Garden Center Blog

vegging out

It seems as though the pace of setting up for spring is faster every year, but this season is especially frenzied. The yo-yo temperatures had all of us itching to start gardening in March, even though those chilly nights held back a lot of our plant deliveries and...

we’re digging the season

May is many a gardener’s favorite month, and this year even more so! The seesaw spring had spring flowers developing in fits and starts, but the warm temps late last week pushed many plants hard, all at once. My drive into work each morning is a little reminiscent of...

the rhythms of spring

All of April’s severe weather added up to a pretty wet month. The month’s total precipitation totaled 7 ¼-inches! Average is 3 ¾. With the exception of a small corner of northwest Wisconsin, the state is no longer showing any drought conditions. All of the gardens...

better late than never

Gardeners are not the kind of folks who enjoy being cooped up in the house all winter. When the weather finally breaks, and plants begin to emerge from dormancy, it’s understandable that we are eager to greet every new shoot and admire every swelling bud. But, we can...

spring wake-up call

This spring’s really warm days gave us a taste of the summer to come, but the unseasonably high temps should moderate for the next few days to something more seasonal. I’ve always maintained that gardeners are the most optimistic folks on earth and, no matter what the...

brief but brilliant

Every spring, gardeners hold their collective breath as we wait for the first green shoots pushing through the warming soil. To be a perennial gardener in this climate requires great faith in your choices. It seems miraculous that fragile perennial plants and very...

seeds of success

There are great reasons to grow your vegetables from seed because you have are so many more choices when you’re buying seeds. Let’s start with taste and depth of selection. Ordinarily, the Garden Center has 50 or so varieties of tomato seedlings on order. If you look...

lettuce beware!

My whiskers twich when you’re not watching- My ears flick like weather vanes. My eyes grow round and rounder, I hippety-hop along the rows. Sometimes I nibble cabbage. Sometimes I nap amid the squash. When the sun shines, my coat turns to rust. But when the moon...

you had us at pansies

Happy Vernal Equinox! And last Friday was everything I was hoping for the first day of spring. Despite that blizzard, the month of March, thus far, has felt fairly mild and if you look at Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, known...

plant a butterfly buffet

Learn About Butterflies Day was March 14th and it always reminds me that the battle between strength and fragility is not illustrated more clearly than by a butterfly. About 130 of these brightly colored beauties can be spotted during the spring and summer in...
the longest night

the longest night

written by Lisa Briggs
Many of the plants of the winter solstice can be difficult for us to grow, but something about them makes us want to keep trying.

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stop and smell the violets

stop and smell the violets

written by Lisa Briggs
During the holidays, when we need stress relief the most, we turn to gardening again and again, not only because it’s our passion, but because it is also our favorite form of therapy.

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a celebration of the season

a celebration of the season

written by Lisa Briggs
Many of the traditions and legends of the winter holidays have their roots in ancient celebrations from northern Europe, where the long winter brought the longest darkness, the deepest cold and the greatest fear.

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ode to the evergreens

ode to the evergreens

written by Lisa Briggs
The indoor Holiday Wonderland has been up and running for a week or so, but this week has seen so many trucks filled with evergreen wreaths, garland and trees from up north. Our once empty nursery yard is filled with the fragrance of fir and cedar.

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classic holiday plants

classic holiday plants

I love the bustle of the winter holidays. If I regret taking on extra projects, the sight of family faces around the table at Thanksgiving makes all of the work worthwhile. You can use all kinds of things to decorate for the holidays-live plants, foraged stems, fruits...

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we’ll light up your life

we’ll light up your life

written by Lisa Briggs
There’s no snow forecasted in our immediate future. So why not add some holiday decorating to this weekend’s chore list and hang your Christmas lights? These beautiful, late fall days are perfect for getting a jump on outdoor holiday decorating.

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