Tips for Protecting Your Fall Landscape

As the crisp fall air ushers in a new season, many gardeners may be left wondering: what now?

Here at GMG we asked a few garden experts to weigh in with their tips on the best things you can do this fall for a fabulous garden next year. Check them out and let us know your favorite tips!

Plant now, bloom later

Judy Nauseef, president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), suggests planning ahead for next spring. “Fall is the time to take stock of your garden and plan for next year,” she advises. “You can see what worked and what didn’t, where you have holes and what needs to be replaced or moved.”

“Once you know what you want to add, plant new perennials and shrubs in the fall, and you will have larger, stronger plants with better blossoms next spring,” adds Nauseef.

Everything’s coming up roses

“Fall is an excellent time for planting, and roses are no exception,” says Steve Hutton, plantsman and president of The Conard-Pyle Co.

According to Hutton, establishing roses in the fall is easy. “The weather and soil conditions are better in the fall, as opposed to spring when it tends to be cold, muddy and wet.”

Frost protector

No matter what you’re growing, a sudden frost or freeze is deadly, spelling doom to your garden and landscape. Protect your lush flowering baskets, vegetables, herbs and favorite plants from Jack Frost with FreezePruf. This non-toxic spray can increase a plant’s tolerance to cold and protect home gardens from damage caused by cold.

This means gardeners can get a couple more weeks of growing and harvesting – at least two weeks earlier in spring and two weeks later in the fall. Sounds good to me!

Deer-proof your garden

Winter months are some of the deadliest times for deer destruction in the garden. "Deer are creatures of habit and stay near a good food source – like your backyard," says Dave Mizejewski, naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. "A lush garden or lawn is a magnet for hungry deer and rabbits, especially in the winter.”

To keep deer out, look for all-natural products, like Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent, that use taste and scent aversion to turn animals off your plants and make them unappetizing to common garden-munchers.

Winterize your accessories

According to the “garden accessory connoisseurs” at Campania International, a little care will help your garden "art" last for generations. Cast stone planters and statuary should be raised off any surface, which freezes and thaws. Terra cotta planters, which can absorb moisture and are subject to winter freeze-thaw cycles, should be stored indoors for winter.

If your planters are left planted outside over the winter, raise them off the ground so they will drain and not freeze to the surface. To winterize both cast stone and terra cotta accessories, simply place them on two pressure-treated wood strips, making sure not to block the drainage hole.

Happy Fall!

-Stacey

GMG

GMG Garden Soiree Dallas Style

We all had a blast at the 9th GMG Garden Soiree at the GWA Annual Symposium this week in Hot!!! Dallas.

We had Dallas size fun thanks to our sponsors American Beauties, Briggs, Conard-Pyle, Costa Farms, JazSpray and Liquid Fence .
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Steve, Karen, Carol, Barbara, and Deb along with Lynne, Karen, Stacey and I gathered with about 40 of our closest gardening friends for some sizzling fun and lots of red meat and red wine.

Our goodie bags had lots of new plants and products for 2011 and some little cow bells. So we rang, rang rang, rang your bell. And we rang out for Stacey for making the party 1st class! And she surprised me with our own GMG 'brand' - because as Steve Castaroni says, "GMG makes brands sizzle!"<>

The Good, the Bad and the Buggy

Did you know that you can order ladybugs online? I had no idea! Ladybugs are actually a good thing to have in your garden since they eat up all those bad bugs.

Our good friend William Moss distinguishes the good bugs from the bad bugs and shares his tips on controlling pests this summer. Check out his segment on the CBS Early Show.



Watch CBS News Videos Online

-Stacey
GMG

Pot Up Some Patriotism

Going to a party this 4th of July? Then you'll be one of 144 million Americans celebrating this national holiday the traditional way.

According to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, the July 4th holiday is looking to be a well-celebrated event, with about 63% of the population having a cookout, BBQ or picnic.

With all this celebrating this 4^th of July, you may want to take your outdoor holiday decorating up a notch?

Here's a quick trick for creating an instant party decoration that you can do in minutes without picking up a shovel:

1. Pick up a Classic Red Knock Out® rose and pair it with white veronica and calibrahoa, and the hardy blue geranium ‘Rozanne’.
2. Next place the Knock Out® in the container. If you have to give it a lift, set in on another container turned upside down. Now arrange the other plants -- still in their containers – around the rose.
3. Top dress with pine straw, moss, coco husk or just drape the trailing plants to cover the tops of the pots.
4. Of course, keep them watered and give them a shot of Liquid Fence Speedy Grow for a little nutrient boost.

With a little imagination and help from an expert at your local garden center, you can create an instant outdoor 4th of July celebration that will last well past Labor Day!

-Stacey

GMG

Protect Your Garden Investment from Unwanted Guests - Deer & Rabbits

I asked Justin Hancock of BH&G.com where deer and rabbit fit in in terms of garden problems, and he replied without hesitation, "Top three!"

I know they are a problem in my yard on Fawn Lane just off Deer Path, but I didn't know it was "top three"! I have planted literally thousands of dollars worth of shrubs and perennials only to awake a week later and find them nubs of twigs and sticks. The deer have sucked all the vegetation off the little shrublings.

Not only has it cost me tons of money each year searching for those mostly deer resistent plants, having them installed and then caring for them, but the frustration is painful. The deer seem to be getting more plentiful and much more bold, looking at me with the come hither, "Who me?" look. They cruise the neighborhood looking for their next meal.

