We celebrated our first fall festival last weekend with the help of 98.9 Liberty radio station and lots of loyal Sneed's customers! For those of you who weren't able to make it, here is what you missed...and don't forget to mark your calendar for next year:

Jen Towner and the 98.9 Liberty crew broadcast live from under the pecan tree. Customers were singing along while shopping for pansies, pumpkins and perennials! Beckett Rash and his aunt sold lemonade and fresh baked goods to benefit the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation. There were no cookies left at the end of the day! Bob and Diane Sneed brought in homemade pumpkin butter and pumpkin seeds to share and Candela's pizzeria showed up with 28" pizzas for the crowd.   No one left hungry!

If you missed out on the centerpiece demo, we still have a great selection of dried fruits, flowers, and pods for all of your fall decorating. Claudia can even put together a beautiful arrangement for you if you are in a hurry.

Our two classes on preserving the summer harvest: Canning 101 and Drying & Storing Herbs for Winter Use were very informative. We will have more classes coming up so make sure to check our calendar. Do you have a topic you are interested in learning about? Email me at jenny@sneedsnursery.com with your suggestions.

I presented 'Cotton Candy and Berries...What do They Have in Common?' Email me your answers. The correct answers will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

     

 

Grass seed should have germinated by now, and after the grass has been mowed three times, it is established enough to withstand an application of broad leaf herbicide to control the cool season annual weeds that are germinating as well. The most prominent of these include chickweed, henbit and poa annua. These are annual weeds and applying a combination of weed killer with a pre emergent will help to give a longer measure of control. Control does not mean eradication. We live in a world were perfection is marketed, but we should ask ourselves what are the consequences of that standard. Allowing an expectation for a reasonable amount of undesirables is more ecologically sound and also reduces the chances for product resistance. My advice is to always view your lawn from a chair with a glass of iced tea in your hand, because if you always examine it between your feet, you will never be satisfied.

Keep your own leaves and benefit from your own local resource. Everyone knows the benefits of compost, but consider it for your lawn as well. Most new home lawns have been stripped of topsoil, and then excavated soil from the foundation was spread out and 'maybe?' some imported topsoil is sprinkled on top. Top dress your own lawn next spring with some fresh organic matter and bolster your turf to outcompete weeds and moss. All decomposing organic matter leaches out acids, so consider your pH levels. Mosses prefer acidic soils with a pH between 5.0 and 6.0.They will probably not survive if the pH is higher than 6.5.Moss grows on surfaces -- not in soil where turf should. A good stand of grass is not immediate -- it takes time and seasons, so don't give up.

Spring flowers start NOW! Plant some bulbs -- crocus, jonquils, tulips and such -- add some bone meal and wait for production. Daffodils will benefit from being divided. Take a potato fork and dig up last year's, separate the 'young-uns' from the larger, and replant 8 inches away. You will get a much grander display. Tulips do not carry over well, so if you want a show, invest in some more next year.

Here at Sneed's we love to savor the seasons. Autumn brings the crisp weather, the shorter days, the fall colors...a little reprieve before the holiday madness! We don't want to be found guilty of pushing Christmas before Thanksgiving and Halloween, but we also don't want our customers to miss out on getting the best Christmas trees in town. SO, if you want to be called when the big Christmas trees come in, please let us know. Our list of people looking for the 10 foot plus Fraser firs is growing! Just call or email us and we will put you on the call list.  

 As always, our Christmas Open House is the first weekend in December. Take part in what has become a family tradition for many Richmonders! We will have our cider and cookies, and our newest addition to the activities: marshmallows to roast over the fire...yummmmmm!