Late Summer 2010 Newsletter
Greetings fron the Flower Guy!
Fall is almost here and, after the record heat we've had this summer, our lawns and gardens will get a chance to regroup before the winter gets here.In this issue I'll cover ideas to use your summer garden to decorate for the fall and one of our most popular flowers, the garden mum. Tomatoes seen to have found something else to cause us worry. This year it's blossom end rot, so be sure to read about that.
As I look out on our sales area the mums, pumpkins and corn stalks are shouting FALL, despite the tempertures. This year has allowed us to grow some of the largest mum plants we've ever had. Stop by and see what we've got.
Fall Excitement on Your Table
The Season's HarvestFresh flower arrangements at this time of year offer a great transition from summer to winter. Creating your own indoor fall centerpiece affords you a chance to play with rich fall colors and bold, organic textures.
Start by finding the container you would like to design in, perhaps a traditional basket or a vase. Be creative and search your kitchen for some items you might have tucked away in your cupboards such as a soup tureen, teapot, decorative bowl or even a milk pitcher. Some of our favorite containers are hollowed out fresh pumpkins, gourds and colorful peppers.
Next, fill them with autumn clippings of plant material. Searching for your flowers should be fun. Visit our flower shop for beautiful, in-season flowers or choose from the last remaining blooms, berries, seed pods and foliage from your garden. Hydrangeas are stunning at this time of year, displaying beautiful warm autumn colors. Or choose from orange colored lilies, curly willow, hypericum berries, or the ever popular rose. Also, don't rule out natural plant materials that can be found growing wild, such as cattails and bittersweet.
Now you can begin to arrange your items. Either loosely gather your blooms into the container of your choice or use floral foam to secure the stems if you are designing in a basket, soup tureen or bowl. In order to maintain your arrangement, be sure to change the water every few days. You can now sit back and enjoy the simplicity and beauty that nature has to offer when brought inside your home!
It's Mum Time!
Caring for Garden MumsThe autumn season, with all its beautiful and vibrant colors, beckons us to utilize all that Mother Nature has to offer! Keep your green thumb busy even as the leaves change their colors. Read on for tips on how to take care of autumn's number one plant.
Garden mums provide unparalleled color in the fall months. Mums are photo-tropic; their life cycle is greatly affected by day length. When the days slowly become shorter in the fall, the Mum is triggered into developing flower buds. Many greenhouses manipulate the day length to control bloom time.
Planting
Plant in full sun (at least a half day). Rich, fertile soil high in organic material is best. Good drainage is very important for survival over winter. Prefers constantly moist but not soggy soil. Watering Plants in containers should be watered almost every other day. Established plants in the ground should be fine with natural rainfall, but in droughts supplemental watering is needed. Newly planted mums should be watered 2-3 per week.
Fertilizing
Incorporate into the soil a general purpose fertilzer close to 6-12-6 at a rate of 1/2-1 lb. per 100 square feet, every month. Or a liquid fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro or Peter's once a month would work. If you are planting in the fall usually no fertilizer is needed unless the plant doesn't look healthy.
Pinching
To encourage branching and development of compact bushy plants, it is very important to pinch back your mums in the spring . When new growth has reached 6", pinch 2-3" off of every branch. Whenever a branch grows another 5-6, inches repeat the pinching. Stop pinching as the summer ends because the plant will slow its growth and start developing flower buds. In Northern states stop pinching the second week of July and for southern states the last week of July.
Winter Protection
In northern states hardy mums are not always hardy, but with some extra care mums can be saved for the next year. As the first frost approaches make sure the soil is moist. Mulch plants with straw after several hard frosts. Removing dead plant material is not necessary. I have known people to have good luck with removing the dead plant material and replanting the root ball upside down. In April remove all dead mum material and straw and use a hardwood or cypress mulch after new growth appears.
Tomato Headaches
This summer's biggest problem
Tomatoes and peppers get a big black rotten spot on the end opposite the stem: This is called blossom end rot. It is caused by a calcium deficiency that develops when soil moisture fluctuates (drought followed by heavy rains or vice versa) or too much nitrogen fertilizer has been applied. Avoid over-fertilization, use mulch to help keep soil from losing moisture, and water to make up for rainfall deficits. Some varieties are more susceptible than others.
Binley's Fall Festival
Five times the fun
Join us on Sat. September 18 from 9:30 AM to 4 PM for our 5th annual Fall Festival. WCKM's morning crew, Pete and Dan will be broadcasting live from 10 to noon.
The SPCA of Upstate NY will be here with pets for adoption and the Warrren County Sheriff's K-9 officer and his dog will be here with demonstrations. Also, we'll have the alpacas from Parkland Alpaca Farm.
There'll be face painting for the kids, local crafters, vintage cars and chair massages from The Massage Works. Local perennial authority, Kerry Mendez will be signing her book.
Of course we will be featuring our spectacular garden mums and fall decor, including pumpkins and cornstalks. Stop by and join the fun. If you're not here, we'll miss you!
That's about it for this month. Thanks for your interest and I hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Wally Hirsch
The Flower Guy
Florist & Garden Center
