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Hello Winterberry Friends!
August 2012 Issue
August is upon us, the final month of Summer. We
want to embrace the time that we have left before the
cold months roll in. In our August newsletter you will
find some interesting reads all about Sharing
the
Joys of the Garden!
WINTERBERRY HOURS:
Garden Center
2070 West Street
Southington, CT 06489
Sunday: 9:00am-5:00pm
Monday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Friday: 8:00am-6:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am-6:00pm
Fence & Gate
450 Farmington Ave
Plainville, CT 06062
Enjoy!
Sharing the Joys of Design
As a Landscape Designer, you get asked a lot of
questions, by lots of different people. When can I trim
my shrubs? How can I make my lawn green? I still
remember my dental hygienist asking me for a
detailed dissertation on making her hydrangea bloom
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Plant of the Month
while cleaning my teeth. I still have no idea how she
understood the answer. But the one question I'm
asked the most, and the one I like best to answer, is
'What would you do for my landscape?'
Special:
Vernonia noveboracensis
(New York Ironweed)
Two-gallon pots
$12.00 each
(originally $16.99)
This is a more complicated answer than many
people think, because the word landscape can mean
many different things. To some, it's the public face of
their home, the first impression for visitors, a reflection
of who they are and what they find beautiful. To
others, a landscape is part of a lifestyle. From
entertaining friends and family around the pool or fire
pit, to enjoying a nice glass of wine with a spouse,
walking through fragrant, flowering grounds on a
warm summer evening.
No matter what your personal aesthetics or
lifestyle, there is a Landscape Design for you. The
possibilities really are endless, and that's why it is so
important to have a master plan that will be your
guide for years to come. Do your research, look for
photos of landscapes you like and think will fit your
lifestyle. Because when people ask me what I would
do for their yard, I always answer with a question,
Vernonia
is a native plant to the eastern U.S.; its
common name refers to its iron-like
characteristics. It's a tough plant,
bearing rusty colored seeds on rust
colored fading flowers.
Vernonia is a real showstopper in the
late summer garden, blooming when
many flowers have faded and gone to
seed. Its beautiful lavender-violet
flowers contrast well with other late
bloomers such as black-eyed susans,
fall asters, sedums and ornamental
grasses.
Ironweed has a remarkably tall and
upright habit, growing six to eight feet
making it an ideal choice for the back
of the border. It can be pruned to
encourage blooming at a shorter
height; it performs well in naturalized
areas, along waterways and in narrow
areas where a spreading habit isn't
ideal. Ironweed likes full sun but
accepts a variety of soil conditions.
An excellent nectar plant for attracting
butterflies and other pollinators,
Ironweed's spent flowers attract native
birds to the dried seed heads, and it
makes a nice cut flower.
"What would you like your landscape to do for you?"
We are proud to have an ample crop of
these beauties available for upcoming
fall planting projects, along with
many companions for unbeatable late
season color, grown locally right here
at Winterberry Garden.
Stop down and talk with our garden
professionals about Vernonia and
how it can work in your garden.
Bryan Stolz
Designer
Winterberry Gardens
Garden Visitors
-Rebecca Skrzypiec
Horticulturist
Customer Q & A
Q: We are having a battle with
When you plant a garden, it must be with the
understanding that other little beings will also be
enjoying your efforts. Some will be welcome, others
maybe not so much.
I must count myself lucky in that I do not have
those beautiful eating machines called deer in my
garden. I don't know why; I see their hoof prints in the
woods behind my house all the time. My heart goes
out to our design customers and garden center guests
who lose their beautiful landscape plants and their
lovingly tended veggie gardens to deer damage.
My best advice:
1) Plant deer-resistant plants
(we can help you with that)
2) Use commercial deer deterrents. We carry deterrents
here at the garden center
Japanese Beetles this summer....any
suggestions that might work? We are
ready to try most anything!
-Tania (Question submitted via
Facebook)
A: As frustrating as they are, Japanese
beetles only last a short time above
ground, and rarely kill a plant. They
do make plants look very unsightly,
though, and are especially
aggravating on rose blossoms.
Beetles emit a scent that attracts more
beetles, so by catching them early, you
can reduce their numbers
significantly. If you have a small
infestation, a bucket of soapy water
works well. Fill the bucket halfway
with water, add a squeeze of
detergent, hold it under an infested
plant, then tap the branch or coax the
3) Get a dog. Not a little dog. A big dog.
