Victoria Gardens

2013 Victoria Gardens' Classes and Special Events

2013-02-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Victoria Gardens

2013 event calendar

MARCH

Saturday 3/9 – Opening day

Sunday 3/17 – Coffee in the Garden 10am FREE

Sunday 3/24 – Seed Starting Class with Doug Muller of the HV Seed Library

– 11am

– Doug will demonstrate how to start seeds inside for home vegetable gardening and share his experiences to help us grow the healthiest, most productive plants for a successful gardening season.

– $10.00 per person.

– Please call 845-658-9007 to register

Sunday 3/31 – Easter

– We open at 10am

– Bored with the same old Easter baskets? Think outside the box and get your loved ones one of ours filled with useful gardening items and unique gifts.

April

Saturday 4/6 & Sunday 4/7 – Fairy Weekend – classes offered both Sat & Sun

– 11am

– Each day will begin with a discussion of Fairy lore and how to make your own garden a haven for fairies. After lunch we will create miniature fairy container gardens.

– $30.00 per person includes a fairy picnic lunch and fairy garden materials – container, soil, and plants. (Miniature fairy and furniture decorations sold separately)

– Please call 845-658-9007 to register – space is limited.

Saturday 4/13 – Garden Day at UCCC (hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Sunday 4/21 –

– 10 am Coffee in the Garden FREE

– 11am Private Garden Tour $10 per person. Please call 845-658-9007 to register

Saturday 4/27 – Botanical Salve Class with Laura Wyeth

– 11am

– Laura will demonstrate how to make a healing Botanical Salve using plants found in our backyards. Everyone will go home with a jar of their own.

– $25.00 per person.

– Please call 845-658-9007 to register - space is limited.

MAY

Saturday 5/4 – Garden Fair at Orange County Arboretum

– The first annual Garden Fair event from the Hudson Valley Garden Association.

Sunday 5/5 –

– 10 am Coffee in the Garden FREE

– 11am Private Garden Tour $10 per person. Please call 845-658-9007 to register

Saturday 5/11 & Sunday 5/12 – Mothers Day Weekend

Tea in the Garden FREE

Sunday 5/19 – Coffee in the Garden 1Oam FREE

JUNE

Sunday 6/2 – Coffee in the Garden 1Oam FREE

Saturday 6/8 –

– 11am Private Garden Tour $10 per person. Please call 845-658-9007 to register

Saturday 6/15 & Sunday 6/16 – Fathers Day Weekend

Tree Sale

JULY

Sunday 7/7 - Coffee in the Garden 1Oam FREE

Saturday 7/13 – Rondout Valley Business Association

Garden Tour

Saturday 7/20 & Sunday 7/21 – Rosendale Street Festival

August

Sunday 8/4 –

– 10 am Coffee in the Garden FREE

– 11am Private Garden Tour $10 per person. Please call 845-658-9007 to register

Sunday 8/18 – Coffee in the Garden 1Oam FREE

Sunday 8/24 – Dividing Perennials

– 11am

– Dividing Perennials Class and demonstration with Deb Gray

– $10.00 per person.

– Please call to register 845-658-9007.

Friday 8/30 – Monday 9/2 – Labor Day Sale

SEPTEMBER

Sunday 9/1 – Coffee in the Garden

Sunday 9/15

– 10 am Coffee in the Garden FREE

– 11am Private Garden Tour $10 per person. Please call 845-658-9007 to register.

Saturday 9/28 –

– 11am

– Hypertufa Container Class with Cheryl Alloway

–        Cheryl will show you just how easy it is to make your own beautiful planters.   You will leave the class with the planter you made, as well as the know-how to make more! Cheryl will also talk about what types of plants are most adaptable to these planters.  Bring rubber gloves (dishwashing type), we’ll supply the rest.

–        $20.00 per person.

–        Please call 845-658-9007 to register – space is limited.

OCTOBER

Sunday 10/6 – Coffee in the Garden 10am FREE

Saturday 10/12 –

– 11am

– Final Private Garden Tour

– $10 per person.

– Please call 845-658-9007 to register.

Sunday 10/20 – Coffee in the Garden 10am FREE

Saturday 10/26 –

– 11am

– Halloween Craft Class

– Make your own adorable Bat Pumpkin!

– $30 per person. All materials (pumpkin, bat wings and paint) included.

– Please call 845-658-9007 to register.

