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Make your Bulb Buying Really Count this Weekend!
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I am excited to announce that once again we are having our annual Bulbs for Breast Cancer fundraiser this coming weekend. 10% of the proceeds of all bulbs purchased on Saturday and Sunday will be donated to After the Storm, a wonderful, local group that supports breast cancer survivors in so many ways. Breast cancer
has affected my family and most of the people I know. When I was 60, I even went so far as to craft and model a floral bra on the runway at the Oakdale in After the Storm's Art Bra event- the bra I modeled sold for over $1000! So, as you can see, I am serious! I hope you can spread the word, tell your friends, come in and buy bulbs, and plant them all over your yard and your neighborhood. Why not spread the bulb love and plant some at a local school or convalescent home? Naturalize daffodils along the road, just to make your neighbors smile. Buy bulbs to pot up and store them in the cellar and give them as gifts for the winter windowsill. Bulbs are SO easy and so satisfying. To quote a regular customer who walked out of our shop with a shopping bag filled with bulbs last Saturday: "Every spring I wish I had planted bulbs and every fall I get lazy. This year I did it! I bought the bulbs I wanted and I am going to plant them this weekend!" Yes, it is hard to express how badly you will be longing for that early color after being cooped up inside, missing your garden, for 3-4 months. So why don't you just take my word for it and help a great cause at the same time! On Saturday morning at 10 am I am offering a FREE workshop on planting the earliest bulbs to help our native pollinators. They fly earlier and at much cooler temperatures than honeybees and they depend on these early bulbs for nectar. This is also a great way to understand the order in which our bulbs bloom. Did I mention I have a chart that illustrates this that I will be handing out at the workshop?
This Saturday and Sunday from 11 am-4 pm, we will be hosting a wine tasting to benefit After the Storm. This is a new addition to our annual fundraiser weekend- see the details in the Upcoming Events listings below.
Besides bulbs, our benches are still well stocked with some very interesting
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'Pink Cloud' is a brand new variety of perennial mum bred by the daughter of the man who bred Global Warming mums. Great cut flower!
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late blooming perennials. Tuesday I gave a talk to the Madison Garden Club on Amazing Fall Gardens and I had to spend a lot of time shrinking my presentation as I had so many fall plants to talk about! If that isn't the case in your yard, come in NOW and grab some October color. On the left you will see a NEW perennial mum called 'Pink Cloud'. It is just coming into bloom, as are so many other of our specialty perennial mum varieties that we love so much. We have at least 6-8 additional varieties that are just budding up and offer the promise of armloads of cut flowers well into November.
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This is 'Empress of China', a heirloom that we grew here at Natureworks. We still have plants left. So pretty!
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Besides bulbs and late blooming perennials, we also have gorgeous Callicarpa plants. Beautyberry is asked about by everyone who visits our gardens. This
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Let us replant your hanging baskets for fall!
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year we have two types to choose from. 'Early Amethyst' is the one right outside the front door of the shop. 'Pearl Glam' is new this year, with deep, wine colored foliage, white August flowers that morph into the same intensely purple berries. What a contrast!
One thing many of us are focusing on right now is fall decorating. I want my porch and front yard to look festive for fall. Pumpkins and gourds are a must, but why not consider bringing in your tired hanging baskets and letting us replant them for you? My staff has been doing this and they are gorgeous. I also take a few of my favorite late blooming perennial mums, Montauk daisies, grasses, asters, or berry bushes and plant them in a large urn and place it at the top of the steps. Later, all the perennials in these containers are given a permanent home in my garden in mid-November before I start cutting greens and berries for the next phase of holiday decorating.
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It's time to decorate your front porch for fall...
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This Thursday at 4 pm. I will focus on PUMPKINSCAPING on Facebook Live. I will show you how you can incorporate all different sizes and colors of pumpkins and gourds into your containers. Have you ever stacked pumpkins into a topiary? Alternated small ornamental cabbages with small pumpkins and colorful miniature evergreens in your windowboxes? Tune in and watch live, or watch anytime afterwards: our Facebook Live videos are all archived on the Natureworks Facebook page.
