"The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings."
- Joyce Kilmer, Spring
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings."
- Joyce Kilmer, Spring
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mayflies
Quick Mayfly Facts:
- Adults live only a day or two. Most of its life is spent as a nymph living underwater for just a few months up to three years.
- Mayflies do not feed as adults. Their final hours are spent mating. Shortly after which they die.
- The mayfly predates the dinosaurs as fossils have been found from over 300 million years ago.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Spring Gardening Seminar Series
Thanks to everyone who has taken part in our Seminar Series. At the Patio Produce seminar participants learned how to prepare and care for container gardens with edible plants. The free Garden Sketches of small garden spaces was very well attended.
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up for the remaining free seminars:
Kitchen Garden Design: Victory gardens with a twist
May 16 at 10 AM
Learn to combine vegetables & flowers for the ultimate gardening experience. This is an opportunity to learn a bit about companion planting. You might even consider adding vegetables and culinary herbs to an existing perennial bed after joining this chat.
Evening Gardens: Annuals selected for evening enjoyment
June 6 at 10 AM
Come and see what Woodbridge has to make your evening stroll through the gardens or dinner on the patio even more delightful.
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up daily between 9 am and 5pm.
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up for the remaining free seminars:
Kitchen Garden Design: Victory gardens with a twist
May 16 at 10 AM
Learn to combine vegetables & flowers for the ultimate gardening experience. This is an opportunity to learn a bit about companion planting. You might even consider adding vegetables and culinary herbs to an existing perennial bed after joining this chat.
Evening Gardens: Annuals selected for evening enjoyment
June 6 at 10 AM
Come and see what Woodbridge has to make your evening stroll through the gardens or dinner on the patio even more delightful.
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up daily between 9 am and 5pm.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Mark your calendars, our Spring Open House is on April 18th and 19th. More details to follow.
Plant of the Month: Pansies
. Adorable, colorful Pansies have arrived at Woodbridge Greenhouses! In the garden some years I've seen these slight plants work their way through the melting snow to catch the sunlight with their pretty little faces.
.
Pansies' relatively short foliage and flowers beautifully grace our gardens in the fall and brighten overcast Spring days. Cut some Pansies from your garden to fill a small vase, steal a few of its edible petals to add more color and flavor to your salads. I've heard that each color tastes different. (Avoid eating the stamens and pistils. If you have seasonal allergies, avoid eating flowers.)
Pansies flower in cool weather, whether Spring or Fall. Deadhead them to help them continue to bloom. To encourage Fall flowering, cut them back before the heat of summer and fertilize them in the fall.
. According to garden.lovetoknow.com, the pansy is named from the French word pensée, which means thought, probably because the flower petals resemble a face nodding forward as if in deep thought.
Check out these beautiful ruffles. Why We Garden
author unknown
Gardeners tend to be optimistic. The simple act of planting a tree shows vision, creativity and yes, even hope. Sowing seeds is an act of faith, a fundamental belief in the natural world. One knows that with fertile soil, water and light, anything is possible. Gardens of contentment are borne in cities and in the country, in grand designs and in simple windowsills. The fact is, we garden because it makes us feel good.
Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who was the creative force behind the design of New York's Central Park (and the parks of Boston's Emerald Necklace) observed that viewing a scene in nature "employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it, tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body, gives the effect of refreshing rest."
This observation could be judged to be more true today than when Mr. Olmsted was quoted back in 1865. In a day and age when work has become more stressful than ever, where daily lives are played out in an environment with higher levels of noise, crime and intensity, it's understandable that people feel a general fatigue. Even work here at the nursery takes on an almost frenetic pace during the spring season. Where do we turn for relief? A quiet greenhouse or sales yard in the early morning hours. Like you, we turn to the garden...we connect with nature. Whether it is for five minutes or hours spent transplanting seedlings, we emerge refreshed, rejuvenated and somehow inspired.
There is something to be said for stopping to take notice of the world around you. It may be trite, but taking the time to stop and smell the roses can lead to better health, a sharper mind and reduced stress. While we are force fed advice on how we should reduce our fat intake, increase our non-impact aerobic workouts, and oh, yeah....spend more quality time with the children, we'd like to present an alternative available right in your own backyard.
The Warm-up
Start by taking in the morning air. Pulling weeds can be your opening stretching exercise. Comb your landscape and lawn for any and all invaders. Take your time, enjoy whatever is sprouting. Your neighbors will think you are strange, but they'll be amazed by your weed free (all-organic, by the way) garden.
