Spring Cleaning in the Summertime, Singin' the Blues

Since Spring is such a busy time here at Lovely Manors, we waited until the Summer to get stuck into our Spring cleaning, because we're thinking about Fall....(confused yet?!).

We have been planning a good clear up of our stock and storage areas for a while now. We realized just how overdue our clean-up was yesterday. We were merrily taking inventory in the store, when the ground began to shake....vibrate...positively roll. It couldn't be an earthquake, we're in Maryland, we don't get earthquakes. We looked at each other, and then looked up at the stock room. You know it's time to rationalize your belongings when your first thought upon hearing an ominous rumbling sound is that it could be an avalanche of things in your disorganized storage area, rather than a natural phenomenon.

It turns out we were wrong. Our store room is so crammed that even a 5.9 magnitude earthquake couldn't shift it...so we had to.

We've spent a busy 'team building' morning clearing out the hoop house and re-covering it with plastic, ready for winter. You wouldn't believe how much we had accumulated in there! The dumpster is brim full, but we still have a large pile of 'not sure what to do with you' items. You know, those 'don't really need it but can't bring ourselves to throw it away' bits and pieces. After much standing around with hands-on-hips, making hmmmm noises, we hit upon it. A Flea Market! We ran a flea market here at the store a couple of years ago, and we're going to give it another go. We are looking for some Fabulous Flea Marketeers for the first weekend in October (1st & 2nd) so please contact us if you're interested in being a vendor. If you have nothing to sell, come along and see what you can buy! After our clear out we have LOTS of great things which we will be selling.

We're very excited about the Fall season. Next week we will start working on our Halloween displays (look out for fancy dress employees), and we are running late night shopping events with FREE live music. The first event will be on Saturday 10th September from 6-9pm, and will feature local Blues and Bluegrass bands. The same event (with the Blues band playing as our regular band and guest bands to be announced) will take place on Sat 24th Sept, Sat 8th & 22nd October. Listen while you browse the store, and enjoy pit beef from the stand next door, which will be open. We have Lovely Manors discount vouchers available on our newsletter, so sign up if you haven't already done so. Don't miss it....it'll be fun, and even better, it's totally FREE!

We're going to have our great regular Blues Band playing all four Free Fall Music Dates. Guest bands of various styles will also be appearing!

Deadheading and Seed Collection

Deadhead regularly to maintain look, shape and promote flower growth. Save rose hips to make tea or collect seeds.

Your garden has been in full bloom all summer, you've been watering like crazy (it's been a scorcher so far, hasn't it?) and everything (well, almost everything) is looking fabulous. In order to maintain that fantastic floral fiesta, you will need to keep deadheading as flowers bloom and die.

To keep your plants looking healthy and vigorous, first, stand back and take a good look at your plant. Are there flowers that are 'spent'? Are there any broken stems? Discolored leaves?  Is the plant a good shape? Are they even in one piece after the deer have had their four course meal? (we can recommend many things for this, and will tackle this four-legged pesky issue in another Blog).

Once you have identified the parts of the plant you want to tackle, take account of your tools. Do you have perfectly manicured hands? Of course you don't, you're a gardener! Grab your gloves (we love Atlas Gloves Nitrile Touch, which come in a range of great colors and fit like a second skin! We carry them here in the store and we all wear them for tasks around the nursery) and get to it.

Atlas Nitrile Touch Gloves $7.95 per pair - we love!

Annuals & Perennials

Use your fingers to nip off the stem (this is easy to do with plants such as the Geranium), or use scissors or small shears, and cut as closely as you can directly above a leaf. This will avoid leaving stems which will die and go brown, not a good look!

Long-stem flowers such as Day Lillies, Hostas, and Oriental Poppies should be cut back at the base of the stalk where the stalk meets the leaves.

Don't forget the annuals in your hanging baskets. Many plants such as verbena and petunia bloom for longer after 'pinching'.

If you like to keep a wildflower area in your garden, you don't need to do anything...just leave the deadheads on and give the birds a treat. Perennial flowers will reseed themselves for next Spring. Easy!

Roses

Deadheading roses means taking off a small amount of stem to remove the flower. Use small shears to cut at a 45 degree angle after the first pair of leaves. The angled cut helps to promote water run-off and  prevent disease entering the plant.

Whilst you are tidying your plant, take a moment to check for signs of damage or disease, such as blackspot on roses (to avoid, keep your rose beds clean, clean, CLEAN!) and treat accordingly.

Seed Collecting

Seed collecting is a fun and practical. Wait for a dry day, grab a small pair of scissors, some envelopes, a pen and head to the garden.  They key to collecting is being organized. Make sure you label your envelopes as it's easy to forget what you're collecting whilst you're amongst the plants.    


Plants set seed in various ways...some in pods and some in the flower heads.  Others hide the seed in fruits or berries.  It is important to make sure you don't harvest your seeds too soon...if removed too soon, many seeds will not be viable and will be a no-grow! Some seeds may ripen if left to dry in a paper bag (not plastic...plastic just traps the moisture and will rot the seed).

Open the seed pod and remove the seeds carefully. A cocktail stick or toothpick is useful here, and will help to make sure you remove all of the seeds. Lay them out on a sheet of paper, and work on separating the 'wheat from the chaff'...removing dirt, insects and other debris before transferring the seed to a drying area or storage.


Make sure your seeds are absolutely dry before you store them, then keep them cool, dark and dry until you are ready to plant them.


Happy Hunting!