One of the best ways to dress up your outside porches and patios is adding a fun and decorative Spring containers. Imagine How soothing it would be to walk outside with your morning coffee to be greeted by these beautiful additions to your home? Get started by finding the perfect planter – choose a fun color or pattern, or get creative and use an unexpected object.

Important! Just check to make sure the container has drainage holes at the bottom and you’re good to go!

Complimentary colors
Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel blend well, e.g., Blues and violets complement oranges and yellows and red complements green.

Analagous colors.
Colors groups, think “Blues” or “Yellows” that are next to each other on the color wheel e.g., blue, blue-violet, blue-green or yellow-green, yellow, yellow-orange blend well since they share the same hues.

Triadic colors
You can also create dynamic and vibrant combinations using 3 colors that are equidistant from one another on the color wheel, e.g., purple/green/orange yellow/red/blue.

Although we still should expect some cold starts before Easter, people are itching to get outside and are turning to their winter-ravaged lawn and asking:

When should I seed my lawn?
The soil temperature needs to be about 50 degrees in order for grass seed to germinate. We recommend seeding in spring when the soil temp reaches 50 degrees. The key to germination is water, water, water.

Don’t forget to check out our Watering and Planting Guides

Should I Fertilize?
Yes! There is a fertilizer for every seed, every plant, and for every time of the year. We don’t love fertilizer just because of our jobs, we love fertilizer because it helps your plants and the environment. Regular fertilization ensures your Veggie gardens will give a much greater yield; annuals will push out more bloom; trees will establish deeper root systems, and shrubs will be less prone to disease.

What about the deer in my neighborhood ?
When a deer is hungry there is almost nothing you can do to stop them. We offer a well-rounded selection of repellants as well as choosing plants that are known to be deer resistant. A quick rule of thumb includes anything fuzzy, fragrant or sharp. Look to our deer-resistant tree and shrub list as well as shop our deer-resistant perennial bench.

Is it Dead?
“Survey Says….:”…by far the most asked question at the garden center recently. Our advice to all…don’t panic! With the up and down weather temperatures typical of early spring it is often too soon to tell. Please resist the temptation to prune your plants to the ground since this may cause your plants to not flower this year and next.

Our selection includes many varieties of Apple trees as well as other popular fruit trees as well as bushes that include, but are not limited to Blueberry, Raspberry and Blackberry.
Van Wilgen’s, along with other Garden Centers, was recently featured in the March issue of Connecticut Magazine to add our VanWisdom on the best fruit picks.

Taking a new tree home? Don’t forget to check out our Watering and Planting Guides…..and don’t forget the Mulch – a vital ingredient that helps retain water and keeps weeds out.

While cold-weather seeds such as peas, broccoli, some lettuces as well as onion and garlic can be planted now, hang tight on planting most bulbs. The soil will need to warm up a little more, ideally above 50 degrees. Dahlias, native to South America and Mexico need warmer climates too, but now is a great time to get them started indoors before transplanting them to your gardens!

Also don’t forget to check out our Veggie Care 101 article for some more valuable info!

As winter’s grip becomes weaker, the first signs of Spring are the audible ones– American Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds starting to announce their presence after their long winter silence.

March is the transition from Winter to Spring and with warmer days ahead plants and flowers, just like our Van Wilgen’s customers, are starting to venture outside. Last week one of my neighbors had been unwell, so I asked Brianna to make up a planter for them. Cold-tolerant plants such as Pansies, Violas, Ranunculus, Tulips, Hyacinths and Daffodils offer resilience against any occasional cold nights or frosty mornings and are guaranteed to bring some colorful cheer back into our lives.

As the old English proverb says, March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb!

With the cold winter weather behind us and the warmth of Spring quickly approaching, we understand everyone is eager to return to their gardens and begin planting. But not everyone might understand how to de-winterize their garden or where to begin with Spring prep work. We wanted to share some of our spring gardening tips and tricks to help you have a successful garden.