Brrr! As you may know, I write a gardening column for the Lynden Tribune each month, and without fail, if I make any sort of a statement about the weather, it suddenly turns on its head and proves me wrong the next week. Recently, I made mention of how mild the winter had been...and this week, well, you know what happened! I'm thinking this spring I should complain about how dreary and cloudy and rainy the weather is--do you think it might get us some sun?
Anyway, this cold weather hasn't been the greatest if you have shrubs or trees starting to bud out already. Chances are, you'll have at least some damage evident--but unless all your plants are movable, there wasn't a whole lot you could do. And you know what? They will grow back. It's been cold, but nothing that should kill most plants.
So, what's to be thankful for with the weather this week? Chances are, it killed a bunch of bugs! Now, I'm not going to stick my neck out and say that we'll be free of insect problems in the year ahead--that would be a bit presumptuous--but the more cold we have, the more bugs die. Last winter we had such a mild winter...and we had lots of bug issues through the summer. Let's hope that this cold snap took care of that problem!
Next week the weather is supposed to warm up again, and with the more seasonable temperatures, we'll be bringing in our first loads of shrubs, trees and perennials. It's about to get very colorful at Vander Giessen's, and after the last few days, we're ready to see some signs of spring! For today, though, bundle up, wrap your hands around a steaming mug of coffee, and enjoy the last hurrah of winter!
February 26, 2011
February 23, 2011
February 16, 2011
February 14, 2011
Spring is Coming--Are Your Roses Ready?
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| 'Perfect Moment' Hybrid Tea Rose |
With the mild weather, you've probably noticed your spring bulbs popping up, some of your perennials sprouting—and have you taken a look at your roses? Chances are, they're starting to bud out, and if they haven't yet, they will soon! So, it's time for that always-daunting task: spring pruning.
Roses are beautiful shrubs—no other flower can quite match their prestige or classic beauty. But they can also scare many people, and that might include you. I've written in the past about rose care made easy with today's liquid—and now granular—all-in-one formulas that take care of feeding, insect and disease control in one application. This time of year, however, pruning should be your top priority, so grab a pruner and get started!
First, take a look at the shape of your rose bush. In an ideal world, it would be nicely symmetrical with equally sturdy branches (called canes) growing outward in each direction. Like I said, that would be ideal—your shrubs may be somewhat lopsided or have only one or two very strong canes…and they might all point in the same direction. No problem—you can correct that!
Selecting three to five of the strongest, most evenly spaced canes, either mentally or physically tag them as keepers. Keep in mind that roses like to have good air circulation around and through the shrub, so pick canes that face outward from the center of the plant. If you don’t have at least three sturdy, vigorous canes, pick those that are the most evenly spaced from each other and are free of scars and winter damage (identifiable by blackened bark). With proper care and patience, they’ll fill out into strong canes, too. Now, here’s the most frightening part of the job: chop out everything else.
That’s right—get pruning! With a sharp pruner, cut each of the non-essential canes down all the way to the ground or half an inch above the knobby point where all the branches meet (called the graft or bud union). Depending on what type of roses you have, your plants may or may not have a graft.
As for the three to five canes you’ve chosen to leave? They will need to be pruned, too. First, though, take a look at how the buds are situated on the stems. At about a foot (between 8 and 16 inches) above ground, find buds that face away from the plant—remember the part about keeping good air circulation? Approximately one half inch above the buds, prune the canes at a 45-degree angle pointing down and away from the buds. This will keep water from collecting on the wound and causing rot or other problems.
Finally, check your pulse. Is your heart beating up in your throat? That’s to be expected—it can be scary to chop down so much of the shrub. Ultimately, though, a hard pruning in late winter before the plant leafs out does little to hurt a rose and can actually invigorate it to grow stronger and healthier than it would have otherwise.
Still have questions? At Vander Giessen Nursery and at any of the independent nurseries around the county, you’re sure to find an expert who can offer advice for how best to prune and care for your roses. Now, muster some confidence, grab a pruner and get to work!
The End of Hibernation
I think bears got it right when they first decided to start hibernating. I mean, they spend their whole life traipsing through the woods eating berries and chasing the occasional hiker who happens to cross their path, so it seems like a great idea to just take a few months off during the quiet, cold winter season to hibernate...doesn't it?
Well, we haven't exactly been hibernating around here at Vander Giessen's, but if you've called or stopped by--or just checked out our website--in the last month and a half, you may have noticed we were operating with more restricted hours. Not that we've had any shortage of work to do--quite the contrary!--but when spring and summer have us working longer hours, it's a nice breather to be able to cut back a bit during the quietest time of the year and spend a little more time with our families.
Now, as we gear up for another great gardening year, we're pleased to announce that we're back to our normal operating hours: Monday-Saturday 9:00-5:00. Things are starting to get busy--we're stocked with primroses, pottery, fountains and a great selection of lawn and garden products. Perennials are planted and starting to take root, our roses will arrive this week and we'll also be expecting our first major shipments of annuals to come--that's over 12,000 flowers!
