The reality of how close Christmas really is, makes it hard to fathom considering the mild weather we've been having! It's wonderful for getting around and delivering poinsettias though! We are still in full swing packing and shipping the plants we have grown for 5 months. They are started in July as a small slip or cutting, then rooted and potted, watered and fertilized until today when we send them out for others to enjoy. We've watched with new amazement at the changing colours of the leaves. From red, pink and white to jingle bells and silver star marble. Over 20 varieties and colours! Gorgeous! We supply stores, flower shops and fundraiser groups with plants that last. The other day at my Christmas dinner, my cousin told me she finally threw it out in the compost in August! It still looked almost as good as the day she got it. It's always exciting to hear that because we strive to grow quality plants that last!

We've been as busy as Santa's elves getting everything ready for our

spectacular candlelight event

starting tomorrow night! For three nights our poinsettias are bathed in a warm candlelight glow, definitely a "wow" sight. Please join us anytime between 5 and 8 pm on November 24,25 and 26 and enjoy the delectable taste and smell of cider brewing, christmas cookies and the delights to the eyes as your feet meander through our many pathways.

Thursday night brings a connoisseur and roaster of the freshest coffee around, Coastal Coffee Company owner, Ben Gingerich. Enjoy tasting his fresh brew and purchase a bag if desired.

Jo-Anne Middleton will be here displaying her array of candles in many enticing aromas. Make a purchase for that hard to buy person or just enjoy.

For those who have other evening committments, we are open 9-5 Monday through Saturday until Dec.24. This Sunday Nov. 27, we are open 12-4. The benches are quite a site in the daytime with the colourful rainbow of poinsettias!

Wow! It's hard to believe it's November 1st with this beautiful day surrounding us! This would be a great week to put up outdoor Christmas lights so our fingers won't get quite so cold! I think I'll do that here on Friday.

Last week Dave and Carol drove up north to fill our big delivery truck with christmas greens making it smell like a pine forest! There are carts full of spruce, balsam, and pine bunches, and various lengths of cedar and mixed garland on our benches.

I inhaled a breath of fresh cut pine and wished my house was filled with that divine scent all year round!

Mixed Garland

Winter planters with Ornamental Cabbage Christmas greens

This may seem like a quiet time of year around here but actually alot is happening! Right now with the nastier wet weather, we are working inside. Perennials are being put to bed but as long as it doesn't freeze, spring bulbs can be tucked into the earth ready to bring glorious colour to our eyes in the brown of spring time!

Danielle and Darren are planting primula (picture above) for February. Primula are bright, cheery plants that are a must have during the whiteness of winter. Clayt is sorting white pine branches that have been delivered to us for our winter planters, wreaths and other Christmas designs.

Tomorrow Dave and Carol are heading up north to pick up a big truckload of Christmas greens and cedar roping! So keep in mind, we will have bunches of scented greens and beautiful roping for your outdoor decorarting ready by Nov. 1.

Today Dave is gone to the annual meeting at Ontario Flower Growers in Mississauga. www.ontarioflowergrowers.ca He's been on the Board of Directors for 3 years now. We take product there 2x a week most of the year.

Carol is busy in the office most days keeping it running smoothly.

This afternoon Sally and I plan to open up Christmas boxes! We're getting ready to decorate around here for our annual Candlelight Event on Nov. 24-26, 5-8 pm. Check our website http://www.huronridge.ca/ for details.

Poinsettias are colouring up beautifully! It's amazing day to day the change that can be seen in these amazing plants!

We're still growing!

Yesterday I took cuttings from a variety of herb plants. At the end of January, when the hype of Christmas is over and we're hungry for fresh greens, they'll be ready to add flavour to soups, stews, or roast chicken. They can sit in a decorative pot on a windowsill, reminding us that spring is coming! I also planted some basil and cilantro seeds because these are my two favourite herbs!

Festive Workshops

Want a Fun Girl’s Night Out while you create a festive outdoor decoration that will wow your friends & family? Laugh, learn and enjoy some refreshments. Sat. Nov. 26, 2pm; Sat. Dec. 3, 2pm; Tues. Dec.6, 7pm; In the Sat. workshops, you will create an outdoor planter. You can make a basic one using fresh evergreens, dogwood, ribbon & cones; or you can add some bling, or you can upgrade to a WOW! Prices start at $35. In the Tues. evening workshop you’ll create a door swag or mantelpiece, made with fresh evergreens, ribbon, berries & more. Cost for this workshop is $30 Spaces will be limited so call 519-565-2122 to reserve your spot with a $20 deposit. Talk to Carol or Lorraine or you may contact us via email carol@huronridge.ca or lorraine@huronridge.ca if you have any questions.

