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October 2011
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Vol 1, Issue 6
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Garden Notes
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Greetings from Christianson's! |
"It started as a hobby, descended into a sport,
madness and finally, surrender."
It's harvest season, a time of gathering, preserving, sharing, and celebrating. It's also a time of reflection that lends itself to deeper metaphors and life lessons about coming together as neighbors and sharing the bountiful gifts that Mother Nature has provided. Yet all I can think about is giant pumpkins. This makes some sense given that we are celebrating our ' Giant Pumpkin Festival' this coming weekend, October 1 and 2 (see details in this newsletter and on our website). However, giant pumpkins are becoming an obsession with me which - as it turns out - is a common phenomenon within the giant pumpkin culture (for more on that, click here). If we played a word-association game today and you said "harvest," I would say "pumpkin." If you said "bowl," I would say "pumpkin soup." If you said "kitty," I would picture an orange pumpkin-colored kitty. Suffice it to say, I've got pumpkin on the brain and it's making it extremely difficult to think of anything else to write about in this introduction. So I'm going to give in to 'pumpkin fever' and leave you with these pumpkiny quotes and trivia. Best wishes for a gourdous month! Bring us your tired, your poor, your pumpkin growers.
Ask not what your Pumpkin can do for you, ask what you can do for your pumpkin.
Pumpkin Trivia: Did you know one of the pumpkin's primary nutrients is lutein, a carotenoid which helps promote eye health and guards against macular degeneration? Sort of ironic for a fruit that it gets its eyes cut out and does its best work in the dark. To learn more about the health benefits of pumpkins, For more quotes and pumpkin fun, visit www.PumkinNook.com
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Where to find us |
15806 Best Road
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
360-466-3821
1-800-585-8200
Open daily 9 am - 6 pm
NW Flower & Garden Show "People's Choice Award 2011"
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A Weekend of Festivals ~ October 1 and 2
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Giant Pumpkin Festival at Christianson's Nursery
9 am - 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday
click here for more information
Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms
10 am - 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday
click here for more information
Fall Festival at RoozenGaarde 9 am - 6 pm on Saturday and 11 am - 4 pm on Sunday
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The Garden in October...with Ani Gurnee
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Is there anything like these first blustery winds of fall to make the heart race with ecstatic joy? The year's cycle draws to a close and, for all the love of summer, now there will be the prospect of REST. Rest and reflection - these cannot be underestimated! The first rains. What an immense pleasure to steal a day of uninterrupted solitude, to nestle, bathed in lamplight at the desk - doing what? Avidly writing up the agenda for the next spring, of course! Vegetable rotation charts, transplanting and pruning tasks, and lists of the next plants to buy.
It is not winter yet, though. Before us lies maybe - hopefully - a month of beautiful days, maybe too cool for just sitting on the patio, but with vigorous fall chores giving us the excuse to be outside raking leaves, hauling big armloads of damp matter, foliage and squash vines to the compost bins, heaped to bursting.
- It's now time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. Walk around and identify potential spots for their early color. Think about other plants - like rhododendrons, heathers and candytuft - that may bloom simultaneously with the bulbs, and maybe even chart, by the month, what colors you would like to combine across the breadth of the garden. Maybe you don't want that orange tulip right next to the pink rhododendron. Or maybe you do. Maybe you don't want to suddenly discover that your garden has erupted a flagrant red white and blue. Or maybe you do! The Garden Store at Christianson's is bursting with a glorious assortment of bulbs right now and their expert staff members are happy to answer questions and help you make informed selections.
- It's also time to plant garlic. Plant the biggest cloves for the biggest heads, about as far apart as a garlic head is big (3" - 4"), in rows wide enough to cultivate between with your preferred tool. A heavy straw mulch is wonderful, pegged lightly in place with bird netting if in a windy zone. Winter is the time when garlic sends down roots. Some time in the winter you will see the tops emerge. They are very hardy. The whole point of this scheduling is to have the garlic up and going by the first warmth of spring. Its cycle is day-length determined which means that it must put on absolutely as much green growth as it can between March and summer solstice (June 21) at which time, regardless of what size it is, it will stop growing and start sending the nutrients from the leaves into the bulb. Big leaves in June equal big bulbs in July. Make sure to rotate garlic and all relatives (onions, shallots, scallions, leaks) to different ground each year to prevent disease build up in the soil.
