Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Garden Basics”
Have you ever wondered what happens to the plastic containers that you return to Wenke Greenhouses in our recycle box in the corner of the parking lot? I’m happy to tell you about the recycling program that has really had a positive impact. East Jordan is a supplier for us and they have a facility in South Haven that takes all that plastic and makes it new again. East Jordan plans to recycle 12 million pounds this year. That’s a …
Caring for Your Grasses and Shrubs as the winter season approaches. How to protect your grasses and shrubs from the damaging wind and cold temperatures of winter: Grasses: Many gardeners do nothing in the fall to their grasses. Leaving grasses standing for the winter provides visual interest and some color to the winter landscape. Whether good or bad, grasses left standing also provide some shelter and protection for birds and other animals from the winter weather. Grasses are more tender …
Caring for Your Flower Gardens as the winter season approaches. Fall is a winding down time in the garden, but it’s also a window where you can get a head start on next year’s gardening season. Get ahead of the curve now, so when spring fever hits, your to-do list will be a little shorter and your garden will be a little more orderly, healthy, and productive. Before the first hard frost, remove all annuals from your gardens. They can …
Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with a dream – Josephine Neuse
A garden journal serves as a valuable tool for documenting your horticultural adventures, learning from successes and challenges, and creating a legacy of your green haven.
Additional Color for Your Gardens and Great Root Growth We are often asked “What are the advantages of planting perennials and shrubs in the fall?” Fall is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs due to cooler temperatures which put less stress on the plant and enable root systems to grow faster and larger. When we plant in the spring, all plants, perennials, annuals, shrubs, etc. are pushed to get a healthy mass of roots established so they can …
If you’re a serious gardener, you’ll be out in your garden the first warm second of spring. While there is no harm in cleaning up fallen branches and debris, wait until the soil is no longer wet enough to form a ball in your hand before walking on it and compacting it. But don’t wait too long to start your clean up. It’s much easier to cut plants back before the old growth gets tangled up in the new growth. …
Plant tags are your key to success when choosing and growing plants. If you don’t understand all the things you see on a label, you’re not alone. Unravel the mystery of plant label lingo – and take the guesswork out of selecting and placing plants in your yard. Plant labels may be different, but often they contain similar information. Here are some of the common words you’ll see on plant labels – and what they mean to you. When shopping …
Most people think of landscape maintenance as exclusively a warm-weather activity. It’s an understandable assumption as it’s easy to see what needs to be done when you are outdoors, enjoying the beauty of your landscape. However, when cooler temperatures bring you indoors, out of sight should not mean out of mind when it comes to your shrubs because the best time to prune many of them is actually in the dormant season, when plants are not growing. Why? …
A seed is not just a seed. Was I ever amazed after taking a tour of the Ball Seed Technology Lab in West Chicago, IL. The hours of work that it takes and the science behind what’s needed is far beyond what I knew about. I recently attended the Ball Customer Appreciation Day in West Chicago, IL. Ball Seed is a one of our largest sources for the seed that purchase to produce our plants. For most items, we sow …
