DID SOMEONE SAY ZONE 7 ??

            We don’t know about you but we think the American Horticulture Society needs to rethink the changes they made last year to our Zone.  We will admit that it has been a while since we have seen sub-zero temperatures and record wind chill around here but this past winter proves it can still happen.  We previously were in Zone 6b but then they changed us to Zone 7, which means the winter temps are not suppose to fall below 10 degrees. HA!  Try telling our hands that when we were trying to thaw out the water bottles for the chickens and the rabbits!  We definitely lost a lot more perennials in the greenhouse than in years past.  A perennial in the ground can withstand much colder weather than one in a pot so I guess that is why.  We are not going to complain about anything weather related because we were some of the lucky ones when it came to damage from snow and ice.  We know of several greenhouses that were heavily damaged or destroyed by the heavy snow.  This was only because we got up early on the morning we had the big snow and knocked all the snow and ice off the greenhouses.  If it weren’t for that I guess we would have been in big trouble.!!

 NEW FOR 2005

         It gets harder every year to decide what new plants we will try to grow for you. We get so many seed catalogues and each one has new varieties that look and sound so good.  We feel like we already offer a large variety of herbs, perennials and annuals so we decided to try to expand our selection of shade plants.  Steve has constructed us a new shade structure and now it is Lindy and Suzanne’s job to fill it.  Some shade plants we will have are Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’, Anemone, Lamium, Creeping Jenny, Astilbe, Columbine, Lychnis Viscaria, Goat’s Beard, Hosta, Ferns, Foxglove, Leopard’s Bane, Foamflower and Bergenia.

We also have brought in several new varieties of Clematis.   We should have a Clematis to fit perfectly in your garden.  You will be able to pick from purple, pink, white, red, blue, and bicolor which just about covers them all.  We also have a white small flower variety that blooms in the fall and a premium variety called Clair de Lune that retains its best color in the shade.  Most people don’t realize it but each variety of Clematis has a different bloom time.  Some may only bloom in spring and early summer while others will award you with flowers all summer.  We have tried to bring in those that have the longest bloom time.  The key to being successful with clematis is to give the top of the plant sunshine while keeping the roots cool.  There are two ways you can accomplish this.  Keep the roots well mulched or plant low growing perennials in front of the clematis.  For a really beautiful flowering combination, plant two contrasting clematis together or combine a pink climbing rose with a dark purple clematis.  Dramatic!!!

Speaking of roses, we are going to have several more climbers this year than last year.  There is not anything more beautiful than a Noisette or antique climber growing on a trellis or arbor.  We also are bringing in some carpet roses as we had a lot of requests for them last year.  One question we have people ask us continually is when do I prune my roses?   All the roses we carry are own-root roses-not grafted.  Because of this you only have to know if it is a repeat bloomer or a once bloomer.  Repeat bloomers are typically pruned during late winter so they won’t be susceptible to frost damage on new growth.  The best time to prune once-bloomers is right after they have finished flowering.  Your objective should be to remove dead canes and maintain an attractive form.   Pretty simple, huh? 

 Lindy is excited about our new Mexican and concrete pots we will have this Spring.  Her specialty is mixed pots and baskets and she is in hog heaven planning how she will fill them.  We probably have the largest ‘strawberry pot’ ever made and that will be a challenge filling.  Some of these pots are so large and heavy that we can hardly move them empty much less filled with soil.  We are still trying to figure out how we are going to load one up for a customer!  We just learned that Mexican pots need to be sprayed once a year with Thompson’s Water Seal to keep them from cracking.  If you don’t spray them they will only last a couple of years so keep that in mind if you have any of these types of pots.  We also have brought in a large selection of Mexican iron products that we will fill with sphagnum moss and plants.  We have some really neat wall planters and baskets that we can’t wait to fill.

            As far as our produce line we will once again be offering heirloom tomato plants along with some bedding plants like cabbage, broccoli, squash, cucumber and melons.  We sowed some tomatoes about 3 weeks earlier than last year for those gardeners who set out plants early and keep them covered.  We normally don’t set out our tomatoes until after April 15^th because it is not feasible to cover up 1,000 or more plants!  One new tomato worth mentioning is called ‘Cold Set’.  It is a small 3- to 4-inch salad tomato that supposedly withstood temperatures down to 18 degrees in Canadian trials.  They claim you can direct sow the seeds in your garden and sit back and wait.  We are a little skeptical but decided to try some and see what happens.  We are still trying to be the first one in our area with vine-ripe tomatoes but the trick is not so much having plants ready but having ground dry enough to in the spring to plant!

            This year we will finally be rewarded with asparagus from a bed we planted 3 years ago.  Asparagus is one of those crops that you do not receive instant gratification from!  We have learned that you go by what is called the 0,2,4,6,8 rule when it comes to this crop.  The first year you cut none, the 2^nd year you harvest for 2 weeks, the next year 4 weeks and so on.  We did not know this last year so we missed out on a 2-week window we could have been eating fresh asparagus!  We will definitely make up for it this year and if you are lucky we might share some with you!   