- Take notes now on which perennials you will want to lift and divide this winter. Some favorites simply, ultimately, get too big. For example, those 'at last overwhelming' stands of crocosmia and Shasta daisies. Send a sharp square shovel blade down through the clump after the tops have been removed and lever out the excess portions. Put in a box with a 'Free' sign, place at the curb, and these will probably disappear overnight.
- If you have old shrubs that have become crowded (or are simply boring), consider just sawing them off at ground level. For some people, this kind of ruthless decision-making is difficult, but it can be liberating to so decisively let go of the past and open up space for a completely new interpretation. Don't worry about leaving the old roots in the ground. As they decay they will release nutrients and leave air and water channels, opening up the soil structure. If you have a species prone to re-emerging, just put a piece of cardboard or plastic over the root zone, cover with mulch, and it will rot away underneath.
- Choose a class of plants you wish to know more about and take time to observe and study it more thoroughly. Ferns are my study this fall. Many of them still look the same to me. The right evergreen fern, used as an understory to a large deciduous tree or threaded generously along a dappled pathway, can have a tremendous visual impact and a quiet vibrant tranquility in the winter months.
Happy fall!
Ani Gurnee is a popular and greatly-adored guest speaker at the nursery. Ani is the owner of Aulos Design and she can be reached at 360-445-2028. Ani will be teaching many gardening classes at Christianson's this fall (see our Class Calendar below). She will also be teaching a six-week class at the Anacortes Senior College called 'Gardening & Landscaping Basics'. This class runs from October 11 through November 17 and meets Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 pm. For more information, visit Anacortes Senior College. |
Revitalize Your Garden Design
by Ani Gurnee
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| 'Revitalize Your Garden Design' class,
held at the nursery on September 24 |
With the long cold spring this year, it feels as though summer, hardly begun, is now eminently at an end. Though the colors, smells, and heat of summer will soon be retreating into memory, it's still such a pleasure to look out across the garden on a rainy day and dream of changes big and small. Grab a sheet of paper and let your imagination meander through the possibilities. Designing in the abstract, on paper, has many advantages. It is easier to get beyond the existing picture and entertain more radical innovations.
A good exercise is to write down what you like and what you dislike about your garden, and what role it serves in your life. What is your relationship to your outdoor space? Off the top of your head, make a list of the adjectives that describe your garden. If that list ends up with a lot of words like boring, static, outdated, monotone, etc., maybe it is time to have fun making some changes.
Now let your imagination roam and entertain your wildest desires. Make a list of adjectives that begin to give form to those desires. Don't think about budgets or other limitations yet. Start from the depths of your heart and see where it takes you, then hone it back to a more probable scope afterwards. This really puts you in touch with your inner self. Giving form to crazy design desires on paper, regardless of whether they are ever actualized, can be a pleasure - or an obsession - in itself. It is the essence of being a designer of any sort - you design and design and design compulsively whether it becomes reality or not.
Here are some concepts to think about as they apply to your garden: - Static, dynamic
- Unified, fragmented
- Refuge and connection
- Rhythm, undulation, flow
- Mystery, richness, complexity
- Journey, destination
- Contrasts - color, texture, form, height, mass
- Transitions and juxtapositions
- Opacity and transparency
- All that lawn
- Major vantage points from inside the house
More concepts to ponder:
- Consider the ecological health of your yard. Does your soil need rejuvenation? When you turn a spadeful, is it dark and fluffy and loamy, or can you even get the shovel in?
- Examine the balance between evergreen and deciduous plants. Do you need more evergreen mass to carry it through the winter? Do you need a nice sculptured deciduous form to break up the monotony of regimented green blobs?
- Think about back-lighting, fore-lighting, the enhanced intensity of fall colors at the golden hour when side-lit against a dark green conifer.
