Art in the Garden this Saturday!
Newsletter 30 – Thursday, September 8, 2016
Hours
Cottage Grove location open
New Hours
Mon-Fri 9-6
Sat & Sun 9-5
Edgerton location open
Mon-Fri 8:30-5:30
Sat 8:30-5:00
Sun 9-4
Lady’s Story – Chapter 8
Guess who? It’s me Lady…I’m wearing my brand new super duper goggles! Am I hip or what? Hip and sassy, that’s me! Now, I can play lots and lots of ball and I won’t poke my eyes out! I run through, I jump over, and I crawl under things in pursuit of my ball and my eyes are safe from any and all attacking poke-in-your-eyes things.
In fact, I’m looking so cool that my mom and dad gave me a nickname! It’s…hey, wait a minute! Can you guess what my nickname is?
~Lady
Here we go with another contest! Can you guess goggle wearing Lady’s new nickname? No clues this time. You’re on your own!
The prize for Lady’s contest is this wonderful Green Bay Packer green-n-gold glow-in-the dark dog leash! Just in time for the Packer season opening against the Jacksonville Jaguars! Please send your guess to Shirley at abfscimino@yahoo.com. All entries must be received by noon on Wednesday, September 14th. Good luck!
Art in the Garden this Saturday!
September 10th, 9-3
Art has the power to change your perspective, stimulate your mind, and uplift your spirit. With so many different kinds of art, it’s just a matter of finding something that personally speaks to you.
Americas’ Best Flowers invites you to go on a personal journey THIS Saturday to find the art form that speaks to you!
Our 7th annual Art in the Garden event in the greenhouse is this Saturday from 9-3! Over 25 artisans and crafters will be displaying and selling their hand-made crafts; including textiles, woodwork, ceramics, jewelry, photography, painting and more!
This is a wonderful opportunity to decorate your home, find a gift for a friend, or get a jump on Christmas shopping. You’ll also meet talented artists, and get the satisfaction of supporting local art and knowing that your piece is one-of-a-kind. Don’t forget to bring a friend or the whole family!
Fall Bulbs Are In!
Note: May cause sudden inexplicable skipping, hopping and odd European accents
Click for Larger Image
Picture it: Wisconsin… March… It’s been a long, cold winter. You’ve been cooped up for months and it’s hard to remember what it’s like to breathe in fresh air that doesn’t hurt your lungs. You’re just craving to see color outside, so when the snow melts and you finally see the first signs of spring, it is glorious! Crocuses burst through the ground, warming your heart. Then daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips! Suddenly there’s color everywhere, and with it comes sheer delight and excitement! It takes a little planning and preparation to have a truly amazing spring flower show in your yard, so make your future-self happy by planting bulbs this fall.
A stunning selection of tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, alliums, and dwarf irises just arrived! There are several varieties to choose from and they’re oh so easy to plant. Though it’s not time to plant bulbs just yet, you’ll want to get them early for the best selection. Don’t miss the opportunity to prepare a fantastic spring display for next year. You’ll be happy you did!
Bulbs need so little and give back so much. They start off homely, even ugly, and return transformed. We help them just a bit – we dig a hole in the dirt for them. Then we forget about them until, time and time again, they make their brief, joyful appearance, following the rhythms of the natural world, marking rains and seasons in floral time. . . .
Lauren Springer Ogden, award-winning author of Plant-Driven Design, The Undaunted Garden
Fertilize Bulbs for Better Blooms
Don’t forget the Bulb-tone! Whenever you plant bulbs, be sure to add a dose of Espoma Bulb-tone to the surrounding soil. It’s a natural fertilizer derived from organic ingredients and provides all the nutrients necessary for healthy bulb plants and flowers. Like any good natural fertilizer, it breaks down and releases nutrients gradually, so the plant has time to take it up as it grows. It also contains a blend of microbes that are vital to plant health and facilitate nutrient uptake.
Bulb-tone is also a good fertilizer for established bulb plants to give them a boost. Check the back of the package for the recommended amount to use and just work into the top few inches of soil. This is best done in the fall, to avoid damaging new growth.
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
Albert Camus
Mums, Asters, Pansies…
Mums, asters and pansies love cool weather! We grow our mums and asters outside (to make them hardier) in deep pots resulting in large plants with incredible bud count.
Our fields are overflowing with 4,000 early, mid and late blooming mums in more than 30 shades of white, yellow, gold, bronze, red, burgundy, lavender, purple and tri-color.
Mix a few mums with our colorful asters for a burst of vibrant fall colors.
Pansies are bright, colorful, and can tough out the cold while other flowers just shrivel up. They are classic beauties and just one of the many fall favorites that are cold-tolerant. (Cold-tolerant meaning they can survive to a temperature as low as 20 degrees or so.)
And More…
We also have cabbage, kale, snapdragons and Swiss chard in small pots; ornamental pepper plants in jumbo pots and fountain grass in large and premium patio pots. You can mix-n-match them with mums and asters for an endless number of unique combinations.
The evenings are starting to get a little cooler, so now is the perfect time to pick up a few-of-these and a few-of-those. And before you know it, you’ve added brilliant color to your landscape that will last well into the fall.
Q: How do astronomers organize a party?
A: They planet.
Fall Gardening
Mid-September is a great time to plant cool season vegetable crops. Fall gardens are easy to grow, and it’s a delightful time to work in the garden – there are fewer bugs and it’s not so hot. To get you started we have kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, and spinach plants, as well as a variety of seeds for fall planting.
