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Last Month's Newsletter
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And The
Gold Star Goes To...
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Lela Squire. Lela was the first to submit the correct answer to our April trivia question: "Who, in 1890, crossed oxeye field daisy and Japanese daisy to produce perhaps the quintessential chrysanthemum - The Shasta Daisy?" The correct answer is "Luther Burbank." | |
Lela won a $15.00 Wedel's gift card and you could too! Just be the first to respond with the correct answer to our monthly trivia question.
Congratulations, Lela!! |
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Emerald Ash Borer
In North America, the Emerald Ash Borer has been found in ash trees only. Trees in woodlots as well as landscaped areas are affected. Larval galleries have been in trees or branches measuring as little as 1-inch in diameter. All species of North American ash appear to be susceptible.
The canopy of infested trees begins to thin above the infested portions of the trunk and major branches because the borer destroys the water and nutrient conducting tissues under the bark. Heavily infested trees exhibit canopy die-back usually, starting at the top of the tree. One-third to one-half of the branches may die in one year. Most of the canopy will be dead within 2 years. The adult beetles leave a "D" shaped exit hole in the bark, roughly 1/8 inch in diameter, when they emerge in June. The adult beetle is dark metallic green in color, 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide.
The beetle can have a one or two year life cycle. Adults begin emerging in mid to late May with pre-emergence in late June. Females usually begin laying eggs about 2 weeks after emergence, eggs hatch in 1 - 2 weeks, and the tiny larvae bore through the bark and into the cambium - the area between the bark and wood where nutrient levels are high. The larvae typically pass through four stages eventually reaching a size of roughly 1 to 1.25 inches long. Most Emerald Ash borer larvae over winter in a small chamber in the outer bark or in the outer inch of wood. Pupation occurs in spring and the new generation of adults will emerge in May or early June to begin the cycle again.
Protect your trees with annual applications of Fertilome Soil Insect Drench or spray Fertilome 38 Plus every 10 days from May 20 through June 30. Encourage ash tree growth with annual feedings of Espoma Tree-Tone and irrigate thoroughly June through September.
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A Thought
from the Garden
"Sweet May hath come to love us,
Flowers, trees, their blossoms don;
And through the blue heavens above us
The very clouds move on."
- Heinrich Heine, Book of Songs
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| Did You Know? |  | |
1.The word "toy" comes from an old English word that means "tool."
2. If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion!
3. Cast iron skillets used to be the leading source of iron in the American diet!
4. The typical lead pencil can draw a line that is thirty five miles long. |
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Mom Tested And ApprovedFor all of those subscribers to Wedel's Special Offers who took advantage of the 5 free strawberry plants offer this week, here's something to go with your home-grown strawberries!
Shortcake
2 Cups sifted flour
2 Tbsp. sugar 3 Tsp. baking powder 1 Tsp. salt 6 Tbsp. shortening 2/3 to 3/4 cup milk Sift together the first 4 ingredients. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender. Stir in milk to make a soft dough. Knead lightly. Pat 1/2 of dough into well greased 8" round layer pan. Dot with butter. Pat out other half on top. Bake in 450 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Split layers apart. Spoon sweetened strawberries (not chilled) between and on top. Serve warm with whipped cream or plain cream. Amount: 6 servings Enjoy!
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Look SharpFeel Sharp
Be Sharp
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Did you know that you can have your blades sharpened at Wedels?!
Take a look at these prices!
- Pruners - $4.00
- Loppers - $4.00
- Lawn mower blades - $5.00 (sorry, no reel mowers)
- Mulching mower - $5.00
- Hedge shears - $4.00
- Larger items - $5.00
(We don't sharpen chain saw blades.)
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Volume 6, Number 2 May, 2013
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The Gift of Gardening:
A Tribute to My Mother
Reprinted from Dorian Winslow's "The Curious Gardener."
 My mother always seems to have a lot more things blooming in her garden at any given moment than I do. Recently I spent an afternoon gardening with her in northwestern Connecticut, just about 30 miles north of where I live, so that I could observe first hand what her secret is.
