SAVE THE DATE: Saturday April 10^th and Sunday, April 11^th – Gethsemane Spring Open House, with lectures on Saturday and Sunday, it’s a wonderful start to the 2010 gardening season.  

GARDEN BASICS:   The 2010 seeds have arrived!  We have heard from many of our customers that this year you are planning on growing more of your own herbs & vegetables, so we’ve increased our 2010 seed order to meet your demands.  We are carrying a wide variety of vegetable and herb seeds, as well as a huge selection of annual and perennial flowers from four different seed companies, to ensure you of the widest selection and options for your garden this season. We feature seeds from Baker’s Creek Heirloom, Renee’s Garden, Botanical Interest and Thompson & Morgan.    

March is the ideal time to start some of your herbs & vegetables indoors. Specifically, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, eggplant, parsley, onion seed and spinach seeds will benefit from an early start indoors.

If you plan on starting your seeds indoors this month, we encourage you to use our seed starting soil, which is made of the optimal mix of soil, perlite and plant food to ensure healthy root growth of your seedlings, or peat pellets and mini greenhouse kits, to help you get a jump on your garden this season.  We recommend placing your seeds in or near windows that are south or east facing, for maximum sunlight and warmth.       

PERENNIALS:   Hellebores, the first blooming perennial of the season, will be a featured plant at our Spring Open House Weekend, April 10^th and 11th.  We will be featuring over 20 different colors and varieties of blooming Hellebores, alsi known as the "Lenten Rose".  Hellebores are a welcome addition to your perennial garden, bringing you the first show of color each Spring.  It’s long lasting blooms add a changing color palette over time in your garden.

   We will also have a full array of perennial plants available during our Spring Open House Weekend.  Come see our selection of woodland wildflowers, Heucheras,  Primroses, Violas, hardy Geraniums, Poppies, Phlox, Sedums and more.   

 In your Perennial Garden, clean up can begin when the soil begins to dry.  This will avoid compacting the wet soil in the garden and endangering the roots. Cut back your ornamental grasses and other dead top perennials left up for winter interest.  Cut back your autumn flowering clematis vines to 12” from the ground. Remove your winter mulch of leaves, boughs, etc. Gently press back any perennials that have heaved out of the ground over the winter. 

GREENHOUSE:   We’re celebrating March 17^th in the Greenhouse with Oxalis, more commonly known as Shamrock plants.  Add some fresh growing green to your St. Patrick’s Day festivities this year.   

We will be overflowing with vibrant and beautiful blooming Easter & spring flowers later this month. Stroll through our aisles of traditional Easter lilies, fragrant Stargazer lilies, and the subtle beauty of Calla lilies.  We will be carrying Easter lilies in 6”, 8”, 10” pots, and the Stargazers will be available in 6”pots. 

For additional blooming color for your home or to share with friends and family this Easter, we have a wonderful assortment of orchids, azaleas, cushion mums, Reiger begonias, potted hyacinth and daffodils, as well as gorgeous hydrangeas, some in 10” pots for maximum spring impact! 

Also look for herbs in our greenhouse! We currently have in stock Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, and Bay leaf.  We have everything you need to get your herb garden started.

WILD PANSY:  Stop in the Wild Pansy Gift Shop, and peruse the delightful Spring and Easter holiday decorations, featuring adorable bunnies and rabbits, spring ducklings, handpainted Astrien Easter eggs and holiday serving pieces to enhance your holiday tablescape.  The spring line of Ballard runners, tablecloths and placemats have arrived, and the Caspari paper goods featuring Easter and spring time designs are on display, to compliment your Easter buffet.

ANNUALS:  Pansies will arrive mid March weather permitting. Join us in welcoming the first annual of the season. They will quickly be followed by the remaining cool weather annuals, violas, ranunculus and potted bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth.  Nemesia, a cool weather favorite, will be arriving in gorgeous varieties and colors, including orange, blue, lavender, purple, melon, and the Linaria’s in blue, purple, magenta and yellow, will add great color to your containers and window boxes.

Carol and the Annuals staff will be busy creating their spring vignettes this month, complete with spring container garden displays, using all of our cool weather annuals and an assortment of branches, painted birch and pussy willows. Stop in and talk with our Container Garden specialists, who will be glad to assist you in creating your own bountiful spring containers this month.               

A frequently asked question at this time of year is whether to replace the potting soil in your containers and window boxes. Our rule of thumb is; if the soil in your container or window box is only one year old, you don’t need to replace it. Simply remove any root balls from last year, use a hand rake and till the soil, and be sure to apply new fertilizer after planting your spring annuals.  If your potting soil is over a year old, remove half of it, and fill in with new soil, making sure to mix it old and new well. If the soil is a couple of years old, we recommend replacing it with fresh, nutrient rich potting soil.

If you use our hay rack or cocoa liner window boxes, examine the liner, if it has started to disintegrate or show wear and tear, we recommend replacing it before you plant in it this season, to ensure that your soil stays in place, and the liner is not too porous for watering.       

 GARDEN AND HOME DÉCOR:   There have been a lot of new and exciting changes in Garden and Home Decor.  Come in and see all our new products.  Start your gardening early with Jeremie Miniature Gardens.  Using miniature plants and accessories you can create your very own garden indoors! Great for city spaces!  Or add a little color with Kitras Art Glass.  These Hand-blown hummingbird feeders, gazing balls, and sun discs can add color to any garden.  And for your little gardener fill their Easter baskets with Angela's Garden.  A new line of gardening kits, gloves, hats, watering cans, and tools all made for kids.  A great way to play in the dirt! 

ROSES:  In March we cross our fingers and hope for warmer weather, as we begin our outdoor planting of three thousand #1 Grade bare root Gethsemane roses the week of St. Patrick’s Day. This is the ideal time to plant, as the roses have longer spring weather for the root system to get established.   Our roses usually break dormancy sometime in mid-April and will be available for sale (weather permitting) in May.  

If May is too long a wait for your 2010 roses, we will be carrying only the highest grade boxed roses from Jackson & Perkins and Star Roses available for sale the weekend of our Spring Open House, April 10^th and 11^th. We have an excellent assortment of Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Grandiflora, English, Climbing and Antique Roses available in boxes. 

March is the ideal time for spring pruning of your existing roses. One caveat is to prune newly planted roses (roses that you planted in the last year) lightly. Hard pruning generally needs to be done in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts. The blooming of the forsythia is a fantastic signal to get going! Spring pruning includes the removal of dead or diseased wood, wood smaller than a pencil in diameter and suckers growing from below the bud union. Prune out all dead wood (which is dark in color) at ground level or at its point of origin, Make your cuts at a 45 degree angle, above an outward facing bud. Prune out spindly growth and crossed canes in the interior of the plant to improve air circulation.  You can cut back as much as one-quarter or one-third of your plant to reinvigorate growth.

HERBS AND VEGETABLES:   We have started planting all of our vegetable seeds in order to have them ready for sale to you by May.  We will be growing unique and heirloom varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cucumbers from seed. We nurture these plants in our offsite greenhouses so that they will be strong and ready for you to plant by the ‘Safe Date’ in our Zone 5/6 climate of May 15^th.

Now is an excellent time to start planning your herb and vegetables gardens and containers. We have some fantastic organic food growing books for sale at Gethsemane. We recommend “The Bountiful Container” by Rose Marie Nichols McGee & Maggie Stuckey. This book provides great advice on growing edibles in small spaces, perfect for the Urban Gardener.