- Consider using fewer species and more of each. Identify those plants you love best and make a major motif of them, repeating the motif across the "human" space so that moving through the garden you are flanked by one unified idea instead of different pieces of a pie unrelated to each other. This unity and subtlety greatly enhances overall tranquility.
- Does your garden have plants around the periphery with a big square of lawn in the middle? Consider deepening the beds or bringing an island or peninsula into the center. Put something at the far end of the garden that encourages a journey - perhaps the compost bin or a garden shed - and make that journey a meander instead of a straight line to allow yourself to slow down and unwind and look around.
- Think about the importance of the garden's third dimension so that when you gaze out at the garden your eye is carried upward as well as outward. For example, if you have bed of perennials and shrubs at one height, consider adding a single tree to add another dimension and bring the sky into view.
- Think of concentric zones radiating out from the most used areas (such as a patio) to the periphery of your landscape. In the inner zones the planting scheme can be more intricate and contain plants and garden objects that you especially enjoy viewing up close. As you move out to the peripheral zones, the plantings can become more loose-knit and naturalistic.
This may all sound overwhelming but if you refer to these ideas once in a while in your musings, a few of them may catch your fancy. Sometimes it takes months for thoughts to slowly come into focus. And that's what winter is for.
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October Sales Events
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September 16 - October 6
Fall is for Planting Sale ~ 30% off
rhododendrons and azaleas, fruit, flowering and shade trees (7' to 14')
October 7 - 20
Conifer Sale ~ 25% off
tall and dwarf evergreens including spruce, fir, cypress, pine, juniper
October 21 - 31
Hedging Sale - 25% off
laurel, boxwood, photinia, Japanese holly, Leyland cypress, privet and arborvitae (to 8')
Bulbs have arrived!
Our Garden Store is bursting with wide array of bulbs, including many deer resistant varieties including Alliums, Daffodils, Fruitilarias, Hyacinths, Grape Hyacinths (muscari), and Iris (we have 15 different colors of Bearded Iris).
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Photo by John Holtman
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October Class Calendar
| To see full class descriptions, please visit the 'Classes & Events' page on our website
Saturday, October 1 - Giant Pumpkin Festival Savory Pumpkin Cooking Speaker: Suzanne Butler 10:30 am - noon reservations required (class fee: $5) Country Wines: Crafting your own fruit wines from nature's harvest Speaker: Bob and Dorcas Toombs from 'My Own Vintage' in Mount Vernon 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm reservations required (class fee: $5) Sunday, October 2 - Giant Pumpkin Festival Tool Care and Maintenance Speaker: Ani Gurnee 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm reservations required (class fee: $5) A mobile tool sharpening service will be at the nursery from 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm so bring your garden tools! Saturday, October 8 Trees and Shrubs for Fall & Winter Interest Speaker: Ani Gurnee 11:00 am - noon reservations required (class fee: $5) Saturday, October 15 Preparing Your Garden for Winter Speaker: Ani Gurnee 11:00 am - noon reservations required (class fee: $5) Fall Color Garden Walk with John Christianson 1:00 pm reservations requested (complimentary) Following John's garden walk, plan to have Tea at the Granary served by Margie Hart. This tea features sandwiches, scones, fruit, and dessert. Call La Conner Flats at 466-3190 to reserve your spot for this popular event ($14 per person). Saturday, October 22 Garden Photography Workshop Speaker: John Holtman 11:00 am - noon reservations required (class fee: $5) Saturday, October 29 Weaving Rose Hips in Wreaths and Swags Speaker: Laura Campbell 11:00 am - noon reservations required (class fee: $35)
Fall Berry Garden Walk with John Christianson 1:00 pm reservations requested (complimentary) Following John's garden walk, plan to have Tea at the Granary served by Margie Hart. This tea features sandwiches, scones, fruit, and dessert. Call La Conner Flats at 466-3190 to reserve your spot for this popular event ($14 per person). For class reservations, call us at 360-466-3821 or 1-800-585-8200 To see full class descriptions, please visit the 'Classes & Events' page on our website |
Autumn Events Calendar
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Giant Pumpkin Festival October 1 and 2 9 am - 6 pm both days Our Giant Pumpkin Festival coincides with the 13th Annual Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms and will be great fun for all! Local Food � Live music � Classes & Activities
Apple Cider Pressing � Tool Sharpening Service and of course... The Giant Pumpkin Contest! Saturday October 1 Saturday, October 1 10:30 - noon Savory Pumpkin Cooking Class 1:30 - 3:00 pm Country Wine Making Class 11:00 - 2:00 pm Apple Cider Pressing 1:00 - 4:00 pm Live Old-Time Music 2:00 - 4:00 pm Giant Pumpkin Contest Weigh-in 4:00 pm Giant Pumpkin Award Winners Announced Sunday, October 2
1:00 - 2:00 pm Tool Care and Maintenance Class 2:30 - 5:30 pm Tool Sharpening Service at the nursery Bring your favorite tools to the nursery on October 2 and start the new season with everything in ship shape!
