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All Star Award

New

Floral

Pages

Wedel's Floral Department has added some new pages to our website! If you click here you'll see examples of the beautiful arrangements and plants available to you. 

 

 A Gold Star

Goes To...
 A gold star goes to...

Melody Charlton! Melody was the first to submit the correct answer to our February trivia question: "What was the date on which the first televised tour of the White House occurred?" The correct answer is "Harry Truman's tour on May 3, 1952." 

Melody won a $15.00 Wedel's gift certificate and you could too! Just be the first to respond with the correct answer to our monthly trivia question.
 
Congratulations, Melody! 
Join Our Mailing List
Let's Garden!

by Karen Anderson  

You can do it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of our goals at Wedel's Garden Center is to educate and inspire gardeners whether they are first timers or old hands. One of the ways we do those things is to provide you with the best and newest varieties of seeds on the market from the most reliable companies in the country. In doing that, we have one of the largest selections of seeds in southwest Michigan. It's spring! What better time to come in and browse the seed displays from those companies?

 

When you come in you'll find an exciting collection of herbs, flowers, vegetables, heirloom, wildflower and organic seeds. We have over three dozen new seed varieties among those collections such as; Monster Cabbage, Pantano Romanesco Tomato, Douce Despagne Pepper, Pixie Baby Cabbage, Circus Circus Tricolor Carrot, Zinger Hibiscus Tea, Little Lion Zinnia, Dragon Gourd, Red Warty Pumpkin and Outback Fire Pansy to name just a few.

 

Our seed packets contain a wealth of information such as planting requirements, seed starting and planting dates for Zone 5. Some of the packets even have histories of the plant and delicious recipes. All of them have beautiful images sure to inspire.

 

Stop by and have a look at what we have for you. Chat with our knowledgeable staff. It has been a long, Michigan winter and we're anxious to hear what you have in mind for this year's gardening season and to show you what's new as well as what's tried and true. Let's work together to make sure 2011 is your best gardening year yet!

 

Pretty Garden?
If you have a garden, a feeding station or bird pictures that you are proud of, send them to us. We'll share your pictures with our readers. Send pictures to:

Plan(t) For Your Health

You can do it!

A new, exciting and timely event will be offered by Wedel's on Saturday, April 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event, "Plan(t) for Your Health," will feature "Growing Your Own" seminars, a farmers' market with local foods, information on how to "Grow a Row" for others in need among other opportunities for you to get information on planting (and planning) for a healthier lifestyle.

 

Chef Channon will be here with cooking demonstrations and food tastings. She will, for example, be cooking chicken, making iced tea with fresh herbs and preparing other tasty and nutritious treats. There will be a nutritionist here for you to visit with and ask questions.

 

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 2 and plan to bring the whole family. More information will be published at "Wedel's News & Events" as the day draws nearer.

 

A Thought
 from the Garden  
Spring Shadows   
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." 

~Charles Dickens

Just for Grins... 

Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.

Hy Walls  

Wedel's News

Volume 3, Number 12                                                                  March, 2011    
A New Beginning,
A Fresh Start

by George Wedel
 
George Wedel  

Hello and Happy March to all of our green thumb friends! It seems so long ago we were all putting our gardens to sleep for the winter and it sure is exciting that spring is officially only 16 days out. Now, to cure their cabin fever, many green-thumbers are visiting Wedel's Garden Center to pick up garden seeds and seed starting supplies. Many folks stop in to just wander through the tropical plant greenhouse or gaze at the huge variety of flower and vegetable seeds. Hmmm! On our calendar, spring arrives on Sunday, March 20, but that doesn't mean we can't get a jump on the season.  

 

What a blessing it is that God allows us all to participate in the wonderful event of spring. For gardeners, spring spells a new beginning, a fresh start; the first warm breeze, new life coming to long dormant branches, a warm rain, the greening of new grass, the first blooms of spring, fragrant newly turned soil and our snowbird friends and neighbors arriving daily from the south. Within our souls there stirs a renewed urge to enjoy the great outdoors in our gardens once again and participate with God in His continuing act of creation. 

 

As I experience these wonderful sensations, I am reminded that God always keeps His promises. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and a harvest. From God's Word in the Song of Solomon it is written, "For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines and the voice of the turtle dove has been heard in the land." Song of Solomon 2:11&12.  

 

I am grateful for God's promise of spring. Barren, desolate days and dormant branches soon will be behind us; green grass and the flowers and the fruits of the vine are before us. What a wonderful hope and joy we are blessed with. I hope God blesses each of you, our green thumb friends, with a great gardening season, an abundant harvest of flowers and vegetables and with many sunny, enjoyable hours in your gardens.  

 

Where do we begin this year? With so many early spring garden and landscape project possibilities we should sort out the immediate from those that can wait. The first garden and landscape project for most homeowners this March will be to clean up after the devastating ice storm on February 20. Small branches abound, for some of us large limbs, and even entire trees litter our landscapes. Besides removal there is much pruning to be done. All broken limbs should have a clean cut administered. Loose or dangling bark allowed to remain will inhibit branch healing. Tree trunks with bark ripped off from branches breaking off need special attention. First saw off the branch if it is still clinging to the trunk then cut away, with a sharp knife, any bark which is no longer adhered to the trunk. Apply a coating of tree wound dressing to all wounds larger than � inch. Tree trunks with crotch splits often should be removed. Seek professional advice to help with those decisions. Broken down deciduous shrubs can often be saved by pruning off broken portions and reshaping the shrub.

