Mother's Day -This Sunday May 9th
The most popular flower for Mother’s Day is the classic Rose. How classic a beauty is the Rose? It is delicate and fragrant like Mom, remember that sweet smell when she kissed those "boo-boos" or leaned over to hug you goodnight? Roses are tough too, just like Mom...don't mess with her offspring! Most of all they are beautiful and admired for their strength and endurance.
Maybe that is why the rose is the symbol of the day! It exemplifies Mom in so many ways. Remember when you were little….”roses are red, violets are blue, you're the best mommy and I love you”. One need not go further from the garden to see a ‘society' that mirrors ours in so many ways. One can identify with the mighty Oak for Dad, the Rose for Mom and Sunflowers for children. We're at the peak of our flowering season and what better way to celebrate Mother's Day than by presenting Mom with a beautiful blooming Rosebush.

We invite you to visit our Garden Shop full of Mother's Day gifts. Candles, potpourri, wind chimes and more.
	We also have a nice selection of Orchids and Bromeliads.

Shade? You’ve Got It Made!
There is no better time than now to plant a beautiful shade garden. The problem with most shade gardens is that they are planted just before or in the heat of the summer. Early spring is best when temperatures are mild and the plants have a chance to establish themselves before the hot summer months. Also, most people with shady spots are drawn to sun loving plants that look fine in the shade at first but eventually deteriorate into leggy, woody specimens. As with all garden plantings, you want to choose at least 3 varieties that grow to 3 different heights from low to high. There are many to choose from.
Taller shade shrubs for backgrounds include Tree Ferns, Pittosporum “Silver Sheen” or “Nigricans”, Japanese Maples, Abutilon, Camellia Japonicas, Laurel, Evergreen Viburnum and Podocarpus Macrophylla. Mid-sized shrubs include Brunfelsia, Hydrangeas, Low Ferns, Camellia Sasanquas, Fuschias, Shade Azaleas, Calla Lilies, Gardena Augusta, Loropetalum, Nandina, Clivia and Snow Bush. Taller perennials include Hybrid Calla Lilies, Astilbe, Hosta, Aspidistra, Aquilegia (Columbine), Caladium, Foxglove, Bleeding Heart, Helleborus, Liriope, Saxifragia, Chinese Foxglove and Asiatic Lilies.
Lower shade perennials and annuals include Helichrysum, Bacopa, Lamium, Glechoma, Coleus, Campanula, Heuchera, Violas, Vinca Major and Minor, Tiarella, Cyclamen, New Guinea Impatiens, Double Impatiens, Begonias including Angel Wing, Cherry Blossom, Rex and Tuberous. Choose from each size category if space allows and place in groupings. Make sure you amend your soil with a good acid planting mix such as Acid Planting Mix by Gardner & Bloome because most shade plants love acidic soil. Also it’s a good idea to work in a good quantity of peat moss for extra drainage. Fertilize monthly with an acid fertilizer such as Dr. Earth #4 for Acid Lovers. Water 2-3 times weekly. You’ll have it “made in the shade” by mid-summer with a cool, colorful shade garden that brings years of lasting beauty to all those shady spots you thought would never be a showplace!

Rosemary is For Remembrance

It would be difficult to find a plant that is more hardy, fragrant, evergreen flowering, drought tolerant and edible than rosemary. You can get it in upright varieties that make wonderful low hedges, topiaries, filler landscape plants or in trailing varieties that cascade over planters, baskets, pots or ramble throughout rose and perennial gardens. Here is an easy, quick recipe for you to try. It’s great for company or just part of your weekly menu.

Wendy’s Rosemary Wine Chicken 1 whole chicken, rinsed, drained and towel dried inside and outside 5 whole garlic cloves 1 whole onion quartered 5-6 sprigs of fresh cut rosemary Olive oil Garlic Salt Enough white wine or sherry to cover the bottom of a 13x9 roasting pan. Rub the chicken inside and outside with the olive oil. Insert garlic, onion and rosemary in the cavity. Place chicken on a rack in a 13x9 roasting pan. Sprinkle with garlic salt and crushed rosemary leaves. Fill roasting pan with white wine or sherry until ½ full. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove foil for last 15 minutes of roasting time to lightly brown the skin. Serve chicken and juices with rice or red potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables.