KEEP UP TO DATE BETWEEN NEWSLETTERS AT
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WE RECOMMEND:
Ruchelle Gee for Landscape Design
Old South for Installation
Focal Point for Water Features
PS Designs for Hardscapes
Call us for a referral 803-359-9091 or send an email
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I often lament the fact that our customers have an aversion to deciduous plants (ones that lose their leaves). People who live in the North are quite accustomed to a "bare" landscape in the winter, so they really appreciate deciduous plants that come back with a vengence in the Spring. Southerners insist on EVERGREEN. To me, that is EVER-BORING. The nice thing about a deciduous plant is that ALL of its leaves are new and fresh when they reappear in the Spring. The plant looks absolutely gorgeous. It has no old, winter-weary, insect-munched, fungus-spotted leaves hanging around. Some of my favorite deciduous shrubs are Edgeworthia, Burning Bush, Forsythia, Bridal Wreath Spirea, Roses, Hydrangeas, Red Twig Dogwood, Barberry, Henry's Garnet Itea, American Beauty Berry, Native Azaleas, Chinese Snowball Viburnum, and one I just discovered, the very fragrant Juddii Viburnum. These plants all display some kind of interesting color or fragrance at various times of year. The sight of leafless stems for a few months in the winter is a small price to pay for the vibrant beauty these plants add to your landscape during the rest of the year. |
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CALLING ALL BONSAI ENTHUSIASTS
(OR WANNABEES)
NEW BONSAI PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
Bonsai Soil, Concave Cutters, Wire, Pottery, Books, Pruners
Ready-made Bonsai for Sale
Bonsai Workshop - Sat., April 2, NEW TIME! 9:00 - 11:00 am
Chip Dutton, local Bonsai enthusiast and expert, will spend about 45 minutes talking about beginner bonsai techniques. After a short break, he will take a plant from our nursery stock and actually "style" a bonsai. He'll explain the "hows and whys" of designing a bonsai plant as he goes. One lucky workshop attendee's name will be drawn to take home Chip's ready-made bonsai at the end of the workshop. Admission is $25 and you will receive a $10 gift certificate good for purchase of bonsai products (books, wire, pots, soil, clippers) that day. Click here to register on-line, or call 803-359-9091. Have your credit card handy!
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KEEPING IT NATURAL - ORGANIC PLANT FOODS
Our workshop on organic fertilizers and pest control was quite a success. I'd like to share some information with you from our guest speaker, Bonnie Satterthwaite, of the Espoma company. Espoma makes  an extensive line of organic plant foods, many of which we carry at Wingard's. You'll recognize them by the name "tone". We have Rose-tone, Citrus-tone, Garden -tone, Plant-tone, Holly-tone, Bio-tone and more. Here's an explanation from Espoma about the benefits of natural organic fertilizers.
Natural organic plant foods generally refer to any material derived from plant, animal or mineral origin that offer nutritional value to plants. The nutrients found in organic plant foods are in a complex form that must be digested by microbes found in the soil in order to be released in a form for plants to absorb through their roots. This process offers several benefits to both plants and soil:
Improve Soil Structure. When microbes digest the nutrients found in organic plant foods, a by-product known as humus is created. Humus enhances a soil's capacity to hold the proper balance of water, air and nutrients that are required for plants. Its spongy consistency promotes deeper root growth, which leads to more vigorous top growth and greater drought resistance.
Long-Lasting, Slow Release. The microbial process by which natural organic nutrients are released can last up to several months. As soil temperature rises, so does the plant's need for nutrition. Microbial activity rises with soil temperature, and therefore plants receive the proper amount of nutrition as they require it.
Safe to Use. Organics are not considered hazardous or toxic and therefore do not pose the dangers to children, pets and the environment that are associated with pesticides and other products.
Won't Burn. Organic plant foods have an extremely low salt index which greatly lowers the risk of burning the plants during a drought or if fertilizer is accidentally over applied.
Won't Leach Out of the Soil. Unlike chemical fertilizers which are flushed through the soil by rain and irrigation, natural organics become part of the soil. So the nutrients are consistently available when plants need them.
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APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS
BUT THE RAIN ALSO WASHES THROUGH OUR YARDS AND TAKES LAWN FERTILIZERS INTO THE STREAMS AND RIVERS THAT FLOW INTO THE MANY PONDS AND LAKES IN THE MIDLANDS.
YOU CAN KEEP HARSH CHEMICALS OUT OF OUR WATERS BY USING PHOSPHATE-FREE LAWN FERTILIZER
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BUY ANY TWO ROSES
GET FREE BAG OF ROSE TONE
BUY TWO CITRUS PLANTS
GET FREE BAG OF CITRUS TONE
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EDIBLES ARE POPULAR AGAIN THIS YEAR
In fact, Square Foot Gardening is so popular, we're having a hard time getting bags of pre-mixed soil for them. So, we used a little southern ingenuity and mixed and bagged our own. It's the exact mix that Mel Bartholomew recommends, so those of you who have been waiting, it's here! Also, our own Dale Miller, who taught the Square Foot Gardening class at Wingard's last month recommends adding a little Garden Tone to the mixture to give it an initial boost.
We have lots of fruit trees in stock, even Pomegranates. Be sure to check our helpful sign posted among the fruit trees that tells you which ones need a pollenator and which ones can be planted alone.
If you planted an Earth Box last year and are getting ready to plant again this year, take about 3 inches of soil off the top, add fresh potting mix (Wingard's Lake Murray potting mix is great for this). Add fertilizer from an Earth Box Refill kit, and pop on your new "shower cap" cover for this year. And you're ready to plant! We're already harvesting spring vegetables from ours.
