 Dear Friends, I hope you had a chance to get outside and enjoy the nice weather we had over the weekend. There are some great holidays coming up in the last part of April to celebrate: Earth Day on 4/22/16, Secretaries Day on 4/27/16 and Arbor Day on 4/29/16! Check out the information below on our Earth Day Celebration with presentations, specials and more to help you celebrate.
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 and plant in your gardens.
We hear a lot about natural pollinators (or the lack of) in the media lately. We can all do little things to help our pollinators survive, including adding pollinating plants to our landscapes. I have included an article below that talks about native pollinators.
The purple martins and hummingbirds are here! So please, get those hummingbird feeders filled and hung as soon as you can. Enjoy spring and all it has to offer!
Sandi
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Administrative Professionals/Secretaries
Day is April 27!
The holiday is also celebrated anytime through Secretaries Week of 4/24 - 4/27. Show your staff your appreciation for their hard work by sending them a delightful gift!
Call Hillermann Nursery & Florist
at 636-239-6729
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May First Saturday Kids
Saturday, May 7 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
See the opening of our All American Selections (AAS) Vegetable Garden and help us, along with Master Gardeners John and Scott, do the planting at 10:00 am. Learn about vegetable gardening and get a FREE vegetable plant to grow at home! Kids, decorate a large Floral Mum to give Mom for Mother's Day from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm ($5 supply fee) and make a Mother's Day Card for FREE. Please call to RSVP for the Kids' Mum activity.
Salsa Saturday
Saturday, May 7
Enjoy chips and salsa samples and salsa music to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Pick up Salsa and Edible Container Gardens created by our staff. Salsa Garden Make-N-Take Workshop at 10:00 am - Make your own salsa container garden to take home ($25.00 supply fee, call 636-239-6729 to RSVP). Try some Grilled Vegetable samples in our Monarch Cafe from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Pepper and tomato plant care information sheets available. And more!
Franklin County Master Gardener Symposium
Saturday, May 21, 2016 from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm
Choose from 15 different garden classes. $25 for 4 classes. Register on line at: www.extension.missouri.edu/franklin or call Karen Leslie (573)459-2454. Registration forms can also be picked up from Hillermann's Nursery or the Washington Public Library.
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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. Thus, yields of crops like tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, peppers, and berries will increase. You can take three steps to welcome pollinators to your garden.
1. PROVIDE NECTAR AND POLLEN RICH PLANTS, INCLUDING NATIVES AND HERBS...
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 Salvia
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.
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Good through 4/25/16.
Not good with any other sale, coupon or discount or on previous purchases.
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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.
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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
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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
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Visit the Pot Shop in the Garden Center at Hillermann Nursery & Florist. Watch the artists at work creating hand made pottery and browse our finished pieces. See pottery in all the different stages of creating, firing and glazing!
Pottery Parties: This is a great group activity for all ages! Each guest can create hers or his own piece of pottery. We provide all the materials - all you need to bring is your imagination. Ideal for birthday parties, scout groups, home schooled groups, or just a fun get together with family and friends. Pot Parties are just $25.00 per person and can host 3 - 12 people. You can even just drop in and try you hand on an available wheel for the same cost.
Pottery Classes: Learn to make your own pottery items with hands on instruction! We can work with your schedule. Call us to learn more!
Pottery Membership: With a membership, you can join us during our open hours to make your own pottery. The Pot Shop is an open studio for all new and experienced potters to practice their skills.
For more information, call Noreen at (636)584-3169
or send an email to potshopathillermann@gmail.com.
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Adopt A Pet Today!
Franklin County Humane Society
1222 West Main Street, Union, MO 63084 Phone: 636-583-4300 ~ Website
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