Tool Care featured on Fox 11\’s Living with Amy

by Green Bay Botanical Garden’s horticulturist, Loretta Dorner

Spring is just around the corner and before you start your garden work, you need to get your tools ready!  Clean, sharp tools save time on garden chores, giving you more time to enjoy your creation. 

If you do not currently own any gardening tools and are considering purchasing, here are a few things to keep in mind.  The tools you use in your garden are important – they should be the type of tools that do the work for you.  Sometimes we buy the cheaper tools to save money.  However, when purchasing your tools, ask yourself “Is this tool going to work for or against me?”  It’s been my experience (doing gardening for years), that saving money does not always save my back or prevent blisters on my hands.  Buying a tool for each task does not save money either and it’s hard to get a lot of work done when you have to switch tools for each task.  I highly recommend two tools and they are the tools I carry with me in my tool sheaths at the Garden:  a soil knife made by A.M. Leonard and a #2 FELCO pruner.  The A.M. Leonard soil knife is made of high quality, rust resistant stainless steel and has a 6″ blade with dual edges: a tapered slicing edge, plus a deeply serrated edge for root cutting.  It can be used to plant bulbs, annual flowers and herbs, dig weeds out of your flower beds and lawn, scrape out cracks in your drive, walk, patio, etc, loosen compacted soils, chop the greens off of your root vegetables, saw through roots, divide perennials and grasses and so much more.  Along with a soil knife, a pruner is great gardening tool to have.  Click here to read more about the benefits of a FELCO pruner.  I use both of these tools for the majority of my garden tasks and have them with me at all times.  The A.M. Leonard soil knife and FELCO pruner can both be purchased at the Trellis Gift Shop located inside the Visitors’ Center at Green Bay Botanical Garden. 

For those of you who already own gardening tools, here are a few tips on how to care for them.  Tools you have stored should have been oiled and sharpened last fall.  If this is not the case, it’s time to sharpen and check for wear from the previous season.  Shovels, rakes, hoes, loppers and hedge trimmers should all be checked for wear.  If you find rust on any of your tools, it can be removed by spraying ‘PB Blaster’ or ‘WD-40’ (available at Fleet Farm) and using # 1 steel wool (for rustier surfaces use a courser # 3 steel wool) to polish the surface.  The handles on your tools should be tightened and should be checked for cracks.  Blades on hedge trimmers, FELCO pruners and others should be sharpened.  You can sharpen them by filing with a fine metal file or honing stone.  Always remember to file in one direction across the tools beveled edge.  Shovels and hoes can be sharpened as well.  However, it is important not to make them too sharp, as this will cause the edge to bend and wear faster. 

For more information on how to clean and sharpen tools, read this article from Fine Gardening magazine.   

Think spring!  And remember, well cared for tools make gardening easier and make for happy gardeners!

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner!  I am sure you are already thinking about gardening, even though we have a few months until we can get out into our gardens and yards.  Have you been thinking about what you will need to nourish your garden.  Will you be purchasing compost, potting soil or mulch?  Green Bay Botanical Garden can help you out - we are now taking orders for our Annual Mulch, Compost and Potting Soil Sale.  Each year we sell bagged Cocoa Bean Mulch, Cocoa Bean & Rice Hull Mix, Fafard Mix 3B, Rice Hull Mix and Worm Castings.  This year we are offering two new products: STA Certified Leaf Compost and Organic-Based Potting Soil.  Purchasing these products through Green Bay Botanical Garden is easy and convenient (we load everything into your vehicle for you) and it supports the Garden too!  Click here for more information on the products available and to download a printable order form. 

All pre-orders are due by March 30, 2010 and products will be available for pick-up on Friday, April 30, 2010 for GBBG members and on Saturday, May 1, 2010 for non-members.  Interested in membership to Green Bay Botanical Garden, click here.  Limited quantities of these products will be available on the pick-up days and throughout the spring to accommodate those who missed the deadline. 

