It's Pansy Planting Time!

I've been surprised to learn how many customers at Strange's don't know how important it is to use a specialized Pansy food when planting these winter wonders. Sure, Miracle Gro and Osmocote are great fertilizers for annuals, shrubs and perennials; however, Fertilome's Premium Pansy Food has the stamina to stand up to those freezing temperatures that prevent other plant food products from releasing nutrients. This 7-22-8 blend allows for a slow release of natural chemicals in small doses as opposed to the high nitrogen, phosphorus and potash mixed in with Miracle Gro that can sometimes burn Pansies or force them to grow too quickly and wilt after this initial burst of color. Fertilome Premium Pansy Food can also be used to fertilize bedding plants, perennials, hibiscus, bulbs, bougainvillea, crape myrtle and blooming shrubs. Stop in today to pick up a bag and give your Pansies what they need to survive this winter!

Written by Ginny Gregory.
http://www.stranges.com/

Do Your Cole Crops Look Like This?!

This time of year is prime season for cole crops! For many varieties we recommend harvesting after the first hard frost, which tends to affect the taste and texture of leafy greens for the better. However, a very common and malicious pest also travels to your crop beds to munch on the tender shoots before we even have a chance to enjoy them in our own tummies! Even one lonely caterpillar can wreak havoc upon an entire garden, favoring cabbage, kale and collard greens much to the dismay of our green thumbs.

Thankfully the solution to this issue is simple to find and easy to use in the bacterial disease that quickly and effectively turns those wormie bugs into instant fertilizer. As a naturally occurring chemical in soil around the world, Bacillus thurigiensis is safe to spray on any vegetable crops and can be rinsed off of your future side orders with a heavy scrub from the kitchen faucet. This compound can be found in Safer Brand Caterpillar Killer available in an 8 ounce concentrate that should be mixed by the teaspoon into your gallon size sprayer. Caterpillars stop feeding shortly after eating foliage sprayed with Caterpillar Killer and die within a few days. Caterpillar Killer does not harm honey bees or beneficial anthropods and does not harm earthworms. It is the safest and most effective treatment, but be sure to apply at the first signs of damage as these creepy crawlies can quickly decimate your cole crops!

Written by Ginny Gregory.

http://www.stranges.com/

Gazing Balls: More Than Meets The Eye

These colorful globes add more than just a pretty face to your potege garden. Since the 1700's, gazing balls have been superstitiously used to ward off evil spirits, witches and negative energy. Available in steel or glass, the color choices are endless. Decorative globes are most commonly placed on stands designed to accent the unique properties of these multifaceted design elements. However, with an artistic eye they can strategically compliment a mossy nook or koi pond. Made from 100% recycled glass, the gazing balls we carry at Strange's can beautifully be illuminated from within by a coiled strand of lights. By reflecting all of the surrounding wildlife in miniature, these garden ornaments prove that good things do come in small packages. While providing delicate ambiance, they also were commonly used for surveillance in the 18th and 19th centuries to detect unexpected visitors on the front garden walk. Friendship Balls also serve as intriguing conversation pieces; sculpted from blown glass, these delicate spheres glide across the surface of your koi pond as they reflect shafts of sunshine across your patio. Whether you're adding a bit of color to your front walk or warding off witches, these colorful globes add just a perfectly bright touch.

Written by Ginny Gregory.

http://www.stranges.com/

Winter Prep Leads to Spring Success!

Those of us who are dedicated to lawn maintenance often make the unfortunate mistake of assuming that the onset of winter weather gives us permission to neglect our newly established seed. However, by taking the proper precautions early we can prevent tedious weeding and root damage in the spring. A simple granular winterizer containing high compounds of nitrogen and potash can provide the proper nutrients to encourage root growth and foliage stamina in shrubs and evergreens as well as simple grass seed. Fertilome Winterizer is available in a 20 pound bag that covers at least 2,000 square feet, the size of your average neighborhood lawn. This product is especially formulated to help put your lawns, trees, shrubs, ornamentals and evergreens in proper condition to withstand the hazards of a cold winter, because it encourages the hardening of late growth and helps build root systems, as growth continues through the fall and winter. It is very important to fertilize your trees; well-fed trees not only grow faster and develop better shade, but also are not normally damaged as extensively by Tree Borers and other insects in comparison to those that are left neglected and unfertilized. Fertilome Winterizer can also be used for the fall feeding of roses, azaleas, camellias and gardenias. When used as directed, Fertilome Winterizer aids in increasing winter hardiness, helps build better root systems, aids hardening of late fall growth, and promotes sturdiness in plants weakening by too rapid growth. It is an excellent product to give your lawn and garden the boost it needs to make it through those frigid January nights that seem right around the corner.



