~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Power of Trees ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As I drove past an empty parking lot recently, I noticed a single tree growing in a landscape island. And wouldn't you know, there was a single car parked under the shade of that lonely tree. I thought "Isn't that something? Create any kind of shade in a parking lot and somebody will park under it." Isn't it true of all of us? If there are trees in a parking lot, we seek out their shade. That's what we do, because it feels good (and nobody likes returning to a hot car). Now comes recent research published in Scientific Reports that indicates you actually do feel better and healthier by having as few as 10 trees on your block or cul-de-sac. The study used 95,000 Toronto citizens as its testing ground. They found you feel up to 7 years younger or it feels like having an extra $10,000 in the bank. We all know urban trees improve air quality, reduce cooling and heat costs, and make our home environment aesthetically more appealing. Several studies have shown that exposure to green spaces can be psychologically restorative to mental health, reduce blood pressure, reduce stress, reduce sedentary time, and promote physical activity. Powerful testimony, isn't it? All these advantages just for having some trees in your yard! One researcher wrote for New Yorker magazine saying gall bladder patients in a Minnesota hospital who had a view of trees out their window were able to go home a full day earlier than those whose view was a wall. Here's another surprising result. Toronto's study leader, Marc Berman, tested people for memory and attention. Half the subjects walked 50 minutes a day in an arboretum. The other half walked city streets. Those who walked among the trees performed 20% better than their compatriots. The results were the same even for those who disliked walking in the woods. Keep these studies in mind as you plan for what you want your yard to be like when it's finished. If you haven't made a plan, it's time you did. Here are some easy to grow trees we highly recommend for shade and beauty: October Glory Maple Chinese Dogwood Augustata Crepe Myrtle Red Sunset Maple River Birch Ken Matthews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Late Show ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fall is the breezy season that extinguishes the heat of summer while rekindling the fire and dazzle of your garden. Cooler temperatures rejuvenate plants that have been scorched by the sun. And although, blooms may fade, there is no reason to lose any color if you do some strategic planting. Choose versatile plants. There are many shrubs that can do double duty in your yard. Blueberries, Itea, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Weigela, and Spirea are just a few shrubs that will fruit or bloom earlier in the year then put on a showy display of reds, oranges, and yellow leaves in fall. Look for interesting structure. Contorted Filbert, Corkscrew Willow, Royal Star Magnolia, and Yellow or Red Twig Dogwoods, show their true personality when they drop their leaves. Plant ornamental berries. Beautyberry, Winterberry, Pyracantha, and Viburnums produce berries of purple, blue, red, and orange in the fall and early winter. The berries are pretty enough on their own, but the birds who stop by for a visit will add their own pageantry. Use ornamental grasses. Fall is the time when grasses are in their glory. From feathery plumes to delicate tassels, grasses add movement and grace to your landscape. Leaving seed heads on perennials, like Rudbeckia, Goldenrod, and Echinacea well into winter can add whimsy and texture to shrubs that are quieting down for the year. So, when you are deciding on plants for your landscape, remember those plants that add color, shape, style and interest in the fall and winter months... when visual variety in the garden can give a dreary day a needed lift. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Your Calendar! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Create warm and welcoming Autumn Decorations! Stop by for your seasonal decorating needs: Garden Mums Hay Bales Pumpkins Corn Stalks Pansies Gourds Don't miss out on the great savings you can get with the Autumn Decorating Package! Available through October 16 as supplies last. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you seen our happy Minions busy "gardening" outside the garden center? Ask about our Minion Starter Kit! Some fun Minion facts! *Tall minions all have the same haircut. *One-eyed minions are rarely tall. *Minions have only three fingers. *Minions can survive in outer space, meaning they resist freezing and do not need to breathe oxygen. *Minions speak a mixture of Spanish, English, French, and Italian, with elements of Russian and Korean ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, October 1 12-6 PM Yorktown Wine Festival Riverwalk Landing in Historic Yorktown Tasting Ticket: $30 advanced ticket/$35 at the festival Includes sampling privileges and souvenir wine glass; Food is available for purchase from any of our food vendors. Non-tasting wristband $15 at the gate only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, October 15 11AM Miniature Garden Workshop This is a hands-on class, ideal for parents/children or grandparents/grandchildren. Children must be accompanied by an adult. (One child per registered adult.) Workshop fee of $25 includes a container, soil and miniature plants. Miniature gardening items purchased during the workshop by registered participants will receive a 20% discount. All ages are welcome! Register by calling 757.898.7799 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday, October 10 Columbus Day Christopher Columbus, born in Italy, landed in the Bahamas, part of the Americas, on October 12th, 1494 with three ships and 90 crew members. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday-Sunday, October 14-17 Container Gardening You Pick It, We Pot It Well-designed container gardens placed strategically at a home's entrance can add value and make the home more welcoming. Container gardens also allow you to enhance numerous other indoor and outdoor locations....a sunroom, balcony, patio, courtyard etc.. You pick your plants and pot and then we'll plant your container.... for free!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday, October 31 Halloween Dressing up on Halloween comes from the Celts. The Celts celebrated Samhain, a festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter- the first day of November. It was a time when the wall between our world and the paranormal world was porous and spirits could get through. Because of this belief, Celts wore costumes and masks to ward off or befuddle any evil spirits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tips for the Garden ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals and Bulbs * During the fall months, after soil temperature drops below 60°F., plant spring flowering bulbs like Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, and Crocus. Select healthy, disease free bulbs. Add Dr. Earth Fish Bone Meal into the planting hole as you prepare the soil. Most spring flowering bulbs should be in the ground by the early part of this month, with the exception of Tulips which can be planted up until early November. * It is time to set out Mums and plant Pansies, Ornamental Kale and Cabbage to keep a little color in the garden for as long as possible. * Newly planted trees and shrubs need to be watered at least two times a week until the temperature drops below 50° consistently. * Spread a 2"-3" layer of mulch after fall planting to keep the soil warmer longer, allowing root growth to continue. * Throughout the fall and winter months you can plant or transplant both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs with only minimal shock to the plants. * Mark your perennials with permanent tags, or create a map or take a picture showing their locations so you'll know where and what they are when they die back at the end of the season. This will help you to avoid digging up something you intended to keep when you plant bulbs and plants this fall and next spring. * Continue to scout for insect or disease damage. As a precaution, treat with Bonide All Season's Oil as necessary. Fall Lawn Care * Put down your second application of lawn fertilizer, Jonathan Green Green-Up Lawn Fertilizer. House Plants * The longer your house plants were allowed to remain outside in the fall, the more shock they will go through when they are finally moved indoors. If you haven't brought them in yet, do it now!! Apply Bonide Houseplant Insecticide to kill any hitching pests. Odds and Ends * One last effort at weeding will help to improve the appearance of your garden throughout the winter. Any weed that you can eliminate from the garden this fall will possibly prevent thousands of weed seeds from sprouting in the garden next spring! * Keep lawn and garden raked clean of leaves and debris. Fallen leaves, old plant parts and grass clippings should be added to the compost pile. * The birds will soon begin their winter migrations. Give them a helping hand by providing them with some food for their long journey. No one likes to travel on an empty stomach, and you may even persuade a few of them to stick around for the winter, if they know they have a reliable food source like Lyric Wild Bird Food. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring & Summer Flowering Bulbs Purchase 3 or more bulb packs and receive $1 off each pack Expires October 31, 2016. Not valid in conjunction with any other offers, gift certificates, previous purchases, bagged goods or bulk items. Limit one coupon per customer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
