Archives

Spring Clean Up

The days are slowly warming, the snow is melting, and if you are anything like me, the dormant landscape beckons. If the ground is still frozen it may be too early for planting, but there are plenty of things that can be done now to ensure a successful growing season. Now is the time for [...]

Berries for Fall and Winter

The season is winding down and the plants are changing from green to different shades of red, orange and yellow.  Soon, the trees and shrubs will be bare for the winter months, leaving a skeleton of what the landscape used to look like. In order to have year-round interest, some homeowners plant evergreens to keep [...]

Fall Festival: Sept 22-23

Trees’ leaves are changing, night temperatures are cool and crisp, and fall mums are abundant and blooming.  To celebrate fall’s arrival, the garden center is hosting the 2nd annual Fall Festival on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23.  The garden center is offering 42% off of almost everything in stock, including most trees, shrubs, [...]

Lawn Establishment in Fall

Late summer and early fall is the best time to reseed your lawn, or get a new lawn established for the first time.  With the cooler temperatures and more frequent rainfall, it saves money on your water bill and gives you a jump start on next season.  Planting through September 20 is advised; planting after that date risks [...]

Fall Planting: Evergreens

In fall, many peoples’ thoughts turn to winter’s bare landscape.  It’s always slightly depressing to look out into your yard and see white snow blanketing everything with nothing there to spark interest.  Evergreens are an easy way to add splashes of color in the winter, and September is a great time to plant evergreens!  The [...]

Fall Annual Season

By late August, many summer annuals are stressed and dried out.  The flowers may be smaller than they should be, or not there at all, and the foliage is a brown or red color.  Simply put, the annual containers look tired. Fall annuals are a great way to add new color and life to your [...]

The Science Behind Fall Color

If you’ve been in Wisconsin this year, you know this has been a very abnormal year.  The spring started off two months early in March, and the summer months were humid and hot; temperatures soared for months and no significant rainfall fell until the middle of July.  Plants have been stressed all year, and this [...]

Lawn Dormancy

With the hot, dry summer, many lawns were brown and dormant.  The last couple weeks, however, we’ve gotten at least an inch of rain, so our lawns in this part of the state are starting to green up again.  Kentucky bluegrass, which is very common in lawn seed mixes, is a cool season grass; anytime [...]

Plant Native Trees

Many landscapes are taking a beating with the summer’s hot, dry and humid trend.  In a neighborhood close to the garden center, a maple tree has already changed to the red fall color not usually seen until early October; there are other non-native trees in parts of Appleton also changing early.  Native plants, however, seem [...]

Deadhead Now for Extended Blooms

Spring’s colorful show has long since passed, and we are in the dog days of summer.  Many landscapes and gardens are suffering more than usual this year due to our prolonged heat and drought, but there are ways to ensure blooms and color this fall.  In addition to making sure the plants get enough water [...]