April 2013
Vol 2, Issue 12


Garden Notes
Garden Notes Logo Bird


Greetings from Christianson's!

 

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The next best time is now." 

 

-  Chinese Proverb 

 

When we are kids, little things can become big things. Big, life-shaping things. It's a big deal to hold a frog, to stand waist-deep in a field of tulips, to find a bird's nest or pet a baby animal...or to plant our first tree. Simple moments like these are often imprinted in our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives.

 

Every April, as the sweet fragrances of viburnum blossoms and fresh cut grass fill the air, my thoughts drift back to Arbor Day ceremonies at my elementary school. Every year, my classmates and I would line up like little ducklings and follow our teachers across the big green field to the edge of the schoolyard.

 

Our principal would kick off the ceremony by telling us how Arbor Day was started on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska, by a man named Julius Sterling Morton. It all sounded like a bunch of dates and names, until he told us how on that first Arbor Day, one million trees were planted. Jeepers! One million trees! That certainly got our attention.

 

Then he would invite us forward to help him plant a little tree. It was thrilling. Some of us were practically down in the hole, making sure it was perfect. Once the tree was planted, the principal brushed the dirt from his hands and waited for us to quiet down. With just the sound of birdsong in the air, he gave a simple blessing for the tree, and  proclaimed us each to be a 'Steward of the Earth.' Gulp. A Steward of the Earth. I wasn't sure exactly what that meant but it sounded like the most important job I'd ever had in all my seven years.

 

After that, we each received our very own little seedling tree to plant at home. How exhilarating - first helping to plant the tree, and then being entrusted with a real tree of my own! I remember one year I was wearing my Blue Bird uniform on Arbor Day. Stoically stepping up to receive my little tree, I felt even more ceremonial than usual because I was in uniform. I was not only a Blue Bird - I was a Steward of the Earth. Those were responsibilities not to be taken lightly.

 

And here I am, many Aprils later, thinking about all the trees my classmates and I planted during those grade school years. How many trees have been planted because of that one principal and those teachers? How many kids have been inspired by that same experience, not just at my school but around the world?

 

We hope the trees we planted are doing well, but what about us?  We've grown up too, but have we served honorably as Stewards of the Earth? I'm sure those Arbor Days of my youth shaped the big part of me that loves to plant things and help things grow, but what have I done to hand that love down to the next generation?

 

Arbor Day is coming up on April 26, and I've decided that this is the year I will go back to my roots, wake up my inner Blue Bird, gather up the kids in my life, and start planting trees again. It's such a simple thing, but it really is a big deal. Even now.

 

Happy April, everyone!

 


Eve Boe, Garden Notes Editor    

 

 

History of Arbor Day 

 

Plant-for-the-Planet 

(an international organization started in 2007

by 9-year-old Felix Finkbeiner)

In This Issue
The Garden in April
Seasonal Specials
Staff Picks
Upcoming Events
Spring Class Calendar
Fresh Ideas
Closing Thought
Quick Links

Garden Notes: All past issues

 

2013 Rose List

 

Garden Gazette: April - June 2013  

Garden Gazette: Feb - March 2013

Garden Gazette: Nov 2012-Jan 2013 
Garden Gazette: Archives  

 

Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse 

 

La Conner Chamber of Commerce  

Mt Vernon Chamber of Commerce

 

Where To Find Us

 

 

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15806 Best Road

Mount Vernon, WA  98273

www.christiansonsnursery.com 

 

360-466-3821

1-800-585-8200

 

 

Open Daily 9 am - 6 pm


Open Fridays until 8 pm

from April 19 - May 31

 

 

Voted Best Greenhouse and Nursery

in Skagit Publishing's

People's Choice Awards for

2010, 2011 and 2012 

 

 

NW Flower & Garden Show

"People's Choice Award 2011"

 

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The Garden in April
by Rachel Anderson

 

Maeve, Jonelle, and Rachel 

Spring has sprung and boy is it glorious!  I always have this internal sense of euphoria, as though this is the first spring I've ever experienced, and then it all bubbles out and I find myself saying things like "Oh my gosh! Look at how green the grass is!" or "Look at the sky! It's so blue!"  It's as though I'm seeing it all for the first time, and yet this happens every year when the season turns.  It's so hard not to get excited about the simplest things and I'm not embarrassed to admit that.  These things are what make me smile and want to turn to my neighbor and say, "Do you see that?  Isn't it marvelous?"  Such is the beauty of spring and the charm of Mother Nature.  Oh sure, it'll turn all grey and rainy at the drop of a hat.  But even the rain has a gentleness to it this time of year, and I love that too!