Happy Gardening and thank you for supporting Green Bay Botanical Garden!  THINK SPRING!

Green Bay Botanical Garden (GBBG) is excited about the new gardens that are being installed in 2010!  Both areas are located across the asphalt path from the existing Gertrude B. Nielsen Children’s Garden.  GBBG received gifts from Herb and Gladys King to create a shade garden and from the estate of Elsie Jenquine to create a pavilion, overlook, and garden. 

The King Shade Garden includes numerous boulder walls as well as a constructed ruin of a spring house.  The garden will have a strong collection of hostas with approximately 190 different cultivars.  There will also be about 75 other species and cultivars of shade tolerant perennials as well as understory trees and shrubs including a large variety of hydrangeas. 

The Jenquine Project planting includes numerous species and cultivars of native plants.  The many new cultivars of coneflowers and false indigos are well represented in the collection.  The area also will have many new trees and shrubs.  Together the King Shade Garden and Jenquine Project will add 200 trees and shrubs to the garden.

The majority of the hardscapes (paths and stonework) for both areas were installed in the fall of 2009.  In early 2010, the spring house will be constructed in the King Shade Garden and the pavilion will be erected in the Jenquine Project.  GBBG staff along with NWTC students, volunteers, and local garden clubs will install the plants.  We hope to have the majority of the plants in the ground by the end of June and for sure by the 2010 Garden Walk (July 10th and 11th).

So, get ready for the roll out of a 1.5 acre addition to your local botanical garden and experience a perennial adventure – literally!!

Do you ever wonder what the staff at Green Bay Botanical Garden are doing during the winter months?  Winter gives the staff and other gardeners time to plan for the upcoming gardening season.  While winter has laid its blanket of white all around us, color is being fed to us through magazines, brochures, seed catalogs, and if we are lucky, trips to faraway places where color abounds.  Winter gives us a fresh start, a clean slate.

So where do you start?  First, seek inspiration- inspiration from fellow gardeners, magazines, other gardens and of course, Green Bay Botanical Garden (check out our resource information section on our website)!  And for special gardens such as our Gertrude B. Nielsen Children’s Garden, inspiration comes from kids.  Consider what you like and what you don’t like… gardening is truly a personal thing.  Then start with the “bones” and work from there (“bones” are fixed objects such as hardscape, trees, etc).  Some things to keep in mind: are the plants you are choosing tolerant of sun or shade, dry or moist soil, annuals or perennials?  (Annuals are plants that have a plant hardiness zone rating that is higher than the current zone that you live in.  Around Northeast Wisconsin, the plant hardiness zone tends to be Zone 4 or 5).  Also consider the space you have to work with.  Drawing or mapping out your plans can be helpful; others prefer to visualize in their mind their plans.  Whichever method you choose, sometimes the hardest part is getting started.

Gardening is truly an expression of you… not anyone else, so let yourself be the guide.  Once you have an inspiration, there will be no stopping you!  Share your inspiration with me – send me an e-mail at spingel@gbbg.org (Sarah Pingel, Horticulture & Education Specialist)

Still don’t know where to start?  Sign up for our Landscape Design classes this spring and get expert advice on how to plan your spring garden!

Think spring and happy planning!

If you’ve been longing for the sweet scent of spring and feel like you need the refreshment of a quick getaway to make it through these last long weeks of winter – we’ve got the perfect solution!

You’re invited to join us March 9 & 10 for Green Bay Botanical Garden’s overnight trip to the Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier! 

February 5 is the last day to sign up, so don’t hesitate or you’ll miss out on one of the country’s premier floral events.  From intricately designed theme gardens to realistic displays that will give you ideas for your own garden, from hands-on workshops to educational seminars, from the latest garden gadgets to time-tested favorites – there’s something for everyone.  Also returning for another year are the hugely popular Tablescapes and Garden Gourmet presentations.