If you're as excited as us for spring to arrive, we invite you to stop in anytime at Vander Giessen's to browse what's available, what's growing and find out what's coming soon (shrubs will be here in just 2 weeks!). It's an exciting time of year, and we look forward to sharing it with you. Happy gardening!
Well, we haven't exactly been hibernating around here at Vander Giessen's, but if you've called or stopped by--or just checked out our website--in the last month and a half, you may have noticed we were operating with more restricted hours. Not that we've had any shortage of work to do--quite the contrary!--but when spring and summer have us working longer hours, it's a nice breather to be able to cut back a bit during the quietest time of the year and spend a little more time with our families.
Now, as we gear up for another great gardening year, we're pleased to announce that we're back to our normal operating hours: Monday-Saturday 9:00-5:00. Things are starting to get busy--we're stocked with primroses, pottery, fountains and a great selection of lawn and garden products. Perennials are planted and starting to take root, our roses will arrive this week and we'll also be expecting our first major shipments of annuals to come--that's over 12,000 flowers!
If you're as excited as us for spring to arrive, we invite you to stop in anytime at Vander Giessen's to browse what's available, what's growing and find out what's coming soon (shrubs will be here in just 2 weeks!). It's an exciting time of year, and we look forward to sharing it with you. Happy gardening!
February 9, 2011
February 3, 2011
Here it comes!
Have you ever stood out on a beach during a big storm and watched the waves crash ashore? It's fun to watch the swells start to build out as far as the eye can see--and more fun still to try to predict which one will be "the big one" that makes you run for high ground!
But I'm not here to talk about big waves coming ashore...although it's starting to feel like it. Even though we're only halfway through winter, spring will be here before we know it, and we can start to see the waves building on their approach to the nursery, so to speak. We've gotten final notice of the first of our plant orders--some of our perennial starts have already arrived--we're starting to get plant tags in the mail (meaning an order of plants is soon to follow) and our back room is presently full of fertilizers, squirrel-proof bird feeders, and a great assortment of new products soon to be unpacked and proudly displayed. Before we know it, we'll be up to our eyeballs in plants and gardening products once again!
Like I said, it feels like the waves are starting to build, but in the world of gardening, that's great news--spring will soon be here! Enjoy the last weeks of winter, and stay tuned...we've got great things in store for the year ahead!
But I'm not here to talk about big waves coming ashore...although it's starting to feel like it. Even though we're only halfway through winter, spring will be here before we know it, and we can start to see the waves building on their approach to the nursery, so to speak. We've gotten final notice of the first of our plant orders--some of our perennial starts have already arrived--we're starting to get plant tags in the mail (meaning an order of plants is soon to follow) and our back room is presently full of fertilizers, squirrel-proof bird feeders, and a great assortment of new products soon to be unpacked and proudly displayed. Before we know it, we'll be up to our eyeballs in plants and gardening products once again!
Like I said, it feels like the waves are starting to build, but in the world of gardening, that's great news--spring will soon be here! Enjoy the last weeks of winter, and stay tuned...we've got great things in store for the year ahead!
February 2, 2011
Something New: "Wordless Wednesday"
In the world of blogging, it's not always easy to find time to keep things current--especially as the season gets busier, it can be challenging to keep our readers up to speed on what's going on at the nursery and in the world of gardening. That's why I'm starting something new: Wordless Wednesday!
While I will continue to post regular written updates on what's new, in bloom and looking good at the nursery, I'm excited to debut this new weekly feature for our blog. The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" never fails to ring true--and sometimes, a picture can say it all. Don't worry, though--if the picture begs a description, I will add a caption!
Also, I would like to extend an invitation to you to submit your pictures of plants you've purchased at Vander Giessen's! We'd love to feature your garden, hanging basket or mixed planter for all to see! Simply e-mail us your favorite picture you'd like featured, and we'll make sure it gets posted (and don't worry, we'll credit you so you get the bragging rights)!
We hope you enjoy following us at Vander Giessen's as we start this new feature. Happy Wordless Wednesday!
While I will continue to post regular written updates on what's new, in bloom and looking good at the nursery, I'm excited to debut this new weekly feature for our blog. The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" never fails to ring true--and sometimes, a picture can say it all. Don't worry, though--if the picture begs a description, I will add a caption!
Also, I would like to extend an invitation to you to submit your pictures of plants you've purchased at Vander Giessen's! We'd love to feature your garden, hanging basket or mixed planter for all to see! Simply e-mail us your favorite picture you'd like featured, and we'll make sure it gets posted (and don't worry, we'll credit you so you get the bragging rights)!
We hope you enjoy following us at Vander Giessen's as we start this new feature. Happy Wordless Wednesday!