Written by Alex | August 13, 2015 | 2015 NewslettersNewsletter Tags: flowers, Gardening, jokes, recipies, stories
Japanese Beetles are Terrible Landscapers
Newsletter 26 – Thursday, August 13, 2015
Current Hours
Cottage Grove location open
Mon-Fri 9-7
Sat and Sun 9-5
Edgerton location open
Mon-Fri 8:30-5:30
Sat 8:30-5:00
Sun 9-4
Buy One 5" Annual Get One Free
Our annuals have plenty of life left in them, so why not freshen up your landscape for the last leg of summer!
Purchase one 5 annual and get one free, excluding houseplants and succulents. There is no limit. This offer is good through August 19th and is valid at both of our locations. This offer is good while supplies last and is not valid on previous purchases.
What do you call cheese that isn’t yours?
Nacho cheese.
Featured Plant of the Week Roses
Calling all rose lovers!! This weeks deal is just for you, with our buy-one-get-one deal on ALL ROSES! Thats right, weve improved upon our previous climbing roses offer. This weeks deal is now on climbing, tea, and shrub roses as well! These classic beauties are always in fashion and really add to your landscape when planted in multiples. They come in a variety of colors that are just stunning.
There are no restrictions on combinations, so you can get two shrub roses, or one shrub and one climbing rose, or two climbing roses! Go nuts! Purchase one rose and you get another of equal or lesser value, free. This offer is good through August 19th and is valid at both of our locations. This offer is good while supplies last and is not valid on previous purchases.
I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me.
He said I was being ridiculous – everyone hasn’t met me yet.
Rodney Dangerfield
Small Tomato, Big Flavor!
Nothing says summer more than the pop of a fresh, sweet cherry tomato in your mouth. Theyre great as a healthy, stand-alone treat or the perfect addition to a summer salad. Personally, I most enjoy them atop toasted pita bread and hummus, with a little basil. Mmmmmm
Right now, we have oodles of some of the tastiest cherry tomatoes around! Sun-ripened and delicious, they are ready-to-eat in a quaint little cup. Many of our customers rave about how good our cherry tomatoes are and just cant get enough, some stopping weekly to satiate their craving. Fair warning though, trying just one is a bit dangerous, as you may not be able to stop there. So if you pick some up, you may want to get an extra cup for the ride home, juuust in case.
Cherry tomatoes are available at Cottage Grove location only.
Early Fall Mums
Our earliest mums are continuing to bloom and there are more color options each week! Our mums are large, full, and covered in blooms. A new option we have this year is a tricolor mum, with three different colors of mums in one pot. Theyre utterly gorgeous and very unique! We also have some gift-ready with foil and a little scarecrow that are absolutely adorable!
Q: When do you go at red and stop at green?
A: When you’re eating a watermelon.
Japanese Beetles are Terrible Landscapers
With a shiny bronze shield, border of black and white spots and a metallic green head, the Japanese Beetle is a natural piece of art. While it’s no doubt aesthetically dazzling, its beauty looses luster with its massive destruction. In Japan, they’re just part of the ecosystem, but in American gardens, they’re one of the most broadly destructive invasive pests. Often found in large numbers, they eat just about any plant, but prefer plants of the genus Prunus such as roses, crabapples, and raspberries, as well as grapes, canna lilies, linden trees, birch trees, and others. They eat the soft tissue of leaves and avoid the leaf veins, leaving the skeleton of a leaf that once was. Given the chance, they’ll gleefully redesign your yard with this skeleton-leaf look.
Fortunately, these rogue horticulturists can be thwarted in a number of ways. The simplest way to control them is by picking them off and tossing them in a bucket of soapy water. If this isnt feasible due to the large number, or you cant stand touching bugs, we do have a spray from Bonide called Japanese Beetle Killer, which effectively kills adults. Just spot-spraying as you see them will do, being sure to apply periodically.
Please note, we do not carry, nor do we recommend, pheromone traps. Studies have found that the pheromone traps attract more beetles to your yard from surrounding areas, and they often settle down on their favorite plants before they even reach the trap.
We Want Your Opinion about Our New Website
We are currently in the process of redoing our website in order to make it more helpful and user-friendly. Wed love to get your feedback as we continue to tweak it. Please check it out at www.americasbestflowers.com/new, and let us know the good and the bad, by emailing Ed at ed@americasbestflowers.com. You can also check it out on your smartphone!
Theres Still Time to be a Flea Market Vendor!
Our next flea market, on August 22nd, is coming up before you know it, but luckily, you can still sign up to be a vendor. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to turn your garage and basement clutter into cold hard cash! Flea markets are not only fun, but they are so easy to participate in! Just bring your treasures out to the greenhouse, display them like you would for a garage sale, sit back and sell. Thats all it takes!
If interested in becoming a vendor, please click here for more information.
August 22 | Saturday | Flea Market 9am – 3pm Rain or Shine |
Sept 19 | Saturday | Flea Market 9am – 3pm Rain or Shine |
Oct 17 | Saturday | Flea Market 9am – 3pm Rain or Shine |
What do you get when you cross a stream and a brook?
Wet feet.
Art in the Garden
Join us for our annual Art in the Garden event here in the greenhouse on Sept. 12, 2015 from 9 to 3. This will be our 6th year hosting this event, where we bring together talented, local artists to sell their art, crafts, and wares. Some of the items available include: jewelry, paintings, weavings, carved gourds, pottery, woodworking, textiles, photography and much more!
This is a wonderful opportunity to decorate your home, find a gift for a friend, or get a jump on Christmas shopping. Its just so special when you know a piece is one-of-a-kind and you get to meet the artist who made it.
If interested in participating as a vendor, please click here for information.
Upcoming Events
Sat, Aug 22 | Flea Market 9am-3pm Rain or Shine |
Sat, Sep 12 | Art in the Garden Craft Fair 9am-3pm Talented artists display and sell their unique items. |
Sat, Sep 19 | Flea Market 9am-3pm Rain or Shine |
Sat, Sep 19 – Sun, Oct 18 | Scarecrow Days Mon-Fri 10am-4pm |
Sat, Oct 17 | Flea Market 9am-3pm Rain or Shine |
Sat, Oct 17 – Sun, Nov 15 | Miniature Garden Container Workshop 10am-3pm Every Weekend FREE soil and assistance. Create a beautiful miniature garden in our greenhouse. Customers may bring in their own EMPTY containers, but all accessories must be purchased from Americas Best Flowers. |
Summer Job
For her summer job, my 18-year-old daughter
arranged interviews at several day-care centers.
At one meeting, she sat down on one of the kiddie seats,
no simple task for most people.
The interview went well, and at the end,
the day-care center director asked the standard question,
"Can you give me one good reason we should hire you?"
"Because I fit in the chairs."
She got the job.
Our Kitchen
When my sister told me the other day that she has more cucumbers than she can eat, I realized that it is a good time to share the following recipe. Its a tweaked version of one that popped up in my Facebook. Cool, refreshing, yummy and low calorie how good does it get! If you choose baked tortilla chips, or make your own, you will have a guilt-free snack or side dish for your next burger meal, made with turkey breast, of course. 🙂
Crisp Cucumber Salsa
- 2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
- 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 T minced fresh parsley
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 T minced fresh cilantro
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ c low fat sour cream
- 1 T lime juice (or half and half lemon and lime)
- ¼ t ground cumin
- ¼ t seasoned salt
- Tortilla chips for dipping
Directions
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently. Serve immediately with chips.

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