NOVEMBER

Sunday 11/3 –

– 10am FREE

– Coffee in the Garden & Garden Tour Slideshow

– We will look back at the entire season of private garden tours and discuss the highlights.

Sunday 11/17 – Coffee in the Garden 10am FREE

Saturday 11/23 –

– 11am

– Holiday Garland Workshop

–        Victoria will show you hands-on how to use greens and cuttings from your garden to create a unique holiday display for your mantle or banister. Greens, floral wire, and a little creativity can transform your home into a winter celebration of holiday cheer.

–        $10.00 per person.

–        Please call 845-658-9007 to register.

Sunday 11/24 – Pickle Festival at the Rosendale Recreation Center

Saturday 11/30 – Open House

DECEMBER

Sunday 12/1 – Coffee in the Garden 10am FREE

Saturday 12/14 –

– 11am

– Kissing Ball Class

–        DIY Kissing Ball Workshop.  In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how easy it is to make your own holiday kissing ball, and you’ll take one home! Reservations necessary

–        $35 per person. Includes all materials and proceeds benefit the Ulster County Historical Society.

–        Please call 845-658-9007 to register.

Sunday 12/15 – Coffee in the Garden 10am FREE

Wednesday 12/25 – Friday 12/27 Shop Closed

Saturday 12/28 & Sunday 12/29 – Shop open for 50% off sale

Join GADD: Gardeners Against Deer Damage

2012-12-06T10:54:00.001-08:00

As in, “Eee GADDs! The deer ate everything!”

Deer don’t just snack on your shrubs.

They don’t just strip your evergreens of their foliage from the ground up leaving sad, silly looking lollypops where a lush spruce or pine used to stand.

No. Bucks also rub their antlers up and down along tree trunks, damaging the bark and the tree’s “vascular system” - its ability to move nutrients and moisture from it’s roots to its limbs and leaves.

Stop this horrific plant damage now!

Protect your plants by calling (845) 658-9007 and joining GADD.

The standard* cost for the GADD winter deer spray program is $100 and includes two applications covering up to 500 square feet.

The product we use is:

Locally Made

Contains All Natural Ingredients

Repels by Odor and Taste

Nourishing to Vegetation

Safe For Humans And Animals

& Winter Application Protects Plants From Harsh Cold and Wind

You are not powerless in the face of hungry, ravaging and rutting deer! Call Victoria Gardens and sign up for a full winter of deer protection. (845) 658-9007.

*If your garden or property is larger than 500 square feet, there will be an adjustment in price.

Join GADD:

Gardeners

Against

Deer

Damage

Deer Defeat: The buck stops here!

2012-12-06T10:49:00.001-08:00

In the winter, when deer are desperate and will eat anything in order to survive, how do you protect your plants?

We have found the answer, a locally made deer repellent – Deer Defeat.

Nevia Dusman and the Deer Defeat team (located in Dutchess County, so they have the same problems with deer ravaged gardens as we do!) did an experiment with control groups one winter.
Nevia explains, “To test the spray we covered one set of evergreen bushes with burlap and a second set with wire netting.”

Then the team sprayed a third group of evergreens that were closest to the woods with Deer Defeat all natural deer, rabbit and groundhog repellent just before the first winter storm and left them uncovered.

“The location was perfect to observe the deer on a daily basis in their natural environment. The ground was coated with snow so we could also see their tracks clearly.” Nevia says.

The evergreens that were protected with burlap did not deter the deer. The hungry deer managed to push the burlap up and gain access to the branches underneath.

The evergreens that were covered with wire netting also got eaten! The deer managed to separate the netting, stick their heads in and munch away.

“The evergreens that were sprayed with Deer Defeat all natural deer, rabbit and groundhog repellent were not touched by the deer whatsoever. We saw plenty of deer at a distance from the sprayed evergreens at different times of day and the evening, but it was as if these evergreens were “invisible” to them.”

“We suggest you spray all the shrubs and any trees you want to protect with a good coating of repellent to get them ready for a long winter. You can use Deer Defeat, even if the temperature is below freezing.” Nevia says. But when it is freezing, make sure you shake the spray bottle periodically so oils in the mixture don’t clog the sprayer.

Deer Defeat will not damage your plants; instead, it will protect them from the harsh temperatures and strong winds during the cold winter months. The manufacturing process of the all natural ingredients in Deer Defeat Repellent gives it an anti desiccant property, which coats and protects the leaves from harsh sun, wind and cold without leaving visible residue. Winter use: Shake Deer Defeat well before each use. Spray in late November or before first snowfall. Make sure to coat the entire evergreen with Deer Defeat repellent. Reapply again in late January or early February.

Store Deer Defeat deer repellent products in the original container in a cool dry area, but protect from freezing.

But what if you’re not around during the winter? Or you’re busy, or you hate being outside in the cold?

Not to worry, we can do it for you!

This winter Victoria Gardens is offering a Winter Deer Spray Program, which consists of 2 applications of the long-lasting and locally made Deer Defeat products, spaced about two months apart, starting in January. The cost for the standard program is $100 for a winter of deer protection.

(If we did your fall clean up, we already sprayed Deer Defeat once in November.)

If you are doing your own deer spray program that is this schedule you should follow: November, January and March. (Be vigilant about spraying in the early winter and early spring. It will help deter deer for the whole season, because they have good memories, and without deer defeat, they will return to plants they have eaten before.)

Note: You can apply Deer Defeat repellent even in the coldest temperatures; it will not burn the leaves. The coating of the repellent will protect their leaves from the strong wind and cold. The only sensitive evergreen is Rhododendron. We suggest not to spray it during the extreme temperatures when the leaves are curled up looking more like a round pencil, it is better to wait for a day which is a bit warmer and the leaves are more open. If deer are attacking them and you must spray them during the extreme cold weather, you will notice little rust like spots on the leaves in the spring. Nothing to worry about, they will recover perfectly.

Read more about our GADD Winter Deer Protection Program.

Holiday Garland Class This Sunday

2012-11-29T10:34:00.004-08:00

Sunday December 2nd

11am Holiday Garland Workshop

We’ll show you hands-on how to use greens and cuttings from your garden to create a unique holiday display for your mantle or banister.

Greens, floral wire, and a little creativity can transform your home into a winter celebration of holiday cheer.

Call 845-658-9007 to register.
Reservations necessary - $10 per person.

Just added! DIY Kissing Ball Workshop

2012-11-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

Sunday November 25th - 11am

DIY Kissing Ball Workshop

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how easy it is to make your own holiday kissing ball, and you’ll take one home!

Reservations necessary - $35 per person.

Includes all materials and proceeds benefit the Ulster County Historical Society.

Call 845-658-9007 to register.

Great Garden Statues

2012-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mama turtle and her babies.

The incredible Mr. Fox.

And the best behaved dogs ever!

Come by Victoria Gardens on Rt. 213 and Cottekill Road to see all the other all-weather, animal garden statues: deer, pigs, cats, snails, frogs, and more!

Check our website www.victoriagardens.biz for directions and hours.

Felted Mice and Miniatures

2012-10-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

We're all a little in love with these hand-felted mice! And by a happy accident they are the perfect scale for our dish garden miniatures. Cafe tables, garden gates, watering cans, even bicycles and wagons!

New addition: Miniature Dish Garden Class November 11th!

2012-10-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

We have some really great hands-on workshops coming up in November and December:

Sunday November 4th - - 11am Class - Hypertufa Workshop Guest instructor Cheryl Alloway

November 4th at 11am, guest instructor Cheryl Alloway will show you just how easy it is to DYI beautiful planters. The class is $20 and you leave the class with the planter you made, as well as the know-how to make more! Cheryl will also talk about what types of plants are most adaptable to these planters. Bring rubber gloves (dishwashing type), we’ll supply the rest. Call 845-658-9007 to register. Reservations necessary – $20 per person. Includes material cost.

Sunday November 11th - - 11am Class – Miniature Dish Garden Workshop (An Abridged Fairy Class)

And for all of you who missed our Fairy Day in March, we are having a miniature dish garden workshop on November 11th. We will show you hands-on how to create a dish garden, while Laura Wyeth provides a background on flower fairy lore. Call 845-658-9007 to register. Reservations necessary – $35 per person. Space is limited, so call today! Includes 14” terracotta dish, soils, plants and mosses. (Miniature decorations sold separately.)

Aren't they too cute?

Then in December:

Sunday December 2nd - 11am Holiday Garland Workshop

Have you always wanted to use greens and cuttings from your garden to create a unique holiday display for your mantle or banister? We’ll show you how! Greens, floral wire, and a little creativity can transform your home into a winter celebration of holiday cheer.

Reservations necessary - $10 per person. Call 845-658-9007 to register.

