible to narrow the list down that far.
Lavender -Commonly used for aromatherapy, Lavender is also an amazing plant for attracting pollinators. The purple flower wands bloom prolifically. The flowers create a lovely compliment to their grayish-green leaves and stems. Lavender loves the full sun and, once they are established, can tolerate a great deal of heat and drought.
Upright Sedum – Distinctive, fleshy foliage combined with bright flowers, Sedum is a great, waterwise addition to your garden design. They do better with more sun, tolerate low water well, and add a bright pop of color later in the season. The texture and color of the leaves prior to flowering add some visual interest and contrast in the mix.
Agastache (Hummingbird Mint) –These aromatic, showy, long blooming plants may as well be called “Hummingbirds love me”. They attract those elusive birds the second they start blooming. There are many varieties of Agastache available, some of them with very distinct black licorice smelling flowers in bright reds, yellows, purples, oranges and pinks.
This waterwise flower is a classic for a reason, Echinacea (aka Coneflower) makes top 5
lists frequently. The blooms are beautiful, they are easy to grow, available in all sorts of colors (we have 28 varieties of Coneflower right here at Glover’s!). Plus, it is well known for it’s healing medicinal properties – an effective immune system booster, very welcome these days!
Coreopsis – A repeat bloomer is a great addition to any area needing summer color. The bright flowers pop all season long and, added bonus, in addition to being water-wise, is extremely low maintenance. Blooms come in a wide variety of colors make this an easy choice for any color scheme. 
Yucca – Rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-like leaves are extremely popular in desert areas for a reason, these are water-wise superstars. The come in a variety of colors and sizes and make a unique accent piece, especially when they bloom. During their bloom season, though it is shorter than the others on this list, the spectacluare sight of the tall stalks with bunches of white or cream flowers seem to hover above the leaves. 
Helianthemum – This waterwise flower is also commonly known as Rock Rose or Sun Rose. This is a great ground cover style perennial that resembles a flower carpet in mid to late summer. When this flowers, it is a show stopper. Deer resistant, disease-resistant, easy to prune, beautiful foliage when it isn’t blooming and truly breathtaking blossoms when it does, added to that list it is also a water-wise perennial…it is clear to see why we couldn’t leave this off the list. One other plant category to consider are perennial grasses – while it is ‘grass’, they are not the lawn. Perennial grasses are waterwise and they add striking visual interest with nice contrast that compliments the blooming perennials listed above.
Of course, there are loads more waterwise plants to choose from than just these 7 (ok, 8) that will work for your project. Still, we hope this gives you a good starting point for your new park strip.
If you're interested in learning more about waterwise solutions for your garden check out the “Flip Your Strip” rebate program. This wonderful program gives an easy way to start moving toward a waterwise yard. You can check out the guidelines and qualifications here. If you are eligible, you even get money for swapping out your lawn for some truly beautiful perennials.
While they do have a few fantastic examples of how you could design your park strip, the design options are limitless.
And, as always, if you have any questions, we are here to help. Come on down and see us at 9275 South 1300 West.
Happy Gardening!
5 Things To Do In Your Summer Garden
Our homes and gardens are our safe havens right now and as a result we are seeing a growth in….well, in growth. As far as the timing goes, it couldn’t be a more appropriate. Spring is upon us and it is time to plant.
As we do not know how this crisis will affect us long term, a number of people have started growing their own food source – some are doing it for recreation, and some as a genuine way to ensure fresh food for their families throughout the season.
If a Victory Garden is something that appeals to you, we are here to help.
You can view what is currently available to start getting ideas for what you may want to plant in your own garden. If you're looking to start anything from Strawberries to Onions to Cole Crops we've got what you're looking for in our Veggies, Fruits, and Herbs page.
We have the plants and expertise to help you start your own garden with everything needed for success. Now, that is a Victory indeed.
Find details on how we are safely conducting business under the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” directive on our website, link here.
We are open from 8am-5:45pm Monday through Saturday at 9275 South 1300 West.
See ya soon.
Garden Plant Helleborus: The First Blooms of Spring
Creative Gardening Pairings from Monrovia
We love these jewels of the sky! These beautiful birds arrive in Utah in late April/mid-May and stay through September. It's best to prepare your habitat before hummingbirds arrive. However, it's not too late to attract these fascinating birds to your yard.
Many migratory hummingbirds, the breeding natives, arrive in Utah sometime in April or early May. It varies year to year depending on changing environmental factors. Like many wild animals, the male of the species is much more flashy than the female. They normally have colorful throats and tails and sometimes will whistle as they fly.
The best way to attract these jewels of the sky is to provide the necessities for their perfect habitat. The more of these you can provide in your own backyard the better chance you will have of daily hummingbird visitors. We've put together 5 guiding principles to make the perfect Hummingbird Habitat in your Utah yard.
When you bring up hummingbirds most people think immediately of red sugar water. But, that's not the only way to attract hummingbirds. A hummingbird feeder is a great way to supplement native sources of nectar in your yard. However, using native and non-native plants is the best source for these active birds.
