Treeous Christmasi 'Plasitca'

The debate that divides co-workers, friends, siblings and even spouses....A lovely real cut Christmas Tree or a 'Made in China' plastic beauty (tongue firmly in cheek). I've been in the Christmas Tree Selling part of the industry for over 20 years and have heard many reasons why for both sides. Here are the key points.

Fresh Cut Christmas Trees, by far, have many more redeeming qualities then an artificial tree.

Fresh trees allow you to bring a small part of our great Earth into your home. The fragrance of many varieties are just simply outstanding. From the great evergreen scents from a Fraser or Douglas Fir to the tropical citrus aroma of a Concolor Fir. You can buy the scent in a spray bottle for your your fake, plastic tree, but it smells just that...fake (and it only lasts for a short time).

Fresh trees are a recyclable commodity. The growers replant every year to keep the earth healthy - true sustainability. Once the Christmas Season is over, your tree can be taken to many Garden Centers to be chipped for wood mulch. Ever try to recycle an artificial tree? They don't fit in your bin and with all the processes needed to make it, who knows what type of plastic it is (if it's even plastic). And then there's the wire branches....

I have heard many a spouse say 'it drops needles and makes a mess'. Well, most of us use a vacuum once a week anyways, so that's a non issue. And, just for point, a fake tree 'sheds' too....ever try to glue the needles back on for the next year?

The fresh tree only takes up space in your home for about 4-6 weeks. The artificial tree takes up space in your closet, garage, or attic all 52 weeks a year!

'Real trees cost more and more each year' is another great comment. Stop being a Scrooge. I'm sure your Christmas Gift budget can handle that $30-$50 each year. It's likely you spend that much (at least!) on your favorite beverages each month. And each year the new tree is fluffy and full. I watched my father spend 1-2 hours a year trying to 'fluff' that plastic tree every year for 5 years...and each year the artificial tree started looking more and more like Charlie' Brown's!

Be Green. Love Mother Earth. Keep the tradition of having a Fresh Cut Christmas Tree each year.

Happy Christmas. Todd.

p.s. What does the title of this blog mean? Its the Latin name (all plants, like all living things are classified in Latin) given to Artificial Trees.

Wreaths, Naturally!

My husband tells me I was born 100 years too late. My dream house throws out the notions of a 2-car garage and white picket fence in favor of a lofted barn and 19th century stone wall-like the very 1820 farmhouse of my childhood in Maine, the Pine Tree State.


My parents had eyes for antiques, and our house was designed around furniture and clocks they found in nooks and crannies of New England, and had reupholstered, refinished or restored themselves-with no 2 pieces matching- Early Attic decor, my Mom called it. Mom enjoyed gardening and taught me the basics, using methods which these days would be lauded as "green" or "organic". She just listened to advice from other Maine gardeners and farmers as to what worked and what didn't.

My mother was also a gatherer. Stopping on roadside with her trowel in the trunk she would dig up tansy or yarrow and transplant it to our yard. She and I would start collecting pinecones weeks before the holiday season to make wreaths. "Collect only the short,fat ones, Beth." I remember her neglect of the long,pitchy White Pine cones- I always felt badly for the ugly duckling left-behinds. Then we would scour the woods for anything else natural to use for accent:acorns,butternuts, teasel, milkweed pods, etc.. When all we had was collected then cleaned (heated in a warm oven for 30 minutes or so to kill any tag-along bugs) Mom would patiently wire each cone to a metal ring base for her Christmas wreath or white glue (glue guns are SO appreciated now!)our naturals to Styrofoam cones to form tabletop Christmas trees. The end result, we imagined lookingsimilar to pieces from Sturbridge VIllage or Colonial Williamsburg.

We lost Mom in 1986, but her love of all things simple stays with me , and each Fall as I get geared up for the garden center wreath season I fondly recall those times together with my Mom.

This year, perhaps you too, can create some memories as you design a natural wreath of your own. Start with a plain evergreen base. Then, think cones,grasses,nuts, hollyberries, rose hips, juniper and spruce greens. Dried apple and orange slices, dried yarrow, hydrangea blossoms, and other flower heads: twigs from grapevines, red twigged dogwood or curly willow also add a rustic flair. Either hot glue or florist-wire your items to the wreath. Bows are optional. Your wreath will sport its own personality.

So, this holiday season invite some family and friends over for an afternoon. Gather up some unique naturals, put the kettle on for tea or cocoa and make some good old-fashioned memories. Merry Christmas!

by Beth Warren

What goes up must come down :)

Fall is a great time for long, leisurely drives to leaf-peep and enjoy the natural beauty
of the season. Alas,what goes up must come down, so grab those rakes, pruners
and other garden tools and let's get cracking.

