Garden Center Blog

written by Lisa Briggs
There are many commonly-planted trees, shrubs and perennials that are slow to emerge in the spring, especially after this roller coaster of early spring. We like to think of these plants as teenagers, lolling about in the garden bed late on a Saturday morning, while the rest of the plants in our borders are up and flaunting spring color.

written by Lisa Briggs
Many gardeners use Mother’s Day weekend as permission from Mother Nature to plant all of their tender annuals and vegetables. But you should keep your ears tuned to your favorite forecaster.

The plant buyers at the Garden Center take many things into consideration when they evaluate what new varieties to introduce to our customers. We are gardeners ourselves and are as excited as anyone when the catalogs start arriving touting the best of what’s new.

Those days in the 70s gave us hope that spring would be early this year, but this week’s temperature nosedive has felt like Old Man Winter is delivering a last one-two punch.

We seem to be caught in a snow cycle. As I write this, I remember driving home from the airport during Sunday morning’s Austrian snowglobe snowfall. The snow fell gently and steadily, slowly obliterating the lines between hard and soft surfaces.

At long last. It’s time to take a deep breath, because the physical work, and often frenetic pace, of the growing season is over. Not having a million things to accomplish in the garden may make some folks bereft, but many others so happy.

Forcing spring bulbs into winter bloom was the rage in the 1800’s. Hyacinths were especially popular. But there are others to try, too. We love vases of paperwhites and pots of amaryllis. And with a little prep time, you can have pots of tulips and daffodils blooming in your kitchen in late February.

For many gardeners, Labor Day marks the end of summer and the beginning of the autumn lawn care season. Cooler temperatures and more regular rainfall make this an excellent time to start a new lawn or repair an existing one.

Do you have questions when it comes to fall bulbs? What are they, and how and when do I plant them are things that gardeners ask. Planting bulbs is simple and rewarding, especially when the shoots emerge after a long winter.

Plant for the march of color and watch the leaves transform to amazing shades of scarlet, gold and orange.