Thoughtful plantings of native nectar sources can provide an uninterrupted food source throughout their stay. Because hummingbirds are well adapted to native plants they are the best way to invite hummingbirds to your yard. Native plants also make your yard a perfect nesting spot year after year.
Consider adding the following fantastic sources of nectar to your landscape.
We have the best Hummingbird Feeder Recipe. Again, we want to make sure and point out that a hummingbird feeder should be used as a second source of food for these busy little birds.
Supplemental feeders should be filled with a solution of four parts water to one part white sugar. Feeders can ferment if left too long. Keep your feeder fresh by cleaning them well and replacing sugar water before it begins to ferment.
Sometimes hummingbirds become territorial of a feeder. To avoid this behavior feeders should hang at a distance from each other or out of sight from one another.
Shallow water attracts hummingbirds. Traditional birdbaths tend to be too deep for these tiny birds. As a solution, you can fill your birdbath part way with pebbles and rocks to make them more suitable. We have a variety of birdbaths available at the nursery and filler too!
Hummingbirds also like moving / natural bird baths. They will bathe in sprinklers, misters and water droplets that have collected on large leaves. Planting Cannas and Hostas in your yard will create a natural birdbath for hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds will create their home in a place with natural materials readily available. Providing perching sites, nesting sites and nesting material is a great way to encourage hummingbirds to take up residence in your yard. And keep them from using your yard as just a pass through.
Trees, shrubs and vines offer protection from predators. These are also the perfect place to build a nest. Preferable nesting materials include moss, lichens, and fur. Pappus from seeds such as dandelions, thistle, aster and asclepias cotton also make great nesting materials. Surprisingly, spider webs are an especially important nest component.
Nature is it's own best exterminating system. Spiders and insects are a protein-packed meal for hummingbirds. We knew we loved these busy little birds!
Hummingbirds also use spider webs for nest building. Keeping an organic garden will allow nature to work at it's best. A well-balanced backyard ecosystem is essential for providing sources of protein.
For more information on hummingbirds visit
Create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Your To-Do List: April Gardening Tips
My 3-year old niece came tearing into gramma’s house the other day screaming, with delight, “My plants are growing, Gramma! My plants are growing!!”. She was so excited she could barely contain 
herself. She kept running around the house in circles, absolutely over the moon that “her” plants had grown.
It was one of those moments that, as a 5th generation member of a family whose business it is to help gardens thrive, made we wonder...how do we get kids to have this kind of love for gardening at such a young age? What was it that made my little niece want to jump back out into the dirt with her colorful shovel and help gramma grow her tomatoes?
We did a bit of polling among our gardening experts. Drumroll Please! It seems like there are a few ways to get the entire family gardening, and actually enjoying it, together!
Whether you are laying out an entirely new landscape design, planting a veggie garden or just refreshing a flower bed with a few annuals, let the kids be involved. If they get to select the tree you take home, or even just one small annual, they feel important. That feeling of ownership will have them more invested in the success of that plant. Plus, with their creative minds, they may pick a color or texture you would never have thought of. Sometimes a new perspective can make the landscape stand out even more beautifully.
Give them their own kid-size plot.Let your kids plot out a bit of dirt to take care of themselves. Even if they are too little to properly plant something, they can help in small ways. Suggest they pick up little sticks or debris (leaves, etc.) that may have fallen in the garden. If they are a little older, and with a bit of direction, they can help with weeding, cutting flowers for indoor décor and harvesting when the time has come. Then, of course, for the eldest, there is the all-important mowing of the lawn.
Kids will love being part of the process from start to finish. They might even be more excited about eating the veggies they have taken such good care of throughout the season.
Little hands need little tools. Gardening tools that fit their hands and are easy to use will make your kids excited to get dirty. There are some really cute gardening toys out there that are light-weight, durable and actually work! Kids can truly help with digging without yielding an overly heavy shovel designed for big hands.
We love and use Melissa & Doug for our little gardeners, they make great, long-lasting products. We even started carrying them, available now in our main store. However, there are others available on the market that will work and make it fun. We've seen good sets at local drug stores and Target.
Make the project a good challenge for their age, but not so overwhelming they end up unable to finish. While this is different for every family and every child, you'll know your child's skill level best.
Of course, there are some givens, a 3-year old won’t be able to mow the lawn and a 14-year old will likely get very bored picking up sticks. Find a project that challenges them enough to make them feel successful.
Grows together! Enjoy the side effects of spending time with your family in the garden. You will have given your kids something to be proud of while exposing them to nature, taught them where their food comes from and instilled in them a sense of accomplishment and pride. And, maybe just shortened your personal chore list a bit in the process.
Nest step? Use that extra time to cuddle up and watch a movie together before a rest-filled bedtime. Because, as we all know, physical activity helps promote deeper sleep and better rest.
Give them the gift of gardening and build their love of gardening right alongside yours.
We hope this short list triggers some ideas. We'd love to know how you get your kids involved in the garden in a fun and easy way.
As always, if you have any questions, we are here to help.
Happy Gardening!
Updates, Sales, and Gardening Tips
9275 S. 1300 W. West Jordan, UT 84088 Phone: (801) 562-5496 Fax: (801) 562-5595 Email: [email protected]
Updates, Sales, and Gardening Tips