Christmas Workshops

This year we are planning some Christmas workshops! A great opportunity to explore your creativity, learn floral design and make something beautiful! Details coming soon.

Cabbage Anyone?

These are not roses although they resemble an open rose. They are a variety of ornamental cabbage grown for flower bouquets and arrangements. Outside in a fancy urn or wintery vase, these will last a long time, enduring frost and snow. Put some evergreens and red dogwood with them and voila! You have a lovely arrangement beside your front door that you don't have to worry about. We grow them outside so they've seen all kinds of weather!

Inside your home is fine too but due to the warmth, they will last like the average flower bouquet if the water is changed every few days and the bottom of the stems trimmed. They make a beautiful table centre all by themselves or add some greens and sparkly branches for a masterpiece!

Going squirrely?

Do the squirrels drive you nuts, digging in your flowerbeds, ripping up your tulip bulbs?

Here's a non-toxic recipe that should make them run!

In a hand spray bottle mix:

a few shots Tabasco sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 pint of water

dash of dish soap

Shake well and apply to bulbs when planting.

The other option is to plant spring bulbs, such as bright daffodils, unique alliums, fragrant hyacinths, and fabulous Fritillaria, that the furry creatures turn their noses up at. The deer are also deterred from these flowers, passing them over for the neighbour's tulips.

Put your gardens to bed for the winter

This weekend seems too beautiful to think about shutting down your gardens and flower beds for the winter, so I wouldn't! Enjoy the weekend with family and friends, enjoying the last of the garden veggies. When it gets a little cooler, which it will, here is a list of jobs to do.

1. Harvest any flowers or herbs you want to dry, use in arrangements or freeze. Chopping up herbs and placing in ice cube trays with water covering them is a great way to preserve them for soups, stews or sauce.

2. Rake leaves and make compost pile by building a coral with chicken wire.

3. Clean up spent perennials. Trim old flower stalks and dead foliage off, tossing in compost pile.

4.Divide perennials that have grown into large clumps. This will invigorate plants and give them a fresh start in the spring.

5. One final weeding of course!

6. Plant spring bulbs such as tulips, allium, daffodils, crocus and one that is making a come-back, fritillaria.

7. Plant any new perennials you'd like to try for next year. The cooler, wet weather gives them a great start. A bit of bonemeal when planting will help roots to develop quicker.

8. If you have tender herbs that could be sitting on your windowsill for a few month, dig them up and repot into a decorative container (with drainage). Example : parsley, rosemary, or thyme.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Time to bring in those houseplants!

If you're ready to bring in any houseplants you had outside for the summer, make sure they are bug-free! First clean up any dead stems or leaves. Scrub the outside of pot with soap, a little bleach and water. Don't repot now, the plant will be stressed enough being moved into your home. Spray with insecticidal soap above and under leaves as much as possible. Leave that sit for a bit, then shower with outdoor hose if possible and let dry. Finally, if you have the space, place plants in the brightest area of your home, allowing them to readjust to lower light levels and changing temps. They might show some stress but if you can let them gradually grow accustomed to your home again, the plants should be fine. Usually growth slows way down so don't expect a burst of green.

Good luck!

Harvest time

This is the time of year when gardeners are working feverishly to preserve the garden bounty. Relish, salsa, canned tomatoes, applesauce, pickled beets and hot peppers, zucchini bread and more! Personally, I'm getting tired of zucchini but plan to make some bread or muffins with the big ones that got away. I've tried grating and freezing the overgrown fruit but it's just not the same. Here's a great recipe for using that gargantuous green monster from the garden. 3 cups grated zucchini, peeled if you prefer to hide it :) 1 c.Bisquick 1/3 c. oil 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. garlic pwd or use fresh if desired 3 eggs well beaten 1 c. mozza cheese 1/4 c. parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top. Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased 8x8 pan. Sprinkle parmesan on top and bake @ 350 F for 35-45 min. Delicious served with fried potatoes. Posted by Lorraine

Labour day is this weekend and if you need a fresh look for deck or patio, our mums are beginning to colour! We also have fall planters with a mixture of annuals and perennials that are beautiful! Gourds and pumpkins can add colour to the base of the planters for an (dare I say it?) Autumn look.

