August 19, 2010 Newsletter

If your garden isn't looking as great as it did in the spring, then maybe it's time to get out and deadhead. This doesn't mean you need to follow a Grateful Dead cover band around, it means pruning off the spent blooms from a plant to clean it up and promote new blooms.

How to Deadhead - Everyone has their own technique. Some people like to meticulously prune each old bloom off, lovingly preserving all of the leaves of the plant. For those of us who are more impatient, a quick snip and we want to be done. Either method is fine, although the more careful you are the better the plant will look. Select spent or almost-finished blooms and snip them off just above the first or second set of leaves. You can typically prune far enough down that the cuts will be hidden by existing foliage, leaving the plant looking even better than before.

When to Deadhead - Like any task, the more you keep up with it the easier it is. As soon as a bloom finishes, prune it off. The idea behind deadheading is to remove spent blooms before they create seed pods. If you deadhead weekly, you'll always have fresh blooms coming out. If it's been a few months since you tended your flowers, you may have to do a little more severe pruning and wait a few weeks for new blooms to appear. In spring, don't be afraid to prune severely - up to 50% of a plant at one time. This can encourage new growth and prolific blooming. In the summer, prune and deadhead more carefully, so as not to cause plants more stress during the hot months.

Keep it Sharp - Always make sure that you are using sharp, clean tools. When you are finished using your clippers or snips, clean any plant sap or residue off and if you were pruning a diseased plant, wash them off with a light bleach-water solution (This keeps diseases from spreading to other plants.) Always have a sharpener close at hand so that all of your cuts are quick and clean. Mashing at a flower with dull clippers will only harm the plant.

Get ready for blooms! Add a little fertilizer to the plants you've deadheaded and in a few weeks, new growth and fresh blooms should appear to make your garden smile again.

Fall Vegetable Gardening

Workshop: Saturday, September 18th @ 10am

Come out and learn about all the great veggies that you can grow in your fall and winter gardens, including lettuce, spinach, broccoli and more! Before you know it you'll be eating fresh-picked salads everyday.

The Edible Landscape: Fruit Trees

Workshop: Saturday, October 9th @ 10am

Mulberries, mangos and lychees. Mmmm. With so many tantalizing fruits, how do you pick the right one for your yard? At this workshop we'll talk about using fruits in landscaping, protecting fruits from cold weather and after the workshop we'll have a sampling of some of the tastiest fruits.

Pumpkin Patch

October (TBD)

It's Kerby's second annual pumpkin patch, complete with prizewinners, cinderellas, and all sorts of fun and wacky gourds. Bring the whole family out, enjoy a stroll on the boardwalk and pick out this season's pumpkin.

Fall Container Gardening

Demonstration: Saturday, November 6th @ 10am

Creating a beautiful container garden is easy and is a simple way to decorate any doorway, porch or patio. At this demonstration our container expert will demonstrate how to create beautiful arrangements that will make everyone who visits your home smile.

Happy Holly-days

Winter Open House: The Evening of December 3rd

Check your inboxes for a special invitation to this event. We'll have the nursery lit for the "holly"-day season, and hopefully this year we won't have too much Florida snow (rain!)


From our Garden to Yours	August 19, 2010