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Last Month's Newsletter
Visit Us At Our Website
Great information and our weekly ads are there!
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And A Tip Of The Hat Goes To...
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Fatimah Gilani. Fatimah was the first to submit the correct answer to our April fill in the blank: ""----, ----, every morning you greet me. Small and white. Clean and bright, you look happy to meet me." The correct answer is: "edelweiss, edelweiss."
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Fatimah 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, Fatimah!!
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May
Shopping List
Bouquet for Mom
Garden seeds
Pots
Lawn Fertilizer & Weed Control Program
Grass seed
Starter fertilizer
Suet
Bird seed
Gift certificate
Bird feeder
Pruners
Pruning sealer
Plant labels, stakes, twist ties
Rain gauge
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A Thought
From the Garden
"In the dooryard fronting an old farmhouse near the whitewash'd palings,
Stands the lilac bush tall growing with heart shaped leaves of rich green, with many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love, With every leaf a miracle and from this bush in the door yard, With delicate color'd blossoms and heart shaped leaves of rich green, A sprig with its flower I break."
(Walt Whitman)
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Be Good To Your Bees
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You've heard the phrase, "busy as a bee," right? That is an appropriate description.
Did you know:
- bees don't sleep?
- bees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables?
- the average worker bee will produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey?
- bees fly up to 9 miles to find pollen and nectar?
- bees need drinking water?
You can be good to your bees and help them accomplish their appointed tasks in a very simple way. Give them water to drink! Bees need shallow water and can drown if a water source isn't shallow enough so birdbaths aren't the answer. Rivers and streams pose a risk because of the presence of predators. So...what can you do?
You can make a bee waterer! A bee waterer can be as simple as a pie plate filled with marbles to which you simply add...water. You can be creative and use colored glass nuggets in that same pie plate or, for something more attractive, use a terra cotta pot saucer, birdbath (remembering to keep the water from completely covering the marbles or nuggets) etc. This is a chance for you to use your imagination AND do a service to our environment!
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Did You Know?
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1. Each year, insects eat 1/3 of the Earth's food crop.
2. Mosquitoes prefer children to adults, and blondes to brunettes.
3. The world's smallest winged insect, the Tanzanian parasitic wasp, is smaller than the eye of a housefly.
4. There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth.
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Mom Tested And ApprovedAre you treating Mom on Mother's Day to a dinner at her favorite restaurant? How about surprising her with home made dessert?
Butter Cake
1/2 Cup Butter or Butter Substitute 1 Cup Sugar 2 Eggs 3/4 Cup Milk 2 Cups Flour 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder 1/4 Teaspoon Salt 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring
Cream sugar and butter or butter substitute. Add egg yolks and beat thoroughly. Sift flour, measure, and sift with baking powder and salt. Add alternately with milk to creamed sugar and butter. Beat thoroughly. Add flavoring. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into well oiled layer cake pans. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) about 25 minutes. When cool, put layers together with peach filling.
The Household Searchlight Cookbook
Enjoy and have a very happy Mother's Day!
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Just for Grins...
and  Groans
I have a mind like a steel trap - rusty and illegal in 37 states!
Clem Thudd
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Volume 8, Number 2 May 2015
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Beautiful New Roses
For 2015
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There is something new and beautiful every year at Wedel's and this year is certainly not an exception. The annuals and perennials department has 5(!) new roses to introduce for 2015.
Neil Diamond is an irresistible "cracklin' rosie" and cover guy. This striped Hybrid Tea garden glory has fragrance that will perfume gardens spring through fall enticing visitors to your landscape.
Downton Abbey's Anna's Promise celebrates the commitment and loyalty of true love transcending the trials and vagaries of life. This graceful Grandiflora is the daughter of AARS winner About Face. It is tougher and presents much heavier blooms than its dad.
Doris Day does not disappoint on camera or in the garden as this warm yellow Floribunda beauty positively glows in the landscape.
Take It Easy blasts its way onto the landscape and garden scene, jockeying for a spot of focus in your garden. This tough little red Floribunda/Shrub makes the landscape positively vibrate with color. And, it is extremely disease resistant and blooms with exhausting energy.
Orange. Isn't that the color of 2015? If not, it should be. Above All is a show-stopping Climber that is exquisite in bloom. Winter hardiness, disease resistance and increased flower count make this redux a blockbuster.
There are always lots of new things to see at Wedel's and these five new roses are just some of the most beautiful examples. If you love roses you are sure to fall in love on your next trip to the garden center!
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Milkweed And Monarchs
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Monarch butterflies are those beautiful, gentle orange and black butterflies that used to be so common in everyone's backyard. They are just as beautiful today but not so common as they once were. Monarch populations migrate from southern Canada and the United States to overwinter in central Mexico and the change in the migrant census indicates a sharp decline over recent years. Sixty million arrived in Mexico in 2012 and this year that number is 33 million. A primary factor in that decline is the loss of milkweed. The reduction in the number of milkweed plants has occurred progressively over the last 20 years or so.
Milkweed is a food source and the host plant where adult butterflies lay their eggs thus, fewer host plants means fewer Monarchs; new generations are running out of food and places to lay eggs. The reduction in the number of plants has occurred for a number of reasons. Eradication of this habitat has been caused by agricultural techniques and urban and suburban expansion, for example. While solutions to these problems are being debated there is something we, as gardeners, can do. We can plant milkweed in our gardens and landscapes.
The idea of planting weeds in a garden is counter-intuitive but "weed" is an unattractive label for what is a very attractive plant. There are more than 100 species of milkweed (Asciepias) that are native to North America. Asciepias syriaca has beautiful star-shaped flowers with thick-leaved foliage and grows to 36" tall. Asciepias incarnata is an heirloom with clusters of pink and white flowers and a soft vanilla scent that attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial insects. Asciepias tuberosa has beautiful orange-red blooms.