Sunday December 16th - 11am Table Dressing Class

Welcome your holiday dinner guests with table settings that add sparkle and cheer to any holiday celebration. Victoria will demonstrate how to use holiday ornaments and greens to create a unique holiday display for your table. Create centerpieces and conversation starters, place cards and favors.

Reservations necessary - $10 per person. Call 845-658-9007 to register.

What's that plant? Brugmansia

2012-10-18T10:27:00.004-07:00

What's this plant? And what's that smell?

The bud unfurls...

And the flower releases an amazing scent at the end of the day.

Brugmansia is a tropical flowering tree that has long, trumpet-shaped, downward facing flowers (thus the the common name: Angel's Trumpet). And besides being beautiful, these blooms exude an amazing fragrance in the evenings.

The sweet scent is meant to attract moth pollinators in their native South America. Lucky for us, even without the tropical weather or their longed-for moths, the Brugmansia blossoms fill our building with the most amazing perfume at the end of the day.

It is such a treat! Stop by and smell for yourself.

The perfume is faint in the flower during the day, and around 3pm starts to grow stronger. Take note of our October hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm Saturdays 10am - 6pm Sundays 10am - 4pm

Visit and be inspired!

Available in yellow and peach (pictured below).

October Garden Chores Part 1

2012-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

What should you be doing in your garden now that fall is here?

October Garden Chores Part 1:

#1. Frost warnings this year mean that the first thing you should do is bring your house plants inside and repot them if needed. How can you tell if a plant needs to be repotted?

If a plant is "root bound", it is time to step up the plant to a slightly larger pot.

Here are some step by step instructions for repotting your house plants.

Plus 3 ways to overwinter tropicals.

And to help motivate you before the early frost arrives, all potting soil, pottery, plant stands, and saucers are 15% off at Victoria Gardens.

#2 Sunday October 7th

Start planning your winter garden.

Plant winter interest like 'Winter Gem' boxwoods, 'Grey Owl' Junipers, Redtwig dogwood, Blue Spruce, and Holly. Adding structures like arbors and trellises can also give your garden added interest, especially covered in snow.

#3 Plant that tree or shrub!

You couldn't ask for better planting weather. The cool nights and all this rain are perfect for new plantings. Even though the air is cooling off the ground is still warm. This combination triggers root growth, which is especially beneficial for trees and shrubs.

So if you want to plant a weeping Katsura or or a hedge of Golden Winterberry, Callicarpa, or other fall-fruiting shrubs, now is the time!

We have beautiful and healthy perennials, trees and shrubs in the nursery, just take note of our October hours:

OCTOBER HOURS

10am - 5pm Monday - Friday

Saturdays 10am - 6pm

Sundays 10am - 4pm

Check our Classes and Special Events schedule for the last of our Private Garden Tours!

Visit us on facebook or email us at victoriagardens.ny@gmail.com to be put on our email newsletter list.

How to repot a root bound house plant

2012-10-04T11:34:00.001-07:00

When bringing your house plants inside for the winter, check each one to see if it is "root bound."

Above is the perfect example: the roots are literally growing around and around the bottom of the pot. They are a dense tangle!

To keep your plants healthy, the roots need fresh soil to grow into, and your plant needs a bigger pot.

Chose a pot that is the next size up. This little guy was in a 4" pot, so we are stepping him up to a 6" pot.

Wet down the potting soil (never use dry potting mix, you will send your plant into shock!).

The consistency should be like cookie dough or brownie mix.

Fill the bottom of the pot with the moist potting mix.

"Tickle" the roots of your plant.

(Untangle and spread the roots so the can grow in different directions into the new soil.)

Hold the plant at the desired height in the pot with one hand, and fill in the soil around it with the other.

Tamp down the soil with your fingers - firmly, but gently - enough so the plant doesn't tip over and out of the pot, but don't crush it into the pot.

Finally, let your newly repotted plant soak up water from the bottom (30 minutes or so), which will help the roots adjust and establish themselves in their stylish new home.

If you are bringing tropicals in for the winter, here are 3 ways to overwinter them: Growing and Blooming - Resting Dormant - and Cutting and Propagating.

Fall berries: Cotoneaster 'Tom Thumb'

2012-10-02T08:57:00.002-07:00

Fall fruiting shrubs are showing their true colors. Cotoneaster 'Tom Thumb' seen here in full blush.

