Our Poll

Only a few days left to vote! (at the bottom of the page.) Please take a moment to make your choice or add one I don't have.

Are your pansies growing legs?

Lots of you probably planted pansies in the spring hoping for colour and beauty all summer long. Pansies don't always work that way due to particularly hot weather. They tend to grow long, turn a bit yellow, but still seem to bloom. What we suggest is cutting them back and perhaps placing them in a partial sun spot, watering when necessary. Some fertilizer once in a while wouldn't hurt. You might be asking "how do I cut them back?"

With one hand, pull the plant up and take some scissors or pruning shears and snip about halfway down. The plants will look tough for a while but will begin to grow and bush out in no time.

If the foliage is turning yellow, it is because the 'ph' in the soil is out of wack. The plant would like some iron. Aluminum Sulphate can be sprinkled on to the soil and over time will help to restore the lush green. (The whole process is alot more detailed than what I described but I am a short-form person.)

All this rain has probably not helped your plants either. Since Saturday, we've received 3 inches and it's still raining!

Hopefully this helps you have pansies that will bloom again in the fall. They are a gerat little fall plant that can take the frost and some snow so if you can, hang on to your pansies and be patient.

Meandering?

I'm not sure what to blog about today so it may seem like I'm meandering. Perhaps I could promote the use of fertilizer during the summer for absolute beautiful blooms, or talk about what you can do with those leggy pansies of yours, or encourage you to trim back your long petunias which in turn will promote new growth. Maybe I'll tackle all three. :)

Fertilizer....very important if you want lush green and beautiful blooms. There is slow release that comes as granulars that are placed around the plants so when being watered the fertilizer is released into the soil. Slow release is great if we receive lots of rain and your plants are not big "eaters". Personally, I still think that water soluble fertilizer is the way to go, every time or every other time you water. I have a spray bottle that can be filled with fertilizer, attached to a garden hose and it dilutes the fertilizer with the water as it sprays. We sell them here for around $10.00 and it's a great investment if you have alot of flowers. A lot less time consuming then mixing up each watering can.

Next time....what to do with those pansies.

Slow Release Fertilizer

Water Soluble Fertilizer

Hose end applicator

Answer our Poll

If you scroll down to the bottom, there's a question I'm throwing out to you. Check it out, give us an answer and we'll see what the most popular flower for full, hot sun is. If you have a different one than is on the list, leave a comment. We love to hear from you! Thanks and have a great weekend! It is one gorgeous day!

Thanks to you!

Thank you for making our customer appreciation week a success. It was an unusual week weatherwise but that seems to be how this year has been going. We gave away lots of Pop Shoppe Pop and were able to raise $87.41 for the CT Scanner fund for Goderich Hospital. Thank you for your donations!

Our planters and hanging baskets are still $7.99 and individual plants $0.99. There are still impatiens and marigolds left in flats for $0.55 a box of 4. (For how long, I do not know.)

These are the prices from 35 years ago when Huron Ridge Acres began.

We also have some colour bowls and ovals with petunias, impatiens and zinnias.

Hope you had a great Canada Day! We spent the day at home working around outside and in, bbq'd supper and headed to the Bend for fireworks. There was a great band called Different Stages playing at the beach house. Then a choir led us in our national anthem. What a cool feeling to be surrounded by strangers and feel such a common bond with each other.

We are Canadian! :)