 

Many evergreens were devastated. As I'm writing to you today it is too early to assess the damage evergreens have incurred because of the lingering ice covered branches. Only after the temperatures rise to above freezing and the ice disappears will we know which plants will need pruning and the ones that should be replaced. After it warms up and you want some advice about your plants, bring into Wedel's a photo and a small branch for identification and we will try to help you.

 

After any storm damage is cleaned up then any dormant pruning of trees and shrubs can be finished. Prune out all cracked branches on shade and ornamental trees. When branches have been torn off the main stem, smooth the wound with a sharp knife then apply Tanglefoot pruning wound paint. Delay pruning any wind-burned evergreen foliage, both needled and broadleaf, until May. Examine deciduous flowering shrubs closely for winter dieback. Prune back all damaged branches to green, live wood.

 

Folks with backyard fruit trees will want to begin their dormant spray program soon. Fruit tree insects and disease will become active soon and will continue to be whenever temperatures are above forty degrees. Stop into Wedel's for your free fruit tree spray schedule.

 

As soon as snow melts, lawns would benefit from a light raking to fluff up the matted grass. Raking now will also help dry out turf and stop further snow mold damage. Bare or thin turf areas should be seeded after raking. Grass seed sown soon will get off to a better start than seed planted in warmer weather. Any lawns that were not fertilized last November should be fertilized at half rate with Scotts Lawn Pro Lawn Food as soon as possible to encourage early spring green up. A reminder; wait to apply lawn crabgrass controls until late April. Crabgrass seeds won't germinate until early May. The combination of early crabgrass control application and a rainy spring will shorten the control period.

 

Green thumbers will want to mark their calendars for Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, for Wedel's annual Spring Garden and Landscape Expo. All gardeners and plant enthusiasts will be treated to the wonderful sights and fragrances of spring while strolling through our greenhouse gardens. A multitude of free seminars and door prizes along with the opportunity to chat with our product vendors and staff will ensure that there will certainly be something for everyone of every age. We seem to have more new products than usual in every department this year. Be sure to come by, see what's new and feel the bite of the spring fever bug.

Ask Roger:

Roger in studio
Roger Taylor
[email protected]

Watch for "Ask Roger" to return in future issues of Wedel's News!

Mark Your Calendar!

 

   

Wedel's Spring Expo 

Seminar Series 

 

Wedel's Spring Expo 2011
Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19 

 

Click here for complete list of seminars! 

 

Please reserve your seat with our cashier

or call us at 345-1195.

Seminars are free unless noted.

 

 

Plan(t) For Your Health  

Saturday, April 2

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  

Did You Know?

1. A fresh egg will sink in water, a stale one will float.

 

2. Four out of five Americans drink coffee. 

3. Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 AD by Aztecs and Incas.

4. A fruit is the edible part of the plant that contains the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and roots of the plant. 

 
 
Store Hours  
Monday - Saturday
9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday
9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

 
 
Wedel's now stocks Rain Bird
irrigation system replacement parts. 
  

To Do In March

Attend Wedel's Spring Expo, March 18 & 19
Sign up for Expo seminars.
Have mower blades sharpened.

 
Fun Shopping
March Shopping List

Garden seeds

Seed starting supplies

Potting soil

Pots

Firewood

Grass seed

Starter fertilizer

Suet

Bird seed

Gift certificate

Bird feeder

Pruners

Pruning sealer

Plant labels, stakes, twist ties 

wkzo
Saturday Mornings

Birdwatch 8:07 a.m.
with host Roger Taylor answering all of your birding questions
Call in at 382-4280 or 877-382-4280.
  
Over the Garden Fence 9:07 a.m.
with host Andy Wedel answering all of your landscape and gardening questions
Call in at 382-4280 or 877-382-4280.

Visit our web site at www.wedels.com for archives of previous Birdwatch and
Over the Garden Fence programs!
 

  Note from the Editor    

  

"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." Rainer Maria Rilke They are there, if we take notice, the signs of spring. The earth, like a child, is excitedly reciting the poetry of spring. Snowdrops are blossoming, sleepy patches of grass are beginning to awaken, landscapes are shrugging off winter's snow and ice and the daylight hours are coming out of hibernation. Winter staked its claim long ago and will not leave willingly but leave it will. It's time to do those things gardeners do, in the spring.

 

A sure sign of spring for our green-thumbed friends is Wedel's Spring Expo and it's almost here! Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, are the dates and the opportunities are just too numerous to list. One of the hallmarks of Expo is the list of seminars that will be offered. As always, you'll find a great deal of helpful information on topics from birding to wildflowers to fruit trees to canning and so much more. Click here for the complete seminar schedule and make a list of the seminars you want to attend along with your list of questions. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask an expert. Give us a call to reserve your place. Walk-ins will be welcomed, of course, as long as space permits.

 

No matter the weather you'll find spring has arrived in our annuals and perennials greenhouse. There will be beautiful plants in full bloom, the sights and scents of spring and an abundance of inspiration for your 2011 growing season. You'll be able to meet many of our top vendors and have a chance to chat with them about their products, designed to ensure your gardening success. See everything new that we have found for you as well as the tried and true. You won't have to travel far south to find a wonderful spring day; just come to Wedel's on March 18th and 19th!

 

Ready for another trivia question? Here we go: A peanut isn't a nut. It is a species in what family? The first reader to respond with the correct answer will win a $15.00 Wedel's gift certificate. The gift certificate must be picked up here at the garden center and remember, you are eligible to win once every 90 days. Good luck and have fun! 

 
'Til next time,    
Jim
 
[email protected]

"The air is like a butterfly

With frail blue wings.

The happy earth looks at the sky

And sings."

- Joyce Kilmer, Spring