Spring is in bloom in our greenhouse! All you have to do is walk through the greenhouse doors and the aroma of spring hits you. Just stop, take a big breath in, it’s good for the soul.

The greenhouse is full of so many springtime favorites right now.

The colorful pansies are probably the first thing you will notice. Though pansies are tiny, they are also tough. Go ahead and plant your pansies outside and get your spring on, they can handle temps down to 28 degrees.

With Easter right around the corner, we have all your true Easter favorites in stock and ready to find a forever home.

Easter was one of my favorite holidays as a kid. Although the candy was always good, the thing that I remember most is actually the flowers. The smell of the Easter lilies and the hyacinths in particular are forever burned in my memory. So now, when I smell the sweet aroma of Easter I can’t help but think back to all the wonderful memories I had with my family.

I hope when these Easter plants find their forever home with you, they will help you create memories as memorable as mine.

Happy Spring/Easter Everyone!!!!!

stacey tips art 1In Connecticut, Ticks are no joke. By now, most of you know I love “bugs”, however, there are a few on my I Don’t Care For At All list. The number one insect on my I Don’t Care For At All list is the Tick. The Tick is technically an arachnid, not a bug. No matter, it is the Black Legged Deer Tick that is the trouble maker. Too many of us have had Lyme Disease or know someone who has been afflicted. My goal is to tell you how you can reduce and even eliminate these pests in your yard.

Don’t mess around with Ticks. Make Tick control a regular part of your spring yard work. Ticks begin hatching in the cool, spring weather. When they are young nymphs, they are tiny and hard to spot but they still carry Lyme Disease. Ticks do not love the heat so they hang out in tall grasses, weeds, woods, garden beds, and any overgrown or un-manicured part of the yard. Keep this in mind, because this fact is important when it comes to proper tick control.

Van Wilgen’s has many effective tick control products, conventional & organic, eliminators & repellents. Whether you choose to go organic or treat using the conventional method, the applications are the same.

Some great products for conventional Tick control are:

•Bonide’s Insect & Grub Control Granules

•Sevin Lawn Insect Granules

•Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer (hose-end)

•Damminix Tick Tubes

Some great products for organic tick control are:

•Eco Smart Organic Insect Killer Granules

•EcoSmart Organic Mosquito & Tick Control (hose-end)

The best type of application consists of a perimeter control treatment, where the manicured part of your yard meets the un-manicured part. I recommend applying granules for long-term control and spray with a hose-end liquid product for an immediate knockdown. The organic products help to reduce tick populations but do not provide as quick of a kill and work more as repellents. It is also important to treat in garden beds where ticks hide under flowers & shrubs. Wood piles, decks, and under garden sheds are also hot spots for ticks to hang out. Be sure to treat these areas. If you want to be very thorough, product application can be made over the entire lawn area but your most effective control will be focused along the perimeter of your property.

To enhance your perimeter tick control program, consider control over woodland creatures that carry ticks. Deer & the White Footed Mouse are big carriers of Deer Ticks. Using deer repellents will greatly reduce your deer population and in turn, reduce Tick populations in your yard. The mouse is harder to repel but using Damminix Tick Tubes will really help to reduce the Deer Tick populations in their nests. It is pretty cool. Mice steel the treated cotton balls inside of the tick tubes, bring the cotton balls back to their nest, and the ticks are killed by the product on the cotton balls. Controlling Deer Tick populations in the nests of the White Footed Mouse is an extremely clever and important part of your tick control program.

Ticks are no laughing matter. It is easy to take Tick control into your own hands with the very easy-to-use products we offer at Van Wilgen’s.

Come see us at Van Wilgen’s. We would love to help!

Van Wilgen’s Garden Center wants you to have the lawn that you desire. Whether you are happy with, “as long as it is green”, or you want a lawn that is golf course worthy, we can help. Here are some steps to take you through the year.

We have been trained to think of lawn care as a 4-step program. It is true that there are 4 basic lawn fertilization steps but there is a little bit more to consider. Van Wilgen’s has the steps for you!
LET’S GET STARTED – SOIL TEST:
The Connecticut Agricultural Station at 123 Huntington Street in New Haven, CT (203-974-8521) is able to test your soil for you. Once you have your results, come see us and we can help you formulate a plan for your lawn.
STEP ½: LIME – MARCH/APRIL:
Depending on the results of your soil test, you may need to apply Lime. The ideal pH level for your lawn is 6.8 to 7.2. If you fall below this “sweet spot”, apply Lime. Use Fast Acting Lime in the spring for better results. Lime can be applied at the same time as fertilizer. The key to a beautiful lawn is proper pH.
STEP 1: LAWN FOOD + CRABGRASS CONTROL – MARCH/ APRIL:
Mother Nature gives us the best sign. Apply when the Yellow Forsythia is in bloom. Water in or apply before a rainfall. Be sure to focus on “hot” spots. The “hot” spots are sunny spots, slopes, compact areas, and edges of driveways, roads & walkways.
STEP 2: LAWN FOOD + BROADLEAF WEED CONTROL – MAY/JUNE:
Dandelions, violets, and clover, oh my! This is the time of the year that all those unwanted weeds begin to pop up in your lawn. You can control them. Apply granular weed control to a slightly wet lawn. Morning dew is perfect. Do not mow your lawn 2 days before or 2 days after application. Do not water in. Allow 24 hours of drying time.
STEP 2 ½: FAST-ACTING IRON – JUNE/BEGINNING JULY:
Shhh…this is a little trick. Apply Iron and you will see instant green-up of your lawn without stressing it out.
STEP 3: LAWN FOOD – JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER:
So many choices of when to apply. If you do not have a sprinkler system apply before or after the summer heat. It is best applied before rainfall.
STEP 3 1/2: GRUB CONTROL – MID-JUNE/JULY:
Don’t miss this step. Grubs are our #1 damaging turf pest. Apply a season-long grub control at this time to control hungry grubs feeding August-October. Water in well.
STEP 4: FALL LAWN FOOD – SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER:
Yes, apply this as late as November! Apply after your last mow of the season to establish a deep root system for next spring.
STEP 4 ½: LIME – SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER:
Even if you applied Lime in the spring, you may need to lime again depending on your pH level. Remember pH is one of the keys to a beautiful lawn.
This is a basic lawn care guide with a little extra to get you and your lawn through the season. Keep in mind, every lawn and every homeowner’s vision for their lawn is different. That’s ok! Van Wilgen’s has lawn care programs from conventional to organic, granular to liquid, and simple to involved. Whatever type of lawn you desire for your home, we can customize a plan for you.
Van Wilgen’s wants you, your family and your pets to have fun on your lawn.
HAPPY LAWN CARE & LOTS OF FAMILY FUN!