March 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spring Awakening Driving home one evening from work, it occurs to me I can see the landscape around me just as good as I could in the morning. The days are getting longer... it must be March. Each day brings a sense of unexpected excitement... the birds are more active... the trees are showing bud... bulbs are now in full bloom... the landscape is coming to life. And so must we. After a winter of sitting too long in front of the computer, eating too much at night and going to bed too early, my psyche wants winter to continue! The thought of activity and humidity are daunting! My brain is screaming "I MUST work out!" I MUST start eating salad!" "I MUST get my winter and summer clothes swapped out!" This spring thing happens to me every year. I imagine I'm not the only one. There is one saving grace for us spring procrastinators... we live in Virginia. March may or may not bring 70 or 80 degree temps. Winter may just stick around a bit longer! There is one thing for sure though... soon... Spring awakens... and there's no stopping it.
Heather Klose, Landscape Designer
Saturday, March 21 10AM Learn from the Master Himself! Pruning Clinic with Ken Matthews
Learn three pruning secrets to make your shrubs five times healthier and ten times easier to control as well as successful pruning methods you won't learn at any seminar or read in any book. This is a hands on clinic so bring your pruning tools! Plus, he shows you how to make your own topiary!! Register by calling 757.898.7799 Sunday, March 8 Spring Forward! Daylight Savings Time Begins
Tuesday, March 17 St. Patrick's Day
Friday, March 20 First Day of Spring
Saturday, March 21 Bonsai Demonstration and Open Studio Morning Lecture/Demonstration: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon Open Studio: 1:00 PM- 3:00 PMGuest Artist Christopher Schmuck will present a live demonstration and lecture on the Art of Bonsai. After a lunch break with an open studio where participants may bring in trees for tips and advice. This is a free event. Register by calling 757.898.7799 Saturday, March 28 10:00 AM Miniature Gardening Workshop
Explore ways to create your own magical miniature garden, complete with pint-sized accessories, diminutive plants, and quaint fairy figures. We will provide you with instructions for creating an enchanting garden world that will attract Thumbelina herself! Workshop fee of $25 includes a container, soil and 3 miniature plants. Registered participants will receive a 20% discount on all miniature gardening items purchased during the workshop. All ages are welcome! Register by calling 757.898.7799 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Check This Out!
Bridal Wreath Spirea The breath-taking display of cascading, crisp, white blooms in March-April is what makes Bridal Wreath Spirea as popular today as it was with our grandparents. Bridal Wreath Spirea has graceful, arching branches that can reach 6'- 10'. Even the spent blooms are lovely as they create a delicate, spring snowfall. And this delightful shrub is no less impressive in fall when the leaves turn to an orange - red.Spireas, in general, are easy plants to grow and are tolerant of a lot of growing conditions, with the exception of wet areas. Easy and stunning makes Bridal Wreath Spirea a must have for your garden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Weeds are Awakening! It is that time of year again to start to attack those pesky lawn weeds.
Knowing the difference of a grassy weed from a broadleaf weed is half the battle! No need for a fancy degree it's really very simple.
Broadleaf weed types have larger leaves and most often flower, where as a grassy weed has a narrow leaf. The reason you need to know is also simple- most herbicides only kill one or the other weed.
For example: Bonide Weed Beater eradicates most broadleaf weeds but won't touch a grassy weeds;
Bonide Crabgrass Control will kill a variety of grassy weeds but won't affect a broadleaf weed.
Please always read in entirety the label of the herbicide you are using. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Community Event: Saturday, April 18YMCA Victory at Yorktown First Annual 10K Run/Walk 9:00 AM 1 Mile Family Fun Run/Walk 8:30 AM The Course Race begins on the waterfront of historic Yorktown proceeds by Cornwall's Cave, the Yorktown Victory Monument, through Yorktown Battlefield, pass Surrender Field and down Surrender Road, finishing back at the Yorktown Waterfront. Saturday, April 18 10:00 AM-3:00 PM 4th Annual Authentic French Market Sponsor: Sister Cities Yorktown Riverwalk Landing in Yorktown
Experience all things French with all of your favorite French products. This annual event celebrates the spirit of the regular Saturday market in Port-Vendres France, Yorktown's sister city since 1990. Traditional market products such as fresh-baked bread, pastries, confitures, gelato, crepes, chocolates, soaps, and French wine along with fresh food items will be available for purchase. This is a free event. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tips for the Garden: General Gardening Tips * For all your new plantings, we recommend using Rootmaster at the time of planting. This will encourage root growth and help get the plant off to a vigorous start. * Spray fruit trees, roses and other trees and shrubs with Bonide All Seasons Oil, a dormant oil spray. This dormant oil should only be applied if the temperature is above freezing and below 80 degrees. This spray is recommended if your plants had a problem the previous year. Examples include scale, mites, aphids, whitefly, leaf rollers, and other pests. * Plant pansies and violas for early spring color in containers and the landscape. * It's time to start seeds indoors for spring annuals and cool season vegetables such as lettuce, kale, carrots, pansies and violas. * Prune roses and cut back liriope and ornamental grasses before new growth begins. * Plant cool season vegetables such as onion sets, asparagus, and potatoes. * Apply Preen Weed Control to garden beds after mulching to prevent weeds from germinating. * Fertilize bulbs with a slow-release fertilizer such as Dr Earth Rose and Flower Fertilizer as they emerge. * Spring is upon us so make an appointment with one of our landscape designers to make enhance your gardens. Lawns * March is a great time to get your lawn into shape by applying lime, fertilizing and preventing crabgrass and other weeds. Basic tips are provided here, but for more in depth instructions, please click the link for "Our Lawn Care Recommendations" or see a member of our staff at the store for a printed copy. * Test your lawns now to see if your lawn needs a pH adjustment. Lawns prefer a pH of about 7. If your tests show a level lower than 6.0, or you have not limed the lawn in the past two years, you should do an application. Stop by the Garden Center for an easy to use, at home, pH test kit. * Prevent crabgrass in the lawn by applying Jonathan Green Crabgrass Preventer Plus Green Up (if not seeding) in late March or when the soil temperatures reach 50 degrees F. * If you are not seeding, you can also kill broadleaf weeds in the lawn by applying Jonathan Green Weed Control. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 30% OFF Bridal Wreath Spirea With this coupon or email Expires March 15, 2015. Not valid in conjunction with any other offers, gift certificates, previous purchases, bagged goods or bulk items. Limit one coupon per customer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have a question or need more information? www.kenmatthewsgardencenter.com staff@kenmatthewsgardencenter.com