~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ April 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Winter Brown Got You Down?
Some plants will lose leaves... Some will lose twigs... Some will die back to the trunk or stem... Some will die back to the ground... Fear Not! Your patience will be rewarded! Wait until June; many plants recover surprisingly well! Don't prune or fertilize until you see new growth. Do the thumbnail test by scratching the bark - green indicates the plant is still alive! Look for new growth at the soil level. On the other hand: If you don't like the plant in the first place... We'll be happy to introduce you to a new GREEN plant!
Sunday, April 5 Easter What could say "Happy Easter" better than a basket of beautiful blooming bulbs? Bulb baskets are available for your Easter & Spring festivities! Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19
Welcome Spring Celebration Enjoy "everything spring" at the garden center this weekend! Beautiful hanging baskets, blooming color, new tree and shrub introductions, treat yourself to a new piece of pottery, or get advice from our Garden Associates with your tree and shrub selection and the products you'll need for successful gardening! Saturday, April 18 Earth Day Celebration It marks the anniversary (April 22) of the start of the modern environmental movement in 1970 - a time when factory smog, car exhaust and air pollution was accepted as the "smell of prosperity". Celebrate Earth Day by planting a tree or shrub. On April 18th, we'll give a free azalea to the first 100 families coming through the door (one per family). Saturday, May 2 Herb Speaker 10 -11 AM Learn the best herbs for healthy living and then how to grow and use them in cooking. Register by calling 757.898.7799. Herb Tasting Event 12-3 PM Learn how to add new taste experiences to your meats, veggies, and beverages by using herbs you can easily grow in your own garden or containers. Enjoy a tasting of herb infused recipes. Planting a Vertical Herb Garden 12 PM Looking for a new way to grow herbs, or running out of garden room? This space saving gardening project will have you growing a vertical herb garden in no time! Join us for a one hour hands-on workshop where you will plant your own GrowVert system with your choice of your favorite tasty herbs. The GrowVert Vertical planter ($35 value) will be free to class members and herbs will be sold at a discount. Registration fee is $5. Register by calling 757.898.7799. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Check This Out! WINTER WOES AND YOUR LAWN
WOW! What a winter it's been! You've had to spread a lot of ice melter on your drive and walkways and some could have gotten on your lawn. Salt in the soil does the following things to a lawn all of which become evident in the spring: -prevents roots from taking up water causing dehydration of the plant tissue -restricts the uptake of nutrients -rapid color loss -burn more easily during the hot summer months. The solution to your lawn soil salt build-up is Mag-I-Cal! Mag-I-Cal is 100% soluble calcium which is applied to the soil to raise soil pH. An imbalance of calcium will lead to compact soils which will restrict the flow of air and water affecting the plant roots and slows down the growth of beneficial microorganisms. The fact acting calcium in Mag-I-Cal helps in root and leaf development and makes phosphorous and micro nutrients more available. Get the calcium level right in the soil and most of your work is done! Mag-I-Cal will rapidly balance the soil's calcium and pH levels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Community Announcement: Saturday, April 18 YMCA Victory at Yorktown First Annual 10K Run/Walk 9 AM 1 Mile Family Fun Run/Walk 8 AM The Course Race begins on the waterfront of historic Yorktown. Run by Cornwall's Cave and Yorktown Victory Monument. Through Yorktown Battlefield, Surrender Field and down Surrender Road. Finish back at the waterfront. http://www.peninsulaymca.org/news/victory-at-yorktown-10k/ Saturday, April 18 10 AM-3 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: * Color is everywhere this month! April bloomers include azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods, redbuds and magnolias as well as camellia, daphne, forsythia, pussywillow, weigela and spirea. * We recommend fertilizing annuals and perennials with Dynamite 13-13-13 fertilizer. It contains balanced rates of N-P-K and microbes for overall plant growth and development. Fertilize all your acid loving evergreens (hollies, Camellias, azaleas) with Holly-tone. * For all your new spring plantings, we recommend using Root Master at the time of planting. This will encourage root growth and help get the plant off to a vigorous start. * Time to plant fruit trees. Most fruit trees need a pollinator (two different kinds that bloom at the same time). * Before adding fresh mulch to your flower beds, apply a weed preventer such as Preen, to keep weed seeds from sprouting. * Fertilize bulbs with a slow-release fertilizer such as Dynamite 13-13-13 fertilizer as they emerge. * If you have a pond, begin feeding your fish Chengro Spring & Fall fish food when water temperatures are above 50 degrees. * Time to plant cold season vegetables: Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chives, Collards, Horseradish, Kale, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Rhubarb, Spinach and Swiss Chard. * Mix organic matter into your vegetable garden. We recommend Bumper Crop a soil conditioner as well as lime and 100% organic Dr. Earth Tomato Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer. * April is a great time to get your lawn into shape. Pick-up a copy of our brochure, "Lawn Care Recommendations" or see a member of our staff. * Feed houseplants with a good quality indoor plant food such as Bonide Liquid Plant Food 10-10-10 Fertilizer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ $5 OFF Your Purchase of $35 or More With this coupon or email Expires April 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