When I got there she had her spade deep in her compost bin. Then she dropped the compost on a screen positioned over her wheelbarrow and began rubbing it through the screen by hand. The result was the most perfect soil I have ever seen.  When I got home I immediately built my own screen (not as well engineered as the one my father built for my mother, but serviceable anyway). It's a slow process sifting soil through the screen, but is well worth it for the fine texture it provides to young plants and seeds.
My mother is a vigorous lifelong gardener with many varied and naturalistic gardens on her 6-acre property, and a small pond which provides a focal point behind the house. She also has a vegetable patch which produces broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes and green beans. She finds that the rule in her garden is 'one for me and one for the rabbits.' Sometimes it's two for the rabbits to her one.  While ambling through her gardens with her she points out the lavender that came from a friend, or the iris she transplanted from their former home in Weston, CT. There's one small plant I divided last season and gave to her, a chocolate-y heuchera 'Caramel'. In my garden half of the plants are from my mother's garden, divided over the years and dropped in a pot or wrapped in wet newspaper for transporting to my garden.
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Hollyhocks
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It's part of the fun and the ritual of gardening, the sharing and recalling where our plants came from. My mother's sister in Minnesota has poppies that came from my great uncle's garden in Emmetsburg, Iowa. He died at the age of 97, over 30 years ago, but his poppies still live. When we look at the poppies we think of Uncle Harold. I have asked her to collect seeds for me so I can try propagating them in my garden next Spring.  | |
Joe Pye Weed
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I remember many years ago my grandmother showed me a somewhat tattered photo she had of her perennial garden, established along a high riverbank back in Iowa where my mother and her sister and brother grew up. Although the picture was in black and white I could tell my grandmother saw all the colors in her garden when she looked at it. She loved looking at that picture. Gardening is about the past, the present and the future-and the connections we make between them. A love of gardening is a wonderful gift to pass on to others.
Thank you Mom, and Happy Mother's Day!
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Three generations of Womanswork, from left to right: my mother Biz Rogers; Me, Dorian Rogers Winslow; and my stepdaughter Eve Winslow.
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Mark Your Calendar!
Sunday, May 12 Mother's Day Monday, May 27 Memorial Day |
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Summer Blooming
Bulbs Are Here |
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Peruvian Daffodil |
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We planted our bulbs last fall and are now beginning to enjoy the bright colors and wonderful scents of this spring. So, we're done with bulbs until later this year, right? Well, not necessarily. There are many and varied summer bulbs that can be planted right now! If you need some reasons to plant summer bulbs, here are just a few.
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Gladiolus |
Summer bulbs add texture, color, height and glamour to your garden and they are very versatile. Plant them in the ground, window boxes or containers, indoors and outdoors. They add the exotic touch that comes from sub-tropic species. Summer bulbs provide years of beauty and enjoyment when you plant them every spring. One of the best reasons to plant bulbs now is they are easy to grow and care for.
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Foxtail Lily |
Here are some tips from our friends at Espoma. When selecting bulbs make sure they're firm and heavy - not squishy, lightweight or crunchy. (Wedel's offers only the highest quality bulbs so, when you shop at Wedel's you'll find only the best.) Plant bulbs when you would plant tomatoes and make sure the soil is not too moist and has warmed to about 60 degrees. Select a bed in well-drained soil that gets good sunlight although a little shade is o.k. but damp, dark spots will rot bulbs.
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Dahlia |
There is a great selection of summer bulbs at Wedel's including; Foxtail Lily, Canna, Leucocoryne Andes, Amaryllis Bella Donna, Hymenocallis (Peruvian Daffodil), Oxalis Iron Cross, Tigridia, Dahlia, Gladiolus, Elephant Ears, Pineapple Lily, Agapanthus, Freesia and more.
