Container Gardening Basics Part 1

THINK BIG! When it comes to growing plants in pots, the larger the container, the better. Starting plants in larger containers will result in healthier root systems, less watering, and will produce more flowers and healthier foliage. If you plan to use window boxes, keep in mind that they are relatively shallow depths will cause your plants to dry out faster than they would in a deeper container. One way to get around this potential problem is to fill your window boxes with plants that use less water, such as Geraniums, Ivies, Grasses, and Osteospermum. For the best results make sure to use plants that need similar needs and habits. Be careful to not overcrowd the plants. this will cause problems when the plants start to fill out. For further tips on watering and fertilization stay tuned.............

Beautiful Parrot Tulips are in!!

Stunning. Yes. Parrot tulips are a much larger variety of the standard tulip you are used to seeing in the grocery stores. They have a heavy petal, which is slighly ruffled, with multiple shades of pigment. Very showy for any occasion!

We have them on special this week for $2.00 stem! Send them to anyone to get rid of the rainy/winter blahs!

Waiting for spring to sprung...

Spring thinking has everyone motivated to start digging out the gardening tools and thinking of how to get that not so manicured lawn looking sharp again. We here are doing the same thing! Though the weather is still dreary and cool, it's a great time to start planning out garden layouts or perhaps the new addition of one of our fairy gardens from Gnomenculture!

We are in the process of turning the inside of our shop a gardening mecca with Fairy Gardens, potting benches and garden accents!

Check back for more announcements of when the fairy garden erects!

Tis the Season! Plant care for the cold and Poinsettias

Happy Holidays from everyone at Maple Grove Floral!!

I'd like to touch base with everyone about plant care and floral care for the

upcoming weeks.

Now that the weather is getting chilly, make sure all your plants are away from drafty windows and doors - anything that can cause them to get cold.

If you are transporting flowers or plants for the holidays, make sure to keep them covered! Newspaper is a great for insulation and a trash bag or plastic shopping bag will create a good windbreaker for the plant. Any time plants or flowers are exposed to freezing temperatures, they are prone to freezing and frost bite. You can recognize it easily enough. Plants and flowers will have a distinctive black or brown tip with a crunchy feel to it. Remove the damaged foliage or petals and monitor it. If the damage spreads to the entire plant or flower, you might want to remove the damaged portions.

Also want to talk about Poinsettias!

There is the myth that the beautiful poinsettia is toxic. This is false! Whether you are human or concerned about your animals ingesting the plant.

The poinsettia is part of the Euphorbia family (which includes some toxic plants), but the poinsettia is not a toxic plant at all. The Minnesota Poison Control System concurs : "The fact is that they (poinsettias) are not poisonous. Nor are they edible and it can be expected that, when eated in quantity, they may cause stomach upset with possible vomitting. This may happen when an overactive puppy devours an entire plant. In the case of a child who eats a single leaf, no ill effects would be expected."

Given the bitter taste of the plant, it is usually enough to deter humans and pets from continous ingestion of the plant. Experimental dosages of ingestion of the plant have been conducted. It is said that a 50 pound child would have to eat more than 1.25 lbs of poinsettia (about 500-600 leaves) to exceed the experiemental dosage. If your child or pet eats that much poinsettia.... You might want to consider watching them a little closer or keeping your out of control dog in a kennel or outside!

You can check out the entire article on www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/poinsettias.asp

for the rest of the story!

Stay warm this holiday season - oh, and Merry Christmas!!

Fun at the Fair!

Just a shout out for all the visitors we had at the Minnesota State Fair. Thanks for stopping by the Horticulture building! The weather was beautiful, the people were fantastic and the questions asked were great! It was awesome to see the Twin Cities community support for local florists and local growers. We hope that everyone learned a little something about finding a reliable florist for their flower needs and to be wary of internet sites and phone book listings that bring you to a call center.
As always, if you are ever in doubt of finding a florist, give us a call! We would be more than happy to assist you or point you in the correct direction.
Thanks again and have a safe and relaxing Labor Day Weekend!!