January Newsletter from Otten Bros. Garden Center & Landscaping

How many garden seed catalogs have you received? I have a pretty big stack of them, already. Funny thing is, I don't buy from any of them. (I happen to know of this great garden center that I buy all my seeds and seed starting materials from!) But, I just love getting the magazines in the mail. What a great reminder that the snow and cold only lasts for a little while longer.

When the weather is -30 outside, I can sit and drool over all the beautiful pictures of the luscious, vine-ripened veggies and the dew-laden petals of the newest flower on the market. To me, almost half the fun of gardening is the planning of what you are going to 'try' in the spring. What about that new tomato your neighbor recommended or how about that great perennial you saw at the arboretum? You have so much to consider and read about while the snow is flying. Imagine the possibilities for your garden, your containers, your yard this spring! I can hardly wait for winter to be over with. (Did you know that we will have blooming pansies for sale in our greenhouses in about two months!)

For now, you and I will have to leaf through the pages of seed catalogs, waiting for spring to arrive. I hope you are already dreaming of the wonderful things you will grow in your garden this year, I know I am.

For the Birds
Suet Feeder

Cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers and black-capped chickadees are some of the birds I have seen at my suet and seed feeders this winter. I have been diligent in keeping my feeders full, despite the snow and cold. The snow cover this winter will not make it easy for the birds to find food sources. Plus, the kitty, the kids and I, all enjoy watching the birds out our picture window. I am happy to have them coming back to my feeders often this winter.

An easy way to start feeding birds is with a suet feeder. Here are a few tips for getting started.

1 - What is suet? It is a type of fat from beef that has been rendered and formed into squares or other shapes called suet cakes. Other ingredients such as sunflowers, berries, seeds or nuts can be added to these shapes.

2 - Suet is a great high energy source of food for birds because it consists of fat. Birds need more calories in winter because they spend more energy to keep warm. A gram of fat contains 9 calories compared to straight seed that has about 4 calories per gram.

3 - Suet is easy to feed. The cakes fit neatly into square mesh feeders that can hold 1 or many cakes. Buy a suet feeder that holds several cakes, then you can offer multiple flavors of suet to your birds.

4 - Many types of birds love suet including several different types of woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches. If you choose a suet that contains a seed or berries you will see other types of birds enjoying it as well.

If you are interested in birding and nature you might enjoy the Stokes Birding Blog. Otten Bros. carries the Stokes Select line of bird feeders, houses and accessories. Or check out the MN DNR website for more information on feeding birds in winter.

Our Neighbors are moving...

...but not very far!
Make sure you visit Plante Chiropractic Center, Anytime Fitness and National Karate as they move to their new homes. They will be located just down the street from us in the shopping center next to Caribou Coffee. They will all be settling into their new homes during the month of January.

We are excited to let you know our new neighbor will be Harvest Moon Natural Foods Co-op. It will be a grocery store/market located on the west end of the Otten Bros. building. It will offer wholesome and organic foods and products from many local producers. It will also contain a meat, deli and a juice & coffee bar. Check out their website to see preliminary plans of the store design and find out how to become a member! Harvest Moon will be opening this spring!

Go Nuts For Squirrels!

Just when you thought you had heard it all something comes along to make you laugh. At least it made me laugh when I read that January 21st is National Squirrel Appreciation Day!

Then I thought about it. Okay, squirrels are definitely not loved by everyone. They can be a menace in your garden and they can make a mess out of your bird feeders. The poor critters could use a little appreciation, at least one day a year. It's the middle of January and we are all looking for a little entertainment during these cold and snowy days. Why not feed the squirrels in your neighborhood? They are fun to watch in a flurry of tails as they scurry up and down and around trees chasing each other and performing acrobatic aerial stunts.

Want to add a twist to feeding them? Put up a novelty squirrel feeder like a Squirrel Go-Round or a Squirrel Kob Bungee. These feeders provide supplemental food to the critters if they did not 'squirrel' away enough to get them through the winter. Meanwhile, it supplies you with hours of nonstop entertainment at the expense of hungry and determined squirrels.

At this point, I bet you are wondering - who in the world came up with this crazy holiday? Squirrel Appreciation Day was started on January 21, 2001, by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator from Asheville, North Carolina.

So go nuts and celebrate January 21st! Turn on the Rocky & Bullwinkle reruns, put a squirrel feeder outside your living room window and pay homage to those bushy-tailed critters running around your neighborhood.

In honor of all the squirrels in Minnesota, Otten Bros. is offering 20% off all squirrel feeders and select squirrel food from January 15th-31st to all our GRO Members. Not a GRO Member, it's FREE to sign up!

U$ele$$ Trivia Que$tion

Congratulations! Dennis A. - you were last month's trivia question winner. Name the first US President to put up a real Christmas tree in the White house? We had a bit of a controversy on the answer to this question. The National Christmas Tree Association and the White House Historical Association disagree on the answer...so we took both their answers as correct. You could have said Benjamin Harrison or Franklin Pierce in order to win.

This month's question is in honor of National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Can you tell me how many inches a year will squirrel's teeth grow?

Good luck! Make sure to e-mail your answer to email@ottenbros.com. This month's winner will receive a $50 Otten Bros. gift card.

Places to GO...Things to SEE

It's that time of year again. The Lake Minnetonka Magazine has its ballots ready for the 'Best of Lake Minnetonka 2010'. Otten Bros. was so proud to win Best Landscaper in 2009 - we hope to defend our title. Click here to cast your ballots for The Best Of 2010 in the Lake Minnetonka area!

Just a tease for all you Ladies out there... The first After Hours at Otten Bros. Ladies Night of the year has been set for March 25th, 2010. Look for more information and a special invitation coming soon to an email box near you!

Other crazy days you should think about celebrating this month...National Hat Day - January 15th. Popcorn Day - January 17th and of course the all important Penguin Awareness Day - January 20th.

Have a happy, warm and safe January. Keep dreaming of spring, it will be here before you know it!

Cheers!

The Otten Bros. Staff

2350 West Wayzata Boulevard
Long Lake, Minnesota 55356
952-473-5425

Save 25% or 35% off All Houseplants	NO COUPON NEEDED! Now through January 31st, 2010 All Houseplants 25% off regular price. THE BONUS...purchase any pot(s) with your houseplant and receive another 10% off your houseplant! (Get a pot for your new plant or for one of your existing plants...you can always use a new pot!)
Offer Expires: January 31st, 2010