The Online Garden Gossip

1011 North Woodlawn, Kirkwood, MO 63122                         314-965-3070                                 www.sugarcreekgardens.com

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first edition of Sugar Creek Garden's online newsletter, a sister publication to the Garden Gossip. 

We are thrilled with the changes going on at Sugar Creek as we start our 15th year -- expanded hours, new employees, and of course, great new plants.  And I can't think of a better way than e-mail to keep fellow gardeners in the loop when things happen here that you might want to know about.

More than anything, we want to make this online newsletter a tool that provides you with timely information that is interesting and worthwhile, so I'd love to hear from you. Send me an e-mail with feedback regarding this issue or suggestions for future issues.

We've got a lot going on this season.  And to kick things off, here's a coupon for you to get your 2006 gardening season under way.  J

Happy Gardening!
Ann Lapides, Owner

Features

Dr. Michael Dirr stops in town to talk hydrangeas

Michael Dirr, the "modern father of woody plants," was a featured speaker at the Southern Illinois Grounds Maintenance School and Trade Show in Collinsville last week.  He talked about his extensive and exciting work breeding new varieties of hydrangeas for the American garden.  Of more than 20,000 hydrangea seedlings that he has grown in recent years, only eight had characteristics that were "great" enough to be selected, named, and patent protected.  "The journey," Dirr says, "is to reach biological perfection.  We continue to try!"

To read more, click here.

Mark your calendars:
Sugar Creek plant experts take it to the streets

Roxanne Cronin, Sugar Creek's plant manager, will be a featured speaker at the University of Illinois Extension's Weekend Gardner program on Saturday, March 11, at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Ill.  Her program, "What's New in Perennials for 2006," begins at 1:40 p.m.  For more information, please call 618-650-7050.

We are kicking off our free speaker series on Saturday, March 4, when Sugar Creek's own Tina Paletta and Peggy Hoelting will discuss "Beginning Perennial Gardening" at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.  They will take you through the steps needed to create a successful perennial garden, starting with soil, light requirements, plant selection, and color schemes.  Call 314-965-3070 for reservations. J

Karen's gardening calendar

Every few weeks we'll feature some timely advice on things you can do in your garden, thanks to Karen Collins, one of Sugar Creek's longtime employees and a master gardener.

Things you can tackle in your garden this week include:

• If soil is dry and unfrozen, water your evergreens.
• Keep foot traffic to a minimum to avoid injury to wet or frozen lawns.
• Here are some helpful hints to extend the vase life of cut flowers: recut stems with a sharp knife under water and be sure to remove stem foliage that is under water; use a commercial flower preservative; display the cut flowers away from direct sunlight in a cool spot.
• Root-bound houseplants should be repotted before active growth occurs.  The diameter of the new containers should be 1 or 2 inches larger than old pot.
• Crabapple, forsythia, pussywillow, quince, pear, and flowering cherry branches may be forced indoors.  In a vase of water, place cut stems and change water every 4 days.
• When signs of new growth appear, fertilize houseplants.  Plants that are still resting should not be fertilized at this time.
• We recommend ORTHO WEED-B-GON CHICKWEED, CLOVER AND OXALIS KILLER FOR LAWNS be applied at this time for control of lawn weeds such as chickweed and dandelion.
• To encourage birds to nest in your yard, provide water and birdhouses.  Plant shrubs, trees, vines, and evergreens to provide nesting habitat and wild food sources. J