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Archive for the "Trees & Shrubs" Category
Van Wisdom: Caring for Your Tree
Trees do some impressive things for us – so we should do something for them right? Trees clean the air of carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen necessary for human life. They improve soil quality, provide shade, prevent erosion, and support wildlife and ecosystems the world over. All of these amazing feats are only possible […]
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Happy 150th Arbor Day!
Someone said we should create a machine that soaks up all the carbon in the air and fixes back into the soil. The response is… we already have them! They are called TREES! This week we celebrate the 150th Arbor Day. I thought we were doing great being 102 years old! This special day was […]
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Rose Care 101
Roses are synonymous with love and gardening! Rose enthusiasts are a discerning bunch –some gardeners go for conventional growing and some go the more organic route, but neither is right nor wrong. At Van Wilgen’s we want you to have beautiful roses and with a little TLC they are not as hard to maintain as […]
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VanWisdom: Soils 101–What, Where & When?
Most people probably don’t give too much thought to the ground beneath their feet, but green-fingered enthusiasts know all too well that understanding Soil 101 is vital to a healthy garden. What Yeah, the soil is the “What”. This layer of ‘dirt’ is a complicated mix of insects and decomposing organic matter that is full […]
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Pruning Guide
Pruning seems counter-intuitive to plant growth. Why would you snip off limbs or twigs? Well, targeted pruning can help with improving both the structure of a tree or shrub as well as the health, e.g., If branches, or woody stems, are rubbing against one another or if there is the presence of dead branches/twigs. There […]
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Van Wisdom: Prepping the Ground
It shouldn’t come as a surprise when visiting the “stinky” department at Van Wilgens that some of our team LOVE fertilizer! We “Fertilize, Mulch and Preen” which rhymes with a “1-2-3 routine” Fertilize We love fertilizer because it can be so helpful to our plants and the environment; veggie gardens will give you a much […]
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Van Wisdom: Fruit Trees & Fruit Bushes
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 […]
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Preparing Your Plants for Winter
Winter is on the way, which means it’s time to prep your plants for snow, cold weather, and pesky winter critters. Lucky for you, protecting your plants takes just a few easy (we promise!) steps. Rose Care Some roses are more hardy than others. If you see a root graft at the base of the […]
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Why Are My Evergreens Dying?
One of the most common questions we get here in the fall at Van Wilgen’s is, “Why are my pines turning yellow? Are they sick?” Thankfully, the answer is “no”. All trees and shrubs renew their foliage annually in the spring and summer and shed old, unneeded foliage in the fall. This is most apparent […]
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Fall Fertilization
One of the most overlooked, yet most important, fall gardening tasks is fertilization. As the temperatures drop and everything begins to go dormant, you might think your plants and lawns don’t need to be fertilized. Not so! Fertilizing in the fall sets your plants up for success in the spring. Roots will hang on to […]
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