It's a good idea to remove the fallen leaves from the grass to minimize damage to the lawn over the winter. Take those raked up leaves and recycle them into your landscaped beds as mulch to improve soil texture and add nutrients.

While you've got the momentum going, now is the time to cut down, transplant and divide most perennials. Empty out and thoroughly clean any containers of spent annuals. Finally get those spring bulbs in the ground before it freezes.

Once you've taken the time and made the effort to properly put your garden to bed for the winter, relax and enjoy- you'll be glad you did come next Spring.

By Hope Fox

Bird Feeding that turns into wildlife watching....

When the cold weather arrives it always motivates me to

start feeding my feathered friends.

Of course, the plethra of birds is always a joy to watch, but I find that what gives me the most pleasure is the additional wildlife the bird feeder brings in.

The always in a merry-mood chipmunks put a smile on my face

as they scurry along with their frenzy.

The abundant squirrels don't keep my interest for long as they are so ordinary and so monopolizing of the feeder.

The rare specimens seem to put a smile on my face more easily...

such as a family of deer that arrives at dusk for a snack

or the even rarer cackle of the ring neck pheasant

that struts in for a treat.

Tell me, what fun hapens at your feeder?

It's Fall y'all!

Van Putte Gardens is brimming with your favorite autumn decor!

Whether it's stunning mums

pumpkins for carving

cornstalks for your lamppost

smiling scarecrows

berry covered wreaths

or colorful Indian corn...

Van Putte Gardens has what your home needs to add color and creativity to

your Halloween or Thanksgiving.

Plus there is still plenty of time to plant bulbs for a showy spring.

Come in soon for the best selection of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and more!

By: Beth Warren

Go Native

Go Native!

With the recent emphasis on “Going Green”, landscaping with native plant species has become popular and is great for the environment.

Native plants, by definition, grow naturally in a region and have not been introduced to the area by humans.

Native plants are ornamental, being both colorful and fragrant. They require little or no maintenance since they adapt well to a region’s soil conditions and climate. Best of all, native plants are environmentally friendly because they attract various wildlife by providing food and shelter.

Are your Wellies wet yet?

My goodness, my wellies have been soaked through lately. If you're wondering, wellies are a line of decorative waterproof boots. But as much as my feet kept getting wet, imagine your poor plants.

I am seeing so much wilting of plants, perennials especially, that is simply due to the excessive amount of rain. It does allow you to see low parts in your landscapes that can be trouble spots. We also early onset of some fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew.

But on the bright side, The growing season has been a slow pace and the early spring flower colors have been vivid and long lived. Half of May has been cool and cloudy and half of it sunny.

Maybe today will be the start another stretch of dry, warm weather. But don't give up hope if it rains a bit more. You've got your wellies to keep your toes dry.

April brings us to the ever popular world of Fertilizer 4 Step Programs (and by some definitions 5) and what they do. Turfline and Scotts are the primary two lines in our area. They both vary to some degree in what they do, but that's not what I want to write about today.

I only want to focus on Step 1 of the two lines. Step 1, in a 4 Step Program, contain chemicals that are Crabgrass Preventers. These chemicals kill seed. Because of this, it also creates a problem for putting down new grass seed.

If you use a Step 1 with Crabgrass Preventer, you can't reseed the lawn areas for 120 days. Period. The chemical kills seeds and doesn't know the difference between crabgrass and bluegrass or ryegrass.

Simple and basic....from my Green Thumb to yours.

Wanting warmth

March came in like a Lion with cool, blustery conditions and today I'm seeing scattered snowflakes. Brrr. A year ago it was nice, sunny, and warm. Most of us long for that weather today....

But alas, don't be in such a rush. Your plants aren't ready for warmth this early. The earth has a funny way of throwing cold stretches of weather in April and sometimes even in May (remember Mother's Day 2010?). Too much warmth this early starts the seasonal growth process for plants and then we get those cold, even frosty conditions and your new flower buds and leaves get 'zorched' and you are left with dead leaves and buds! Not good.

So, although the Robin's are singing (well not today, but i heard them last week) and the Geese are on the move, be patient on the desire for Spring. Your plants actually welcome this cool stretch of weather. Enjoy The Snowdrops and early Squills and Crocuses that are out...they can handle this cold. A blooming Forsythia or Crabapple can't.

Enjoy a couple pictures of the Greenhouses. Maybe this will help warm your heart today.

Random Thought - Plants & Life

So this morning is the 20th anniversary of waking up to a brutal icestorm in the Rochester area. Talk to anyone who went through it and it was an adventure to say the least. Well 20 years later I'm watching the sun rise from a hospital room of a dear person to me. A Hospice room to be exact.

Outside the window is a wonderfully branched Honeylocust tree. Likely the 'Skyline' or 'Halka' variety. What struck me is that this tree has no leaves, yet it is completely beautiful in its dormancy. Upright and uniform branching, it is strikingly elegant. I'm wondering how old is tree actually and what state of life is it in? And even if the tree, in its majesty, is completely healthy, its a living organism. And it could be riddled with a borer or virus and be in complete decline and failure in 2 years.

A family friend brought a bouquet of artifical flowers consisting of Easter Lilies and Double Peonies. The colors are so vivid and real, that someone immediately went over to take a smell. Was a good laugh for all. My point? That person went to smell the flowers....she didn't pre-judge them because they looked too pretty to be true, she didn't just assume they would have a simple fragrance like any other pretty flower would, and she didn't pre-judge the flower as being like something from her past.....It was new and was given a new chance. And even though the fragrance wasn't what was anticipated, the flower had a beauty that known of us in the room really saw until it was here for a bit.

What? Well, it wasn't the true flower expected and hoped for, but after watching it for a few days, its new qualities were true in color and vividness. Life is that way too. For people, we judge that someone can not change after something has happened to hurt us and change our opinion about them. Maybe our hurt won't let us grow. But life of everything ebbs and flows. That Honeylocust tree had some good growing years and had some not so good ones too. Our vegetable gardens have good years and bad years. Our landscape plants don't always perform up to what we expect, but....we love them, nurture their inequities, and work with bringing them back to the glory they once were.

Your new season of flowers and vegetables is set to start, and even with a possible bad year last year or in the past, you're going to try again. And hope to not be disappointed.

Life...its hard...its not always fair. Our life is like one large garden. As I watch the final leaves fall from a close person in her Autumn of Life, don' be so anxious to dig up your life like a garden and throw it away to start over. There just might be a new color in that flower that hasn't performed well in the past.

Thoughts of Maui in a Snow Storm

Ok, seems as winter doesn't want to let go. Ok, I can deal with that. It looks like a giant snow globe outside the window, with 3" of new snow in last hour or so. But fear not, let's think summer. Let's think Tropical.

Welcome, Maui Sunshine. One of Terra Nova new Coneflower (Echinacea) additions, this bright gold/yellow flowering plant has some size to it. The plant tends to be more upright, up to 3'+ tall and close in width. Good flower size and quantity. And thoughts of the sweet fragrance take me away from the winter blues.

Like all coneflowers, too much water will rot the roots, but otherwise, this seems to be a good one.

Something Fresh

Alas, more snow fell over past day or so after the wonderful warm up last week. Winter cold in swing this morning, even a great lake effect windchill. But spring is coming.

As I worked on some signage for products we will carry this spring, I became intrigued by a new Rose variety I ordered. The picture and quick description looked nice...and it is a new (2009 bred, 2010 release) plant. Love new plants!!

The Rose? "Purple Splash". It is a climbing variety, with a rich purple and white speckled flower. Truly striking. The flower is described to have a sweet apple fragrance. Its only a single petal style flower, but the coloring more then makes up for it. Also noted that the thorns are minimal. Awesome if true! Disease resistant noted to be minimal.

I will find a place for this gem somewhere in a garden and give it a review. One more tidbit, those seeds started last week are growing wonderfully and many trays of plants were transplanted last week and yesterday. YES!!!! Spring on is coming!

Seed Starting

Welcome, to a new season and a new set of blogs. We are revamping the blog so that you can be brought all sorts of fun, relevant and/or important garden, plant, and landscape information.

Well, it is that time. Many annuals, vegetables, and herbs need to be seeded this early just to have them ready for May. We seeded the first crop of Marigolds on Monday and they have already started to show sprouts. Other plants seeded this week include Peppers, a few Herbs, and Snapdragons.

For starting your own seeds, soil media, heat and water are all critical elements in germination. A good seed starting mix is essential. it needs to be light in weight, as to not 'bury and drown' the seed. Heat needs to be fairly consistent in the early stages of seed germination. You need to avoid large temperature fluctuations. A stunted seed produces a stunted plant. With water, its critical to know what the plant really prefers. not all seeds and plants like to be real wet. Soggy soil rots many seeds.

Depending on what you are growing, you have the next 3 months or so to start.

Happy Growing.