 

In the ornamental garden: 

  • Pull weeds.  I know.  It feels like I'm always saying that, but hey.  Weeds are a constant part of gardening and to expect a weed free garden is (I believe) unrealistic.  However, we must do our best to be sure that they don't completely overrun us, or our gardens.  I think my favorite tool for weeding is a Hori-Hori knife. If you are not a proud owner of one, I highly recommend you buy one.
  • If you haven't pruned your roses and fruit trees, time is of the essence.  If you wait too long with your roses, they will bloom later than usual and you'll be wondering why everyone else has roses and you don't.
  • Fertilize roses if you haven't already.
  • Early spring is a good time to spread mulch.  Whatever material you choose to use, it will help you immensely when it comes to weed control and will help to retain moisture in the soil, reducing your need to water during the driest months.
  • Once the flowers have faded from your daffodils, you can remove the flower but leave the foliage until it dies back.  You'll be really tempted to cut them back to the ground because, honestly, they don't look so pretty.  But by leaving the foliage, the bulb is fed (via photosynthesis) and a new flower is formed in the bulb for the next year.  Some people like to fertilize their bulbs at this time with bone meal, and that is entirely up to you.  I've had excellent success without it.
  • Plant dahlia tubers and lily bulbs.  Usually by now the soil has warmed and dried out enough so they don't just sit there and rot.  If your soil is still super soggy, wait a bit longer or consider planting in pots.
  • By the end of the month, it should be safe to directly sow sunflowers.
  • Put out slugbait!  All this tender juicy new growth is very tempting to slugs and snails.
  • Stop by the Nursery and stroll the aisles.  We've got so many new and fresh plants right now that you'd probably be wise to pack a lunch and plan on spending some serious time.
  • Earth Day is April 22 and Arbor Day is April 26.  Plant something special in their honor!
     

In the edible garden: 

  • Remove old unproductive raspberry canes.  By now they've pushed growth and it's easy to tell which ones are dead and which are still productive.
  • Prune out the oldest wood on blueberries, currants, and gooseberries.  This makes way for fresh, new productive wood.
  • It should be safe to sow all kinds of veggie seeds directly out in the garden: carrots, cilantro, radishes, broccoli, beets, spinach, kale, swill chard, peas...shall I go on?
  • Sow tomatoes and peppers and other warm season veggies indoors. These can be planted out later, usually after Mother's Day in May.
  • It's also a great time to sow edible flowers like nasturtiums, calendula, and borage. Borage, by the way, is very attractive to many beneficial insects, including many types of bees, which are a very good thing to have in the garden.
  • Have I mentioned slugbait?  There's nothing more infuriating than stepping out one morning to find that your pea seedlings have been devoured overnight by slugs and/or snails.  There's usually nothing left but a shimmery trail of slime and an empty seed row.
  • Peek around the asparagus bed.  Are they up yet? 
  • Fertilize garlic.  Side-dress with an organic, slow release fertilizer.
  • Enjoy the anticipation that comes with waiting for seeds to germinate and the excitement when they finally have.

 

Take a few moments (at least!) to enjoy the return of the song birds, the smell of freshly cut grass, the longer days, the warmer temperatures, the frog song in the evenings, the push of new growth in your garden and beyond.  You know.  Spring!

 




Rachel has been gardening since childhood, thanks to her mom, and has been part of the team at Christianson's since 2002.  She's a Certified Professional Horticulturist with a passion for roses and vegetable gardening.  Rachel and her family enjoy gardening together and now share their urban garden with a menagerie of ducks, chickens, two cats, and a dog.
   

Seasonal Specials

APRIL HIGHLIGHTS



 

Spring Bulbs

Dahlias, lilies, gladiolas, begonias, and more!

We also have organic seed potatoes, garlic, and shallots.

 
Cool weather veggie starts
 Lettuce mixes, spinach, mesclun mixes, peas, beets,
Swiss chard, sprouting broccoli, artichokes...the list goes on!

 

 'Start Your Garden' Supplies

Seed-starting supplies, great selection of fertilizers, and kelp meal! 

 

Rhododendrons

hundreds of varieties to choose from,

including new varieties and some old favorites too

  

Evergreen and Deciduous Azaleas 

Spring basket fillers - 2" and 4" plants

 

 

APRIL SPECIALS 

 

April 1 -14

Magnolias - 20% off

Blooming trees with white, pink, purple or yellow flowers, including evergreen varieties

Celebrate Arbor Day on April 26th by planting a tree! 