In conjunction with the “Cultivating Great Performances” theme of this year’s show, which highlights Chicago’s acclaimed theaters, we will stay in the heart of the theater district and enjoy a private tour of the legendary Chicago Theatre.  And to make our getaway even better, a special group lunch and visit to the Art Institute of Chicago are included on March 9, in addition to our full day at the flower show on March 10.

Click here  for full details and a registration form.  We hope you’ll come along!

Did you know that Green Bay Botanical Garden held its first annual Spring Thaw Symposium in 1985?  Even before our gardens opened to the public we were holding classes, symposia, and other events for our members and other gardening enthusiasts.

Symposium topics have ranged from tropical plants and roses, to native and edible landscapes, to water gardening and rock gardening.  We’ve featured speakers well known by the gardening community, such as Melinda Meyers, Tracy DiSabato-Aust, and Lauren Springer Ogden, as well as local favorites like Roy Diblik, Roy Klehm, Pam Duthie, and Lee Hansen. 

This year we are excited to have two mid-western authors speaking for our Spring Thaw Symposium – Busting Garden Myths, scheduled for Saturday, February 27.  Jeff Gillman, who wrote The Truth About Garden Remedies, The Truth About Garden Myths, and How Trees Die, is joining us from the University of Minnesota where he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticultural Science.  Jeff will be sharing his studies and findings of the home-made and hand-me-down garden remedies that work and do not work.  He will also investigate the truths and myths that relate to good and bad organic gardening practices.

Lynn Steiner, author of Landscaping with Native Plants of Wisconsin, is our other featured speaker.  Lynn will share the benefits of using native plants and bust some of the myths associated with growing natives.  Enjoy examples of successful landscapes and learn about lesser-known varieties suitable for your gardens. 

Green Bay Botanical Garden’s Spring Thaw Symposium is generously sponsored by Jan Wos, owner of the extraordinary Mayflower Greenhouse.  Jan will also be giving participants a sneak peak at the new up-and-coming products to be featured at Mayflower this year. 

Attend to learn something new about gardening or attend to get excited about the upcoming growing season.  Either way, we hope you can join in our spring tradition!

Has the winter weather gotten you down lately?  Feeling tired and trapped inside?  Well, escape the mid-winter slump by adventuring out to Green Bay Botanical Garden!  Enjoy a refreshing late afternoon hike, snowshoe or cross country ski; followed by an evening of delicious soup to warm your soul, a lecture to rouse your mind, and a concert to satisfy your musical ear. 

The Garden’s Soup with Substance Series will be kicking off January 29th and continuing every other Friday through March 26th.  For a mere $7.00 (Green Bay Botanical Garden Members)/ $12.00 (Non-Members) you can enjoy an evening out with friends as you savor all you can eat homemade soup, bread, and dessert from local restaurants.  Following dinner, a brief lecture will be given by local experts on various horticultural topics.  To end the evening, local entertainers will share their talents as they perform a wide range of music from roots music and western swing to classical instrumentals.  Each of the five evenings offers something different in food, lecture, and music to satisfy the wide range of participants that attend.

Tickets are available, but selling fast!  **Advance ticket sales only**

Call the Garden at (920) 490-9457 or stop in during open Garden hours, to purchase your advance tickets.

Hope to see you there!

Click here for more information on the Soup with Substance Series at Green Bay Botanical Garden.

What better way to bring some green into your home, whether winter or summer, than by adding some houseplants?  In fact, studies have even found that houseplants can remove pollutants from indoor air (check out this link)! 

So now that you want a plant, what do you need to know?  Houseplants, like all plants need light, water and nutrients. 

Light – Some houseplants have evolved as understory plants in jungles making them great for the low light conditions inside a typical home.  Others, such as cacti, evolved in the high light intensity of desert climates.  Typically, a south facing window has bright, high light conditions; east and west facing windows have medium light conditions; and north facing windows have low light conditions.  Remember that overhangs can affect light levels on any windows, and that the further back from the window into the home you place a plant the less light it receives.  Take a look at the tags on the plants at the store you purchase them from and match the plants’ light requirements to the light conditions you have.