20-minutes to a leaner, greener you!
In the time it takes to rake your yard, or mow your lawn you can achieve quite an enjoyable aerobic workout. The great part is, you feel better from the results you've achieved, and from the physical activity that goes into it-a natural high!
Gardeners tend to be optimistic. The simple act of planting a tree shows vision, creativity and yes, even hope. Sowing seeds is an act of faith, a fundamental belief in the natural world. One knows that with fertile soil, water and light, anything is possible. Gardens of contentment are borne in cities and in the country, in grand designs and in simple windowsills. The fact is, we garden because it makes us feel good.
Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who was the creative force behind the design of New York's Central Park (and the parks of Boston's Emerald Necklace) observed that viewing a scene in nature "employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it, tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body, gives the effect of refreshing rest."
This observation could be judged to be more true today than when Mr. Olmsted was quoted back in 1865. In a day and age when work has become more stressful than ever, where daily lives are played out in an environment with higher levels of noise, crime and intensity, it's understandable that people feel a general fatigue. Even work here at the nursery takes on an almost frenetic pace during the spring season. Where do we turn for relief? A quiet greenhouse or sales yard in the early morning hours. Like you, we turn to the garden...we connect with nature. Whether it is for five minutes or hours spent transplanting seedlings, we emerge refreshed, rejuvenated and somehow inspired.
There is something to be said for stopping to take notice of the world around you. It may be trite, but taking the time to stop and smell the roses can lead to better health, a sharper mind and reduced stress. While we are force fed advice on how we should reduce our fat intake, increase our non-impact aerobic workouts, and oh, yeah....spend more quality time with the children, we'd like to present an alternative available right in your own backyard.
The Warm-up
Start by taking in the morning air. Pulling weeds can be your opening stretching exercise. Comb your landscape and lawn for any and all invaders. Take your time, enjoy whatever is sprouting. Your neighbors will think you are strange, but they'll be amazed by your weed free (all-organic, by the way) garden.
20-minutes to a leaner, greener you!
In the time it takes to rake your yard, or mow your lawn you can achieve quite an enjoyable aerobic workout. The great part is, you feel better from the results you've achieved, and from the physical activity that goes into it-a natural high!
"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."
- Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."
- Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926
Free Spring Gardening Seminar Series 2009
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up for one or all of our free seminars.
Patio Produce: Container gardening with edible plants
April 25 at 10 AM
Come learn how to prepare and care for a container vegetable garden. We will offer a variety of plant combinations for all kinds of culinary delights. See what fun and how easy growing veggies and herbs can be.
Garden Sketches: Free sketches of small garden spaces
May 2nd, Appointments: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Come spend 20 minutes with a landscape designer reviewing a small area of your garden you'd like to improve. First come first serve, please call to schedule an appointment for this one-day event.
Kitchen Garden Design: Victory gardens with a twist
May 16 at 10 AM
Learn to combine vegetables & flowers for the ultimate gardening experience. This is an opportunity to learn a bit about companion planting. You might even consider adding vegetables and culinary herbs to an existing perennial bed after joining this chat.
Evening Gardens: Annuals selected for evening enjoyment
June 6 at 10 AM
Come and see what Woodbridge has to make your evening stroll through the gardens or dinner on the patio even more delightful.
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up for one or all of our free seminars.
Patio Produce: Container gardening with edible plants
April 25 at 10 AM
Come learn how to prepare and care for a container vegetable garden. We will offer a variety of plant combinations for all kinds of culinary delights. See what fun and how easy growing veggies and herbs can be.
Garden Sketches: Free sketches of small garden spaces
May 2nd, Appointments: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Come spend 20 minutes with a landscape designer reviewing a small area of your garden you'd like to improve. First come first serve, please call to schedule an appointment for this one-day event.
Kitchen Garden Design: Victory gardens with a twist
May 16 at 10 AM
Learn to combine vegetables & flowers for the ultimate gardening experience. This is an opportunity to learn a bit about companion planting. You might even consider adding vegetables and culinary herbs to an existing perennial bed after joining this chat.
Evening Gardens: Annuals selected for evening enjoyment
June 6 at 10 AM
Come and see what Woodbridge has to make your evening stroll through the gardens or dinner on the patio even more delightful.
Call 647-0630 or stop by to sign up for one or all of our free seminars.
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