Tom Thumb cotoneaster
Cotoneaster dammeri 'Tom Thumb'
Hardiness Zone: 5 - 7
Mature Height: .5 -1 Feet
Mature Width: 3 Feet
Small, pale pink flowers in spring; summer leaves are lustrous; small, bright red fruit in late summer and autumn; autumn color is red.
Full sun; prefers a moist, well-drained soil, but can tolerate dryness; tolerates alkaline soil, somewhat tolerant of salt.
Mature Form: Rounded shrub with slightly arching branches.
Native To: China
Soil condition: Dry,Moist, Well-Drained Moist, Wet
Tolerance: Alkaline Soil, Dry Sites, Salt,Wind

Check out other fall fruiting shrubs.

Virtual Garden Tour: Stonecrop Gardens: Part 5 (Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Pendulum' "Weeping Katsura Tree")

2012-09-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

On our sunset tour of Stonecrop Gardens, we dicovered yet another trasure! In between the waterfall and the stone bridge (at the Lake and Hillside Gardens), stands a majestic Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Pendulum' (Weeping Katsura Tree).

The weeping Katsura, like it's upright cousin, has deeply textured bark and the deliciously scented (golden/apricot-colored) fall foliage. But the wide and weeping form of Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Pendulum' makes this specimen tree even more dramatic.

Deer resistant, cold hardy, and eminently attractive, if you can find a home for this specimen tree in your own back yard, we highly recommend it!

Virtual Garden Tour: Stonecrop Gardens: Part 4 (Cercidiphyllum japonicum "Katsura Tree")

2012-09-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest parts of touring established gardens and estates is the chance to see mature specimens before you plant them in your own back yard. It is hard to imagine what a tree in a two gallon container at Victoria Gardens will look like in 20 or 30 years.

The Katsura is one of our favorite trees of all time, and at Stonecrop there was this amazing specimen (growing right up through a deck off the main house!)

Katsuras are deer resistant trees, with deeply textured bark, and well-shaped foliage that puts out a sweet fragrance as it changes color in the fall. Some people liken the scent to cotton candy, baking cookies, or baking muffins (yum!)

But look at the great form and the scultural upright brancing. Beautiful!

Virtual Garden Tour: Stonecrop Gardens: Part 3

2012-09-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

For their Open Days Tour, the staff at Stonecrop Gardens numbers and identifies over 800 plant species throughout the 12 acres of gardens!

Salvia 'Coral Nymph'

Dahlia Pastel Orange (Single Group)

Dahlia 'City of Alkmaar' (Cactus Group)

Dahlia 'Crazy Legs' (Double Orchid Group)

Part 1 of our sunset tour of Stonecrop Gardens

Part 2 of our sunset Stonecrop Gardens Tour

Virtual Garden Tour: Stonecrop Gardens: Part 2

2012-09-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

On our sunset tour of Stonecrop Gardens, we approached the charming (and organized) potting shed. Surrounded by raised stone beds and trough gardens planted with tiny alpines and sedum.

Other raised stone beds were planted with juniper and sweet autumn clematis that trailed down the stone wall, tumbling along the grass like a flowering ground cover.

Sedums and alpines artfully planted in mounds inside the troughs and stone beds create miniature landscapes full of contrasting colors and texture.

Part 1 of our sunset tour of Stonecrop Gardens

Virtual Garden Tour: Stonecrop Gardens: Part 1

2012-09-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a private sunset tour through the amazing Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, NY. The very first thing (one of many) that struck us was the "floating" Conservatory. With water lilies, irises, and pondside grasses, the Conservatory building seems to be magically placed in the center of the pond and bubbling water feature.

This is a little preview of the other structures and buildings through out the property. (We'll get to the many (many!) beautiful gardens in Part 2 and 3 (later this week).

Enjoy!

Part 2 of our sunset Stonecrop Gardens Tour

September Blooms

2012-09-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

Gentiana 'True Blue'

(Deer resistant! 'True Blue' late season bloomer!)

Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee'

Gaillardia 'Fanfare Blaze'

Buddlea 'Low and behold'

(Dwarf Butterfly Bush)

'Dilly Dilly Compact Lavander

Buddleia 'White Profusion'

Achillea 'Moonshine'

(Yarrow)

Hameln Dwarf Fountain Grass

(Grows 24 inches tall by 24 inches wide! Perfect for perennial gardens.)

Hardy Plumbago

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

(Late blooming ground cover, grows in sun or shade!)

Pieris 'Little Heath'

(Variegated Andromeda)

Sweet Autumn Clematis Vines

Profuse bloomers. Lovely fragrance.

