Cary, NC

Gardening during the hot summer months can be challenging, to say the least. Soaring temperatures and high humidity often make even a brief trip out to the mailbox an unpleasant experience, let alone thinking about working out in the yard. Even though it’s still perfectly OK to be putting in new plants right now, providing you can be on hand with plenty of water to help them get established, planting may not be on your current to-do list. But if you can stand to spend a few minutes outdoors, either in the early mornings or late evenings, I have a few basic care tips for the summer months that will help keep your yard in tip-top shape.

Keep Those Weeds Under Control

Summer in our area seems to be the magic switch to bring on the weeds.  Sauna-like conditions brought on by heat and humidity, while wilting people and garden plants alike, tend to trigger rampant, tropical rainforest-type growth from those pesky weeds. Besides making your planting beds look bad, all those weeds actually have a detrimental effect on the rest of your plants by stealing much needed nutrients and water from the ground. And during hot and tough times like these, your plants don’t need the competition. So start pulling weeds out of the flower beds. If they get a foothold, weeds will be tough to control.  Pull them out by hand or lightly hoe them, and then suppress their emergence with a layer of mulch.

Prune those leggy annuals

With the approach of midsummer, many annuals may go into a slump and start to decline. Flowers may become sparse and the plants may look ragged. This condition is most likely due to high nighttime temperatures, and is a common problem with many plants. Trimming back your plants will keep them bushy and encourage the formation of new flowers. Remove spent blossoms on annual flowering plants as often as possible. This encourages further flowering rather than seed production.

Helpful Hint

Self-cleaning flowers save time and work in the garden by dropping dead blooms, thus requiring no trimming or deadheading. Among them are ageratum, cleome, gomphrena, impatiens, New Guinea impatiens, pentas, wax begonia, and narrowleaf zinnia.

Fertilizing

Annual beds can use a boost right about now, especially where the soil is sandy or the season has been rainy. Apply slow-release fertilizer for maximum benefit with minimum effort. For a quick but brief response, water plants with a liquid fertilizer such as 20-20-20. Fertilize each plant to encourage root and stem growth. This should encourage your annuals to bloom until they are killed by freezing weather.

Planning

And lastly, if you’re going on vacation this month and will be leaving your garden for a week or more, make plans to have someone take care of your plants while you are away. To make things easier for the caregiver, group plants in containers together near a water source and out of the afternoon sun. Grouping them will help conserve water, and shade will help reduce the need for water.

Hope these tips help you maintain a beautiful and healthy garden this summer. Remember, our friendly experts are on hand seven days a week to answer all your gardening questions and needs. Have a great summer, and we hope to see you all soon down at Garden Supply Co!

Summer is in full swing, and in just a few short days the 4th of July will be here, marking our country’s 235th birthday. For many of us, that means barbecues and picnics, family gatherings, and fireworks.  A time of celebration for us all!

Here at Garden Supply Company, we have all your holiday home and garden decor needs covered. Whether you are hosting this year’s gathering and are looking for unique table accessories, patio lights, or small favors for the kids, or would simply like to add some festive charm to your home, we have the special pieces you are looking for.

For truly unique and beautiful patriotic decor, let Garden Supply Co. be your holiday headquarters. We’re here to make this 4th of July one to remember.

From all of us at Garden Supply Co, we wish you a very happy and safe 4th of July! Like you, we will be celebrating and spending the day with our families, so be sure to stock up on all your party supplies by Sunday, the 3rd. And then we’ll see you once again on Tuesday morning.

Happy Holiday!

Tomorrow, April 22nd, marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, an annual effort to raise public awareness about the environment and inspire actions to clean it up. This year’s celebration theme is titled “A Billion Acts of Green”,  an effort to encourage everyone to do something small but sustainable in their own lives to improve the planet’s health. To help you get started, here’s a few simple ideas of things you could do around your own home that can make a real difference.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Making a simple switch from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs will save energy and reduce the cost of your power bills. Compact fluorescents give the same amount of visible light, use less energy, and last longer than incandescent bulbs. And although the initial cost of compact fluorescents are higher, typical usage will save on average $40 in electricity costs over the lamp’s lifetime.

Plant a Tree

The simple act of planting a tree not only beautifies the landscape, it offers many environmental benefits as well. Trees improve our air quality by filtering harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from the air we breathe. Trees also lessen the amount of storm water runoff, which reduces erosion and pollution in our waterways and may reduce the effects of flooding. And many species of wildlife depend on trees for habitat. Trees provide food, protection, and homes for many birds and mammals. Not only that, trees provide the oxygen that we need to breathe.