Follow some of these tips to prevent further spring damage and weed control:

• Keep an eye out for cool weather weeds such as chickweed, clover, oxalis, wild geranium, and wild onion. A weed left to produce seeds in the fall will return hundred-fold next spring.
• Rake leaves, lest the leaves smother your grass over the winter. Consider composting them for use in the spring.
• Besides raking leaves up, you want to rake deep into the soil to remove thatch. You do not want thatch to grow into the soil because during the fall when the grass seems to stop growing, the roots actually grow deeper to prepare for the winter.
• After the lawn has stopped growing, and before the snow flies, give your lawn one more cutting to prevent snowmold from developing.

Written by Ginny Gregory.
http://www.stranges.com/

Winterizing Perennial Beds

A couple of good, hard frosts makes a big difference in the garden. Some perennials immediately begin to go dormant, while others seem to want to hang on into late fall. To those new gardeners out there, we encourage you to consider leaving most perennials alone in the fall if you are unsure of what winter interest they might provide. Winter interest is entirely subjective, and only you can decide what is attractive to your eye, or what looks tired and messy. Here are a few tips and ideas:

• fall-blooming ornamental grasses usually remain gorgeous well into the winter. It seems a real shame to cut them back to the ground before late winter or early spring. Some gardeners are now waiting even beyond THAT, and enjoying the effect of wheat-colored grass clumps contrasting with spring-flowering bulbs!



• seed-heads of certain perennials provide food for finches and other birds, and they look great against a blanket of snow. Most late-flowering daisy-type perennials are on this list (like Rudbeckia and Purple Coneflower), but others with nice seed-heads and sturdy stems include: Achillea, Agastache, Aster, Astilbe, Baptisia, Buddleia, Chelone, Cimicifuga, Eryngium, Eupatorium, taller Sedum, and a few others.



• there is a common theory that the dead tops of perennials help to trap the snow, which is the very best insulation against cold temperatures. In regions with erratic snowcover and mid-winter thaws, the tiny bit of extra snow that is actually trapped may in fact be of little benefit.



• many perennials have very little winter interest. Cutting these types back in the fall effectively "clears the clutter" and makes the ones you leave look even better. Consider cutting these down in late fall: Alchemilla, Anemone, Campanula, Centaurea, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dicentra, Euphorbia, Geranium, Hemerocallis, Hosta, Lychnis, Monarda, Nepeta, Oenothera, Phlox (tall types), Trollius, Veronica.

http://www.stranges.com/

Give Your Garbage Disposal A Break!

Although composting meat or dairy products is a definite no-no, I plan on giving my garbage disposal a break this fall. I'm taking measures to learn the best materials for natural and organic compost. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides a wealth of information on their website to get me started. Composting is the biological decomposition of organic matter into a product beneficial for plant growth and soil conditioning. Organic matter added to the soil as a compost, improves plant growth and vigor, soil structure, drainage, holds plant nutrients and releases nitrogen for plant and soil micro-organisms. University studies have proven that composting organic matter into a soil conditioner can be enhanced by using Hi-Yield Compost Maker to speed up the composting process and insure that the finished compost will provide the proper nutrients to plants and improve soil tilth. Compost Activator and Energizer is also a product proven beneficial for jump starting the compost pile. Manufactured by Gardener's Supply Company, this twin pack comes with a 5 lb. bag of energizer (a high-nitrogen blend of vegetable protein, including peanut meal, and natural nitrate of soda) and a 3 lb. bag of activator (a nutrient-rich blend of alfalfa, cocoa meal, kelp, fish meal, and yeast). With these products at my disposal I will no longer be feeding egg shells and coffee grounds to that drain in my sink; instead I'll be brewing my own organic soil conditioner and keeping chemical fertilizers out of my backyard!


Written by Ginny Gregory.
http://www.stranges.com/

Care for Autumn Perennial Beds

If colour in your garden seems to have languished after September rolls around, consider putting in some late-blooming perennials to spruce things up. Garden Mums are very popular for fall display, but many other perennials can provide much-needed colour at this time of year. Here are a few to consider: Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Russian Sage, Bugbane, Fall Asters, Toad Lilies and Autumn Monkshood.

Early Fall is a good time to do these jobs:

• Edge your perennial beds.


• Continue dead-heading any daisy-flowered perennials, especially ones like Echinacea, Rudbeckia and False Sunflower (Heliopsis). These will continue flowering for weeks if you prevent the flowers from forming seeds.


• Remove any perennial weeds that have invaded the garden. A non-selective herbicide is a good way to remove the spreading types, applied carefully while the weather is still warm and the weeds are actively growing.


• Remove any annual weeds that are going to seed. Throw these in the garbage, not in the compost pile or next year there will be ten times as many.


• Empty your compost bin. Early fall is a great time for this, since it makes room for all those leaves, dead plant tops, etc. that you will have on hand in another few weeks. If your compost is not quite ready, maybe there is some corner it can be stockpiled to finish rotting before spring.

www.Stranges.com


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