My most aggravating garden visitors are
woodchucks. Every year, there's a new one who
thinks I've planted my garden just for him. I wouldn't
mind if they ate just a little. One year, a woodchuck
pulled down and broke off every one of my
hollyhocks, just to eat the tender buds on top of the
stalks. Other years, they have gone around taking one
or two bites out of all of my ripe tomatoes. They chew
off zinnia buds just as they are about to blossom. I
even caught one heaving himself over the wire fence I
installed to protect my veggies. Can't you take a hint,
buddy? I have found that the best deterrent for
woodchucks is dried blood. I sprinkle it lightly over
their favorite plants and scatter it on the soil around
the plants. You have to reapply it periodically, but it
works, and it also adds nitrogen to the soil.
beetles off the plant with your finger. It
is a natural response for the beetles to
drop to the ground, so into the drink
they go, and drown.
There is a good organic control called
Milky Spore. It is a powder that is
applied to the ground in affected
areas, then watered in. The beetles
ingest it and become infected with the
spore. Grubs that become infected can
live for several months, especially over
winter. But in spring, when spores
appear in their blood, they stop
growing and die. Milky spore can last
in the soil for years, making it
economical as well as organic.
Winterberry sells Milky Spore by St.
Gabriel Organics.
For bad infestations try Bonide
Japanese Beetle Killer, which we sell at
Winterberry. Keep in mind that this
spray will kill other insects as well,
and use sparingly.
Stay away from the Japanese Beetle
traps, they actually attract more
beetles!
"Flowers always make people
better, happier, and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food & medicine
for the soul"
Not all garden visitors are pests. In fact, most are
delightful. My garden plays host to hoppy toads and
sneaky little garter snakes. Sparrows squabble among
the tomatoes. Goldfinches come to eat my zinnia seeds
in midsummer. A praying mantis stakes himself out
on a rose bush and dares me to make him move.
Hummingbirds zing to and fro. My cats like to hide
under the giant dahlia plants to escape the summer
heat, awaiting a hapless mouse. A dragon fly blesses
me by landing on my shoulder. Then, of course, there
are friends and neighbors, who come by to admire
blossoms, share veggies and tell woodchuck stories.
- Luther Burbank (American Botanist)
Gardening Tip!
The end of August is a very good time
to plant a new lawn. The annual weed
seeds are done growing for the year,
and the nights are getting a bit cooler.
Anyone who thinks gardening is a solitary venture
must not be not a gardener. A garden is, indeed a
social undertaking, and never, ever a lonely place.
"My extravagance is my garden it's the first thing I look at every
morning when I wake up. It gives
me so much pleasure"
Candace Kearney
Designer
Winterberry Gardens
Funny Garden Photo of the
Month:
- Ina Garten (Host of The Barefoot
Contessa on the Food Network)
Mystery Plant of the
Month
Print this photo, bring it into our
Garden Center with the correct name
of the plant below and earn 20% off
any one item of your choice!
The Garden Spider
If you read our fall newsletter, you know how I feel
about big spiders. It is because of this that I decided to
confront my fears and find out more about the Garden
Spider - specifically, the HUGE Black and Yellow
Argiope.
The mystery plant is:
____________________________
Only one entry per customer.
We'll reveal the name of the mystery
plant in next month's newsletter!
(The mystery plant from July was an
Astilbe )
Contact Info
Website
2070 West Street
Southington, CT 06489
860-378-0071
Argiopes start appearing in my garden in late
summer, spinning their large webs in between my
dahlias or tomato plants. I usually see them right
before I am about to walk into their web. They are
black with bright yellow markings on the body and
red bands on their long legs. I've seen ones that are 3"
to 4" long from leg tip to leg tip. The large one in the
Have a Question, Funny Garden
Photo, or Comment about the
newsletter? Send us an e-mail:
[email protected]
middle of the web is the female. The smaller male is
often off to the side. The female spins a new large web
nightly, after consuming her old web. The male spins
the familiar white zig zag in the female's web.
Argiopes eat whatever flying insects they can
catch in their webs. The female lays her eggs at the
side of the web and covers them with a papery sac.
The spiderlings stay in the sac all winter, then emerge
in the spring, eager to start their job of scaring people
in the garden. The Garden Spider is not aggressive
and they are not poisonous to humans.
I must admit that Argiopes are beautiful. But I
never want to find one crawling on me.
-Candace
Save
20%
Rainy Day Coupon!
Bring this coupon to Winterberry Gardens on a rainy day and receive
20% off your purchase. We mean an actual, not figurative, rainy day!
Criterion: There must be raindrops on our pond to redeem this coupon. One coupon per
customer, per month.
Offer Expires: 8/31/12
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Winterberry Gardens | 2070 West ST | Southington | CT | 06489