Burlington Garden Center

September 9, 2011

Dear Gardening Friend,

What do you think of when you hear "it's time to plant bulbs". Does work come to mind? Not enough time?

I suppose those are both valid excuses - I mean reasons. But who of us doesn't find joy in spotting the first crocus in spring, or seeing daffodils nodding their cheerful heads even after a late spring snowfall?

A little planning ahead now will lead to next year's spring display of color in your yard. And if you don't feel like digging, BGC owner, Walt, suggests a new way of planting bulbs - till up the area to be planted, broadcast the bulbs, and cover with a few inches of compost and topsoil. Studies conducted by Cornell University have shown this to work very well. 

Another good use of time is to plant perennials, trees, and shrubs. Ours are 40% off right now including lilacs, hollies, winterberries, and much more. Some look great, others are desparate to get in the ground. Keep them well watered to establish root development, and they will reward you next year with healthy robust leaves and flowers.

Happy gardening, 

Tracy Hankwitz

BGC Store Manager 

Dig. Drop.Done

It's that easy - really! A few minutes spent in the garden this fall will reward you with beautiful flowers next spring. Our collection of bulbs this year includes everyone's favorite alliums, scillas, crocus, daffodils and tulips. We are excited about a few that are quickly becoming our new favorites:

species tulips

these petite beauties spread and will last many years

bunching tulips

great for cutting with 4-5 flowers per stem! 

fritallarias

exotic and unusual

this week's favorite:

Bridal Crown Daffodil

Pretty enough to be a crown for a bride! This double-flowering narcissus bears 3-4 flowers per stem and grows to be 14-16" tall. If that isn't reason enough to add this to your garden, then how about this - it's deer resistant, great for forcing, and is divinely fragrant! Symbolic for new beginnings and anniversaries. Gotta have 'em.

 This week we want to introduce you to three ladies who lead very busy lives - just like you, and manage to find simple ways to fit planting bulbs into their schedules. Take a few minutes to follow the link and explore the humorous ways they do it - it'll make you smile - guaranteed.

Meet the ladies here and their quick helpful tips

for beautiful spring flowers.   

bgc
 

Tips for Feeding Migrating Birds  

Autumn can be a very rewarding time to feed birds. As many birds begin their long journey to warmer climates, they need energy from natural food sources as well as supplemental food that we can provide.

By feeding the birds this fall, you are helping migrating birds learn where to come next spring for good food. You may see an increase in size and diversity of birds in your backyard.

 Keep feeders clean and filled

Cleaning feeders can be a hassle - especially tube feeders where the seed can collect at the bottom and become moldy and harbor diseases. There are bottle-brush cleaners made specifically for cleaning tube feeders. But life just got a little easier - we have found the Quick-Clean feeders by Aspects (pictured above) to be one of the easiest feeders to clean.

By simply pressing two buttons at the bottom of the feeder, the base slides out making cleanup a snap. Available in several sizes - even for large birds like cardinals and woodpeckers; mixed seed feeders and nyger seed feeders are both available.

 bgc

Fall Beauties  

As daylight hours lessen and cooler temps settle in, many trees and shrubs begin to show their true colors and some are quite beautiful. Adding plants to your landscape that are interesting even when not in flower are definitely worth investing in.

Here are two shrubs that are in their glory in autumn:

Chokeberry
(Aronia melanocarpa)

 This shrub has it all - fruit for the birds, nectar for insects, cover for wildlife, and multi-season interest. Clusters of white blossoms cover the plants in spring followed by berries in the summer and outstanding fall color. 

The red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima') is grown as a small tree (10-12 feet tall) and gets red berries. The black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa 'Morton' - Iroquois Beauty) is more compact growing only 3-4' tall.

Both prefer full sun to part shade and once established are drought-tolerant. 

Fragrant Sumac

(Rhus aromatica)

 This fragrant sumac cultivar is a dense, low-growing, rambling shrub which grows 18-24" high but spreads to 8' wide. Planted in full sun to part shade, it makes a great woody groundcover and is good for erosion control on sloped areas.

bgc

Kool Kale Workshop 

                Saturday, September 17

10 AM 

Let the kool kolors of kale shine with this container of fall fun. In this workshop you will plant a container with kale and other fall annuals shown above. Cost of the workshop is $ 40.

Please register by calling 262.763.2153 or email burlingtongc@sbcglobal.net.   

bgc

September Hours

Monday - Friday

9 AM - 5 PM

Saturday 9 AM - 4 PM

Sunday 10 AM - 2 PM 

 "Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."

                                     ~Stanley Horowitz