Athyrium 'Ghost'

Painted fern

Spigelia marilandica

(Late blooming, deer-resistant, native, shade perennial!)

Virtual Tour: Mohonk Mountain House 'Out of Africa' Part 2

2012-09-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some up close and personal bloom pictures and plant identifications within the 'Out of Africa' planting. In our zone, all these tropicals are annuals, but look what a statement they can make! For more photos visit 'Out of Africa' Garden Tour Part 1.

Ocimum basilicum 'Cardnal'

Leonotis menthafolia

Acidanthera murielae

Ricinus 'Carmencita Pink'

Kniphofia "Echo Rojo'

Canna 'Pretoria'

Amaranthus 'Elephant Head'

Calla Lily 'Fire Dancer'

Amaranthus tricolor

Melinus 'Savannah'

Virtual Garden Virtual Tour: Mohonk Mountain House 'Out of Africa' Part 1

2012-08-28T12:16:00.001-07:00

Every year Mohonk Mountain House plants its Victorian style annual beds with a new a theme. This year's theme, 'Out of Africa', has produced a riotous explosion of tropical color. The tall banana trees and black leaf elephant ears are practically neutrals in this garden filled with hot colors and exotic (and sometimes furry!) blooms. The gardens will be in full bloom from now until frost, and Mohonk is only about 8 minutes (aound the corner and up the mountain) from Victoria Gardens. So make plans to see this spectacular planting this fall!

Blue Moon Sale - 50% off all plants!

2012-08-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

We often get asked, when's your big sale? But unlike a lot of other nurseries, we plant most of our stock through the Victoria Gardens landscaping division. So we don't always have a "big" sale.

But this year we decided to do 50% off all plants for Labor Day, in part as a thank you to all our customers. We appreciate your business, we are grateful for your support, and so this sale is for you.

We have beautiful Pansy Redbuds, smoke bushes, blackberry iris, knock out roses, spring ephemerals, ferns, deer resistant shade and deer resistant sun selections.

Fall is the second planting season. Cool nights and warm days make new plantings happy!

After the sale we will bring in all new stock, and the nursery will be full with fall blooms, ornamental grasses, perennial mums, echinachea, and spring blooming bulbs!

Victoria Gardens will have beautiful, healthy plants in stock through November!

Visit and be inspired to plant this fall!

Closed Monday August 27th for staff training and education.

2012-08-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

CLOSED Monday August 27th for staff training and education.

If you leave a message (845) 658-9007, we will return your call on Tuesday, August 28th when we resume our regular summer hours.

Thank you.

Cool Weather Crops - What can I grow?

2012-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

'Bull's Blood' Beets are a delicious heirloom variety.

'Cosmic Purple' Carrots have almost a cult following with our customers. Very tasty. Very easy.

You hated them as a kid, but don't you love them now! Turnips are an Autumn must-grow.

Kale will turn sweeter when kissed by a little early frost!

Mache: America's Next Lettuce Love?

'Tom Thumb' is a sweet miniature butterhead lettuce. Kids will love it.

And 'Lavewa' Spinach, seed a lot and harvest early - baby spinach is soooo tender!

If you want to extend your garden in to the winter, you can always put up a winter hoop house.

Extend your growing season and harvest through the winter

2012-08-23T12:17:00.004-07:00

Photos by Barbara Bash

If you missed the class on late season seeding and temporary hoop houses, fear not. We've got what you need to be able to extend your growing season.

Our guest speaker, Barbara Bash has put up hoop houses for two winters now. Last winter, which was so mild, she harvested greens and other cool weather crops ALL WINTER!

The year before, which had a much colder (traditional North Eastern) winter, she was still able to harvest through New Years! Two extra months is pretty amazing, especially when you're utilizing a vegetable garden that is already prepped.

Photos by Barbara Bash

We now have the specialty supplies at Victoria Gardens, so you too can put up a winter hoop house and extend your growing season. (You can also set up smaller hoop houses. For her demonstration, Barbara set up a small house with only two "hoops".

Stop by the store, we have a demo house set up and we can walk you through the (very easy!) process of setting one up yourself.

Hot, hot, hot! Echinachea 'Hot coral'

2012-08-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of these multicolored 'Hot Coral' Echinachea. Love, love, love! You will too, when they spice up your garden!

Echinachea 'Hot Coral'
Zone 4
Grow in full sun.
Grows 22 to 24 inches tall and wide.