What will happen with my Hydrangeas this season! That has been the most asked question at the garden center recently. My advice to all…don’t panic. With the recent up and down weather temperatures experienced over the past few weeks, some plants may show effects from it. However, it is too soon to tell. The good news is we should have plenty of time for our plants to bounce back.

Some of you may be asking what I can do now. Now is the time to examine your plants. Pay close attention to the buds. If the buds that began to swell during the warm weather we had in February and early March are still alive chances are they will be fine. If the buds at the tips of the stems have been damaged it will cause the buds below to eventually open with flowers. This is called apical dominance. Please resist the temptation to prune your plants to the ground. This may cause your plants to not flower this year and next. There are so many hydrangeas these days that require different pruning times, I recommend speaking to one of our many knowledgeable staff members to learn how and when to prune. I have also attached an awesome link from our friends at Proven Winners outlining the What, When, and How of Hydrangea care.

Why isn’t my Hydrangea Blooming Chart

Jason Scire, Nursery Manager

March sure came in like a lion this year. But I think we are all ready for it to go out like a lamb, right? As we get closer to April we all have spring on our mind. There is nothing like the smell and colors of the spring season.

Our greenhouse is filled with just that. With Easter, right around the corner, we have lots of extra colors to brighten your smile and warm your heart. The daffodils are so alive with the brightest yellow blooms, and the hyacinths hit your senses as soon as you walk into the greenhouse. You can’t help but say what smells so good! The smell of the hyacinths reminds me of going to the greenhouses with my grandmother when I was young. It was the only plant I wanted around the Easter season. Plus, they were purple, my favorite color.

Now to the true spring flower. The pansies have taken over our greenhouse! There’s nothing like filling the greenhouse with all that color. Just try and pick a favorite. I bet you can’t. They all look truly amazing and are waiting to find a new home. Remember pansies are not only pretty, they are one tough little plant. They can handle temperatures as low as 28 degrees, and any April showers that mother nature decides to send our way. So, If you need a spring fix before mother nature is ready to release it to us, stop by and say hello. The greenhouse is the perfect place to get your spring on.

Darlene Granese, Greenhouse Manager

MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION…GET A JUMP ON THAT LION!

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. I know March starts out a little chilly but we can still get a jump on that lion. Don’t let that lion intimidate you. It is time to get out into the yard and take care of some business. The more you accomplish now, the more assured that March will go out sweetly, like a little lamb.

WHAT CAN WE DO RIGHT NOW TO CALM THAT LION DOWN?

1. Get your soil pH tested for free at the Solution Center at Van Wilgen’s. A balanced pH is the key to a good start.
2. Apply Encap’s Fast Acting Lime to areas of the yard that need it. Keep in mind, veggie gardens, lilacs, and clematis love extra lime.
3. Moss Out will work great in this cooler, rainy weather. Moss is most actively growing when it is cooler, so the early application works well to get rid of unwanted moss patches.
4. In addition to taming the March lion, you need to control some other bothersome critters.

1. Apply I Must Garden’s Mole & Vole Repellent now to keep moles and voles from taking over the lawn and garden. An early application will slow down their spring establishment in your yard.
2. Apply now! Use one of our many Deer Repellents to train deer in advance. Deer are creatures of habit. Break their habit before they start. We have a new, convenient deer repellent system called Scent-inal. It is all-natural and easy to use.

1. I love All Seasons Horticultural Oil. It is a great part of your Integrated Pest Management program. Spray down your trees and shrubs early in the season to eliminate overwintering insects and insect eggs. This early application will cut down on your pest problems later.

Put the above 5 steps on your March to-do list and you can whip that lion into shape. The March lion will be intimidated by all your pro-active moves in the garden, put his tail between his legs, and crawl away like a little lamb.

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

SHOPPING LIST:

*Encap’s Fast Actin Lime

*Lilly Miller’s Moss Out

*I Must Garden’s Mole & Vole Repellent

*Bonide’s All Season Horticultural Oil

I don’t know about you guys but this is a smack in the weather-reality face. We have been experiencing such a mild winter and spring-like temperatures but then bitterly cold days and now SNOW! There is one good thing about snow, it is a natural insulator. Any plants that have started to break dormancy will have a nice blanket to protect them. My dad always says March snow is like the poor farmer’s fertilizer. The ground has a chance of slowly soaking up the nitrogen and micronutrients that the snow grabs on its way down from the atmosphere. That’s the upside! My daughter Nora has especially been loving the warmer weather, she has been going to the park almost every day. So what do you do with a very active toddler when it is too cold or snowy to head to the park? Well if you are Nora, you get to run your heart out in the greenhouse! My wife and I bring her to the garden center and set her loose. She loves to run around being “chased” by mommy and daddy. Nora has also made friends with our greenhouse manager Darlene who lets her feed the Koi fish. Nora had a funny little surprise hiding in among the pottery this weekend, a chipmunk! It was so hilarious watching Nora trying to find the chipmunk as it ran from one stack of pottery to the next, Nora even laid face-first right on the floor looking under benches. The chipmunk snuck back outside- much to Nora’s disappointment! ‘Where chipmunk go?’ was the question of the day. One thing is for sure in the Van Wilgen house, we are all ready for spring to sweep in for real! If you are like us and looking to get out of the house, we have planned a fun-filled weekend for everyone, no matter what the weather! See you this weekend!

