Top 10 Things to Do In January
What's Happening In Store
Christmas Tree Chipping
Pruning Seminars
Dormant Spraying
Garden Signs
Gardening Calendar
Tropicals for Your Home
Northwest Flower & Garden Show
Weddings at Minter Gardens
So Much to See and Do at Country Garden
Store Hours
Top 10 Things to Do in January
Welcome to 2012! We hope you’ve enjoyed the holiday season and are excited to start fresh in a new gardening year. Now is the time to...
- Aerate your lawn then apply 3/8” of coarse sand to improve drainage. It’s the key to a great lawn!
- Apply ‘Dolopril’ lime to your lawn to manage soil pH and improve nutrient uptake. One 10 kg bag should cover 2000 sq. ft.
- Plant winter flowering trees and shrubs to brighten your garden and spirits every winter. Try fragrant viburnum, winter heather, Sasanqua camellias, hellebores and Chinese witch hazel.
- Clean up and protect fruit trees, roses and deciduous ornamentals with Dormant Oil and Lime Sulphur. This is so important!
- Use copper spray on apples to prevent and control European canker, and on peaches and nectarines to minimize leaf curl.
- Begin pruning fruit, shade and evergreen trees, but not your early flowering shrubs as they have already set bud (and you will cut off this year’s flowers).
- Make sure your indoor tropicals are getting lots of bright, indirect light right now. Remember, only water when the pot is light to lift, and resist the urge to transplant (they want to be root bound over winter).
- Start seeds! Start early seeds like pansies, geraniums and giant onions. You can also start begonia tubers, but wait to plant other seeds until later in Spring.
- Have a few left over spring bulbs to plant? No problem! You can still plant spring blooming bulbs (so long as the ground isn’t frozen). They can be planted in pots as well, but be sure to protect pots from severe cold by burying them outside in the ground. This is also a good time to check all your stored summer bulbs to make sure they’re in good shape i.e. no evidence of rot.
- Check the water around trees and shrubs under house eaves if the forecast is for a cold snap. Dehydrated plants can be seriously harmed if the weather turns bitterly cold. If we do get a cold spell, make sure to keep tender plants protected with our new ’N-sulate wrap. [top]
What's Happening In Store
In with the new! Each area of the store with fresh seasonal colour right now. The annual house is full of primulas, cyclamen, potted bulbs & ranunculus. The perennial house is dressed with heucheras, berried plants, hellebores and a nice selection of camellias that are budding up nicely. Visit the tropical area to see our new shipment of foliage plants (now is a good time to practice indoor gardening after all) and brighten up your home with fresh cut tulips, daffs and pussy willow stems. The first seeds are already in (including West Coast!) and new spring giftware will be arriving shortly. Register now for Pruning Seminars Jan. 21, 28 and/or Feb. 4! [top]
Christmas Tree Chipping January 9
RIM Tree Services will in the parking lot Monday January 9 from 9am - 4pm for tree chipping. Chipping is done by donation to the Salvation Army Food Bank so please bring non-perishable food items and give generously! Trees must be completely bare (no tinsel, stands,plastic bags etc.). Sorry, no flocked trees (they can be cut up into small pieces and put in your garbage). Thanks too to the City of Chilliwack for coordinating this event! [top]
Pruning Seminars
Pruning is a great way to get your garden in shape for the year ahead and now is the ideal time to do it! Join us for our hugely popular sessions that will address the art and science of pruning.
Pruning 101 with Doug & Dave Neufeld
January 21, 10:30AM
The dynamic duo is back! Watch as they demonstrate the techniques needed to prune fruit, flowering and shade trees.
Pruning 102 with Brian Minter
January 28, 10:30AM
Brian will address ‘all the rest’, including: flowering shrubs, perennials, specialty trees and shaping evergreens.
Pruning - The Abridged Version with Brian Minter
February 4, 10:30AM
For those with a really small garden or a short attention span, this session will cover all the basics from both 101 & 102.
Please call 604.792.6612 to register as space is limited for all sessions and always fills up quickly! [top]
Dormant Spraying
Dormant spray should be applied to fruit and deciduous trees (excluding nut trees, viburnums and maples) three times over the dormant season, ideally once each in November, December and January. Dormant spray is a combination of Lime Sulphur (which eliminates diseases) and Dormant Oil (which controls over-wintering insects). It is a great, organic way of preventing pests and disease over the fall and winter months. Copper spray (used on peaches, nectarines, apricots and apples) should be applied three times during dormancy as well to control European Canker. [top]
Gardening Signs
No, we’re not talking crop circles! Astrological forecasts abound right now, so we’re taking a look at your ‘gardening horoscope’ for 2012:
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Traits: Active, pioneering, independent, artistic.
Forecast: You will be driven to be more organized, work hard and improve your health and finances. Plan your veggie plot to harvest year round and perhaps sell the excess at the market!
