I hope you all had a fabulous Easter this past weekend. I also want to wish you a Happy Earth Day! Let's celebrate our home and all the beauty that it offers us! Now, we can get serious about adding color to our world. We have had many trucks come in, our lot and greenhouses are busting at the seams. Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and tropicals are here for you to see.

            In the news, we are hearing a lot about natural pollinators (or the lack of) in our gardens. We all need to take heed and add pollinating plants to our landscapes. The article below talks about native pollinators, and next week I want to share some information with you on the declining Monarch butterfly and what you can do to help get their colonies built back up. So stay tuned...

            The purple martins and hummingbirds are here. So please get those hummingbird feeders filled and hung as soon as you can. Visit us for supplies and tips on all of these!  

Sandi

Click here for a photo album of beautiful plants, trees and displays  

at Hillermann Nursery & Florist. 

Beer Brewing Class

Thursday, April 24 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm - Join Jacob Ehrhard for a basic beer brewing demonstration. Please call 636-239-6729 to RSVP.

Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm - Celebrate Earth Day by picking up trees and plants for your yard and gardens. So much fun and activities for all ages will be happening during this event! River Bluff Alpacas, Scavenger hunts, treasure dig, kids activities, grilling by Missouri Mulch and so much more! Kids growing MONSTER Tomatoes for the fair can come in to decorate a plant tag for their entry and get a FREE gallon of Nature's Source ready to use fertilizer to help their MONSTER grow.  

Wine Making 101  

Saturday, April 26 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm - Come learn all the basics to get started on making your own wine! Please call 636-239-6729 to RSVP.    

Gardening With A Twist  

Health & Wellness by Juice Plus and Tower Garden  

Tuesday, April 29 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm - Join us to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle with Juice Plus and healthy and easy gardening with the Tower Garden.

Growing Aeroponically 

Thursday, May 1 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm - Come learn about growing with the Tower Garden, and get tips on set-up and care as your garden grows. Grow your own groceries!

Edible Spots & Pots 

Saturday, May 3 - Join in the fun and festivities with Cinco de Mayo! We will have salsa gardens ready to go as well as many other edible container gardens. Handouts will be available on how to grow edibles in small spaces and containers. We will have chips and salsa to snack on. Leave the mess here and let us help you plant up an edible container at our potting station.

First Saturday Kids 

Saturday, May 3 - Bring the kids anytime between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm to play in the garden and enjoy a FREE activity - plant a flower for Mother's Day!

Prepare for "NEW" Pollinators

          

By Sandi McDonald

       With fewer honeybees these days, it's time to welcome alternative pollinators into your garden. We've all heard the news: Populations of the honeybee are declining. Factors such as habitat loss, pesticide use, and diseases have taken a toll on these heroes of the horticultural world.

       The story that seldom gets attention is that for home gardeners there are plenty of native pollinators. Roughly 4,000 species of bees are native to North America, including approximately 45 types of bumblebees. Plus, many types of flies, certain wasps, and even butterflies and bats can act as pollinators.

       By attracting a diversity of these beneficial visitors, pollination in your garden will improve.  

Mason Bees - A Gardener's Best Friend

     The Blue Orchard Mason Bee, technically known as Osmia lignaria, is truly a gardener's best friend. One of Nature's best pollinators, each one is able to do the pollinating work of 120 honeybees! And mason bees are active in cooler weather than honeybees so they are better pollinators of early blooming trees like apricots and peaches. What better way to improve production of delicious home grown veggies and fruit?

How do you introduce mason bees into your garden?

     Blue Orchard Mason Bees are only available in the early spring. The bees come in tubes- each containing 6 bee cocoons. Some of the tubes have been split open for inspection. The bees will chew their way out of their cell and emerge when they have fully matured and the air temperature is warm.

Click here for more. 

       Come see all the Beer and Wine making supplies available in our Garden Center! Everything you need is here! 

       We are having our FIRST "HOW TO BREW BEER" class THIS Thursday, April 24 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. It is free to attend, please call to reserve your spot.

By Sandi McDonald

       Even if you don't love gardening, digging in the dirt may be good for your health---and it has nothing to do with a love of nature or the wonder of watching things grow. The secret may be in the dirt itself: a bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae that acts like an antidepressant once it gets into your system.

       That's right. A living organism that acts like a mood-booster on the human brain, increasing serotonin levels and making people feel happier. It was accidentally discovered about 1995, when Dr. Mary O'Brien, an oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, tried an experimental treatment for lung cancer. She inoculated patients with the killed bacteria to boost their immune system. It did that, but it also improved her patients' emotional health, vitality, and general cognitive function.

       Short on space and time? Have no fear. You can grow food outside your kitchen door with this system that takes up only 6 square feet. It saves on water, too. Get inspired by the article below. Stop by the store to see it in operation and in person. Food grade plastic and a 'new wave' product. For more information call Sandi McDonald at 636-299-8452 and check out this website at www.sandimcdonald.towergarden.com

Tower Garden   

       Spring has officially begun! Follow these 5 steps to prepare your Tower Garden® for a new growing season:

Step 1: Plan

A great garden starts with a great plan. When planning, consider:

* Tower Garden location

* What plants you want to grow

* Plant requirements (e.g., light, temperature, space)

* Each plant's number of days until harvest

* Plant location and arrangement

* Number of plants needed

Click here for more.

Dr. Allan Armitage's  

Greatest Perennials & Annuals Garden App

       Dr. A's app is brilliant, with a plethora of plant varieties and constant additions and upgrades. Photos, videos, Dr A's recommendations for the best plants and even great garden centers to visit. Interactive, informative, and, intelligent--download it today!

Click here for the app.

Thursdays and Fridays  

from 10:00 AM - 2:00 pm!  

We're back in the swing of the season!  

A special thank you to all of our Vendors who have been coming!!!

NEW VENDORS ALWAYS WELCOME!

Book a Pot Party In April!

Call us at 636-584-3169 for more information.  

 

Featured Adoptable Pet 

       Hi, my name is Winkles. I am an extremely affectionate and intelligent 6 month old fellow. I am one soft pettable bundle of black fur. I love everyone; I love to be talked to, to be petted and to be admired. I will be a perfect companion style of cat and would love to have a home with someone who will spend lots of quality time with me as well as provide a nice soft bed to lounge on. I will be waiting for you! Purrs and Pats, Winkles