Tulips are one of the most popular spring flowers. They are colourful, elegant, and they have a wonderful way of warming up the room with their beauty. After a long winter and plenty of miserably weather, now is the time to bring back some sunny cheer with tulips!
When placing your order, you can choose between various colours as well as strictly tulip bouquets or mixed arrangements. Many people send red tulips as a romantic gesture while others enjoy displaying a variety of colours to welcome the warmer weather. Although some might say that tulips are delicate flowers, this does not mean that they won’t last long once cut. Sure, they might not be quite as hardy as a rose or carnation, but provided their needs are met, you can enjoy their beauty for quite some time!
Firstly, when you receive your tulips, you should place them in some cold water immediately. Most flowers prefer lukewarm water but those that are grown from bulbs, like tulips, are best treated to a cooler drink. Once in a bucket of fresh, cold water, you can hunt for the perfect vase. Of course, if your flower delivery arrives with a vase included, then you can skip this step!
Make sure that your vase is clean before adding fresh, crisp water and some flower preserve. The flower food helps provide the stems with nutrients while maintaining a suitable pH balance in order to discourage bacterial growth. Now that your vase is prepared, it’s time to arrange your flowers!
Remove any strings, rubber bands, and wrapper of any kind. Free up the stems and, one by one, trim them before placing them in the vase. All stems should be trimmed at an angle so that they do not sit flat on the bottom of the vase. This will obstruct water absorption and your flowers will perish at a faster rate.
Once all of your tulips are in the vase, make sure that they are properly “mixed up”. In other words, if you have several colours in the bouquet, you want to make sure that there are no colour clusters. Move and adjust your stems accordingly until you achieve the desired result.
Place your flowers on display anywhere you like. Just as long as you keep them away from direct sunlight, wind, and sources of heat. You will need to top up and change the water regularly. When you do, inspect the stems for bacterial growth. If the bottoms of the stems feel slippery, you should trim them slightly because bacteria is starting to obstruct their water absorption. When you notice any of the flowers start to perish, remove it immediately so that it does not speed up the decay of the rest of them.
Even if you send tulips to a loved one rather than ordering them for yourself, it’s a good idea to let the recipient know to use cold water and how to care for these flowers. That way, they will get the most out of every precious petal!
Tomatoes and peppers need an early start. These plants take 2 to 3 months from the time the “baby plants”or transplants are planted in the garden to produce fruit so it is recommended to start tomatoes and peppers indoors. Tomatoes should be seeded indoors 6 to 8 weeks before our average last frost date. Peppers should be started 8 to 10 weeks before the average last frost date. In central North Carolina, the average last frost date is mid-April (around April 15).
While it is good to get a head start on the garden, not all vegetable seeds can be seeded indoors. Some veggie plants perform better when sown directly into the ground. Use these helpful charts to determine which of your favorite veggies prefer to be seeded or transplanted into the garden:
Vegetables that TRANSPLANT well (after being seeded indoors and allowed to grow):
If you plan on growing any of the above vegetables in your garden this Spring, get a head start by starting the seeds indoors. With the exceptions of tomatoes and peppers, the rest can be started in March and be ready to transplant in med to late April.
Vegetables that are Usually Directly Seeded:
If you plan on growing any of the above listed vegetables, plan to plant in March or April when the soil is warmer and seeds can be sown directly into the ground.
February is the perfect time to begin planning and preparing for your Spring garden. Get out on a warm day to do a little clean up and add some compost so the garden will be ready for lots of baby plants.
In the Fairview Greenhouses, we are busy seeding a wide array of Spring veggies and herbs. We also have a fantastic variety of vegetable seeds including organic and heirloom varieties. We have all of the seeds starting supplies you will need to do it on your own including seeding kits, container and labels.
Seed Today for Roots Tomorrow – A Farm to Table Garden Party
What could be better than helping children foster a love of gardening? That was the goal last Thursday evening at a very special event: “SEED TODAY FOR ROOTS TOMORROW: Dennis’ 7 Dees presents a Farm-to-Table Garden Party benefiting Human Solutions.”
This inaugural event took place at our SE Portland Dennis’ 7 Dees Garden Center. Over 100 guests and sponsors were gathered together to help build and fund a new endeavor at Human Solutions – their new children’s Garden Program at their various programs to help homeless and low-income families around the Portland area.
Join us in 2016 on July 27th – RSVP by clicking here!
This event was born from a long-term partnership between Dennis’ 7 Dees Garden Centers and Human Solutions, and the previous Earth Day/Day of Service events held at their shelters and housing facilities over the last few years. At these events, the staff from Dennis’ 7 Dees volunteer their time and supplies to help brighten and improve the grounds at the various Human Solutions’ shelters and housing complexes for the homeless or low-income families residing there.
As word spread that there were going to be garden boxes built and flowers planted at these shelters, there was tremendous interest shown by the children staying there. Dennis’ 7 Dees wanted to step in and make the program bigger and better by hosting this new fundraiser.
As Master of Ceremonies, local celebrity Garden Expert Mike Darcy welcomed all guests as they sampled delicious local food and beverages. Dennis’ 7 Dees owner David Snodgrass featured his own heirloom tomatoes for a unique tomato-tasting. Guests walked around the beautiful grounds and shopped in the garden store where proceeds from the evening’s sles went towards the new Garden Program. The event raised over $10,000.
Executive Director Jean DeMaster explains: “Human Solutions owns and operates affordable housing complexes that are home to hundreds of very low-income families.
We have witnessed the children in these housing facilities thrive when exposed to gardening. Dennis’ 7 Dees and Human Solutions are committed to helping homeless and low-income children continue to grow and develop in positive ways. With the proceeds from this event, we will continue to work to help vulnerable children achieve their full potential so they can grow into responsible adults who give back to their community.” Raised Garden Beds are now available at four housing complexes operated by Human Solutions: Lincoln Woods, Arbor Glen, Green Tree Court, and The Pines. Additional beds could be developed at any of the other 14 Human Solutions properties as funds become available.