OLD MCDONALD HAD A FARM

            We have just about decided we need to leave the raising of farm animals up to Old McDonald as he doesn’t seem to have any problems expanding his herds!   Due to some unfortunate accidents, we have less animals now than what we started with last year.   That is really unusual considering we have rabbits and you know how fast they are supposed to propagate.  We really wish if a dog or coyote was going to kill a chicken he would choose a rooster instead of one of our laying hens.  We definitely are going to have to put up some higher fencing to keep our chickens in the pen or they better learn they are taking a big chance if they fly out. 

            We will have to give our hens credit as they have continued to lay even during the bitter cold.  We generally collect the eggs several times a day anyway but during the really cold weather we had to gather them before they froze.   We have been gathering anywhere from 8 to 12 a day and even one day we had 14 so we hope we will be able to supply everyone with fresh eggs that wants them.  We will gladly accept recycled egg cartons!  We have a friend who is hatching us some more chicks so we hope we will have even more hens this fall. What we are trying to figure out is how can they tell if a chick is male or female.  X-ray??  Ultrasound??  When we got our last chicks it wasn’t until they were half grown that we were able to see a difference between the two!!  For a while we thought all our brown leghorns were roosters until they started laying eggs!

 COME JOIN US!!!

             Last year we introduced our customers to the world of hypertufa.  For those of you that missed out, hypertufa planters look just like the moss-covered horse-watering troughs hollowed from the porous stone called tufa in England.  The original troughs were collected by gardeners to use in their gardens and have now become very expensive.  Our planters have the look of old with less burden or cost.  It is much lighter than stone and unlike ceramic or terra cotta, won’t crack in freezing temperatures.  Hypertufa planters usually last 7 to 10 years without cracking or splitting, although there are some that are still going strong after 25 years.  Most of the troughs that we make are only suitable for succulents, as you have to have a root zone of at least 5 inches for other flowers. 

We are once again going to hold a hypertufa workshop the first Saturday in May to teach people how to make their own hypertufa troughs.  The cost will be $25.00 and will be open to the first 10 people to sign up.  A $10.00 deposit is required to hold your spot, which you can mail to us along with your name, address and phone number.  The cost of the workshop includes all materials you will need and at the end of the workshop you will take home a hypertufa planter filled with succulents.  The workshop will take about an hour so plan to join us for a little fun.  Those that participated last year seem to really enjoy it so call your friends, family or church group and come out for a really unique workshop.  If you can’t make this one, we will hold 2 other workshops this summer, in July and again in September.

            We will be participating March 18-20  at Kenlake State Park in their first ever Landscaping Weekend.  If you get spring fever early then you should definitely try to come.  Opening session is Friday at 7:00 p.m. then on Saturday from 8:00 to 6:00 you can stroll through the plant mall.  Area vendors from nurseries and nursery-related fields will be set up to answer your questions and with items for sale.  There will be seminars on Saturday with various guest speakers like noted native plant expert, MaryCarol Cooper.  Sunday is dedicated to Water Gardening with specialist Richard Montgomery of Montgomery Gardens speaking.  For more info contact Kenlake at (270) 474-2211.

FROM LINDY’S HERB CORNER

             The crocus, tulips and March flowers are up and means it is almost Spring!  Not only does spring bring life to plants emerging from their winter slumber, but it also brings in those pesky little insects such as mosquitoes, flies, ants and gnats.  Here are a few little tips for keeping those insects at bay.  1). Rub Basil on exposed skin and this will help deter mosquitoes for a little while.  2).  Keep a pot of tansy on your windowsill or by your kitchen door to help keep ants away.  3).  Rub lavender leaves on your exposed skin to keep away flies.

            If you are ready to start working on your herb collection but feel it is too early to plant, there are some herbs that grow well indoors.  They include the various thymes, parsley, chives, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and the shorter types of basil.  You can enjoy them indoors until you are ready to move them to a permanent spot.  Make sure you give them plenty of bright light, only water when dry and keep them away from any warm drafts.  We already have a number of herbs ready to pop into that favorite pot of yours and get a head start!

BITS AND PIECES

            Due to the cost of mailing, we will only be sending out newsletters electronically in the future.  If you don’t have access to e-mail, you can pick up your copy at the farm or the farmer’s market.  If you got this by snail mail that means I do not have your e-mail address!!!  Please give us your e-mail address if we don’t have it already!

            We are taking orders for our cut flower subscription program, which will start mid-June and run through September for 16 weeks.  The cost this year will be $12.00 a week.  For more info send us an e-mail or call at 753-4050.

            As of this writing we are planning on opening on March 1^st.  I can’t guarantee you will get this before or after we open!  It takes a while to stuff all those envelopes!  Our hours will remain the same for now.  Tuesday through Saturday from 9-5.  Check for e-mails or call the answering machine at the farm for info on extended hours this spring.  Hope to see you soon!  Lindy, Suzanne and Steve