It's March and We're Growing

March 2015

Out on a Limb

....the birds of the air can perch in its shade. Mark 4: 30-32

Greetings!

Greetings

"Hello" and "Thank You" for subscribing to our e-newsletter!

As I write this greeting, the first day of spring (March 20) is officially only three weeks away. For us, we have already been in spring mode for nearly a month as we have completed our final planning and preparation for the season ahead. We have finalized our plant purchases, prepared for planting our greenhouses, and scheduled our events and marketing for the entire year. Most importantly, we have been blessed by God to add some very valuable teammates to our staff.

As we look forward, we anticipate this will be our busiest year ever. And we are prepared for spring better than ever before...at least we think we are. Our focus has always been to not only meet your needs, but also to exceed your expectations. As we consolidated and took over the site at 101, however, the overwhelming needs of getting our systems up and running effectively took much more effort than we ever imagined. With that now complete, we can focus more intently on our greatest joy, which is serving you!

Over the winter, we have also developed some key partnerships that will benefit everyone. We are now the exclusive dealer for a new pergola system made of vinyl clad aluminum. Heartland Pergolas is the company and we are excited to offer and represent their displays which are designed for any outdoor space and specifically for you. It has the look and feel of wood but without the maintenance and expense. We anticipate installing our display on April 22 and we are excited and honored that we were chosen by the manufacturer to be their representative. We have also added 300% capacity to our installation department, which was much needed. If you had us do an installation last year, you know firsthand why this was necessary. Though we thank God for His provision, when it takes 6 weeks to meet with someone, that is simply unacceptable. We apologize to those of you who had to wait so long for our services last year, and we thank you as well; we have planned and prepared as best we can to make it better this year!

With all this planning and preparing, I can't help but think of Proverbs 16:9, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." and Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Truth be told, nothing is certain, any of us could die at any moment. Every breath we take is a gift from God, every day is a gift from God, every relationship is a gift from God...as we live day by day, moment by moment, my prayer is that we embrace every opportunity to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, because this is not only what He requires of us, it is also what He has blessed us to participate in. This life has never been about us, it has always been about Him. May He receive all the glory, honor and praise and may we be faithful and obedient servants, living for Him as fully as He died for us!!!

Carpe Diem for Christ,

Mark Halla

Steward

He is risen! craft

Build Your Own Empty Tomb Centerpiece

Saturday, March 14

10:00am & 2:00pm

Join us in our warm & sunny greenhouses to create a simple yet profound centerpiece for Easter. We provide all the potting soil, a flower pot, some grass seed, rocks & twigs, and you provide the energy and creativity to make your own one-of-a-kind creation! These workshops will fill up quickly, so call today to register. All ages are encouraged to participate. Make it a family event or an outing with friends, we promise everyone will have fun!

The $25 workshop fee covers all the supplies needed to create a centerpiece similar to the one pictured above. Enhancement options will be available the day of the workshop. Enhancements may include a different container, succulents, fairy plants & more. Light refreshments are also included.

The tomb is EMPTY! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

$25 workshop fee due at time of advance registration.

Call Today: 952-445-6555 (space is limited)

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Why Buy Locally Owned?

There are many well-documented benefits to our communities and to each of us to choosing local, independently owned businesses. We realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally and so merely ask you to Think Local FIRST!

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.
Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit. "When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace." ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust

CLICK HERE for the rest of the list.

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

Organically Speaking

Organic

WHAT IS ORGANIC? Organic food production methods promote biodiversity, the biological cycling of nutrients, and plant and animal health. Certified organic farmers may not use toxic synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and unnecessary hormones or antibiotics. Instead, they use practices that restore, maintain, and enhance soil and ecosystem health. GMOs, artificial ingredients, or trans fats may not be used.

Several Reasons To Explore Organic Options

Organic Is the Only Alternative Delivering Meaningful Health Results. It is hard to miss the problems arising in the wake of the conventional food system-toxic exposures, birth defects, learning disabilities, obesity, water pollution, unacceptable suffering by farm animals, to name a few. While dozens of labels promise undefined and unverified benefits, the certified organic label stands apart in delivering what people need-nutritious food, grown using methods that minimize the use of toxins while building soil quality and protecting water quality. A growing, dynamic organic food sector will stimulate valuable changes benefiting all of agriculture, as well as everyone dependent on the American farmer for three square meals a day.

Looking for more? Please CLICK HERE.

For more information and sources visit www.GenerationsofOrganic.org and www.ota.com/industrysurvey.html

* 2010 Organic Industry Survey

Salad Bites: endive boats with apple and cheddar

Looking for a quick, easy, and healthy appetizer to bring to a potluck? Try endive boats. These perfect little salad bites are sure to be a big hit and break up the mix of all of those heavy dips and nachos at the party.

