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Martin Viette Nurseries
April 16, 2015
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Weekly Sales & Specials

Are you a Martin Viette garden club member? Enjoy free membership with great perks; and sign up is quick & easy. . .just ask any of our sales associates or cashiers.

Click here to see all of this week's money-saving garden club specials in every department at Martin Viette. Be sure to take advantage of this week's general sales, too.

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Plant cool season veggies in the garden - now! Lettuce, cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower and more can all be safely planted! Time to get growin'!

Spray fruit trees with a multi-purpose fruit/orchard spray (chemical or organic); read and follow label directions to a tee. Not sure? Ask us how.

Check stored bulbs - cannas, elephant ears, & dahlias - for any signs of rot. Bulbs that are soft or mushy should be discarded. You can start these bulbs indoors for transplanting to the garden in late May. BTW - fresh bulbs and rhizomes are now available at Martin Viette.

It's time to clean and ready your pots for spring and summer plantings (if you didn't last fall). Here's a time-trusted solution for cleaning terra cotta/clay pots: in a tub or basin, mix 9 parts warm water with 1 part bleach. Soak pots to loosen any debris (30 minutes should be enough). If necessary, use a brush to remove any remaining residue. Rinse; then dry in the sun. When you're ready to plant, your pots will be waiting.

Winter damage is appearing in the best of landscapes. Before you do any pruning, make sure that the growth you are removing is dead. Not sure? Lightly scratch the bark to see if it is green or brown underneath. If brown, keep pruning until you get to live green tissue.

Bare areas in the lawn? Buy and use a high quality grass seed to fill-in. If you don't, weeds will do it for you.

What's going on in the April garden?
Just a few more days to go! April 20th is considered the last average frost date for our gardening area. Remember - frosts can still occur after April 20th. Bottom line - it's still too early to plant your favorite tender (aka warm season) annuals or vegetables in the garden or landscape. But if you do, keep a close eye on the weather and cover tender plants if necessary. May 15th is considered the 'safe' planting date!
Lungwort, formally known as Pulmonaria, is a great spring bloomer for part shade/shade gardens. Lungwort (not a pretty name for what IS a pretty perennial) produces delicate flowers that rise above silvery speckled green leaves.

How to grow: Prefers a rich, moist yet well-drained soil. (Poor soils should be amended with compost or composted manure prior to planting. Heavy soils that are continually wet should be avoided.) If you garden in deer country, Lungworts are reported to be deer resistant.

Three popular varieties of lungwort have just arrived at Martin Viette Nurseries. Pick your favorite! If you can't decide, all three varieties play well together in shady areas.

Pulmonaria 'Silver Bouquet' grows 7" tall by 20" wide. Enjoy coral to pink to violet flowers with shiny silver leaves mottled with bright green. Hardy zones 4-9.

Pulmonaria 'Trevi Fountain' grows 11" tall by 25" wide. Drooping clusters of cobalt blue flowers appear above in silver-spotted slender leaves. Hardy zones 4-9.

Pulmonaria 'High Contrast' grows 9" tall, 18" wide. Two flower colors appear as blue flowers fade to pink. Hardy zones 4-8.

Uses: shady groundcovers in beds and borders, shady edgings, mass plantings, woodland, and rock gardens.

No one ever calls this beautiful flower by its common name - Persian Buttercup. We'd rather be formal and get tongue-twisted when we say Ranunculus. When you break it down, it's actually easy to say: rah-NUN-kew-lus!

Ranunculus, adored for their full, showy flowers in a wide array of bright colors, are cool season bloomers for outdoor spring planters and window boxes. They will bloom now through early summer. Once temperatures heat up, Ranunculus fade to make room for warm season annuals to fill their spaces. No space for outdoor planting? They can easily be used for indoor display in cooler rooms with adequate light.

Culture and care: Plant in bright sunny locations in the garden or planters. Keep soil barely moist for best results. Flowers can be cut for indoor enjoyment, as well.

Although generally treated as an annual, Ranunculus can be considered a perennial if you dig up the tubers in late summer. Tubers should be stored in a 50-55 degree location until you are ready to start them once again in mid-winter.


Finally! It's time to start tomatoes, peppers, eggplants (all those delicious warm summer veggies!) indoors. Fresh vegetable, herb and flowers seeds - including heirloom and organic varieties - are at Martin Viette. All the requisite supplies for seed starting - soil, trays, labels and more - are here, too. New to veggie gardening and starting seeds? Click here for some helpful tips or ask any of our sales associates to share their successful seed starting recipes with you.