Wedel's experts recommend using Espoma Bulb-Tone which is a high quality organic plant food that will get your new summer blooms off to the perfect start. Stop by the garden center soon to see the season's best selections. |
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May Shopping List
Garden seeds
Pots
Scotts Super Turf Builder Program
Scotts 4-Step Program
Grass seed
Starter fertilizer
Suet
Bird seed
Gift certificate
Bird feeder
Pruners
Pruning sealer
Plant labels, stakes, twist ties
Rain gauge |
Garden Natives
Kobold Blazing Star
Liatris spicata "Kobold"
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 This garden native possesses many assets that recommend it for many uses in your landscape. Its strong vertical accent provides a defining backdrop or spectacular points of interest when grouped with ornamental grasses. Kobold Blazing Star is also an excellent border plant.
 Attracting birds, bees and butterflies, tolerant of clay soil and dry conditions and its value as a source of cut flowers, whether fresh or dried, point to the versatility of this beauty. Stiff, bottlebrush shaped flowers sit atop leafy stems. Click here to find out more about Kobold Blazing Star and how it will add much to your landscape.
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Store Hours
Monday - Saturday
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
To Do In May
Apply Scotts Step 1 fertilizer with crabgrass preventer.
Feed roses, fertilize flower beds.
Apply Fertilome Weed Free Zone to lawn weeds.
Use seed cover (not plastic) to cover tender plants
at night.
Make sure your hummingbird and oriole feeders
are installed and filled with fresh nectar.
Apply Scotts Moss Control to problem areas.
Have a pH test done on lawn and garden soils. |
Just for Grins...
and  Groans
Q. Why does a seagull fly over the sea?
A. Because if it flew over the bay it would be called a bagel!
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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!
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Note from the Editor
May is here. What a wonderful time of year! There are many celebrations throughout the world associated with May and one of the most important ones here in the U.S. is Mother's Day. Mother's Day 2013 will be on Sunday, May 12, and I hope you have something special planned for the Mom in your life (your Mom, wife, grandmother, aunt...there are lots of moms out there).
Because moms are so special our feature article this month is about someone's special mom, Biz Rogers. The article was written by Dorian Rogers Winslow, owner and president of Womanswork, a company in New York that is "...a woman-owned family business, celebrating 27 years in 2012!" Womanswork specializes in top quality gardening merchandise for women...and men...and kids.
What struck us about Dorian's tribute was the way she summed up her appreciation for her mother and for gardening. "Gardening is about the past, the present and the future-and the connections we make between them. A love of gardening is a wonderful gift to pass on to others." If you know Wedel's you know that expresses our philosophy exactly. That is the most enjoyable facet of our work here at the garden center. We appreciate the opportunity to work with you and hope that you pass your successes and love of gardening on to the next generations in your lives.
Have you made plans for Mother's Day yet? Gift buying should be fun and easy and gift buying couldn't be easier than it is here at Wedel's. I'm sure it's obvious but if your mom is a gardener the possibilities at Wedel's are endless. Take a walk through our nursery and annuals and perennials greenhouse and you'll be amazed by the choices you have. If you want something small for a window box we have it. If you are thinking about getting a new shrub, rose bush or tree for her, you won't find a better selection anywhere. You can be confident that the experts at Wedel's will answer all of your questions so there will be no mystery about how, where and when to plant that special gift.
If your mom is a hands-on gardener take a look at all of the tools, gloves and accessories that would make her time outside even more enjoyable. A new trowel, sun hat, gardening gloves, cart? Yep, we have them. What about a rain barrel? OR...patio or deck furniture? Large decorative containers for her porch?
If your shopping is done already then what do you think of a beautiful floral arrangement for the center of the dinner table whether that table is at home or in a fancy restaurant? Moms don't need to be dig-in-the-dirt gardeners to appreciate beautiful flowers. The point is, when you think of Mother's Day, think of Wedel's. We'd love to help make this her best Mother's Day yet.
I'd like to say, "Happy Mother's Day" to all of our Wedel's News moms (and to you, too, Dorian and Biz). I hope each of you has a wonderful day of relaxation, good food and family!
Ready for another trivia question? Here we go! How many of Michigan's counties touch at least 1 Great Lake? 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
jimdavenport@wedels.com
"Beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon."
Oscar Wilde
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