Come see us soon!

Fall Sale

It's time to start clearing out the Perennials in the garden centre, so we can start with fresh new plants next spring. And it's a perfect time to be planting perennials too. Autumn brings cooler nights, and more frequent showers to help plants get a good start. Adding some bone meal to the soil will also give the plants a boost.

Today starts our Fall Sale - Buy 1 at regular price and get the second one at 1/2 price. And as a bonus, if you buy $50 or more of perennials, we will take care of the taxes.

Our fall bulbs will be arriving in the next week or so, and the garden mums are starting to show some color too. We have some beautiful fall planters to dress us your entrance, along with the pumpkins & gourds.

Perennial of the week August 19-25

We are featuring Astilbe Pumila, a great little plant for a partial shade garden. Shoots up lovely, lavender coloured flowers that reach up to 12".

Only $4.99!

Neustadt flowers

On Sunday, we headed to the quaint town of Neustadt to check on the flowers we started for them here in the greenhouse. These are the petunia towers heading into the arena entrance! This is front of the Neustadt Brewery. If you ever have a chance to visit Andy and his wife who are the owners, do it! They immigrated from England and are bringing the history and business of the brewery alive again. It's a 150 year old building with quite a story. We got a tour and at one point are 27 feet underground!

Dave and Kevin checking out the ones downtown. Amazing! All Easy Wave Petunias!

The flowers are literally all over town! This is along main street and I believe there was a bench in between the pots. Neustadt is know for its flowers and quaint shops.

We thank them letting us start the containers of beautiful blossoms for them!

Summer gardens

Does everyone enjoy reaping the efforts of growing a vegetable garden as much as I do? Going to the garden & picking fresh beans, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, corn & herbs to prepare a meal is very satisfying & so yummy too. By preserving the extra produce you can't use fresh, you can enjoy good food all winter long. And snatching up & preserving some of the locally grown produce is a good way to provide good food for your family too.

If you have some questions, I'd be happy to try & help - carol@huronridge.ca or there's lot of info online too..... so different than when I started doing this so many years ago. We learned from Mom, who learned from her Mom.

Like us on Facebook

In case you didn't know, we're on Facebook! Follow this link to our page and view a video Carol posted yesterday. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=128329043909185&story_fbid=140819732669313#!/pages/Huron-Ridge-Acres/369505976089

Perennial of the Week

This weeks Perennial of the week starting Friday Aug. 5 - Coreopsis Limerock Dream! Cheerful, tiny daisy flowers bloom in summer to early fall. (a light trim late summer will provide reblooming in fall.) Full sun, grows 16" tall. Use 3 plants per square yard when planting. Drought tolerant once established.

Perennial of the week

Until Thursday, Aug.4th at 5, our perennial of the week is Buddelia or better known as Butterfly bush.

Grows up to 8 ft. tall and has beautiful cone-like flowers in pink or dk. purple.

2 in 1

I love this flower bed! I spotted it at the Goderich Vet Clinic when I was driving by one day. It just goes to show how creative one can be with plants! The taller plants are corn stalks, the spikey plants in between the corn are onions! The smaller green plant on this side of the corn is a pepper plant. They were dispersed all along the bed as well. I believe the flowers are petunias.

If you have a creative garden that is growing, send me a picture at lorraine@huronridge.ca

I'd love to see it and might even post it with your permission!

Amazing Annuals

Pots of colour ready for your deck or garden!

Marigolds

Zinnias

Petunias

Hollyhocks

Flowering Vinca

Flower Power

Gorgeous colour for the gardens!

Monarda (Bee Balm) Petite Delight Butterfly Bush in Pink and Dark Purple

Garden Phlox in assorted colours

Giant Russian Sage

A boost for your health and gardens!

Echinacea (Coneflower)

thinking cool thoughts

During this heat wave, we thought you may need some help to think cool thoughts. So here is what's happening in the greenhouse these days......you're right, it's poinsettias.

Our rooted cuttings have been arriving over the past several weeks, and today we will start putting them into pots to grow into the bright & beautiful flowers we associate with Christmas, snow and cold weather.

You can see how well they have rooted in the oasis, but now they need some soil to get the nutrition needed to grow into strong healthy plants

Each strip of cuttings comes clearly labelled to indentify the 25+ varieties that we grow.