“April is the kindest month.
April gets you out of your head and out working in the garden.”
~ Marty Rubin
We understand that you want to get out in your garden and we want you to. Unfortunately, current circumstances have forced us to alter how we do business. First and foremost we want to keep our customers and staff healthy. Customers are not allowed inside the store. We offer delivery and curbside pickup for all of our products. Follow us on Facebook and our garden center website to discover what has newly arrived. Please be patient with us through this difficult time. We are a small business and are a small staff. We want to do everything we can to make sure you are able to have your best garden and fresh professional floral arrangements. To place an order please call the store at 859-331-0222. You can order floral arrangements 24/7 here. We want to thank you, our loyal customers. You have been wonderfully supportive and we greatly appreciate it. We will get through this together and our gardens will look great.
Gardening is not cancelled!
Spring is in full swing and the weather has been beautiful. April is national Garden Month, if you need more inspiration to get outside. Take some time to prepare for the upcoming planting season. A little preventive care for your lawn and garden can you save you time and backaches this spring and summer.
Here are a few garden chores to tackle this month.
Prep your garden beds for plants by adding organic material (compost, cow manure).
Get a soil test,
Start seeds.
Buy fresh cut flowers for your home.
Early to mid-April is a good time to prune back rose bushes. This article by the University of Illinois Extension is a great place to start if you have questions on rose pruning.
Take advantage of the warmer temperatures and clean up garden beds and your landscape. Cut back perennials and ornamental grasses. Remove any debris that may have collected during the winter. Lightly clear mulch away from emerging spring plants, such as peonies.
Soil temperatures are warm enough to plant potato and onion sets and cool weather loving veggies. Radish, lettuce, kohlrabi, kale, carrot, bok choy, dill, and cilantro plants grow best in cooler weather. T wo great reasons for planting seeds now are you don't have to worry about pesky mosquitos while in the garden and you get to harvest fresh veggies in a couple of months.
If you have not applied the first step of fertilome's 3-step program, now is the time. "For All Seasons" will fertilize and prevent crabgrass and other unwanted lawn weeds. The preemergent prodiamine works to prevent henbit, oxalis, poa annua, chickweed, crabgrass, foxtail, purslane, shepherd's purse, prostrate, spurge, knotweed and others from sprouting in your lawn.
If you are looking to add to your landscape this year with a tree or shrub spring is a great time to plant. The plant will be able to acclimate before the intense heat and humidity of summer. (Hopefully the heat and humidity hold off until summer.) We have an amazing selection of shade, ornamental, and evergreen trees and shrubs, including a few hard to find varieties. Shrubs are arriving almost bi-weekly, along with perennials. We have a lovely selection of azaleas and rhododendrons that are blooming and budded. Maybe you're not ready to commit to a new tree or shrub, but are beginning to investigate plant options. Visit us for inspiration and help. We will do everything we can to help you create your best landscape.
We have everything you need to enjoy the season. We carry mulch, soil, fertilizers, seed, and plants. New plants are arriving weekly. Currently customers are not allowed in the store, but are allowed to view plants located outside. This includes plants in front of the store, on the parking lot, and inside the fenced-in area as long as you practice proper social distancing. We offer delivery and curbside pickup for your convenience. To place an order please call us at 859-331-0222.
Easter Flowers
Easter is Sunday, April 12th. Celebrations will be different this year, but that does not mean you cannot celebrate. Celebrate with fresh cut flowers and Easter lilies. Order an arrangement for a loved one you wish you could see. Order one for yourself, because you deserve fresh flowers. Our professional floral designers will create an arrangement tailored to your tastes. We offer delivery and curbside pickup for your convenience. Call us at 859-331-022 or order online today.
Azaleas & Rhodies
Azaleas are beginning to bloom and rhododendron buds are swelling. We have a great selection of these spring blooming shrubs. To learn more about azaleas and rhododendrons and to view photos of what we have at the garden center please visit our garden center website. Currently, customers are allowed to view our plants that are located outside of our building. All plants in front of the store, on the parking lot, and in the fenced-in area are open to customers, as long as you follow proper social distancing. Please contact us with any questions.
Running through my neighborhood, my head filled with worrisome COVID-19 information, I was able to smile and relax. Not because I believe we will be okay (which I do), but rather while steering clear of the woman walking her dog and the children playing outside I realized that spring was in full bloom. Cherry trees loaded with graceful delicate blossoms. Cheerful daffodils opened up to the sky. Red maple tree branches tinged with red flowers. Redbuds beginning to open their magenta purple blooms. Reaching my turn around point I could smell fresh cut grass, the first of the season. A clean sweet earthy fragrance. I turned off my headphones and listened to the birdsong. The calls of robins, wrens, and mockingbirds became my playlist. I finished my run sweaty, hot, and the most relaxed I've been since our lives began to revolve around the coronavirus.
I walked around my house and admired the signs of spring in my own landscape. Blooming daffodils and crocus, a crabapple tree in full bloom, forsythia shrubs covered in yellow blossoms, perennials beginning to sprout from the soil, swollen tulip and iris buds, freshly grown grass, a bluejay darting in and out of shrubs, cardinals calling to one another, and the fragrance of freshly turned soil in my vegetable garden. Spring was all around me. Taking time to step away from the constant flurry of news and spending time outside is a wonderful way to decompress. Working in your garden can help you take a deep breath and release stress. Even garden tasks, such as weeding can be relaxing and meditative. Go outside. Grab a book and a drink and go outside. Turn off your notifications and just spend time outside. Spring is only here for a brief time. Now is the time to get out and enjoy the beauty of the season.
"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose
I would always greet it in a garden."
~ Ruth Stout