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Basic Care for Your Gardens

Our newsletters over the years have provided some great advice on how to prepare garden beds in the spring, plant, prune, water, compost, and clean up beds in the fall.  They are organized by category below, so pick a topic to gather up information to be the best gardener you can be.  Please email us if you have questions we haven't answered.  We would be happy to talk with you, and add your suggested topic to those below.

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All posts were written by Owner Carol Thomas unless otherwise noted.

Gardening 101: 

"A Rose by any other name

would still smell as sweet."

Explaining the language of Plants!

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Nomenclature and Categories

The Name Game of

Common versus "Latin" Names

Bad Terminology is the

Enemy of Good Thinking

Gardening 101:

The Tasks of Gardening!

"When Should I Water It"

"When To Prune What"

Composting

Pruning Do's and Don'ts

Deadheading

Caring for Your Plants (Annuals) When You Get Them Home

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1.  When you unload your plants from your car, be sure to put them in shady spot or on a covered porch until they adjust to the transition, or until you are able to plant them.  It is not a good idea to put your plants in a garage or shed where gasoline or similar chemical fumes are present.

2.  Check the plant's moisture level by touching the soil surface.  If it feels dry to the touch, give your plants a good soaking.  If the soil feels moist, wait to water them until the soil becomes dry.  Plants in 4 packs or small containers will dry out very quickly.  Some may need to be watered more than once a day if the outside temperature is very warm and the air is dry.  Be careful not to over water your plant.  The symptoms for a dry plant and an over watered plant are the same:  the plant will look severely wilted.  (Check the instructions on the tag to find our if your plants prefer dry, sandy soil or moist, dense soil.

3.  When ready to plant, it is a good idea to have the root ball of the plant moist and the ground well watered.  Dig a hole at least twice as deep and twice as wide as the plant.  If your soil is not very rich, add quality soil or compost soil in the bottom of the hole to help feed your new plant.  Place the root ball in the ground with the top of the soil on the root ball level with the ground.  Add soil around the root ball and press it down with your hands.  Water well so the soil fills in around the roots of the plant, and no roots are exposed to the air.

4.  For the first couple of weeks make sure your new plants do not dry out too much.  Annuals like to be fertilized every 4-6 weeks throughout the summer so they will bloom continuously.  (We recommend 'Jack's Petunia Feed" for all of your annuals.)  Pinch back or deadhead any flowers that are starting to die or droop.  This will help your plants to produce many more flowers in the summer.

5.  Enjoy your flowers!

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