Our organic hardneck seed garlic is SO popular this year. I guess folks are realizing just how easy it is to grow your own garlic. You plant it now (up until the end of November actually). Each clove becomes a head next July. Jillian packed the tent last Saturday with her free workshop on growing garlic. Click here https://youtube/Wza-Mk8MM-E
to see a short educational video that she did in case you missed the class.
With the one and a half inches of soaking rain that we got on Sunday and Monday, we are finally ready to work in earnest on reseeding and renovating our organic lawns. My staff sends out a Lawn Blast regularly to teach folks
interested in growing healthy, organic lawns what to do when. I get it and forward it to my husband as he is in charge of the lawn at our house. You can sign up on our website. Here is an excerpt from the latest Lawn Blast:
Thin and weedy areas of grass can be overseeded with grass seed and organic fertilizer. Add a light 1/4"-1/2" layer of Coast of Maine Top Soil or Compost to areas you will be working on.
Sprinkle fertilizer and grass seed onto the new soil. Top dress new seed with chopped straw to keep the seed moist and keep birds away.
Water daily until seed germinates, and then every few days depending on weather.
The rain was a blessing in so many ways. Now I feel much better about digging, dividing, and rearranging plants. Cooler weather with less humidity is very welcome right now. It is finally looking and feeling like fall in CT!
We are making succulent pumpkins and all kinds of funky succulent and dried
flower arrangements this week. We have a few mirror boxes that Amber has planted up with succulents. We've got tons of little houseplants, lots of really nice containers, and the best organic potting soil so that you can tune up your houseplant collection as you begin the process of bringing it indoors for the winter. Don't forget to download our handout The Houseplants that Came in From the Cold, CLICK HERE. It's not that cold yet, but you want to acclimate your plants slowly to warmer, less humid air and definitely check them for insects and give them a few preventative sprays to be sure you bring any unwanted hitchhikers into the house.
Glowing autumn sunsets, pretty fall flowers, abundant harvests that keep on coming... let's truly enjoy this time of year. It is so special. Come in and visit this week. I hope you can participate in our Bulbs for Breast Cancer fundraiser this weekend. Let's make a difference, let's give back AND have beautiful spring gardens too!
See you soon...
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Milkweed and butterfly weed seed pods are bursting open. Plant the seeds in the ground NOW! Don't store them over the winter. They need a winter chill period (stratification).
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ON SALE:
40% OFF: Asclepias plants
(A. tuberosa and A. incarnata are in stock)
Sale runs October 12 through Oct. 25th, 2017
or while supplies last.
30% all bagged mulch-
Cedar, Fragrant Forest, Dark Bark, Sweet Peet and Mainely Mulch
40% Select Shrubs
Plus $5 off a bag of Penobscot compost with any shrub purchase. Get new plantings off to a great start!
50% off fall vegetable and herb plants
Plus be sure to check our
DEEP DISCOUNT BENCH for great savings on select perennials
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I recently saw this appear in my Facebook feed. Yay! Finally, I am not the only one telling folks to leave the leaves. The article is excellent, explaining just how important this practice is. Here's how it begins.
"It may be habitual, a matter of social conditioning, or a holdover of outdated gardening practices from yesteryear - but for whatever reason, we just can't seem to help ourselves from wanting to tidy up the garden at the end of the season - raking, mowing, and blowing away a bit of nature that is as essential to the survival of moths, butterflies, snails, spiders, and dozens of arthropods.
That's why this year - and every year - we are making the case for leaving the leaves and offering input on what to do with them. Read on!"
Butterflies, moths, caterpillars, bumblebees, spiders, snails, and worms are just some of the creatures that must have leaf litter to survive the winter. When you blow it all away, and worse, bag it up and remove it from your property, you are affecting their survival.
Leaves should always be left under broadleaf evergreens such as rhododendrons and mountain laurels. If you remove them, you MUST apply mulch instead to keep the roots moist and warm.
Click this link to read all about it:
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Anemones are for Spring AND Fall!
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Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' is planted in the fall and blooms every April thereafter for years to come.
