Discover Gardening

November 18, 2010   


Growing healthy plants is one of our favorite things to do here at Kerby’s.  This month, the Kerby's family has grown in an entirely different way.  We are thrilled to announce the births of:

Abigail Jo Bokor (right) to owners Kim & Joey on November 8th at 2:14pm. She weighed in at 7lbs 7oz, and was 20" long.

and Atahlia Mae Kerby (left) to owner Mark & his wife Yira on November 10th at 5:15pm. She weighed in at 6lbs 14oz and was 20" long.

Help us welcome the future owners of Kerby's nursery! It won't be long before you see both of these beautiful girls helping Grandma & Grandpa Kerby in the garden!

Happy Gardening,
Kim, Joey and Mark

In This Issue
Protecting Plants from Winter Frost

Upcoming Events

Reindeer Philodendrons and Poinsettias
are in!

New Fall & Winter Hours:

Monday - Saturday:
9:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday:
11:00am
- 4:00pm

 

Protecting Plants from Winter Frost

All that hard work. The sweat, the backaches . . . don't let it go to waste by not preparing for the winter. Make sure you are stocked up on all of the essentials for protecting your plants, like frost blankets and anchor pins.  Follow these easy tips to make sure your garden comes into spring looking even better than before.

Protection - When frost or freeze approaches, the best thing you can do is be prepared to cover your plants. Have frost blankets and anchoring pins on hand so that you don't have to make a last minute trip to Kerby's and have a plan for covering up your most sensitive plants. Make sure that you cover plants all the way to the ground, resting the blanket lightly on the plant and then anchoring the blanket to the ground with the pins. Not attaching the blanket allows cold winds to creep under easily and either blow the blanket off, or push out the warm trapped air that is protecting the plant.

Water Well - The day before cold comes in, make sure you give your plants a good soaking. A lack of water when cold, dry winds are blowing can cause double the damage to your plants. Water plants at the roots only. Water on the leaves doesn't help and can cause more damage for landscape plants.

Stop Fertilizing - By now, you should have done your fall fertilization on all of your plants. At this point, you want to hold off on any general feeding until springtime. Too much fertilizer right now may encourage growth spurts during warmer days, and this new growth is extremely sensitive to cold, no matter how hardy the plant.

Avoid Some Pruning - On sensitive shrubs, you'll want to avoid pruning unless absolutely necessary. Pruning stimulates growth which can lead to weaker plants.  A plant that is a little taller or wider than you want can be a good thing, as it will provide a little extra insulation. Throughout the winter is a great time to prune roses, crape myrtles, evergreens, and any deciduous trees.

Double Protection - If you're a fruit nut and have exotic tropical fruit trees, consider doubling the protection by using multiple layers of frost blankets. For covering trees, have a few stakes on hand to prop the blankets up so they aren't pulling the leaves and branches down. 

These are a few tips you can use to protect your garden this winter. The best protection is being prepared for whatever mother nature throws our way.

 

Upcoming Events

Protect your Plants

Workshop: Saturday, November 20th @ 10am

Current predictions are for a slightly drier and milder winter this year. That would be welcome after last year's record-breaking cold. But even in normal years, we experience a few days of frost and freeze. To learn the best way to prepare and protect your plants from cold temperatures, come out to this workshop. We'll show you how to properly cover plants and share other tips that you can use to protect all of your hard work.

 

 

 

 

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!)

 


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Kerby's Nursery

2311 S. Parsons Ave.

Seffner, FL 33584
(813) 685-3265
www.kerbysnursery.com


Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Saturday,  9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday,  11:00am - 4:00pm