Happy Labor Day!
Newsletter 29 – Thursday, August 29, 2013
Current Hours
Monday Friday
9am-7pm
Saturday Sunday
9am-6pm
Happy Labor Day!
Featured Plant of the Week Sedum
Sedums are such fabulous perennials! They are hardy, easy to care for and drought tolerant plants. Just as other plants and flowers start to slow down for the fall the Sedums will burst into bloom and bring long lasting color to your garden. Did you know that Sedums will lure butterflies into your garden?
As always the featured plant of the week is 20% off while supplies last!
The Autumn Joy Sedum is a true garden classic. Plant it with ornamental grasses, lavenders and colorful sages for an eye popping display.
The bright Bubblegum-pink blooms of the Neon Sedum blaze with intensity for weeks and weeks and then the color turns a rich coppery-orange in autumn!
Good Advice
A man approached a local person in a village he was visiting.
"What’s the quickest way to York?"
The local scratched his head.
"Are you walking or driving?" he asked the stranger.
"I’m driving."
"That’s the quickest way!"
Are you entertaining this weekend?
Freshen up your deck, patio and yard for your get-together with a few hanging baskets and pre-made flower containers. Stop on out and choose from our large selection. Look at this mixed coleus container! Pretty amazing, wouldnt you say?
Wanted! Good homes for our Mums!
America’s Best Flowers has mums galore! Our fields are overflowing with 4,000 early, mid and late blooming plants in multiple shades of white, yellow, gold, bronze, burgundy, lavender and purple. We grow our mums outside (to make them hardier) in a 2 gallon container and are twice as big as what you normally find. You have to see them to believe how full and lush and bursting with blooms they are.
Not only mums, but white, purple and pink Asters are available too!
Tips for Success with Fall Mums
In this climate, mums are generally considered annuals. Whether you pop them into a container or basket, or set them on your porch, they will provide immediate color and bloom for a long period. Our plants are so full of bloom, that they do require a lot of water, so be sure to keep them evenly moist. They dont like to dry out or sit in water.
If you want to try to establish mums as perennials, plant them as soon as possible in a sunny, well-drained location. They dont do well in our heavy clay soils, so incorporate peat or compost when planting them. A protected spot away from cold, drying winter winds also helps survival. Plant them deeper than they are growing in our pots. Remember, to survive, they have to develop roots at or above the first set of branches before the ground freezes.
Do not cut back dead plants until next spring. Research at Iowa State University shows leaving stems and foliage results in better winter survival. Apply loose winter mulch after the ground freezes. Straw, shredded bark, pine boughs and even snow are good winter mulches. Carefully remove in the late spring. And remember mums are heavy feeders, so apply all-purpose fertilizer (per package instructions) from late spring until mid July.
Most of us have a bad habit we are constantly trying to break.
For me, its biting my fingernails.
One day I told my husband about my latest solution: press-on nails.
"Great idea, Honey," he smiled. "You can eat them straight out of the box."
Art in the Garden
Featuring Local Artisans
Saturday, September 14, 9am-3pm
Our 4th Annual Art in the Garden event is right around the greenhouse corner.
Over 40 talented Wisconsin artists will be at our greenhouse displaying their unique creations. Some of the items available include: jewelry, paintings, weavings, carved gourds, pottery, woodworking, textiles, photography and much more!
Remember to mark your calendar for our 4th Annual Art in the Garden event on Saturday, September 14, from 9-3. What a great opportunity to get a jump start on your holiday shopping!
For Art in the Garden Vendor Information please go to this link: www.americasbestflowers.com/newsletter/2013/26/index.html#article1326
Send Al your gardening questions!
Americas Best Flowers wants to help you succeed in your gardening efforts. If you have gardening questions send an email to Al Lunde, at abflunde@yahoo.com. Al will get back to you promptly.
A football coach was asked his secret of evaluating raw recruits.
"Well," he said, "I take ’em out in the woods and make ’em run.
The ones that go around the trees, I make into running backs.
The ones that run into the trees, I turn into linemen."
Lucys Story Chapter 20
Lucy has such an exciting weekend ahead of her!
First Lucys tail is wagging in anticipation of the Badger Football game this Saturday. The Badgers play the UMass Minutemen.
Second It is Labor Day weekend which means Lucy gets to kick back and relax.
Third Lucys ears perk up every time we talk about the food menu for the football game.
Fourth Hey, wait a minute! Lets go back to that second point.
How exactly does this weekend differ from every other weekend for Lucy?
Not much!
`til next time,
~ Shirley
In helping my daughter prepare for a dinner party, I volunteered to clean the refrigerator and freezer to make room for the extra food. I restacked all the frozen dinners, but one casserole blocked my progress. Uncovering it, I found something resembling sauerkraut, noodles and hot dogs in a cream sauce … definitely a disposal item.
I asked my daughter about tossing it out.
"Oh, no," she said. "You can’t throw that away. Every time my husband comes home and sees it defrosting, he suddenly remembers seeing a new restaurant we have to try."
Upcoming Events
| Sat, Sep 7 | Autumn Container Workshop 10am -4pm FREE soil and assistance. Create a beautiful container in our greenhouse and well clean up the mess. Bring in your own pots or buy some of ours. |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Art in the Garden 9am – 3pm Talented artists display and sell their unique items. |
| Sat, Sep 21 – Sun, Oct 13 | Scarecrow Days M-F 10-5PM / Sat Sun 10-4PM |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Make & Take Bird Feeders 10am 12pm – Kids come out & build a bird feeder for your feathered friends. |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Flea Market 8am 3pm Rain or Shine |
| Sat, Oct 19 – Sun, Nov 17 | Miniature Garden Workshops 10am – 3pm Every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) – Make a mini garden in a terrarium or planter of your choice. |
Our Kitchen
A few weeks ago, when the first beans of the season were ready, Diane made a batch using this recipe and brought them in for all of us to try. She remembered how much I loved them and brought me the recipe last weekend so I could share it with you. Be sure to use young, tender beans, this recipe would not work well with older ones. If you have basil in your garden, feel free to substitute it for the dried. Standard rule of conversion 3 teaspoons (1 T) fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried. Enjoy.
Special Green Beans
- 2½ lb fresh green beans
- 3 c water
- 2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1/3 c chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
- ½ t salt
- ½ t pepper
- ½ t dried basil
- 1 t dried whole Italian seasoning
- 1/3 c olive oil
- ¼ c grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Wash beans, trim ends and remove strings. Combine beans and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
Sauté mushrooms, onion, garlic, water chestnuts and seasonings in oil in Dutch oven. Stir in beans and cook until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 8 10 servings.
You’ll Love Your Garden … It’s Our Promise! May the Holy Spirit Guide You! God Bless Edward Knapton says Keep on Smiling!
Sec – Treasurer Berry Hill Farms, Inc.
DBA Americas Best Flowers Garden Center
4311 Vilas Hope Road
Cottage Grove, WI 53527
608-222-2269 Fax 608-222-1234 Cell 608-698-5627
