BLOG Bring on the Bulbs for Better Home Value Many homeowners, whether they just purchased their home or have owned it for years, are interested in increasing the value of their property. A better value leads to greater home equity, a higher resale price and the personal pride of owning a lovely home. Good landscaping can lead to a better home value, and there’s […] Continue Reading Fall Has Arrived But Spring Is Already in Our Sight It’s a sure sign that fall has arrived when dozen of boxes and crates, adorned with brilliant images of spring-blooming bulbs, appear on garden center shelves. Take a closer look through the pretty packaging, however, and what you see may seem totally unimpressive. It is hard to believe that in just a few short months […] Continue Reading The Sweet Scents of Spring Each year, we gardeners grow antsy as winter draws to a close but it seems spring will never arrive. Daily, the season teases, tempts and enchants us with the slightest offerings as the temperatures rise, a balmy breeze brushes our cheeks and the days grow a bit longer, but all we see is a world […] Continue Reading Fall Gardener’s Calendar SEPTEMBER Spray Bonide All-Season Spray on hemlocks to control woolly adelgid. Spruce up the landscape by planting Fall Pansies, Flowering Cabbage & Kale, Garden Mums, Fall-Blooming Perennials as well as Trees and Shrubs. Test your lawn pH to determine if you need to apply lime this season. A 5o lb. bag of Lime will raise […] Continue Reading Autumn: Why Plant Now? Although many gardeners plant trees and shrubs in the spring, knowledgeable gardeners plant in the fall to take advantage of all this fabulous season has to offer. But why is fall planting better than spring planting? Stress Reduction Transplanting causes stress as plants are removed from containers, balls or established locations and changed to new […] Continue Reading Devil’s Darning Needle Fall is here and after hiding inside in the cool comfort of our air conditioning through the hottest, driest, buggiest time of the year, our interest in revisiting the outdoors is renewed. Continue Reading Plant a Tree This Fall There are so many reasons to add a new tree to your landscape this fall that it’s hard to find a reason not to. Continue Reading Fall-Blooming Camellias We love camellias! An Asian native and an old southern standby, they are now a favorite in the northern states as well. In recent years, new varieties have been developed for their increased cold hardiness, giving northern gardeners even more opportunities to enjoy these charming beauties. Continue Reading King of the Cold: Ornamental Cabbage & Kale Looking to add interest to the fall and winter landscape? This year, plant ornamental cabbage and kale for bold textures and vibrant colors. Continue Reading Minor Bulbs: Perfect Partners for Early Spring Color A garden stroll in the early spring offers a great deal of promise but generally little color. You can rectify this with a little planning and planting this fall to ensure bright spring blooms to enjoy. Continue Reading Audition Some Autumn Bloomers Extend the beauty of your garden with vivid autumn-blooming perennials. When you think of fall-blooming plants, don’t stop at mums – there are many perennials that can add color to your yard at this time of year. Continue Reading Kale, the Super Food Did you know kale is a super food? Kale belongs to the same family as cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. It is a rich source of vitamins C, A, & B6, and is loaded with manganese, calcium, copper and potassium, with no fat or cholesterol. Add it to your garden for a healthy harvest! Continue Reading The Fall Vegetable Garden Fresh vegetables don't have to end as the days grow shorter – fall is a great time to plant an autumn garden to extend the growing season. Continue Reading Fairy Garden Magic Do you think your tiny balcony terrace means you can't have a grand garden? Are you looking for a clever and imaginative way to introduce a child to the world of plants? Have you ever dreamed of your own "McGregor's Garden?" One of the newest gardening trends can do all these and a whole lot more! Continue Reading Fall Lawn Care Fall is the best time of the year to overseed your existing lawn or establish a new lawn. If your lawn is a bit thin, has bare patches or needs good care, now is the time to take care of it so it can become thoroughly established before warm temperatures arrive in spring. Continue Reading Healthy Soil: Winter Cover Crops It’s fall and our annual and vegetable gardens are winding down for the season. Now is the time to invest a little extra time and effort to prepare your soil for next year. Whether your garden is large or small, all annual planting beds will benefit from the addition of a winter cover crop. Continue Reading Repotting Houseplants Fall is an excellent time to repot many houseplants. Potted plants that have been growing outdoors during the summer have probably grown quite vigorously due to the high light levels and greater humidity. Continue Reading Winter Pond Prep Checklist As winter approaches, certain steps should be taken to ensure plant and fish survival. Continue Reading Fall Horticultural Oil Application Autumn is an excellent time to apply horticultural