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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 Gold Star Goes To...
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Valorie Reid. Valorie was the first to submit the correct answer to our February Trivia Question: "A dish served 'A la Crecy' is garnished with what?" " The correct answer is: "Carrots."
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Valorie 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, Valorie!!
(ed. note - We would like to ask contest winners to pick up prizes within 90 days to avoid forfeiture.)
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Congratulations are in order for the first members of the Green Thumb Club who attended four or more Wedel's seminars and have therefore earned their Green Thumb Club certificates!
They are: Belinda Cygan Jessica Burton Stacy Burton Kathleen Lesman Barb Ledlow Don Gruber Ruth Minert Valerie Brown. The certificates will be awarded during Wedel's Spring Expo at a ceremony on Thursday, March 17, at 6:45 p.m. Come by and help us congratulate the recipients. There are several others very close to earning their certificates and you could be among them.
Join Wedel's new Green Thumb Club now! Click here for a brochure that explains what the club is about, how you can join and for a list of upcoming seminars and events at Wedel's. |
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March
Shopping List
Garden seeds
Potting soil
Pots
Seed starting supplies
Suet
Ice melter
Bird seed
Gift card
Bird feeder
Gardening book
Repellex Mole and Gopher Repellent
Lawn spreader
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A Thought
From the Garden
"Today is the day
when bold kites fly,
When cumulus clouds roar across the sky.
When robins return,
when children cheer,
When light rain beckons
spring to appear.
Today is the day
when daffodils bloom,
Which children pick
to fill the room,
Today is the day
when grasses green,
When leaves burst forth
for spring to be seen."
- Robert McCracken, Spring
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Mom Tested And Approved
Louella's Cornbread
1/2 cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Pour the bacon drippings into a 9-inch black iron skillet and heat in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking soda. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Pour the hot bacon drippings from the skillet into the batter and mix well. Immediately pour the batter into the hot skillet and return to the oven. Turn the temperature down to 350° F and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until browned. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the cornbread out onto a plate to serve.
Jan Karon's
Mitford Cookbook
& Kitchen Reader
Enjoy!
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Just for Grins...
and  Groans
I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted paychecks.
S.L Oath
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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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Volume 8, Number 12 March 2016
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Pest Alert!
Mosquitoes
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 The following is from our friends at Bonide®. It is time to prepare for the coming mosquito season. Mosquitoes can be more than merely annoying and there are safe and effective ways to deal with them.
"Mosquitoes can cause more harm to humans than any other group of insects. Mosquitoes not only inflict a painful bite, but they can transmit organisms which cause human diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, West Nile, and the Zika virus. Zika is a disease caused by the Zika virus and is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika include fever, rash, joint pain or conjunctivitis (red eyes).
Mosquitoes are a midge-like fly with tube-like mouth parts used to pierce the hosts' skin to consume blood. Mosquito saliva often causes an irritating rash. However, the real danger mosquitoes pose is the role they play as carriers of serious disease such as Zika and West Nile.
Mosquitoes hatch from eggs and they start out as swimming larvae. Adults will lay eggs in stagnant or slow-moving water, or on moist soil or leaf litter in wet areas. The best way to keep safe is to eliminate mosquito breeding areas. Drain unnecessary containers or any standing water on your property; keep gutters clean and unclogged. Use a larvicide such as Bonide's WSPs to kill larvae where it is not possible to drain water, or to treat ornamental ponds or bird baths. Control adult mosquitoes by treating lawns, shrubs, or wooded areas using Bonide's liquid Mosquito Beater sprays or fogger."
For more mosquito facts and solutions, click here and be sure to stop by Wedel's Garden Center where you'll find everything you need to rid your landscape of this annoying and dangerous pest.
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70 Years Ago
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Here are some interesting occurrences from 70 years ago. Each has its own story, memory and place in history but one is nearest our hearts, at Wedel's. See if you can decide which it is. (I'm sure you can.)
- Tupperware is introduced to U.S. consumers during 1946.
- The Mensa society is created, the only qualification for membership being a high IQ in the top 98th percentile.
- The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) is revealed at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Manager Mel Ott of Giants hits 511th and final home run.
- Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," premieres.
- Jackie Robinson makes debut in professional organized baseball with Montreal Royals.
- Wedel's Fruit and Produce Store opened for business.
You get a tip o' the hat! You picked the right one. There are so many stories, memories and histories that have resulted because of Harley Wedel's love for gardening and his courage to start a business 70 years ago. Click here to learn more about how Wedel's began and how it progressed to be what it is today. If it weren't for you, Wedel's wouldn't be here so I hope all of you celebrate this significant anniversary with all of us!
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Supporting Monarchs
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(We would like to thank Ball Publishing for supplying this information.)
Planting Monarch butterfly habitat meadows is futile if they're not managed properly. Mowing at the wrong time can kill monarch adults and/or destroy eggs, larvae and pupae. When is the best time to mow? In a few words, when Monarchs aren't present. These abbreviated recommendations are from Monarch Joint Venture:
1. Avoid mowing the entire habitat to leave refuge areas for wildlife during mowing. This will allow for recolonization of the mown site. Leave areas that may be good nesting or overwintering sites (leaf litter, dead stems or other groundcover) for pollinators or other wildlife.
2. Timing of mowing is critical (see map). Avoid mowing during times of peak insect activity; this timing will vary between species. If your goal is Monarch habitat, don't mow during times of high Monarch reproduction or migration. Some areas may benefit from summer management to promote fall milkweed growth (and thus, Monarch reproduction). For instance, the southern Great Plains where Monarch activity is low for an extended period of the summer.
3. If possible, avoid mowing while native plants are in bloom or before they've dispersed seed.
4. Limit mowing to no more than twice per year and even less if possible. Mowing too frequently disrupts plant growth and the ability of forbs to compete with grass species. However, during the first year of prairie restoration, more frequent mowing may be needed for weed control.
5. Use a flushing bar and cut at reduced speeds to allow wildlife to escape prior to mowing.
6. Cut high, using a minimum cutting height of 8 to 12 in. (shorter heights may be needed for early establishment mowing).
7. Avoid mowing at night, when insects are inactive and unable to escape.
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Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
 Spring is coming - this month! Something we all look for as spring approaches is color. A most welcomed sight, after the snows of winter, is beautiful spring color. This month's Garden Native is an early bloomer that offers no shortage of color and lots of it.
The Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis is a striking addition to your landscape. It is an irregularly shaped tree covered with pink to reddish purple flowers, along otherwise bare branches and twigs, that appear early in spring before its leaves form.
 Smaller landscapes allow the Eastern Redbud to become the focal point for its surroundings. Mass plantings find an ideal setting in larger landscapes. This tree does well in full sun to partial shade and, as it ages, its preference is for less shade.
You will soon find this Garden Native bursting with color around our area and now is a good time to give some thought to the perfect setting for one (or more) on your property. Click here for more information about one of the earliest heralds of spring!
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Mark Your Calendar
Sunday, March 13
Daylight Saving Time Begins
Thursday, March 17
St. Patrick's Day
Opening Night
Friday, March 18
Wedel's Spring Flower & Garden Expo
9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 19
Wedel's Spring Flower & Garden Expo
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 20
Palm Sunday
First Day of Spring
Friday, March 25
Good Friday
Garden Center Closed 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 27
Easter
Jesus has Risen!
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Store Hours
Monday - Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Closed Sundays Special Hours Thursday, March 17 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 18 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 25 Good Friday Closed 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Attend Wedel's Spring Expo!
Reserve your space at Spring Expo seminars.
Have mower blades, pruners, loppers, hedge shears sharpened.
Have mower tuned up.
Prepare for indoor seed starting.
Plant cool season crops.
Begin general clean-up of twigs and branches.
Have soil from vegetable garden, flower garden & lawn tested.
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Did You Know?
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1. Sulfuric compounds are to blame for cut onions bringing tears to your eyes.
2. The average strawberry has 200 seeds. It's the only fruit that bears its seeds on the outside.
3. Cranberries, Concord grapes, and blueberries are three popular fruits native to North America.
4. Snapdragon flowers resemble a dragon, and if you squeeze the sides, the dragon's mouth will appear to open and close.
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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" returns on Saturday, March 19!
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
It's March! That means spring is only a few days away. Something else that's only a few days away is Wedel's Spring Garden Expo! Are you ready to get out of the house and be inspired for the soon to arrive 2016 growing season? Wedel's Spring Expo will do just that as I'm sure you know.
There will be lots to see and do just as there is each year during Expo. There will be new products, product company representatives to talk with, displays that might give an idea or two to you for your own landscape and seminars that will not only answer your questions but are a lot of fun too. Here's the seminar link: http://www.wedels.com/pdf/Expo_Seminar_Schedule_2016_edited.pdf. Take a look and choose the ones you'd like to attend. You'll see some of your Wedel's friends are presenters again this year. If you haven't been able to stop by the garden center since last fall, this will be a good opportunity to say, "hello" to them. I have to tell you about just one of the new items we have for you at Wedel's. Strictly speaking, it doesn't have anything to do with gardening. Maybe generally speaking it doesn't have anything to do with gardening... Still, I'm excited about it and some of you will be too. Cinnamon almonds! We now have cinnamon almonds! And not only almonds but cashews and pecans too! You must be familiar with what those are, aren't you? I buy several bags of cinnamon almonds every August when my wife and I go to the Branch County Fair. I've rarely seen them available anywhere else. My sister and I got some when we went Christmas shopping in Holland but that's about it. We coat the nuts with the cinnamon glaze right at Wedel's! I ate an entire bag myself when I first discovered that distinctive scent wafting through the air. (That wasn't the only bag I ate so I'm not sure how good of an idea it is to have them available here. I have plenty of opportunities to practice self-control and cinnamon almonds might just be one more than I can handle.) Anyway, the machine will be hot and busy coating nuts during Expo so consider yourself forewarned. (What can one bag hurt anyway, right?) I hope all of you are able to come by during Expo. It's the unofficial, official start to spring and what could be better than seeing old friends, new gardening products and beautiful blooms at Wedel's?
Ready for another trivia question? Here we go! "Who was the first woman to parachute from an airplane?" 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
"Through all the frozen winter
My nose has grown most lonely
For lovely, lovely, colored smells
That come in springtime only.
The purple smell of lilacs,
The yellow smell that blows
Across the air of meadows
Where bright forsythia grows.
The tall pink smell of peach trees,
The low white smell of clover,
And everywhere the great green smell
Of grass the whole world over."
- Kathryn Worth, Smells
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