I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Be sure to celebrate Earth Day and Secretaries Day this week! They are both on this Wednesday 4/22/15, but can be celebrated throughout the week!  

       Now, we can get serious about adding color to our world. We have had many trucks come in, and 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. Next week I want to share some information with you about the declining numbers of the Monarch butterfly and what you can do to help them. So stay tuned...

            The purple martins are here and the hummingbirds should be here shortly. So please, get those hummingbird feeders filled and hung as soon as you can.

Sandi

Administrative Professionals Day - Wednesday, April 22!

       Whatever you call it, Administrative Professionals Week, Secretary's Week or Administrative Assistant's Day, don't forget to show your staff your appreciation for their hard work by sending them a delightful gift from Hillermann Nursery & Florist!

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.  

Click here for more. 

     A relative of the familiar kitchen sage, flowering salvias produce spikes of small, densely packed flowers atop aromatic foliage. These heat- and drought-tolerant beauties bloom from early to late summer in shades of blue, violet, red, pink, and white. Plants grow 18 inches to 5 feet tall, depending on the variety. Use care when choosing salvias, because not all plants are hardy in all regions. Features: Easy care/low maintenance, good for cut flowers, attracts hummingbirds, and it tolerates dry soil. Select a planting site with full sun and very well-drained soil.

20% OFF

One-Gallon Container Size 

Good through 4/27/15. One-gallon container size plants only. Not good with any other sale, coupon or discount or on previous purchases.

  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?

     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. 

Beer & Wine Making Supplies

       Whether you are a master at the beer or wine making process, or just wanting to dabble in the craft, we have a great selection of all the supplies needed for the complete process. We even offer kits that have everything needed to make your own beer or wine. Come by and check out everything we have available!

  

Companion Planting

By Sandi McDonald

       Companion planting is the planting of different crops in proximity (in gardening and agriculture), for pest control, pollination, and to otherwise increase crop productivity. It has been used for thousands of years around the world. Following are some plants and the companions that work well with them.

Asparagus:

* Companion With: basil, parsley, tomatoes

* Helpers: Pot marigold deters beetles

Beans:

* Companion With: beet (to bush beans only), cabbage family, carrot, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, pea, potatoes, radish and strawberries.

Click here for more. 

GROWING BY AEROPONICS!

       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

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.

       Visit the Pot Shop in the Garden Center at Hillermann Nursery & Florist. Watch the artists at work creating one of a kind hand made pottery and browse our finished pieces! See pottery in all the different stages of creating, firing and glazing!

       Pottery Classes: Learn to make your own pottery items! We can work with your schedule. Call us to learn more!

       Pot Parties: Enjoy a Pot Party with a group and make your own pottery item! Gather friends, family, home schooled group, scouts or any group for a fun activity! Pot Parties are just $25.00 per person and can host 3 - 12 people.

For more information,

call Carol at (636)221-5593 or Noreen at (636)584-3169

or send us an email to potshopathillermann@gmail.com.

Hillermann's Farmers' Market

Thursdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM!

Come browse vendor booths for locally grown produce,  

canned and baked goods and hand made items.

New vendors are welcome!  

Call Debbie Ashworth at 636-239-6729 for more information.

Featured Adoptable Pet 

       Hello, my name is Molly. I am a very sweet, tiny, little adorable 9 year old Min-Pin. I had a nice home, but my people had to move near a highway and were afraid that I might get hit by a car. Well, here I am; all ready for a new home, and preferably a forever one at that! I am house trained, like to play fetch and sleep on laps. Please don't let my age deter you as I assure you that I am capable of providing years of love.

        Sincerely, Molly