Fall color

Back to school means Fall is just around the corner! Hardy, garden mums are a great way to add colour and a fresh look to the front porch or deck.
Icicle pansies can be planted with the promise to come bouncing back with early spring brightness!
Pumpkins add the most amazing orange hue that makes us think of warm fires, yummy pumpkin pies and that amazing sweater bought that can't wait to be worn!

Back in the Routine

For a lot of families, it's back to a routine after a beautiful warm summer.   Well, according to the forecasts, the summer looks like it may continue for a little while.  With kids back to school you'll have time to be thinking about decorating the front entrance to your home for fall.  The garden mums are starting to show off their colors, the planters are ready, and we have a nice assortment of gourds & pumpkins to add to an autumn look.
This weekend, Dave & Carol will be at the Blyth Steam Threshers event with carts full of perennials and mums to sell.  Make sure you stop by & say "Hi" if you planning on attending that event.  At 1:00 p.m. on Sat., Carol is doing a presentation "Fall Fashions in your Garden" in the Lifestyles tent at the show.  Looks like a fun weekend while working too!

Lazy Days of summer

Where has August gone?  Days are getting noticably shorter and a lot of the autumn season perennials are displaying their beauty.  
Did you know that is what causes garden mums to start to flower?  The shorter daylength actually also triggers the maples leaves to start to colour too!
We "trick" some garden mums into flowering earlier by placing them into 'beds' that we can cover in the evening with a black-out fabric.  Every night they get put to bed at 8pm and uncovered around 9am the next morning to create a 13 hour night.  By doing that we can have garden mums in colour by late July & early August.  The 6" pot size are the ones that get that special treatment, so if you are looking for something to replace a tired looking annual in some of your pots, they are perfect to tuck in & give the planter a new fall look.

We do these in 6 different time frames, so they begin flowering in consecutive weeks.  Below are mums from an early group, and the picture showing the cover (above) is of the last group that will be ready in a couple of weeks.

Fashions for September

For 3 weeks, our team has been dressing up pots with fall fashions including garden mums in the latest colours! Flowing fountain grass, lacy kale and frilly coral bells add to the ensemble. These gorgeous decorations will replace those tired spring fashions and add pizzaz where you need it most!

What's happening around here?

Sunflowers are being cut and bunched! They are measured, cut, bunched together in 5 stems and placed in a bucket with flower preservative. These are shipped to OFG, the flower auction in Mississauga. The rest are sold locally.

Summertime

Summer has arrived with a vengence! This time of year is a season to enjoy the out of doors, puttering around in flowerbeds and gardens and soon enjoying the fruits of our labours!. From zucchini and lettuce to squash and pumpkins, this is our reward for a job well done. The weeds try and take over but we must be diligent and watchful!! Keeping the spent flowers regularly cleaned from the perennials will keep them healthly. Mulching helps reduce weeds and watering while faithful fertilizing the annual flowers will keep them blooming until frost. Even a "haircut" once in awhile helps the plants to grow fuller.  All things to keep you busy over the summer season! Have fun!