Milkweed blossoms are excellent for use in cut flower arrangements, their decorative pods make eye catching additions as well. Consider using milkweed in clumps, as a backdrop for medium and shorter height plants and even in patio containers. Monarch butterflies are being considered for addition to the endangered species list which indicates the size of the problem. A beautiful and easy to grow addition to your gardens and landscape offer you the opportunity to be part of the solution. Stop by Wedel's for the above mentioned plant seeds as well as others to help keep Monarchs visiting us and future generations.
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Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower
Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'
 Perennials. Green-thumbers love perennials because perennials are planted and, with appropriate care, can be counted on for years of beauty and color in the landscape. Perennials require some patience however. Generally speaking it takes about three years for them to mature and many don't blossom until they reach maturity and then remain in bloom for a relatively short time.
This month's Garden Native, Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower, isn't so patient. It blooms in its first year from early summer through the frost of mid fall. And oh, those blooms! Your garden will burst with tones of creamy white, purple, pink scarlet and yellow that surround a coppery-bronze eye. The flowers appear on tall stems which make them ideal for cutting for bouquets and dried flowers. The flowers are numerous enough that, even after cutting, there will still be abundant color in your garden. Regularly remove spent blooms to encourage continued flowering.
Coneflowers are used best in mass plantings, as a border edging, in rock gardens, cottage gardens and container plantings. They are attractive when grouped with plants of coarser or finer habit. The seeds in the cone, at the heart of the flower head, attract butterflies and birds but are of little interest to deer.
On top of all its other qualities, this beautiful perennial is a toughie and can take quite a beating from wind and foul weather. To learn more about this Garden Native, click here!
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Store Hours
Monday -Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Closed Sundays
Have mower blades sharpened.
Have mower tuned up.
Take sod sample to Wedel's for analysis.
Apply Repellex mole control.
Spray hostas and lilies with Repellex.
Get rid of lawn weeds with Weed Free Zone.
Apply 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. (Average last day of frost - May 15.)
Make sure your hummingbird and oriole feeders
are installed and filled with fresh nectar.
Apply moss control to problem areas.
Have a pH test done on lawn and garden soils.
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Happy Mother's Day!
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Mark Your Calendar
Wednesday, May 6
Nurses Day
Sunday, May 10
Mother's Day
Monday, May 11
Tuesday, May 12 - Saturday, May 16
Wedel's 69th Anniversary
Thursday, May 21
Frost Free Date for Kalamazoo County
Monday, May 25
Memorial Day
Wedel's Hours - 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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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 - $5.00
- Loppers - $5.00
- Lawn mower blades - $6.00 (sorry, no reel mowers)
- Mulching mower blades - $6.00
- Hedge shears - $5.00
- Electric and cordless hedge shears - $10.00
- Hoes, shovels and trowels - $3.00
- Larger items - we will quote a price
(We don't sharpen chain saw blades.)
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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
We've had a few days of frost and I hope you were able to cover any of your plants that could be damaged by it. Seventy degree temperatures are in the forecast for a few days from now. Rain and maybe even a thunder storm or two are possible too. It's spring and that's what spring is all about - transition. Winter doesn't want to let go and summer is getting impatient. Spring and fall transitions are always interesting and that's why I like them!
Are you getting busy yet? Remember to get your crabgrass control applied along with your spring lawn fertilizer. As you know, crabgrass is an annual weed and is therefore susceptible to frost. The average last day of frost for our area is May 15 and May 21 is called the "frost free date for Kalamazoo County." You have a little time yet but if it is convenient to make the application now go ahead and get that project taken care of.
Mother's Day will be here soon. I hope you have special plans for the moms in your life. Does she enjoy dinner in a favorite restaurant or a home cooked meal? If you take a look at the "Mom Tested and Approved" recipe you'll find something extra special you can do for her whether you dine out or stay in. You know how moms are. They seem to appreciate the tiniest things. You can guess her reaction if you take a little time and prepare something special for her!
Since Wedel's is a garden center there are nearly endless ideas for a wonderful Mother's Day gift; everything from a vase of cut flowers to a new shrub or tree and everything in between. You might even plan a visit here if you can't decide what would be just right for her. She can pick out her own flowers or decide what she would like planted in the landscape that will be a reminder of your love for years to come. If you choose something to plant make a day of it. Get the kids and grandkids together and everyone help to plant. That's called making memories.
Maybe your mom enjoys gardening herself. That opens up all sorts of possibilities! Besides all sorts of flowers and plants to choose from there are, of course, tools, fertilizers and yard decorations. For moms who enjoy beautiful flowers and plants indoors or beautiful gardens outdoors (what mom doesn't?!) except for dinner you will find any and everything she could want right here. If you're unsure, let us know...we've all had moms and years of experience helping Mother's Day shoppers.
Well, this is a wonderful time of year for gardening, landscaping, sunshine, rain and fresh air. I hope you all come by soon and often. It is always good to see you and chat about what you have in mind for this growing season. And remember, we're here to help!
Ready for another trivia question? Here we go! "What is the second most traded commodity in the world?" The first reader to respond with the correct answer will win a $15.00 Wedel's gift card. The gift card 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
"What is so sweet and dear
As a prosperous morn in May,
The confident prime of the day,
And the dauntless youth of the year,
When nothing that asks for bliss,
Asking aright, is denied,
And half of the world a bridegroom is,
And half of the world a bride?"
- William Watson, Ode in May, 1880
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