What's up?

Winter has hit again! I thought the schools might have a snow day this week with the storm warnings and icy roads. Here it is bright and cozy. The difference the sun makes when it pops out is amazing! Yesterday we were sticking more cuttings, quite a large variety, including geraniums and bacopa. Today I ordered seed packets and am now yearning for the fresh veggies to come from my garden! I will have to wait a little while yet but I can start to plan and make improvements over last year. I try to keep notes of what I did, what works well and what doesn't. That way I don't make the same mistake twice or I can have great success again! This week: Kevin is seeding more spring annuals today and we were planting on Tuesday. Monday is always our shipping-to-Ontario Flower Growers-day. This week we shipped out more primula and rannunculus. A couple of skids of new merchandise such as urns, tomato cages and fertilizers came and I'm keen to unpack it. It's almost like Christmas around here this time of year when we start receiving packages every day! Today I was going over the vegetable list because Kevin was ordering labels and I can't believe how many varieties of veggies we have! From broccoli to popcorn to watermelon and lots in between! Even if you only have a balcony, there are still a variety of plants you can grow. In April, Dave and Carol will once again share their knowledge of vegetable gardening in few evening workshops so keep watching for more info on that. Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful weekend!

Wednesday

Today is now Friday and we've had a busy week. On Wednesday Kevin was seeding petunias, impatiens, salvia, lobelia, and dusty miller. The cart you see has shelves full of flats with new seeds that are sprouting in our germination room.

Yesterday we planted the first of the multiple variety hanging baskets. Quite a mix of plants went in such as geraniums, white and purple bacopa, purple nemesia, yellow bidens and trailing petunias in various colours. Looking at them now, it's hard to believe that they'll be full and colourful in just 3 months!

Today we are bumping up smaller plants to bigger pots so they have more room to grow until we are ready to plant them in planters. I'm also collecting some primula for a small order and we are receiving a load of wood pellets later this morning. Walkers are welcome today to walk between 10 AM and 4 PM.

Hope you have a great weekend! Get out there and enjoy the snow and mild weather. Take a walk on a trail and breathe in the smells of nature. Listen to the birds chirp...they love this milder weather.☺

Tuesday

Since yesterday was a holiday, I'll skip to what's happening today. We are spacing more primula on benches so they warm up and begin to bloom. Kevin is seeding impatiens and I unpacked some Proven Winner plant varieties that arrived. www.provenwinners.com Carol is in the office working on information for our Spring Fundraiser. This info will soon be on our website fundraiser page. www.huronridge.ca More tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day

We are open Saturday, February 13th for your last minute gift giving! We have lovely Anthirium, Primula, Rannunculus and assorted plant baskets for that special loved one. We have one customer who buys a bunch of primula to give and says "you can't buy a nice card for this price". :)

Week 6 activities

I thought I would give you a picture of what we've been doing here during week 6 of the year 2010. Monday: gathered Primula to take to Ontario FLower Growers in Mississauga www.ontarioflowers.com Tuesday: Watered, planted spider babies in 3" pots, hosted walkers. Wednesday: Gathered primula for OFG. Stuck New Guinea Impatiens cuttings until after lunch then began with geraniums Thursday: Stuck geranium cuttings Friday: Stuck geranium cuttings, checked watering, chatted with residents from Maplewoods, Bluewater Rest Home and Zurich, finished planting spider babies, and other odds and ends of jobs.

Burpee Home Gardens

This spring we are excited to introduce Burpee Vegetables. The Burpee company has been around for generations and produces high quality seeds. We have chosen many varieties of tomatoes as well as peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, melons and eggplant from the Burpee line. The vegetable plants will be planted in our sterilized soil mix compostable/biodegradable pots! (reduce your carbon footprint.) A colourful information label will be placed in the pot. There is also a very helpful website for you, full of easy-to-follow advice. www.burpeehomegardens.com

We've got roots!

Two weeks ago we stuck these unrooted cuttings into the soil, watered them and gave them a warm home. Here they are now just 14 days after! Look at those roots! This never ceases to amaze me, the miracle of growing plants. The yellow flower is Bidens, the pink is Calibrachoa also known as Million Bells and the tiny white flower is called Bacopa. These three plants are very popular in any type of container and look beautiful mixed together. “Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine Kind words and kind deeds”

2010 Herb of the Year

The Herb of the Year for 2010 is Dill. Dill is a versatile herb with many uses! Most commonly used to make pickles, it can also make yummy dips, flavour mayonnaise, veggies and fish. Dill grows best in cool weather and very easy to seed.

Hosta of the year 2010

2010 Hosta of the year is called First Frost. It's a beautiful mixture of yellow edges with bluish/green centres. During the summer, the edges turn a creamy white.

Colour choice of the year

Check out this website to find out what the 2010 colour of the year is...I'll keep in suspense until you check it out. Just an interesting little tidbit for you. www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20705&ca=4