Garden Center Blog

bulbs & corms & tubers oh my

Are you confused when it comes to fall-planted bulbs? Lots of gardeners are. What are bulbs, and how, and when should they be planted are questions that we often hear at the Plant Information Desk in late summer and early autumn. Adding bulbs to your borders is simple...

bring the outdoors in

September can be such a transitional time, especially for gardeners as our landscapes seem to teeter on the edge of a climatic cliff. Colors will begin to morph from deep green foliage to mellow butter yellow and fiery scarlet. Branching forms reappear as deciduous...

late summer recap

What a difference a wetter growing season makes! The Madison area’s rainfall is just a couple of inches over average April through end of August. It certainly has been a wet July and August, but we were running very low in the early spring months. The temps and...

second chance veggies

So many of you planted fruits and vegetables again this spring and we hope that you’ve been happy with the results. After all, there are few things more delicious then a tomato eaten right off the vine. And you may find that you’ve got some empty spots where spring...

borrow from the prairies

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And reverie. The reverie alone will do, if bees are few.” Emily Dickinson Mother Nature has been kindly helping us water our gardens, making this growing season a bit of an anomaly. The hot, dry...

thinking ahead

Seesawing temperatures are one clue that summer is on the wane. Long-range weather forecasters are predicting a warm August, giving us lots of time to plant some fall veg and late blooming annuals. If you didn’t plant a family veg garden this spring, you can try a few...

good golly it’s hot!

The brightest of the stars in the Big Dog constellation is Sirius, the Dog Star. In the mid-summer, it can be seen rising and setting with the sun. This conjunction caused the ancients to believe that Sirius’ heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of...

a few words on maples

Maples are some of the most popular shade and ornamental trees at the Garden Center. And why not?  They can provide plenty of shade, offer amazing fall color and can be super adaptable. There are even a few varieties of native species in the shade tree line! There are...

dig into grasses

Whether you plan to use them to screen unsightly views, or to provide focal points in your landscape, ornamental grasses are a great way to add structure and texture to your garden. Many types are tolerant of heat and dry conditions, and keep their good looks no...

summer swan song

No one wants to be the first to say it, but here we go. The Solstice was a couple weeks ago and even though we are under the spell of the dog days, astronomically summer is on the wane. Of course, there are plenty of things to do in the garden - weeding, watering new...
the 64 dollar gardening question

the 64 dollar gardening question

written by Lisa Briggs
I find that the pace of spring seems more accelerated every year and this season is especially frenzied. The yoyo 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 trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals are arriving early!

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we are so ready for spring!

we are so ready for spring!

written by Lisa Briggs
April’s crazy temperature swings had gardeners racing from the urge to get tomatoes in the ground to the scrambling to dig up floating row covers and empty utility pots from the back of the garage.

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is spring here to stay?

is spring here to stay?

written by Lisa Briggs
Last weekend’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.

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beauty can be fleeting

beauty can be fleeting

written by Lisa Briggs
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.

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bring the spring inside

bring the spring inside

written by Lisa Briggs
A beautiful vase of flowers is a perfect remedy for chasing away the late winter blues when all we really want is to see is the light of spring at the end of winter’s tunnel.

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