Garden Center Blog

written by Lisa Briggs
We call them all bulbs, but bulbs, rhizomes, corms and tubers are essentially storage organs that contain flower buds. The structure feeds the developing flower as it grows to maturity and blooms.

written by Lisa Briggs
We’ve got a couple of chilly nights under our belts, with the night temps as low as 45 degrees. So it’s time to get your houseplants that have spent the summer months outdoors ready for their move back inside.

written by Lisa Briggs
When summer is dishing out heat and humidity, and winter brings us face to face with another polar vortex, we remember rich palette of autumn. Fall color typically peaks mid-October in southern Wisconsin, but many of us are too busy to do much traveling.

written by Lisa Briggs
What a difference a season makes! Now that we’ve turned the calendar page from August to September, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Cooler temps. Lower humidity. And so many other reasons to love fall! But a gardener’s work is never done. There is so much to do. Let’s start by acknowledging that cold weather is coming.

written by Lisa Briggs
The average first frost in the Madison area occurs in the first week of October, but we did experience a 31 degree night on October 2nd last fall. The first hard freeze didn’t occur until the 19th when the mercury dipped to a chilly 27. So it isn’t a bad idea to formulate your plan for moving houseplants and other tropical plants that have spent the summer outside, indoors for the winter.

written by Lisa Briggs
The Iris is named after the Greek goddess of the Rainbow. The three upright standards and three drooping sepals are symbols for faith, valor and wisdom. It seems appropriate that the Keeper of the Rainbow is the symbol for iris because they are available in every color of the rainbow.

written by Lisa Briggs
So many of you planted fruits and vegetables again this spring and we hope that you’ve been happy with the results.

written by Lisa Briggs
It is a bit early to plant spring blooming bulbs like Tulips and Daffodils, but the Garden Center will soon be home to autumn crocus and iris rhizomes.

Written by Lisa Briggs
The hot, dry weather that is typical of late July, early August and this season, almost all of June, can be hard on your garden plants.

Written by Lisa Briggs
Even though the Dog Days began a little earlier than usual this year and will end on August 11th, I’m sure there’s still plenty of sultry summer weather in our future. Cicadas and crickets have been singing us to sleep, and those nights are still warm.