 

April 15 - 30

Rhododendrons and Azaleas - 20% off

Thousands to choose from, including evergreen and deciduous azaleas

 

   

 

Staff Picks

This month our 'Staff Picks' come from Heidi Klemper, a Certified Horticulturist with 23 years of experience in the nursery business and a Christianson's staff member for the past 14 years. Heidi has a special interest in rhodys, Japanese maples, and unusual evergreens.  

 

Flowering currants:

I love them all but especially 'King Edward VII' because it is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. Flowering currants are easy to grow, the blossoms come in many colors (pink, white, red), many are fragrant, the foliage has great fall color, and they attract hummingbirds.

 

Viburnum 'Dawn'

Viburnum:

If we have a warmer-than-usual winter, viburnum 'Dawn' will bloom with fragrant pink flowers from fall through spring. For more great fragrance, Viburnum carlesii (Korean Spice Viburnum) and Viburnum x burkwoodii (commonly called Burkwood viburnum) are also fabulous.

 

 

Osmanthus: This is an amazing flowering shrub with great fragrance. Osmanthus x burkwoodii and Osmanthus delavayi are both wonderful April bloomers. They are easy to grow, do well in sun to part-shade, and can serve as a beautiful fragrant hedge - but plan ahead and be patient because they are slow-growing.

Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba'

 

Bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis):

I love bleeding hearts for their heart-shaped flowers (in combinations of red, pink and white). The foliage is great too, and ranges from deep green to yellow-green. The critters (including deer) leave them alone. They are dependable, low maintenance, and brighten dark corners (they grow best in part-sun or shade). Bleeding hearts are especially beautiful in bouquets and work great as pressed flowers.

 

 

Primroses: I love them all - the fancy double primroses and the more-common garden primroses. These early bloomers come in an amazing variety of colors (blue, purple, pink, orange, white, yellow) and the deer, slugs, snails, and bunnies all ignore them (at least most of the time!). Best of all, they are a great investment.  Sometimes sold as annuals, they are really perennials.  

 

 

Grevillea: What a great plant! They have exotic orange-red flowers and the hummingbirds love them (the bees do too). If you haven't tried Grevillea, now is a good time to give it a try!

 

Rhododendron Loderi
'King George'

 

Rhododendrons:   

The Nursery just received its biggest shipment of the year so the selection is great! I am especially fond of the Loderi group, such as Loderi 'King George', with their tall, tree-like shape and amazing fragrance. The blooms are white to light pink and the fragrance is intoxicating! You have to wait five to six years for the first blooms but it's well worth it.

 

 

Other fragrant rhody choices include Polar Bear, decorum,

Azalea 'Gibraltar'

fortunei, glanduliferum, Lodauric Iceberg, and auriculatum.

 

 

Deciduous Azaleas:   

I'm a big fan of deciduous azaleas but especially 'Gibraltar' for its gaudy orange color and great fragrance. What can I say - it just makes me happy! On top of that, it's hardy and mildew-resistant.

 

 

 

Photo from
The Co-operative Plan-Bee
(click the photo to learn more)

'Save the Bees' - products and gardening practices:

There are flower seed mixes and products like 'Insectary and Soil Builder Mix' (from Uprising Seeds) that will provide flowering habitat and forage for bees, pollinators, and beneficial insects. Planting bee-friendly plants and a small patch of wildflowers that bees will like - such as zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers - and using our great line of organic products are ways we can help our ailing bee population.    

 

Here are two excellent articles about bees. These articles were written by Valerie Jean Rose and were posted on the WSU Skagit County Extension Master Gardeners website.   

 

Bee Aware - Part 1

Bee Aware - Part 2 

 

 

And last but not least...here are a few of Heidi's favorite trees:

 

Katsura: 

Great coppery-maroon new growth changes to green and it has such a lovely leaf!  

 

Acer Griseum: 

It has amazing peeling bark that is beautiful all winter and a smaller maple leaf that provides lovely, dependable fall color.

Magnolia sieboldii

 

Magnolias: 

These April blooming trees are gorgeous!  I especially love 'Stellata' (also known as star magnolia) for its fragrance and delicate star-shaped flowers. It starts blooming after others have finished.  

 

'Sieboldii' is also amazing with its white flowers with rose-red stamens and its wonderful fragrance. Plant at the top of stairs or the top of a wall so you can see the downward-nodding flowers from below. Stunning!

