Caring for your Phalaenopsis Orchid

Orchids have a magical beauty and allure, with incredible colors, shapes and scents. With over 30,000 species of orchids available, it is important to know what kind of orchid you have. This holiday season, Wenke will be offering the Phalaenopsis Orchid. These plants are commonly referred to as “Moth Orchids” and are considered among the easiest of the orchid family to care for. Here are a few basic tips help your Phalaenopsis orchid grow, thrive, and bloom.  Temperature Phalaenopsis enjoy a fairly warm …

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins that Sue made for us! They are a perfect treat to bring to all your holiday gatherings and a great way to show off your homemade pumpkin purée! Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins 1 15oz can or homemade pumpkin 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 …

The Great Pumpkin – Homemade Pumpkin Purée

In the fall, pumpkin dominates a lot of recipes. For ease, I often turn to easy-to-find canned pumpkin. I always thought it was super complicated to make my own pumpkin purée. Well, thanks to our resident baker of “all things delicious”, Sue Sarters, I now know differently.  Recently, Sue purchased some of our pie pumpkins and took them home to make her own homemade pumpkin purée.  She then took that homemade pumpkin purée and used some in a recipe for pumpkin …

Cheers to Cherry Bars

Need a delicious treat to share at your holiday gathering? Michele, our resident designer, brought in an amazing cherry treat for all of us here at the retail store.  It was so good I thought I would share… Enjoy! Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes Ingredients: 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (9 graham crackers) ¼ cup sugar ½ cup butter, melted 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 21-ounce can LUCKY LEAF® Regular or Premium Cherry Pie Filling …

Bean Soup

Looking for a low fat, high protein meal? Try this quick and easy soup made mostly with canned beans. It is one of my favorites! I love this garnished with a pinch of shredded sharp cheddar and some crushed tortilla chips. Ingredients 1 can Black Beans 1 can Kidney Beans 1 can Cannellini Beans 1 can Butter Beans 1 can Fat Free Refried Beans 1 can Diced Tomatoes 3 cups Water 1 tsp Minced Garlic 1 tsp Onion Powder 1/2 …

Know your Zone

Do you know your garden zone? The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is used by the garden industry to communicate the cold hardiness of landscape plants. Knowing your planting zone can be very useful when you are planning your garden and flower bed areas. The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter …

Inviting Fairies into your Garden

Do you have a fairy garden in your home or yard? Fairy gardening has become a very popular trend in the world of gardening. Making a fairy garden can make you feel like a kid again and make the worries of the world go away.  It’s just you and your own perfect place. What’s not to like, right? Fairy gardening/miniature gardening is creating scenes and garden areas using small plants and accents.  Your ideas and what you choose to create …

Mezoo is a hit!

I love to try different plants in my garden and every now and then I come across a variety that is a real winner. That is how I feel about Dorotheanthus bellidiformis ‘Mezoo Trailing Red’. Wow, that is a mouthful, huh? Let’s make it easy and just call it Mezoo. I noticed this plant for the first time this past spring. I was looking for a variegated vine that would grow in part sun. Mezoo fit the bill and had pretty little …

Cool Weather Vegetables

As it gets warmer and we have more sunny days, I can almost taste all those fresh vegetables from my garden. While it is still too early to plant some vegetables, there are some varieties of veggies that tolerate, even love the cold. They thrive in early spring’s cold soil temperatures, frost or even snow. Most of these grow great in containers as well as in the garden. And they have two growing seasons! While cold-crops will not withstand the heat of the mid-summer months, they can …

potting soil

Get the dirt on our soil!

  We have our own special blend of potting soil called Wenke Blend. Wenke Blend is very lightweight to provide aeration while also having good water retention abilities. It has the best ratio of peat, perlite and other ingredients that the plants need. No fertilizer is added to the mix so you can add your own based on the plants you are using.  Wenke Blend is the best soil to use in container gardens and many customers even use a half and half mix of Wenke Blend …