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Traits: Down-to-earth, dependable, stubborn.
Forecast: It’s party time! You’ll be keen to be more physically and socially active. Spruce up your outdoor living space… you and your loved ones will be spending more time in it!
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Traits: Adaptable, sociable, witty, clever, talkative.
Forecast: This will be a year of successes and you will have plenty of support around you. Perhaps the kids will finally help with the mowing, or at least come out and cheer you on.
Cancer (June 22-July 22)
Traits: Gentle, nurturing, contemplative, determined.
Forecast: You will be very popular this year and you will let go of the old to strengthen your future. Try digging up a section of lawn to create an ‘antioxidant’ garden.
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Traits: Generous, active, authoritative, stylish.
Forecast: Great things will happen in your career and earnings. Residential moves are possible. Invest a little time in your landscaping… it will pay off!
Virgo (August 23-Sept. 22)
Traits: Analytical, reserved, conscientious, helpful, witty.
Forecast: This is a good year for relationships, travel and new opportunities. Now is your chance to establish a new gardening trend. People will listen! (Hot peppers in arrangements? Why not!)
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Traits: Just, refined, respectful, artistic, social.
Forecast: Your creative potential is strong July-Dec. and you will easily accomplish tasks seen as daunting to others. You may come up with an alternative to blackberry removal that does not require a backhoe.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Traits: Passionate, perceptive, determined, resourceful.
Forecast: You’ll be purging things you no longer need and feel great about it in the end! Time to get the pruning done, gut the garden shed, retire old equipment and start a compost bin.
Sagittarius (Nov.22-Dec.21)
Traits: Enthusiastic, adventurous, honest, optimistic.
Forecast: Build relationships with people of all backgrounds in order to strengthen your future. This is an ideal time to join a garden club & take an international garden tour for inspiration!
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Traits: Tenacious, wise, ambitious, disciplined.
Forecast: It’s your turn to be happy and travel (hitch a ride with a Sagittarius on that garden tour)! This is a fantastic time for your home life & real estate too… enjoy the fruits of your labour this year!
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Traits: Assertive, inventive, idealistic, intellectual.
Forecast: You’ll be happier and more optimistic than you’ve been in years but be careful of property squabbles. Now’s the time to try a new espalier apple tree fence.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Traits: Intuitive, compassionate, tender, perceptive.
Forecast: Make big plans (and believe in them!) and stick up for yourself. You will win your battle with weeds, you will not be defeated by unruly vines and this is the year your tomatoes will thrive! [top]
Gardening Calendar
There's always something to do in the garden! Click here to take a look at our suggested annual calendar.
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Tropicals for Your Home
Add life, clean the air and improve the comfort level of your home with tropical plants! We have just received a delivery of lush tropical plants so there is a great selection to choose from, from soft leafy types to narrow, structured varieties suitable for ‘corners’. Some of the best varieties for winter home conditions are:
· Split leaf Philos
· ‘Mother-In-Law’s Tongue’
· Pothos
· Schefflera
· Rubber plants
· Peace lilies
· Dracaenas
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Northwest Flower & Garden Show
February 8-12 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. This is a great show and makes for a fun weekend getaway with your friends. Tickets are $17 CDN and are available from our cashiers! For more information on the show, click here. [top]
Weddings at Minter Gardens
With 32-acres of floral artistry, an outdoor wedding pavilion and two lovely Victorian style conservatories, Minter Gardens is one of the most popular local destinations for elegant garden weddings and receptions. For details on spending your special day with us, please contact Jo Ann at 604.792.3799 or visit our wedding information and pricing pages.
Be sure to book an appointment with our talented florists at Country Garden to plan your custom design work too! Call us at 604.792.0111 for details.
Minter Gardens opens on April 1, 2012 for a brand new season!
Minter Gardens Exit 135 off Hwy 1 52892 Bunker Rd.
Rosedale, BC
V0X 1X1 [top]
So Much to See and Do at Country Garden
Aromatica’s Tea of the Month is ‘Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Rooibos’. Everyone knows rooibos is good for you. We've found a way to make it good AND decadent. No caffeine, no candy, no sugar, nothing bad. Just Rooibos, cocoa bean chunks, cinnamon, raspberries, chicory, cardamom and natural flavour. Smooth finish! Ph:604.703.1178
Antiques By Design Buyers and sellers of 19th & 20th century antiques, designer furnishings and objects d'art.
Ph: 604.316.1933
Artizany Unique artisan gifts, chocolate, coffee and other gourmet foods too! Ph: 604.793.0045
My Little Gift Box Unique gifts and home décor.
Ph: 604.703.1119
Winter Garden Center Store Hours
Monday to Saturday.... 9am-5pm
Sundays.... 11am-5pm
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