Compost

Composting offers the obvious benefits of resource efficiency and creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been landfilled. Compost is a soil amendment that can be incorporated into garden soil to help it retain moisture and nutrients. It improves the texture of problem soils and encourages the growth of microorganisms that maintain plant and soil health. And perhaps best of all, it’s a free and easy way to dispose of organic waste, which decreases trash pickups and landfill usage.

Organic Landcare

Each year, thousands of tons of harmful chemicals are dumped onto neighborhood lawns, and  into our water systems from lawn care companies in an attempt to keep our grassways green and weed free, with varying degrees of success. In an effort to reduce chemical wastage and over-use, Garden Supply Co.’s newest sister affiliate, Leapfrog Landcare offers a safer, more environmentally friendly approach. Leapfrog Landcare believes strongly in sustainability and supporting your local community. The majority of the products we use are produced locally and are organic. Like you, we would rather have our family hanging out on a chemical free lawn. Leapfrog Landcare is pleased to provide Compost Tea treatments, the best natural soil amendment on the planet for our local soils.

What is Compost Tea?

One of the biggest problems for lawns, trees and shrubs is normally overlooked and never truly treated. That is the soil structure. Compost Tea is an amendment that instantly goes to work balancing your soil structure and feeding your plants by releasing millions of microbes into your soil. Not only does it feed your plants, but it also causes the roots to grow deeper, which helps them become more drought tolerant. Check out this video for a look at what we do. And Happy Earth Day everyone!

Winters are often cold and long here in North Carolina. With chill temperatures outside, many of us are snuggling up indoors with gardening plans and books to keep us company, while we dream about the spring flowers and lush gardens we hope to see again soon. Spring feels like a million years away. But there is a way to bring the outdoors in, even in the harshest winter weather. You can have an instant garden, bursting with fresh greenery and flowers, by starting a terrarium in your home today.

Terrariums are a lot of fun to put together and are very easy to do.   Anybody can do it. And the best part? There are really no rules. Just pick out a container, some plants and accessories, and you are ready to go. Now that’s my kind of project!

Terrarium gardening was first discovered in the 1830 by a scientist who accidentally discovered he could keep plants alive indefinitely enclosed in glass containers. Since then, terrariums have ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years, reaching a peek in the 1960′s and 70′s, mainly as home science projects. Today, terrarium gardening remains as popular as ever.

So, what exactly is a terrarium?

A terrarium is any closed environment containing plant life, where the condensation of water creates a completely self-watering system. You can create miniature versions from canning jars or old fish bowls, or larger ones using apothecary jars, cloches, or specially designed glass and wrought iron pieces. We have many beautiful terrariums to choose from in the Greenhouse.

Once you’ve selected your container, the fun begins. You can add soil and plants directly into your container, or you may choose to keep plants in pots. Either way works just fine. Remember, there really are no rules. After you’ve added the plants, dress your terrarium up with accessories.

Small statuary and rocks work well. Miniature garden furniture, fences, arbors, tools, and animals are fun whimsical additions. There are so many accessories available on the market today, made especially for terrarium gardening. You’ll love our selection of new goodies in the Greenhouse.

You want an instant cure for the winter blah’s? Try a terrarium garden. It’s a little bit of fun and a whole lot of spring, all rolled into one.

Cary, NC

Cary, NC

If you missed the previous two Saturdays of Breakfast with Mrs. Claus, not to worry. We still have one more visit planned with the jolly old lady this upcoming Saturday, December 18th. Join us at 9 am for continental fare breakfast, followed by story time and photos with Mrs. Claus.

Be sure to bring your cameras to capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments and any letters to Santa that your kids would like to pass along.

This year, we would like to start a holiday tradition with you. Come pick out a special family ornament for your holiday tree from Garden Supply. We have so many beautiful styles to choose from, from classical and elegant, to fun and whimsical. For every ornament that you purchase, now through December 18th, you will receive a ticket for one free ride on our friendly Garden Supply Company ponies, Ginger and Snap. The ponies will be at the garden center on Saturday, from 11-3.

We will also have free face painting at that time.

Breakfast with Mrs. Claus is a free event, however registration is required. Please call Garden Supply Company at 919-460-7747 for reservations.

DATE:

Saturday December 18th

Breakfast at 9 am followed by story-time and photos

Pony rides available with ornament purchase from 11-3

Free Face painting from 11-3

Hope to see you all there!