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One of my very favorite early spring blooming bulbs is Anemone blanda. These tiny bulbs burst forth in April to form a ground cover of blue, white, or pink daisies that are excellent perennials, naturalize well, and attract tons of early pollinators.
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Fall anemones are often called windflowers as they gracefully dance in the autumn breezes.
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Fast forward to October, and anemones once again take center stage in our gardens. We have gorgeous Japanese anemones on our benches, in pink and white. They are vigorous, fast spreading perennials that I like to use underneath shrubs.
Come in this weekend and you can learn about anemones for both ends of the season.
#anemonelove.
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Natureworks was featured on WNPR!
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We love to grow lion's tail (Leonatis leonurus) as a tender perennial for fall cut and dried flowers. Who knew it would be so beloved by the monarchs we are releasing every day?
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Once again we would like to thank the media for spreading the word about the work Natureworks does to help Pollinators. In late September, WNPR interviewed Diane St. John and Jillian Shea of Natureworks. The recording, photos and related article "
Tagged And Tracked: Monarch Butterflies Set Out From Connecticut To Mexico" by Patrick Skahil are available on their website by clicking
http://wnpr.org/post/tagged-and-tracked-monarch-butterflies-set-out-connecticut-mexico
When on the page, be sure to click the icon to listen to the 1 minute 50 second recorded interview with Diane and Jillian.
Share this email or the article with friends who need to hear some
GOOD NEWS for a change!!!
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, October 14th and Sunday, October 15th
ALL DAY, BOTH DAYS
8th Annual Bulbs for Breast Cancer Fundraiser: Raffles, Refreshments and more!
10% of all bulb sales during this weekend will be donated by Natureworks to After the Storm, Inc. a local non-profit group that assists cancer survivors to heal emotionally, physically and spiritually. They are well known for distributing funds to local hospitals for these special programs. Make your bulb buying dollars count while creating a beautiful spring garden.
AND as an added incentive...
The wine that makes an IMPACT!
October 14th and 15th At Natureworks from 11am to 4pm, there is a special
One Hope Wine wine tasting, by Robert Mondavi, Jr, to benefit "After the Storm" in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
Come sample a delicious variety of bruts and wines by One Hope direct from Napa Valley. Visitors will have the opportunity to order these lovely varietals and gift sets for holiday gift giving and 10% of any purchase will be donated to "After the Storm".
Click the wine image above or the link below to read the details:
Saturday, October 14th
10-11am FREE
Bulbs You'll Love for the Early Pollinators
Our native pollinators need early blooming flowers as they fly earlier and at much colder temperatures than honeybees. The best way to provide that is to add VERY EARLY BLOOMING bulbs to your gardens. Nancy will explain which bulbs are the best for this purpose and how to work them into your landscape. Create a simply stunning late winter and early spring garden and help our pollinators!
Saturday, October 21st
10-11am FREE
Late Fall Color- asters, perennial mums, and more!
Do you still have color in your landscape at this time of year? We do and you can too! Learn about the many varieties of perennials, shrubs, and grasses that offer flowers, colorful foliage, and beautiful berries in October.
Saturday & Sunday, October 21st & 22nd
1-2pm workshop repeated on each day.
Please register for the day of your choice.
Saturday, October 21st, 1 to 2 pm
Sunday, October 22nd, 1 to 2 pm
Create your own Fall Bushel Basket
Plant up a wooden bushel basket with gorgeous fall annuals and you'll have a decorative late-season doorstep. Workshop includes bushel basket, 5 annuals, soil and expert advice on how to pair colors and varieties. Make a beautiful basket that fits in perfectly to your home's conditions.
Pre-registration Required. Price $40 Limit: 10 people each day.
You can call the shop to register, be sure to specify which day you will be attending and the number of people attending.
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Click a Quick Link for more Information
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RETAIL HOURS
Open 7 days
Monday - Saturday 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday 10 am - 4 pm
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Natureworks Horticultural Services
(map)
518 Forest Road, Northford, CT 06472
Business Reg. #B 3307
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CT. License #0569208
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