By all standards the 2011 Wedel's Country Fair Days were a great success. One of those standards is the participation by you in the Country Fair Contest. We had many more entries this year and everyone was prize worthy which made judging a difficult task but we do have winners and lots of 'em.

You can find a list of winners by clicking here. You'll see we had 3 divisions:  Kids, Adults and Employees. Now it could be considered unfair for employees to compete but, as you'll see, they competed among themselves and not with everyone else. The Wedel's employees are as competitive as anyone and, when the competition was announced, it was soon evident that an all-employee smack down was inevitable so that division was created.

Below are a few photos of the event.

Rachel, Andrea, Jonathan, Samuel DeVries

Beth Wagaman, Best of Show Grand Prize

Some Spectacular Entries

The old adage is true, "the more, the merrier" so we hope you will plan to participate in the 2012 Wedel's Country Fair Days Contest. One more adage? "You can't win if you don't enter." 

Ann says, "Volunteers needed to help maintain Habitat for Humanity Community Garden. The garden is located behind Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1747 W Milham Ave. Just an hour a week will help. You can garden whenever it is convenient for you. Bring a friend or your family if you like! Contact: Jane Parikh at Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity,

vc@habitatkalamazoo.org 

or 344-2443, ext. 204."

For more information click here 

to see Habitat's "Community Garden" brochure.

  

Vines, cluster'd full,

add to the beauteous scene,

 And fruit-trees cloth'd profusely laden, nod,

 Complaint bowing

to the fertile sod."

-   Farmer's Almanac, 1818

 

George Wedel

What a fantastic growing season God has blessed us with. With above average rainfall and high temperatures most flower and vegetable gardens were the best ever for most greenthumbers. Winter squash are larger than normal and ripening earlier. Potatoes are jumbo size. Cosmos, autumn anemonies, zinnias, hibiscus and dahlias are outstanding now. Have you ever seen sunflowers this large?! Green beans just won't quit. My Homerun rose has been in bloom for four months. And tomatoes! Wow, they couldn't be better!

Further proof of an excellent garden season was the number of entries in Wedel's Country Fair Garden Contest. There were over 60 contestants winning 30 prizes. Vegetables, fruits and flowers; the best of the best. Be sure to enter your garden gems in Wedel's Garden Harvest Contest next year!

Where did the summer go?! So many folks have exclaimed, "It can't be September already!" Gardeners don't have to have a calendar to know autumn is nearly here. Shorter days, cooler evenings, crisp air, and clear blue skies are here and welcomed by most gardeners. Working in the garden now is more enjoyable than ever. With the changing of the seasons, we greenthumbers are challenged with a flood of garden and landscape opportunities. Let's take a look at some interesting and important autumn projects.

September is the time to prune back your perennials. Be sure to mark the location of each one so you'll remember what you have and its location. That will make it easier for you to know where to plant your spring blooming bulbs. Wedel's has a variety of plant markers to choose from.

Give your perennials a good feeding to encourage strong, healthy growth and an abundance of blossoms next year. Three cups of my all organic fertilizer recipe containing mycorrhizae around each perennial plant supplies all of the necessary and natural major and minor nutrients. Pick up your free recipe card at Wedel's anytime.

This is the time to transplant perennials. Many perennials will perform better if divided every three to four years. Always remember to condition soil with my recipe mixed with sphagnum peat moss into the planting zone before returning plants to the garden.

Does your lawn look a bit stressed? This summer, with so many diseases, was very tough on lawns. Now is a good time to apply Scotts Lawn Pro Fall Fertilizer to restore a good green color and improve turf density. Lawn bare spots? September is the best month to sow grass seed. Visit the garden center and talk with our Lawn Pros. They will gladly share information with you so your lawn improvement project will be successful.

Now is the time to plan your strategy for protecting your valuable landscape plants from damage caused by browsing deer. Often, even with an abundance of other food, it seems that deer prefer a landscape salad. As fall progresses and turns into winter your landscape becomes more and more attractive to them. Protect your valuable landscape plants with Repellex Deer and Rabbit Repellent. One application, when allowed to dry for 24 hours, typically lasts ten to twelve weeks. To protect deciduous trees, shrubs and evergreens during winter, apply to branches this fall, after first frost, early January and to new buds in spring.

Soon to arrive at Wedel's Garden Center are over 350 varieties of tulips, hyacinths, crocus, daffodils, and a host of specialty bulbs to tantalize every gardener. For greenthumbers, that's some real inspiration! Planting spring flowering Dutch bulbs every autumn is high on the priority list for most gardeners. This fall, let's take on the challenge to plant a sequence of blooms for March through mid-June enjoyment.

Our spring gardens should satisfy all season long. From the early crocuses of late winter through the glory of tulips and alliums, until the abundant blooms of summer arrive to take their turn, the spring garden should be a showplace. And it can be. All it takes is a smart planting strategy this fall. Plant your daffodil and crocus bulbs soon but wait until soil temperatures cool a little (the end of this month into November) to plant your tulips.

Pansies, kale, flowering cabbage and mums are here! Spring bulbs - tulips, crocus, hyacinths, narcissus, allium, muscari, Dutch iris, frittalaria and more will be arriving very soon. Make plans to come by soon. There's a lot growing on at Wedel's.

Eastern Redbud

After a long, cold winter everyone is looking for signs of spring and the Redbud is one of the earliest with its showy pink flowers. Soon after, dark green, glossy leaves begin to form a beautiful backdrop, making these rosy-pink blooms stand out even more.

Lavender Twist Redbud

The Redbud is a relatively small tree with a short trunk and spreading branches. The smooth bark is dark brown to gray or black. On older trees it is marked with shallow furrows and scaly ridges.

If you are thinking of planting a redbud tree, you should do so in soil that is well-drained. The tree withstands summer heat but is best placed where it can have afternoon shade. The tree needs to be pruned regularly--the best times being in the fall or in the spring after it has lost its flowers.

Forest Pansy Redbud

Click here for information on:  Eastern Redbud, Lavender Twist Redbud and Forest Pansy Redbud. 

These beautiful spring bloomers add interest to your landscape whether as a single specimen or in groups.