The best protection out there, of course, is Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit or, for really hungry baby rabbits, extreme rabbit problems try Dual Action Rabbit repellents. Spray entire vegetabel or herb plants and ornamental shrubs once a month or after a very heavy rain. The ingredients are EPA exempt and environmentally friendly.

Remember, one deer eats 10 pounds of food a night. Imagine that your garden.

Want them to by-pass your buffet?Spray today to protect tonight.

Suzi

Garden Media Group

Rachael Ray Plants Up Healthy Eating in CowPots

Mayor Bloomberg and Rachael Ray Announce New Programs To Promote Healthy Eating

Gardening, Cooking and Nutrition Instruction to Show City Youth How Food is Grown and How to Bring that Food from Garden to Table

Last week Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rachael Ray kicked off a series of initiatives to help New York's youth eat healthier and understand where their food comes from.

The new programs, supported by Rachael Ray and her Yum-o! organization, will help schools build a garden or connect them to an existing garden and provide cooking and nutrition instruction to young New Yorkers.

And they made the announcement in the vegetable garden at PS 29 in Brooklyn, which the school is using to teach students about healthy eating – and tying it into science and nature curriculums.

And what did Rachael plant her basil in? CowPots, naturally! These new manure-fiber growing pots from The Liquid Fence Company are made from – you guessed it – composted cow manure -- are 100% biodegradable. And as you can see from the photo, Rachael planted the pot directly in the ground. No pushing the plants out of a tight pot. No disturbing the tender shoots and leaves. No fuss. Just stronger, healthier plants off to a better start.

Racheal is passionate about SchoolFood - a program she create to offer exciting, delicious and nutritious lunch menus for 1,600 NYC public schools, serving 1.9 million students. On April 28 she launched her latest SchoolFood menu item called “Cheesy Mac and Trees,” a healthy take on traditional macaroni and cheese, filled with whole wheat pasta, real cheese, skim milk, red bell peppers and broccoli florets.


So teach your children well - and to eat well, too!
Suzi
Garden Media Group

Got poo?

Dirt Du Jour, one of my favorite garden newsletters out of Southern California, just did this little piece on CowPots.

"Dairy farmers Matt and Ben Freund wanted to figure out how to manage the manure pollution on their farm. A methane gas digester did the trick, but there was a by-product from that process - a solid, weed-free cardboard-like pulp. CowPots were born.

Great if you like to start your seeds indoors, but the bigger goal is to get the nursery industry to make the switch to something organic and compostable. The way they see it, reducing pollution, creating a product from a byproduct, and getting plant propagators to use CowPots completes the recycling circle.

And we all know the nursery industry could stand to get a little greener. Home growers can find out about CowPots here. Nurseries and growers can click here. "

Ellen says, "It Works!"

Ellen Wells, contributing garden writer for the Boston Globe and editor at large of Green Profit, gave her mother a bottle of the FreezPruf and told her to spray half of her begonias and not the other half. They had a frost the other night, and Ellen says, her "mother says the begonias she sprayed look fabulous and the others have succumbed to the weather. So ... it works! She said she'll definitely use it next fall.

Ellen added, "I should remind her she can also use it to put plants out earlier in the spring, as well."

We're waiting for FreezePruf pictures! Send yours to us and we'll post how you beat Jack Frost this year!

New this fall from The Liquid Fence Company.

Frost Countdown. What's Your Date with Jack?

I can’t believe summer’s over and we’re watching the weather reports for the first “freeze warning” signs. We could have frost hear as early as October 10!

Normally I would be panicking, but now, while everyone else is playing the guessing game as to when the first frost will occur, I’m using the brand new FreezePruf. It’s just been introduced and works like “anti-freeze for plants” to help plants survive hard freeze. It's like moving your entire landscape 200 miles further south -- up to 9 degrees colder.

Check out this interview with Dr. Dave Francko, Univ. of Alabama (Watch video: Science Daily).

No matter what you’re growing, you could use a little more time this season. Find your frost date by just Googling city or the biggest city near you.

New from The Liquid Fence Company.

Mama's Health Picks CowPots

Mama’s Favorite item of the Week: CowPots
CowPots are a revolutionary pot made with 100% renewable composted cow manure. CowPots are manure-fiber based seed starter pots, which allow for unrestricted root growth creating stronger, healthier plants. These earth-friendly “pots you plant” are an exciting high-performing alternative to plastic and peat pots.
I like CowPots because they give back to the planet. By collecting and using manure to create a truly “green” product, Cowpots help farmers preserve clean, open spaces.
Yay for CowPots!
- Mama

Peter Talks Up Outdoor Pest Solutions on Big Blend Radio

Peter Pape, vice president of sales and marketing, The Liquid Fence Company joins Lisa Smith on Big Blend Radio 8:05 Wednesday Aug 26 to talk about keeping your outdoor celebrations pest free.

I'm sure he'll be talking about YardNet and Ultimate Insect Repellent. The reports from my friends and colleagues are these are the best for keeping away insects! Period. They have one for dogs and cats, too, so I no longer use the oily stuff you squeeze on their backs.

Peter is a great guy and a fun interview. He joined Liquid Fence when it was no more than a good idea and a retired chemist’s secret formula for deer repellent. Now 11 short years later, the company’s flagship Deer & Rabbit Repellent is the number-one repellent in the country.

Click here to listen tonight at 8:05 PM