 

Reminder...
Magnolias are 20% off from April 1 -14
We have hundreds of beautiful blooming trees with white, pink, purple
or yellow flowers, including evergreen varieties

Upcoming Events
 

TULIP SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

April 5 - April 28: 
Art at the Schoolhouse
Open daily from 10 am to 5 pm
 
Weekends in April:

 Iversen's Espresso

 

March 29 - April 21: 

Judy and Annie's Philly Sandwiches,
Crepes & Chowder 
11 am - 6 pm

   

Saturday, April 27

American Rhododendron Society Flower Show

10 am - 3 pm  

 

     Full details about all of the events listed above can be found on our website    

  

 

April 1 - 30: 

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

(click here for all the details) 

 

 

'Big Tent' Events Coming in June!

Saturday, June 22, at 1 pm:
 
 Dan Hinkley presents "New and Exciting Plants for the Pacific Northwest"  
Presented in partnership with Monrovia 
Reservations required:  $5

Sunday, June 23, at 1 pm:  
Karen Chapman, author of the new book Fine Foliage, 
presents "Container Creations" 
Reservations required:  $5

Saturday, June 29, 9 am to 6 pm:  
A Rosy Day Out: Tenth Annual Rose Festival 
With Keynote Speakers and long-time 'rose buds': 
Ciscoe Morris & John Christianson
Complimentary event (no reservations required)




June 22 and June 29:  Master Gardener Clinics

We are happy to welcome volunteers from the 

WSU Skagit County Master Gardener Program 

as they host Plant Clinics on two Saturdays in June:  

 

June 22 from 10:30 am - 1 pm 

before Dan Hinkley's talk at 1 pm 

 

June 29 from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
before Ciscoe Morris and John Christianson's talk at 2:30 

  

 

Also at the Nursery on June 22 and June 29:

Plan for a picnic with 'The Milkman's Daughter' 

We are delighted that on two of our big event days in June, we will host The Milkman's Daughter - Inger Herman - with her gourmet picnic fare sold out of a fabulous 1956 Winbledon White Ford panel truck.  Visit their website to learn more about all they offer!  

 



Full details about all of our classes and events can be found on our website 

 

For reservations, please call us at 360-466-3821 or 1-800-585-8200

 

Spring Class Calendar
 

Class Calendar for April and May

 

 Join us for Friday evening gardening seminars from mid-April through May!

The Nursery will be open Fridays until 8 pm from April 19 - May 31

and our Friday night classes are offered from 6 - 7 pm.

Coffee, tea and light nibbles will be provided. 

    

Plant a Chair!

Saturday, April 6
 

Plant a Chair! 

1 - 2:30 pm (reservations required - $40 class fee)


Friday, April 19

Vegetables: The New, The Best, The Organic

6 - 7 pm (reservations required - $5 class fee)


Friday, April 26

Uncommon Edible Plants for the Northwest

6 - 7 pm  (reservations required - $5 class fee)


Friday, May 3

How to Make Your Own Photo Book

Mother's Day Festive Cooking with
Jackie Davison

6 - 7 pm (reservations required - $5 class fee)

Friday, May 10

Mother's Day Festive Cooking

6 - 7:30 pm (reservations required - $10 class fee) 


May 11 and 12 is Mother's Day Weekend! 


Friday, May 17

Invincible Vines

6 - 7 pm  (reservations required - $5 class fee)


Friday, May 24

Growing Proven Winners: Not as Simple as It Looks

6 - 7 pm  (reservations required - $5 class fee)  

 

 

 

For class reservations, please call us at 360-466-3821 or 1-800-585-8200

Fresh Ideas

Here's an assortment of fun ideas for April.  Simply click on a photo you like and it will take you to the website that provides all the 'How To' instructions. We hope you enjoy these fresh ideas and if you try any of these projects, please let us know how it goes!
Selecting trees for your garden

Make fabric-wrapped tins
(a lovely way to dress up spring plants for gift-giving)








 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Earth Day project - make a teepee for kids using vines or sweet peas
 
Carrot-top pesto recipe
Homemade herbal liqueur and cocktail recipes from the Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart.
Amy's new book, The Drunken Botanist,
is available at the Nursery.

   

If YOU have a favorite gardening tip or fresh idea you'd like to share in Garden Notes, please email your submission to [email protected] and put 'Fresh Ideas' in the subject line of your email.  You are also welcome to send your submissions to us at:  Christianson's Nursery, Attn Eve Boe, 15806 Best Road, Mount Vernon, WA, 98273. Be sure to include your contact information (name, address, phone and/or email address) and please print clearly.  If your 'Fresh Idea' is selected for publication, you will receive a $20 gift certificate to Christianson's.

 

Closing Thought...



"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."   

 

-  William Shakespeare


Garden Notes Editor:
Eve Boe, Public Relations
Christianson's Nursery & Greenhouse
360-466-3821