The Research

It is especially important to choose organic when you are considering your choices of dairy, such as the cheddar included in this recipe, because of organic dairy's health benefits. For example, one research that was published this year showed that organic milk has a healthier nutritional profile than conventional milk. Specifically, the study showed that organic milk contains 25 percent less omega-6 fatty acids and 62 percent more omega-3 fatty acids than conventional milk, yielding a 2.5-fold higher omega-6: omega-3 ratio in conventional compared to organic milk. This is important for your health, because current Western diets are notoriously unbalanced when it comes to omega fatty acid profiles, providing unhealthily high omega-6 levels and low omega-3 levels. High omega-6 and low omega-3 levels are associated with many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Low omega-6:omega-3 ratios, on the other hand, suppress these conditions. In addition to being more nutritious, organic dairy avoids the use of chemicals that you might not want to ingest on a daily basis such as pesticides, antibiotics, and growth hormones!

The Recipe

Makes about 35 "boats"

Ingredients:

5 large Belgian endives
Bag of baby arugula leaves
2 apples thinly sliced
Organic sharp cheddar thinly sliced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs Dijon mustard
2 tbs pure honey
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Lay one baby arugula leaf inside the endive boat. Layer apple slice then cheddar slice. Top with another arugula leaf.Peel off the outer large leaves of the endive. These will be your boats. Repeat with all endives.

TIP: When the leaves start to get too small to make boats, cut the endive in half lengthwise. Cut out the core leaving the clustered leaves on the outside. Now you have two more boats to work with. You can also layer a few leaves to make a boat if your leaves are too narrow.

To make honey mustard dressing:

In a small bowl mix Dijon mustard, honey and vinegar until combined. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust honey and mustard to taste. Drizzle over endive boats right before serving.

OTHER IDEAS: Instead of apple and cheddar, substitute pear and gorgonzola or beets and goat cheese with lemon vinaigrette. Top with chopped pecans or hazelnuts.

Plant & Grow Workshops

Hurry! There is still time to sign up for a taste of Spring.

3 workshops to choose from:

Thursday March 12th @ 6:00pm
Saturday March 14th @ 10:00am
Saturday March 14th @ 2:00pm

These workshops will provide you the opportunity to get a jump start on your spring baskets. The workshop will start with a brief talk on the exciting plants from which to choose along with planting advice. Then you will create your own custom hanging basket. The basket options below are common sizes to fit right in most planters, pots or urns. If you'd prefer, you can also easily replant directly into your landscape bed. We will keep them pampered in our greenhouse until May 10th, Mother's Day, so plan to pick them up on or before then. NOTE: For sanitation, disease prevention and due to space constraints, please do not bring in your own containers.

2 options:

12" green plastic hanging basket (hang or drop into your own planter) $45/ea.
16" decorative coco wire hanging basket $65/ea.

(fee includes the basket, soil, plants, and our TLC)

Online registration will be available on our website soon CLICK HERE or simply

call us at 952-445-6555.

Space is limited.

Time for Trivia

What tree name contains all five vowels?

Please post your answer HERE.

Correct answers will be entered into a drawing for a prize from The Mustard Seed Landscaping & Garden Center!

Featured Plant : Snowdrop Windflower (Anemone sylvestris 'Grandiflora')

Plant Height: 12 inches

Flower Height: 18 inches

Spread: 12 inches

Hardiness Zone: 4a

Description:

Delicate nodding white flowers atop lustrous green dense foliage; a low maintenance groundcover for bright shade; overwinters well if protected from heavy rain and snowmelt; flowers give way to interesting white wooly fruit

Ornamental Features:

Snowdrop Windflower features beautiful white daisy flowers with tan eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer, which emerge from distinctive white flower buds, and which are most effective when planted in groupings. It's deeply cut ferny leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season. The fruits are white pods displayed in mid summer.

Landscape Attributes:

Snowdrop Windflower is an herbaceous perennial with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This perennial will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

Self-Seeding
Spreading

Snowdrop Windflower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

General Garden Use
Groundcover
Mass Planting
Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Plant Characteristics:

Snowdrop Windflower will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 18 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This perennial does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division.

This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Plant Search

What a cool tool. Check it out!

Find the ideal plants for your landscape and garden needs by searching through our extensive offering of trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and other plants. You may create your own plant list, print it and bring it into the store to see the wonderful plants you have selected!

Click HERE

Staff Profile

Name: Lauralee Chellen

Family info: Riley (son, 13) and Natalie (daughter, 11)

Position with company: Gardening Services & Container Design Manager

Hobbies: Cycling, running, yoga, singing, gardening, baking, downhill and cross country skiing.

Food: Sushi, salads, and chocolate chips!

Goal(s!) This Year: Share my passion for flowers by helping others brighten their homes and businesses with creative, fresh designs! Enjoy more swimming, camping, and skiing adventures with my kiddos!

Find Lauralee's full bio HERE

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Save The Dates

Saturday, March 21 - Eden Prairie Expo * Come visit us at Grace Church
Saturday, April 4 - Miniature Garden Workshop & Easter photo setting with bunnies!
Sunday, April 5 - Closed Easter Sunday
Saturday, May 2 - Spring Fling * Petting Zoo * Food Trucks * Lots of Fun!