There's no turning back; it's spring at Martin Viette Nurseries! Potted tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, pansies, Ranunculus, and more - perfect for dressing up winter-tired planters and window boxes - are here. Need a new glazed pot or planter to show off these pretty spring flowers? You'll find planters, plants, soil and more - throughout the store. It's time to spring into action!
Love to cook outside? Then an outdoor kitchen could be just what your patio ordered - a fabulous outdoor 3-seasons kitchen. Outdoor kitchens extend the enjoyment of cooking, eating and socializing with family and friends. The convenience and ease of having all the ingredients in one place - grill, sink, refrigerator, or combinations of, whether large or small, adds a new dimension to your entertaining. Functional and beautiful, you'll wonder how you ever lived without an outdoor kitchen! Stop by to see the beautiful outdoor kitchen on the lower patio at Martin Viette Nurseries today. Ireland Gannon Associates, Martin Viette's sister company, designs award-winning outdoor kitchens and landscapes. Interested to learn more? Contact them at 516-922-4800.
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You're invited! Indulge yourself in a night out filled with music, shopping & pampering at our annual Spring Ladies Night - Thursday, April 30th, 2014, 6-9pm at Martin Viette - 6050 Northern Blvd (25A), East Norwich.

Experience a night of fun with your friends & the ladies of Martin Viette Nurseries! Enjoy shopping our new spring lines; the arrival of fresh blooming flowers, trees & shrubs; gardening supplies; as well as delightful accents for your home & garden- at a store-wide discount. New for 2015 Spring Ladies Night: easy demos - perfect for the do-it-yourselfer!

Come mingle, enjoy some light refreshments, enter to win one of our many door prizes, & meet our vendors who will be providing many different & exciting products & services for you to experience that night.
It's time to get your green thumb growing! Join us for one or all of these free informative Saturday lectures. All are given at 10am. Please call ahead to reserve a seat under the big green tent - 516.922.5530

Help the Interfaith Nutrition Network. Please bring a non-perishable canned food or personal hygiene item to each lecture; we will gladly deliver all donations to the INN's food pantries and homeless shelters.

Click here for the complete schedule!
April 22nd marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day! What have you done for Mother Earth lately? Here are some 'earth-friendly' gardening tips from Martin Viette. Water wisely; use a rain gauge and soaker hoses in the garden! Recycle large nursery pots; they're perfect for growing tomatoes, eggplants and peppers in sunny locations. If you can't reuse your plastic flats and cell packs, bring them back to us - we'll recycle them for you! Set up a compost bin and turn kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps into black gold for improving garden soil. Improve your indoor air - add a clean air houseplant to your home.


Be on the lookout for hairy bittercress (aka hoary cress) in spring lawns! Its seeds germinate in cool moist soils (think spring). And since it reproduces by seed, your best bet is to tackle this weed when young and NOT let it go to flower. Hand pull in landscape beds and borders or use an herbicide to control in home lawns - spot treat where needed.


We've got a cure for that! All concrete urns and concrete planters are on sale. Buy a pair and save 25%. Spring is here; it's time to add color and interest at your front door. Stop by to see our new lines of planters, urns, birdbaths, benches, pottery and much more. Everyday 8am to 6pm!
Shop Martin Viette every day, 8am to 6pm.

Spring has sprung! If you'd like to enjoy a new landscape this summer, it's now time to plan! The award-winning firm of Ireland Gannon Associates (IGA) has affordable solutions for beautifying your outdoor surroundings. Let our design professionals create and install a beautiful landscape - trees & shrubs, gardens, patio, pool or other living areas. From design through completion, we take care of everything so you can plan your summer events in your new garden, and for many years to come. Our crews' schedules fill up quickly in spring, so don't miss the opportunity to enjoy your new landscape this summer.

For your convenience, IGA is located at Martin Viette Nurseries, Route 25A, East Norwich (516) 922-4800. Or, we invite you to visit us on the web: www.irelandgannon.com
The Interfaith Nutrition Network, 'The INN', is the largest human service agency of its kind on Long Island, providing daily assistance to the many needy people living in our communities. Their shelters and soup kitchens are always in need of donations. We ask for your help throughout the winter by donating non-perishable food items. A collection bin is located outside the main doors at Martin Viette's. Your donations will be brought to the INN for distribution. We thank you for any assistance that you can provide.
Landscaper Outlet offers high quality outdoor living products at unbelievably low prices. On the website you'll find a wide variety of outdoor living products including fountains, statuary pieces, BBQ's, and outdoor furniture. The folks at Landscaper Outlet have been in the outdoor living business for generations and take pride in their products, services and knowledge. When you are looking for technical assistance, product information, or just shopping around, Landscaper Outlet is here to serve you. You can also visit the Landscaper Outlet kiosk the next time you shop at Martin Viette Nurseries in East Norwich.
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Have you heard of Pinterest? It's a virtual pin board that allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pin boards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. Follow Martin Viette on Pinterest!
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Calling all gardeners! Follow Martin Viette every day on Facebook for the latest in gardening tips, plant picks and more.

Martin Viette Nurseries