A few words about our Giant Pumpkin Contest...
Giant Pumpkin entries will be accepted: 9 am - 6 pm Friday, September 30 9 am - 1 pm Saturday, October 1 Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In: Saturday, October 1, from 2 pm - 4 pm Giant Pumpkin Awards: Saturday, October 1, at 4 pm $500 cash prize for the largest pumpkin! $100 gift certificate for 2nd place and $50 gift certificate for 3rd place The Entry Form for the 'Giant Pumpkin Contest' contains all the contest rules. To download the Entry Form, click here October 1 -29: 4th Annual Scarecrow Contest Join in the fun this October as we host a 'Scarecrow Party' in the Propagation Greenhouse. Our Fourth Annual Scarecrow Contest is open to all ages, individuals, families, groups, and businesses. Scarecrow entries will be displayed inside the front area of our Propagation Greenhouse. Nursery visitors will cast their votes for the People's Choice Award and the winning entry will receive a $100 Christianson's Gift Certificate.
Scarecrow entries accepted: October 1 - 17
People's Choice Voting Period: October 18 - 29 (closes at noon on the 29th) Winning entry announced: Saturday, October 29, at 3:30 pm
To download the Entry Form for the Scarecrow Contest, click here Contest guidelines:
- Scarecrow entries must be fully assembled by the entrant(s).
- Entries must be checked in no later than 5:00 pm on Monday, October 17.
- If your scarecrow has perishable parts, it should be submitted closer to October 17.
- People's Choice voting will start on October 18 and end at noon on October 29.
- Winning entry will be announced at 3:30 on Saturday, October 29. Winner need not be present to win.
- Entrant(s) will be asked to pick up their scarecrow between October 30 - 31st.
November 4, 5 and 6: Holiday Open House and Art's Alive! 2011 We are once again celebrating Art's Alive! with a Holiday Open House. Highlights include 'Meet the Artists' and live art demonstrations, classical guitar, holiday decorating demonstrations, fresh pressed apple cider, and molasses cookies. Featured Artists Schedule
Friday, November 4
noon - 4:00 pm Live art demonstrations with Northwest Fine Artist, Jack Dorsey 11 am - 5:00 pm Artistic metalwork by local blacksmith Andy Gladish Saturday, November 5 noon - 4 pm Classical Guitar in the Schoolhouse with Steve Small noon - 4 pm Live art demonstrations with Northwest Fine Artist, Kristy Gjesme noon - 4 pm Live art demonstrations with Northwest Fine Artist, Jack Dorsey 1 pm - 4 pm Handcrafted 'works of art' chicken coops by Tim Chomiak 11 am - 5 pm Artistic metalwork by local blacksmith Andy Gladish Sunday, November 6 1 pm - 4 pm Live art demonstrations with Northwest Fine Artist, Jack Dorsey 1 pm - 4 pm Handcrafted 'works of art' chicken coops by Tim Chomiak
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Closing thought...
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"Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace." ~ Kent Nerburn
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Mary Hedlin and Sue Widdop at Hedlin Family Farm, September 2011
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Garden Notes Editor:
Eve Boe, Public Relations and Events Coordinator
Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse
360-466-3821
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