Dear Friends, Those of you who know me know that I am what my kids would call “old school.” I don't post, tweet, friend, or like anything that is not tangible and in front of me. I refuse to upgrade from my Iphone 4 because getting an Iphone was enough of an upgrade for me in the first place. I type with one finger and I rarely answer my phone - just ask my wife. With that being said, I do have to say thank you to my younger and more “with-it” employees for putting Olivers in the public eye and for getting us “liked” and followed and whatever else it is that they do. I have always believed, and still do, that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. However, as times have changed, the way both good and bad news is spread has changed too. So, if you haven't already, check us out on Houzz, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. You will have access to the best photos and advice that Olivers can offer right at your finger- tips - which brings me back to my point - word of mouth. Whether virtual or over a cup of coffee it's what we depend on. When you come to Olivers we hope that your experience is “old school.”We strive to keep the art of retail alive with knowledgeable and friendly staff and great plant material that you will be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. So, thank you, for all that you have done to make us happy because you choose to shop at Olivers. And if you are like me and choose the old-fashioned way of communicating stop by or call me and I promise I'll answer the phone. Sincerely, Scott Terms of Business Guarantee We guarantee that all plants sold by us are true to name. This guarantee is limited to the purchase price of the plant. We offer no guarantee as to the hardiness, growth, or performance of any stock we sell, since we have no control over its handling or care after it leaves our nursery, nor of the weather conditions to which it may be subjected. The hardiness ratings in this catalog are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Map. They represent our opin- ion, or the best opinion available to us, and are offered as a service only, and not as a guarantee. Landscape Guarantee All woody plants, planted by us, are guaranteed for two full growing seasons. Unless otherwise specified, all guarantees are void if full payment is not received within 30 days of job completion. Gift Cards Today’s gift . that can be planted anytime. For the plant lover or the new home- owner, a nursery gift card makes a most appropriate holiday, birthday, or anniversary present. Available at the nursery for pick up, or we would be happy to send the card direct to the recipient for you. Design Services Oliver Nurseries has been serving Fairfield County for over fifty years! During that time we have become a resource for all aspects involved with landscaping including design, plant installation, masonry, site work, drainage, walkway and driveway designs. Because we are a small company, we are very hands on, and pride ourselves in giving special attention to every detail. From design to installa- tion, we have the resources to make your dreams a reality. If you are interested in these services, Olivers Design Associates can be reached at 203-254-2303, or come into the nursery and fill out a landscape inquiry form. Oliver Nurseries CATALOG k 2016 This book is dedicated in loving memory to Marilyn Oliver, Ellie Spingarn and Adam Carvallo k Contents For the Beginning Gardener ............................. ii Plant for Success ........................................vi Key to Symbols ........................................ix Alpine Plants ............................................1 Annual Plants . ........................................29 Perennial Plants . ......................................62 Vines ................................................115 Woody Plants ........................................124 Site Solutions ...........................................221 Directions ................................Inside Back Cover This catalog represents our enthusiasms, rather than being an all-inclusive list of availability. Please feel free to ask if we have failed to list something of inter- est to you. We are sorry, but we cannot offer direct mail services. Oliver Memberships We are members of the: Alpine Garden Club (England) Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia American Hosta Society American Rhododendron Society Connecticut Botanic Society Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association The Eriogonum Society Highstead Arboretum J.C. Raulston Arboretum New York Botanical Gardens North American Rock Garden Society Perennial Plant Association Rhododendron Species Foundation Scottish Rock Garden Club The Conifer Society Wave Hill Botanical Garden We recommend membership in the following societies: North American Rock Garden Society The American Conifer Society www.nargs.org www.conifersociety.org P.O. Box 18604 P.O. Box 1583 Raleigh, NC 27619-8604 Maple Grove, MN 55311 Dues $40.00 Dues $38.00 American Rhododendron Society www.rhododendron.org Laura Grant Executive Director P.O. Box 525 Niagra Falls, NY 14304 Dues $40.00 i For the Beginning Gardener n the past, new gardeners often commented that our catalog was very hard for them to read and understand if they knew nothing about plants or did Inot read Latin. In an effort to make the task of selecting plants easier and less frustrating for the novice, we have added more general descriptions of major plant groups within the catalog text. These descriptions should help educate first- time gardeners about plants suitable for their gardens and arm them with enough of a background to make them dangerous! The plants in our catalog are listed by their botanical names, which are Latin based. The botanical name is broken into two parts: the genus and the specific epithet. Genus refers to the major plant group and is always capitalized. For example, apples all belong to the genus Malus. Specific apples within this large genus are referred to by their species name (genus and specific epithet). The spe- cific epithet is not capitalized. For example, an eating apple’s botanical name is Malus domestica. Usually, the specific epithet will tell you something about the plant. It might refer to things such as color, leaf shape or the plant’s place of origin. A short list of some common words used in specific epithets follows. alba—white minor—small alpinus—alpine nana—dwarf angustifolia—narrow-leaved niger—black arachnoideum—cobwebbed occidentalis—western arboreum—tree form officinalis—medicinal aurea—golden orientalis—eastern caeruleum—blue palmatum—lobed campanulata—bell-shaped paniculata—heads of flowers canadensis—from North America parviflora—small-flowered cernuum—drooping patens—spreading chinensis—from China pendula—weeping citriodorus—lemon-scented procumbens—trailing contorta—twisted pumila—small cordata—heart-shaped reptans—creeping fastigiata—upright salicifolia—leaves like a willow (Salix) glauca—bluish-grey white sempervirens—evergreen grandiflora—large-flowering sibirica—from Siberia japonica—from Japan spicata—spiked lanuginosa—woolly stolonifera—spreading by stolons latifolia—broad-leaved tomentosa—hairy lutea—yellow triflorum—three flowered macrophylla—large-leaved vernalis—spring flowering major—large viridis—green microphylla—small-leaved vulgaris—common ii Within some species, certain varieties have been developed which are known only in cultivation. These are termed cultivars and will appear in our catalog in single quotations, as in the example Malus domestica ‘Granny Smith’.Each cultivar has particular traits similar to the species but is unique in some regard. Here is where it gets just a little bit more complicated. Malus has cousins, plants with common characteristics that the taxonomists have grouped into families. Obviously, all of these cousins do not have the same name. Malus are related to Alchemilla (Lady’s Mantle), Rosa (Rose), Spiraea, Geum, Amelanchier (Shadblow), Cotoneaster, Prunus (Cherry), and Potentilla to name a few. They are all members of the family ROSACEAE. If we look at another family, FABACEAE, the similarities become even more clear. One could make a garden with Cercis (Redbud), Wisteria, Baptisia, Cytisus (Broom), Lupinus (Lupines) and peas and beans and everything would fall under the same family name. As you knelt down into the clover (Trifolium—still in FABACEAE) to harvest your peas and beans in your blue jeans, it might interest you to know that the first blue dye came from the pea family—the famous and costly Indigo (Indigofera). Family names can be a fascinating game, but they are also an indispensable tool. The lone botanist on some Andean Alp can be confronted by a plant he has never seen before. But when he kneels down for a close look, there is an excellent chance that the plant’s characteristics will tell him to which family it belongs. iii k Plant ID We love challenges, so if you have a plant, and you are not sure what it is, bring us a piece of it and we will try to identify it for you. Keep in mind that it is easier to ID specific varieties of flowering plants when in flower. For example, most mountain laurel leaves look very much alike, but the flowers can vary greatly. If you can’t bring in a piece of the plant, answers to the following questions will help us make the ID. Flowers What shape? How many petals? What color? Single blossom or clusters? When does it bloom? Leaves Deciduous or evergreen? What shape ? What color? Are they smooth or hairy? Leaves entire (smooth) or serrated? Opposite or alternate? Stem Square or round? Hollow? Milky sap? Habitat Swamp or sand dune? Sun or shade? Habit Herbaceous or woody? Height? Does it clump, run, climb or creep? Fruit What size? What color? What shape? Identifying bugs and plant diseases is also easier if you bring us a sample, but please, bag them so we don’t get them too.