oil. The oil smothers many soft-bodied insects and hard-shelled scales that are impenetrable to many insecticides, and can therefore help control some of the most stubborn insect populations. But is it right for your plants? Continue Reading The Great Squirrel Battle for the Bulbs Autumn is the catalog time of year, when gardeners devour and drool over the spring-blooming bulb catalogs, eagerly fantasizing about next year's flowerbeds. Continue Reading Japanese Beetle Reduction Methods Japanese beetles can be a scourge of the garden and landscape, but what can you do to keep these pests at bay? Continue Reading Glorifying Garden Gloves Many gardeners believe garden gloves are easy to do without. Those of us who love gardening enjoy the feel of soil running through our fingers, and we don't mind the line of dirt under our fingernails. Continue Reading Freshen Up for Fall Transform summer garden pots, planters and window boxes into magical displays this fall. The addition of mums, winter pansies and ornamental cabbage and kale are always excellent choices but you can really spice things up with the inclusion of a few of these colorful, cold-hardy selections. Which ones will look best for your autumn landscape? Continue Reading Choosing a Japanese Maple We’re certain you’ve heard it numerous times: fall is the best time to buy your Japanese maple. Have you come into the garden center to pick one? Did the varieties overwhelm you? Let us make it easier for you by explaining Japanese maple differences. Continue Reading Fall in Love with Fall Pansies Ideal for fall gardens, pansies offer a colorful display for almost six months – in the fall when they are planted, in the winter during a stretch of sunny days and again in spring! Winter pansies may be planted anytime starting in mid-September and continuing through October. Continue Reading Entrance Way Evergreens Cool and classic or chic and contemporary, no matter what your style, you'll always be proud of an entrance flanked with beautiful containers highlighting just-right evergreens. Continue Reading Tulips: Spring Starts Now! Members of the lily family, tulips are native to central and western Asia. In the 16th century, they were introduced to the Netherlands where most tulip bulbs are grown today. Continue Reading Redbud Revelry Gardeners love the Eastern redbud tree. Native to North America, these hardy, slow-growing, small trees richly deserve their places front and center in the landscape. Continue Reading Bringing Your Tropical Plants Indoors for the Winter As the summer comes to an end and autumn approaches, the days get shorter and cooler temperatures signal the time to ready your plants for winter. How can you protect your treasured tropicals from winter damage? Overwintering Tropical Plants Don’t wait until frost warnings or freezes occur to bring tropical plants inside, especially since these […] Continue Reading Versatile Euonymus What are your garden's trouble spots? Do you need an evergreen hedge? A tall anchor plant at the back of a deep garden bed? How about an interesting groundcover? Perhaps your garden needs a medium-sized transition plant. Try a euonymus! Continue Reading Problems With Your Compost Pile? Fix Them! A compost pile should be part of every gardener's yard, since it adds so many benefits for recycling and providing organic material in the garden. Continue Reading Bulbs: Increasing Your Yield When you visit our garden center, you'll find an incredible variety of autumn "bulbs." Although they may look strange at this time of year, these "ugly ducklings" will become beautiful swans in your spring garden. Continue Reading Get Started Composting Fall is an excellent time to start a compost pile with all of the leaves falling, and if you develop compost now, you will have a rich source of organic material for your garden and flowerbeds in spring. Continue Reading Deterring Deer Deer may be beautiful and elegant, but they aren't always welcome in the garden. Even just a few visiting deer can tear up a landscape, eat an entire crop, destroy a carefully cultivated bed and cause other havoc, such as creating a traffic hazard, damaging bird feeders or leaving behind unwanted "gifts" on sidewalks and pathways. Continue Reading Over-Wintering Container Plants Outdoors All containerized plants that are considered hardy in your zone can spend the winter outdoors, but you do need to take a little special care to keep them safe and comfortable as temperatures drop. Despite their hardiness, winter is still a challenging season, but it is possible to keep your container plants healthy until the days grow longer and warmer again. Continue Reading Birdscaping As wildlife habitats are threatened by development, the creation of a bird-friendly environment that provides food, water and shelter is crucial to the existence of our wild bird population. Caring for our feathered-friends is an educational and enjoyable activity for the entire family that brings beauty and song to our lives. Continue Reading Where you're more than a customer... You're a friend! © 2021 WENDELL NIEPAGEN GREENHOUSES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SITE DESIGNED & MAINTAINED BY GARDEN CENTER SOLUTIONS Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses