Do You Want Fries With That?

Chickadee feeding on bayberry

Give your birds a Happy Meal this winter with native plants that are packed with fat and nutrients. Unlike most of us humans, birds really do need a source of fat in the winter to help them fight off the cold.  A recent study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island revealed how much fat-a.k.a. bird fuel-is stored inside several different types of berries. It turns out that Northern Bayberry is the Big Mac of the bird world with more than 50% fat.

 

Arrowwood berries in autumn

Northern bayberry (Morella [Myrica] pensylvanica) - 50.3%

Southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) - 41.3%

Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) - 39.9%

Northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) - 33.2%

American burningbush (Euonymus atropurpurea) - 31.2%

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) - 23.6

 

Handmade suet ball

Making your own suet cake is a fun and easy project to do with the kids. Click here to see some recipesfrom Birds and Blooms magazine. One year we traded in the tinsel and shiny ornaments to make a Christmas tree for the birds. We hung our handmade suit balls and strung cranberries and raw peanuts in the shell for garland. We tied the ends of millet stems together in pretty bows to make little wreaths to hang on the tree. We also hung pinecones covered in peanut butter and rolled in birdseed. The day after Christmas we very carefully carried it outside and put it in front of our picture window, where we all enjoyed watching the birds have their holiday feast.

Pinecone covered in peanut butter and birdseed

Bringing Life to your garden

Have fun out there,

Peggy Anne

Bats - Not Just For Halloween Anymore! Bat Awareness Week, October 19-27, 2013

Which side of the fence are you on? People tend to either be fascinated or disgusted by bats. I’m here to plead their case and get them off the spooky monster list. As a gardener or even just as a person that wants to eat dinner outdoors and not be eaten alive by mosquitoes, I’m telling you - bats are our friends. A typical bat can consume 1,200 insects in just one hour and can eat it’s own body weight in insects in just one night. Where else can you get that kind of pest control? And, since bats are nocturnal they don’t bother most bee or butterfly populations.

Bats are the only mammals truly capable of flight. They have been around for 50 million years or more and have changed very little in that time. There are forty-five bat species in the U.S. and at least 6 of these are on the Endangered Species List. Sadly, 40% of the rest are classified as threatened, rare, or status undetermined. Bats reproduce very slowly; most females have only one pup per year. While many bats roost in caves, many also inhabit hollow trees.

Building a bat box is a wonderful way to attract these hard workers to your yard. A quick Google search will deliver plans for building your own and places to purchase one ready made. Bats are also drawn to water and will skim the surface looking for insects so if you have a pond or water feature that is going to be a big help. Bat boxes should be at least 12-20’ off the ground. Make sure the house is facing southeast or southwest and that it receives 7 hours of sunlight per day to maintain temperatures needed by pups and adults.

The best time to hang up a bat house is now. The second best time is next spring. Between April and August the females need to find a place to give birth and raise their young. Try to pick a quiet place in the garden for them as mothers and newborns are sensitive to being disturbed.

Bringing life to your garden!

Have fun out there,

Peggy Anne

Hmmm...Pumpkins to Eat or to Carve?

With our Jack O'Lantern Jamboree coming up this Friday, October 25, I took a quick stroll around the garden center to scope out the large selection of pumpkins and gourds we have to see what one(s) I wanted to carve. I thought of doing three white pumpkins stacked to make them look like frosty the snowman. What do you think? Too soon? Just right? I thought it might get the Christmas spirit started!

After looking around a bit more, I saw some perfectly shaped ones I knew could be a great blank canvas. Some others had their oddly shaped beauty that could make them a unique statement on a front porch but not really a good base to carve. Then, as it approached lunch time, I thought which pumpkins were the best for cooking and which one I could make into a pumpkin pie.

So I was left with three different ideas to ponder, what defines a good carving pumpkin, which ones are unique enough to leave be, and which ones are the best for eating. I figured I should do my research in case I was ever asked these questions. This is what I found out after a bit of web surfing.

To carve:

Shape and color are entirely up to you and your creativity but you'll want to look for
-a firm shell to protect it but nothing too difficult to cut through
-a good base is crucial for stability once it is carved...you don't want it rolling over on you!
-the density of the shell makes a difference...if the walls are too thick, it is harder for the candle light to highlight the details

To display:

Your call on this one. We have all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors so there is bound to be something that will go with your fall decor. The Cinderella pumpkins are one of the biggest sellers with there orange and green hues.

To cook:

Most pumpkins seem to be edible but as far as flavor goes, bigger is not necessarily better. You'll want to find a smaller pumpkin weighing around six pounds give or take a couple lbs. Richness in color of the shell is also not necessarily a good indicator because a pumpkin's shell color can fade but that doesn't mean it's not still tasty! A couple specific varieties include Sugar Pumpkin, Autumn Gold, Baby Pam, and New England Pie Pumpkin (shocker on that one!), among many others!

So whether you're feeling creative or hungry, I think you'll find what you need here at Gateway! I look forward to talking pumpkins with you ;)

Amaryllis Time

I know I just wrote a post about bulbs last week but we just opened up our shipment of amaryllis and I wanted to take the time to highlight these beauties as a particularly great choice for this time of year. I was reminded by a fellow employee that it really is the perfect time to plant amaryllis so they'll be ready for the holiday season.

Since the flowering time is around seven weeks, right now is a great time to start putting amaryllis bulbs in if you want to have the nice color accent during the holiday season. They are a popular plant because, for one, they come in a variety of stunning colors and patterns and they also are known to be a fairly simple plant to bring to bloom.

These plants, originating from South America, will want to be planted firmly in a nutrient rich composted potting soil blend, like our Gardener's Gold. Once planted, water it in and place in direct light where the temperatures will be around seventy degrees. Be sure to not over water while it's in the growth process. To get consistent blooms, plant some every couple weeks or so and you'll have plantings bloom one after the other.

Pot some up now to display in your home around the holidays or to give as a gift! For more information, stop in to ask us some questions and see our selection!

I Must Be In Love

I love this time of year. The cool weather makes me want to garden again and our neighborhood looks magical in her new fall colors. Something miraculous happens between the low angle of the sun and the bright foliage of fall that can take your breath away. My husband came home one day last October and went on and on about the luminosity of a particularly lovely Black Gum he passed by on his way home. I told him he must be in love to see things with such emotion. Now it’s an inside joke.

I was only partly kidding, I’m pretty susceptible to fall color too. One of my favorites is Oakleaf Hydrangea. The huge leaves seem to turn slightly different colors on different parts of the shrub. So, you’ll have some leaves that are yellow, orange and green; while others are wine red and crimson. I was so enamored that I pressed a bunch of them last year to decorate the Thanksgiving table.

Oakleaf hydrangeas have more to love than just fall color. They provide huge white, maturing to pink, flowers in early summer. They make a truly dramatic flower arrangement, if you can bear to cut them, and they also have shredding cinnamon and nutmeg colored bark that adds winter interest. If you haven’t got room for this 6-8 foot shrub there are equally as beautiful, smaller selections available like 'Pee Wee' and 'Snow Queen'.

And, if you really want to go crazy, plant your oakleaf hydrangea with an American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). The purple berries will feed your birds and stand out amazing well (better than my photography shows) against the wine colored foliage. And speaking of wine, why not have a glass this weekend, go for a walk and maybe even fall in love.

Bringing Life to Your Garden

Have fun out there,

Peggy Anne

Gateway in Asheville, NC

It's a rainy day and all the work is done for the day so I thought I would take this time to share with you some photos of an extremely cool place where a few of us Gatewaytians were lucky enough to see. The Biltmore Estate is in Asheville, NC (we had a meeting down there...at least that was our excuse) and it's quite spectacular. Over 30 bedrooms and over 40 bathrooms make up the gargantuan building. It sits beautifully in the hilly countryside and the views are spectacular. If you're curious about the history, I will provide a link below. If you're looking for visuals just scroll down and enjoy!

Link to history of Biltmore: http://www.biltmore.com/visit/biltmore-house-gardens/estate-history 

Pictures of the conservatory and grounds (no pictures were allowed inside the building):

Bulbs to the Rescue!

Fall is here! Yay! Now what? Well, as I'm sure you all know, fall is a great time to be planting. Trees, shrubs, perennials, seasonal annuals, you name it and it is most likely a green light to plant right now. However, I get the feeling that some people are just exhausted by this time of year. The spring was busy with cleaning, planning, and planting your garden and the summer was busy with maintaining it as well as vacations, work, and all of the other activities that summer always seems to be filled with. So, now you might be seeking seasonal retirement from the yard because you're tired of it or are lacking the inspiration. If those are your ailments then I have your prescription in the form of BULBS!

Bulbs are easy to plant and provide phenomenal color! No large containers to lug around and no enormous holes to dig so you can't argue with the fact that it is probably the physically easiest way to contribute to your garden. As far as seeking inspiration to contribute to your garden, consider all of the early color these little bulbs will provide come early spring. There are so many to choose from too so I am confident that you can find a color and type that is just right for your garden.

Here are a few tips for planting bulbs:
-Bigger is usually better when it comes blooms
-Most of them like a full sun spot and to be planted at a depth of about 2 times the height of the bulb with the root end facing down and pointy end facing up
-Amend your soil to make sure it provides a healthy well drained environment for the bulb
-Guard and nurture the investment because rodents like to scavenge for them and, like all plants, make sure to water!
-There are many things you can do with bulbs whether you make certain patterns, put them in containers, etc. we can help you with ideas on how to get creative with this traditional gardening technique
-Have the right tools too! We have everything you will need to plant bulbs including bulb planters, augers, Bulb Tone, bulb dust, knee pads, gloves, etc.

If you have any questions about planting bulbs, give us a call at (302) 239-2727 or stop in to pay us a visit!

Almost Halloween!

Don’t Miss the Jack O'Lantern Jamboree at Gateway

Friday, October 25 from dusk till 8:00 p.m.

There will be pumpkins on display carved by local artists, marshmallow roasting and some spooky surprises and activities for kids!

Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They were an important food source for Native Americans and early settlers cultivated them as well. In fact, pumpkin pie is thought to have originated when colonists sliced off the top of the pumpkin, removed the seeds and filled it with milk, spices and honey and roasted it in hot ashes – sounds good!

The term Jack O'Lantern comes to us from an Irish myth about a man named "Stingy Jack." He is said to have invited the Devil to drink with him and tricked him several times out of his money. When Jack died he wasn’t allowed into Heaven and the Devil wouldn’t take him in Hell so Jack was sent off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

Early Native American farmers were practicing an early form of sustainable agriculture. The practice of growing corn, squash (pumpkin) and beans together was refereed to as the Three Sisters. Corn served as a natural trellis for the beans to grow on. The beans roots set nitrogen in the soil to nourish the corn. The bean vines help to stabilize the corn stalks on windy days. The squash plants shelter the shallow roots of the corn and shade the ground to discourage weeds and preserve moisture. Truly a symbiotic relationship. Try it in your garden next year.

Pumpkins produce both male and female flowers so they need bees to help pollinate them. Pumpkins have historically been pollinated by the native squash bees but their numbers have declined and today most commercial plantings are pollinated by honeybees.

Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles but it hasn't worked for me.

Bringing Life to Your Garden

Have fun out there!

Peggy Anne