Because they mature in progressively cooler temperatures, fall crops have a wonderful flavor…much better than spring crops.
Cool fall weather actually holds the crops for you right in the garden so you can enjoy your harvest well into October. Fall garden care is similar to spring gardening, except you don’t have to water as much. All you do is dig in a little compost at planting time. If you don’t have a compost pile available, we have it in ready-to-use bags.
Teacher: Whoever answers my next question, can go home.
One boy throws his bag out the window.
Teacher: Who just threw that?
Boy: Me and I’m going home now.
This too shall pass…
Pick up a selection of perennials while our SALE is still going. The hot weather has finally passed and it’s the perfect time to get in your perennial beds, give them a fresh look and save money!
Allremaining perennials, in 4-5” square pots, are on sale. Buy 2 and get 1 free (of equal or lesser value). At these prices you can’t go wrong.
There are still lots to choose from! Some that remain include a few varieties of dianthus, geranium, catmint, orange poppy, hops, primrose, anemone, astilbe, columbine, fern, Jack-in-the-pulpit, and goatsbeard. We also have ‘Blue Glow’ Globe Thistle, ‘Klaus Jelitto’ Stokes Aster, ‘Mar’s Midget’ Crimson Scabiosa, ‘Shauna Ann Rose’ Verbena, and ‘Virginia’ Culver’s Root.
There’s more where that came from, so come and choose from a great selection. Our hard working perennial team has cared for them all summer to keep them looking great!
Q: Why did Captain Kirk go in to the ladies room?
A: Because he wanted to go where no man had gone before.
50% OFF SALE
All 10 and 12” annual flowering hanging baskets are 50% off. We have beautiful mandevilla, dragonwing begonias and portulaca (moss rose), just to name a few. (This offer excludes mum baskets, houseplants, succulents, foliage or any 8” hanging baskets.)
All Jam & Jelly Plants are 50% off. We have Goji Berry, Fredonia (Black), Seedless Concord (Blue), and Reliance (Red) grape available. Plant now for years of enjoyment.
All remaining fruit trees are 50% off. Can’t you just taste all the fresh fruit you’ll have in year’s to come.
Teacher: “Which book has helped you the most in your life?”
Student: “My father’s check book!”
2016 Flea Market Schedule and Information
| Sept 17 | Saturday | Flea Market 9am – 3pm – Rain or Shine |
| Oct 15 | Saturday | Flea Market (Indoors) 9am – 3pm – Rain or Shine |
There is still time to register for one or both of our Flea Markets! It’s so easy and fun to be a Flea Market vendor! Just pack up the clutter from your basement, garage, under the bed, items that you’ve stuck waaay in the back of a closet, put a price on everything and bring it on out! Bring any collectibles, decorations, furniture, tools, knick-knacks, paddy whacks, whatever!
Turn your clutter into cash! It’s a win-win for everyone!
For vendor information and also our short list of restricted items please check out our Flea Market Vendor Information.
When my girlfriend said she was leaving because of my obsession with
The Monkees, I thought she was joking.
And then I saw her face.
Upcoming Events
| Sat, Sep 10 | Art in the Garden Craft Fair 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Talented artists display and sell their unique items. |
| Sat, Sep 17 | Flea Market 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Rain or Shine |
| Sat, Sep 17 | Rose Winterization Class 9:30am – 10:30am |
| Sat, Sep 17 – Sun, Oct 16 | Scarecrow Days Bring family and friends out to build one-of-a-kind scarecrow(s). Sept 17th-Oct 16th, M-F 10-4:30/ Sat-Sun 10-4 |
| Sat, Sep 17 | Learn how to Create a Spring Bulb Garden 11:00 am – 12:00 pm |
| Sat, Sep 24 | It’s For the Birds 10:00 am – 11:00 am Bird Feeder Seminar presented by Prince Corp. |
Our Kitchen
Last week, we had to say good-bye to an awesome young man named Matthew. He worked here for the last year and a half doing all sorts of tasks. You may have seen him in the back greenhouses, sweating while he watered plants through the worst of the heat and humidity. He was an all-star worker and friend to everyone, we sure will miss him! It’s unfortunate for us that he’s leaving, but luckily he’s off to do great things as he starts his second year at UW-River Falls pursuing a degree in horticulture.
We wanted to do something special to send him off and thank him for all his hard work, so we had a potluck! There were all sorts of good things brought to this potluck, one of them being this delicious cucumber and tomato salad brought by Marty. This dish is cool, refreshing and a great way to make use of an over-abundance of some popular garden veggies (fruits technically, but, ya know… only technically). Once everything is cut and chopped, just throw it together, shake it up and voila!
Cucumber & Tomato Salad
- 6-8 tomatoes, large, cut into wedges
- 2-3 cucumbers, large, peeled & sliced
- 1 sweet onion, medium, cut into rings
- 1 bell pepper- red, green or orange, sliced
- 1 large bunch of parsley, chopped (herb scissors work great)
Dressing
- 6 T oil
- 5 T white vinegar
- 3 T sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- Dash of pepper
Directions
1. Put tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, pepper and parsley in a large bowl.
2. Place dressing ingredients in covered jar – shake well and pour over salad.
3. Allow to marinate.
2 Comments
In the Kitchen section: What kind words for Matthew (and a great salad recipe too!). He really enjoyed working at America’s Best Flowers. The staff were great and he learned a lot in his time there. Thanks for giving him the opportunity to work in such well run and quality garden center.