Water – Remembering that some plants evolved in the moist jungle and some in the dry desert, it is important to water accordingly.  In general, plants can be allowed to dry between watering; however, some indoor plants must be kept moist, so you will need to research each individual plant you choose.  Tags will have valuable information on watering requirements.  When planting, use a soil-less media, and when watering do so thoroughly.  Let water drain through the bottom of the container, collect the excess water, and dispose of it. Do not let the soil become waterlogged. 

Nutrients – During the winter, plants grow slower and therefore need less fertilizer.  Typically, the best time to fertilize is when plants are actively growing and need extra nutrients.  With houseplants this would be in the late spring and early summer, especially if they are being moved outdoors to benefit from increased light and warmer temperatures.  Use a dilute liquid fertilizer or slow release capsules.  The key to growing houseplants is to remember that they are plants.  Use what you have learned growing plants outdoors and bring it inside! 

For more information on growing houseplants, click here. 

Keep it green!

Green Bay Botanical Garden is a beautiful location for a wedding!  There are three areas available for wedding ceremonies and countless locations for the perfect wedding photo!

Woodland Garden has a naturalized style which contrasts beautifully with the more formal gardens that overlook it.  Native trees, shrubs and wildflowers surround a bluegrass lawn that was created as a setting perfect for a wedding ceremony and seats approximately 150 guests.

Kress Oval Garden is a colorful, perennial garden which includes a grassy area surrounded by two large white arbors, one on either side, flanked by a peaceful water fountain and the beautiful Stumpf Belvedere.   Kress Oval Garden seats approximately 150 guests.

Kaftan Lusthaus offers an indoor facility with a Scandinavian feel.  The interior features hand-painted rosemaling and quaint chandeliers.  It seats approximately 50 guests and is perfect for smaller weddings or bridal showers.

2010 dates are filling up fast!  For more information, contact Site Rental and Volunteer Coordinator, Aubrey Brennan at (920) 491-3691 x113 or abrennan@gbbg.org.  Please stop by our booth at the Wedding Expo at Shopko Hall this Friday and Saturday, January 8^th from 5:00 – 9:00pm and January 9^th from 10:00 – 5:00pm.

Winter is the forgotten season at Green Bay Botanical Garden.  Once Garden of Lights is over the crowds disappear, the lights come down, and the Garden resumes its peaceful winter calm.  But don’t make the mistake in thinking that there is nothing to see here this winter!  Stop by on a sunny afternoon and you’ll be amazed by the activity:  the icicles drip slowly and quietly while the chickadees, nuthatches, and finches pick seeds from the bird feeder; the hawk soars in search of mice who are brave enough to peek their heads above the snow; wild turkeys strut through the flower beds like they own the place, scraping the ground in hope of finding fallen seeds or berries.  Chances are you won’t see the shy red fox, but signs of his nightly adventures fill the woods – how far can you follow his tracks?  Snow clings to the ornamental grasses where the breeze hasn’t blown strong enough to shake it off, the crabapple trees and winterberry bushes show brightly and cheerfully against the winter snow, and the Cottage looks especially beautiful covered in newly fallen snow.

To make this beautiful season available to more viewers, Green Bay Botanical Garden is now open Monday – Saturday from 9 am – 4 pm this winter beginning on January 4th.  Stop in to take a winter walk, blaze your own cross-country ski trail past the pond, or venture through the prairie on snowshoes.  Bring a sled and the kids and carve out a toboggan run on the Belvedere hillside.  Attend one of our newly added Saturday morning education classes then enjoy lunch and an afternoon hike.  If you need another incentive, register for the Winter Walking Club at the admissions desk.  Each time you venture into the Garden this winter you’ll earn points towards discounts on memberships, education classes, or in the Trellis Gift Shop.

Don’t let this winter wonderland be “forgotten”.  Discover the joy of the winter garden at Green Bay Botanical Garden – it will make the wait for spring much more enjoyable!