As for our special guest…

Dr. Allan Armitage will be joining us for our Perennial Rose Rally! Allan wrote the handbook for

perennials and is full of useful plant knowledge. The VW team sat in on a talk with Allan last fall and we enjoyed it very much. Anyone from the beginner to even the most perennial gardener will get a plethora of great information and no shortage of stories. So for the clues, Allan worked at the University of Georgia alongside Dr. Dirr. It is pretty amazing that 2 huge horticulturalists worked on the same campus. Two, if you have seen me in person or in a photo, I almost always have my signature hat on. Three, I grew up in Canada and received my B.S. in science from McGill University, as they say or just maybe just Dr. A says, the Harvard of the north. We are very excited for June 3rd!

What is a Freshtival?

Well, to us it’s a weekend full of fun, food, and planting. It’s how we celebrate our community and the arrival of Spring. Live music, great food, and fun for the whole family.

Just like years past our favorite food trucks will be here all weekend long. Van Wilgen’s greenhouse will be alive with plants & demo gardens. If you’re like us and want to get your hands dirty we have 3 fun workshops planned.

Ready to start talking about your garden? Saturday, March 18th Kerry Ann Mendez award-winning author, speaker, and garden designer, will be giving a presentation Spectacular Plants for High Impact, Low Maintenance Gardens Kerry Ann is a ‘passionate perennials with over 25 years of hands-on experience. As a consultant, designer, and teacher, she specializes in low-maintenance, sustainable garden and landscape design, incorporating perennials, ornamental grasses, flowering shrubs, bulbs, and no-fuss annuals.

Our Kids Klub is also throwing a big party this weekend with FRESHkids! All weekend long kids will get to hang out with baby animals, play some games, make a craft and plant some lettuce with Mom & Dad. Fun for the whole family!

The Van Wilgen Kitchen will host our favorite Chefs, right next to our Beer Garden celebrating local breweries and wine with tastings. Visit our Kitchen to see :

3/18 AT 11 am GUILFORD MOORING

3/18 AT 1 PM THE STAND BRANFORD

3/18 AT 215 PM CASEUS

3/19 AT 11AM BILL VAN WILGEN

3/19 AT 1 PM OLD QUARRY OLIVE OIL & SAM & OLIVER

In our Beer Garden we will host tastings with:

J Edwards Winery, Black Hog Brewing, Thimble Island Brewery, Stony Creek Brewery, and Duvig Brewery.

All details can be found here. We also have a printable schedule here!

See you this weekend in the greenhouse!

Is spring coming early this year?

Am I jumping the gun by changing the words to an old rhyme?! It doesn’t quite feel like I am. We have had a mild winter and the warm weather makes me feel like spring is already here. What does this mean? It means, all of us gardeners and people who just like to be outdoors, don’t have to chomp at the bit anymore. Let’s get going. Let’s open up those garden sheds and start shaking those tools up a bit. There is so much fun work to be done!

Where to begin…? Which tool to start with…? I know….

*Rake: Get the rake out and start raking. Clean out those garden beds and clean up that lawn. Start with a nice, clean slate.

*Cultivator: Use this sharp pronged tool to help you pull out some of those unwanted weeds that are sprouting up. The sooner the better.

*Shovel: Dig up a few soil samples from your lawn and garden and bring them in for me to test the pH level. The proper pH level is key for a successful lawn, veggie garden, and perennial bed.

What products do I need now…?

*Preen: After you spend all that time raking up the garden beds, apply Preen to help keep those pesky weeds at bay all season long. Don’t do all that hard work for nothing!

*Lime: The snow has melted and the lawn & veggie garden needs some sweetening up. It takes a while to raise the pH of your soil, so get going now. Please.

*Fertilizer: Get ready. Lawns, trees, and shrubs can wait a little bit longer but as soon as those yellow Forsythias start to pop, it is time. Usually, the Forsythia start showing off in April but I have a hunch they will start to show yellow earlier than that.

I don’t want you to feel rushed. I just want you to be prepared. If you need a little inspiration, come to Van Wilgen’s and get yourself a little treat. We have happy pansy faces of every color and they can handle the temperatures down to 28 degrees. If they don’t get you in the mood for spring, I do not know what will.

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

Your Shopping List: Preen, Fast Acting Lime by Encap, and Espoma’s Plant Tone

You just can’t help but smile and believe spring is just around the corner when you walk into the garden center this week.

The colors of all the pansies definitely brighten any day. Our front patio along with the greenhouse is alive with colors of spring.

With the pansies’ arrival and the spring-like weather, I decided it would be a great time to plant up our display pots. It was so nice to get my hands in the dirt again! While planting, many customers stopped by to chat about what I was doing. The number one comment by far was, “Isn’t it too early to be planting the pansies?” Of course, my answer was NO. Pansies are not only pretty, but they are also one tough little plant. Did you know that pansies like it chilly and can handle temperatures as low as 28 degrees? This is what makes them the perfect spring plant in Connecticut.

Whether planting in a cute spring pot, or in a border garden, the pansy is sure to put a smile on your face and brighten your day.

Like pansies, we all want to think and feel Spring!

Darlene Granese