Our vegetable bedding plants are in!
Blueberries are easy to grow. Just put them in the sun and plant two different varieties for pollenation.
Yes, Citrus Trees will grow in our climate. My aunt has a large grapefruit tree and a kumquat tree that have been in her yard for years. We just received a fresh shipment of lemon (Dwarf Lisbon, Meyer, Eureka) and lime (Bears Seedless) trees from California. Some even came bearing fruit!
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AZALEAS, RHODODENDRON & NATIVE AZALEAS
It's azalea season, and if you walk to the back of the nursery's selling area and look down through the pine trees, you'll see a breath-taking display of color. As my Dad says, there's nothing more beautiful than azaleas blooming in the Spring. Our business started with azaleas, as my Dad propagated too many for his own yard. And, we still have a large inventory of ones that he lovingly grew by simply cutting a small piece of a branch off of an existing plant. These are what I call our traditional azaleas. They generally bloom once a year, sometime between March and June, depending on the variety. Although, some traditional varieties will rebloom in the Fall. An traditional azalea we carry named "Hardy Gardenia Azalea" is a very good rebloomer.
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George Taber is great planted with Formosa |
Encore Azaleas, which all bloom 2-3 times a year, were developed about twenty years ago and have become very popular for the general landscape. While they bloom more often, I don't think the "show" is quite as spectacular as the traditional azaleas. Traditional azaleas thin out their leaves a little in the winter, so when they bloom, all you see is color. New growth comes on after the blooms fall off. The foliage on Encore azaleas stays thicker through all seasons, so when they bloom, you see a mix of color from the flowers and green from the leaves.
Native azaleas grow wild here. They are totally deciduous. We bring in a few to sell each spring, but they're not a big seller because... well, you know.... they lose all their leaves in the winter. But there's a bed of them in front of my parents' house (across Pilgrim Church Road for the nursery) that is absolutely stunning this year. These azaleas were growing wild in the woods when they built their house over 60 years ago, and they have kept these native plants growing there all this time.
Traditional azaleas and native azaleas are subgenera of the genus Rhododendron. Many of you Yankee transplants come in and ask for rhodies. We carry a few in our inventory every year, but I just have to caution you.... these must be planted in a cool, shady place. They have a tough time tolerating our hot, sunny summers. In the shade, near a body of water is best, because the water helps to keep the environment cooler in the summer.
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Japanese Maples Are Overstocked!
Large Group 40% Off
For any Japanese Maple purchase,
Regular price or discounted,
Wingard's will donate $10
to
The American Red Cross
In Your Name to assist victims
Of Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
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DELIVERIES MID-WEEK ONLY DURING SPRING
During our busy season, we limit deliveries to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  This allows us to have maximum employees available at the nursery during the busiest days of the week, so we can provide that great one-on-one service you have always enjoyed at Wingard's. |
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WATCH FOR OUR FACEBOOK CONTESTS
Congratulations to Cindy Bourret, who won a Butterfly Japanese Maple, valued at $174.99, in our latest Facebook Contest. She (and 4 other people) correctly guessed that David McNinch has worked at Wingard's for 18 years. We drew one of the names of those who gave the right answer, and Cindy was the lucky winner. Keep up with us on Facebook to enter more contests!
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Listen to Radio Station B106 for
Wingard's gardening tips!
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Lexington County Master Gardeners 10th Annual Garden Tour - May 26, 28, 29
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Calling All Artists for Art in the Garden
This year we will be conducting a juried show for Art in the Garden, based on art created from Wingard's. So, if you're an artist and want to get a head start, come out here during the Spring, take a lot of photographs then go figure out what type of art you want to create. If you are interested in more information, send us an email. Art in the Garden VI will be held on Friday, October 7th and boy have we booked some big-name entertainment for this one! Stay tuned as we get closer to announcement.
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MORE WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Rose Workshop - Saturday, April 16, 10:00-11:00 am
Tom Seibert, from Weeks Roses, will be joining us to discuss the various types and care for roses. Whether you're an experienced rosarian or just beginning your journey, come learn from an expert.
There is a $10 charge for this workshop and you will receive a $10 Wingard's gift certificate to use on April 16th. Click here to register on-line, or call 803-359-9091. Have your credit card handy!
Carolina Wildlife Care Kid's Day -
Wednesday, April 20, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
School's out the week of April 18, so if you're looking for a fun, educational experience for your kindergarten or elementary age children or grandchildren, join us for our 6th annual fundraising event for Carolina Wildlife Care and see and learn about the rehabilitation of injured wildlife from Joanna Weitzel and her team. Be sure to ask her about the Bobcat Cubs, taken in last summer, and seen on national television. Receive a free tomato plant, hotdog, chips and a drink, and have your child enter our "Tomatomania" tomato growing contest. The first 200 children will be able to make a bird house to take home. Donation for the entire event is $5.00 per child (pay upon arrival), and all proceeds go to Carolina Wildlife Care. You may also bring much needed supplies for CWC to use in caring for the animals. A list of desired items is found on the CWC website wishlist. This year, we're pleased to have Love Chevrolet join Wingard's as a sponsor.
Creative Containers Workshop
Saturday, April 30, 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Join Susie Long and Vickie Barfield, our dueling container building duo, for creative container garden ideas, from the simply elegant to the colorful combo. Bring your own container or purchase from our wide variety and make your own container garden to take home for Mother's Day. The only charge is for materials is you choose to make a container.
FOR WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR MAY AND BEYOND, GO TO WINGARDSNURSERY.COM
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From my Grandmother's Garden to Yours,
DeloresWingard Steinhauser
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