May, 2010

We would love for you to join us for our annual

We opened Shades of Green on Mother’s Day 29 years ago,and we always mark this occasion with a party.

Our first everART IN THE GARDEN

will be showcasing extremely talented artists and artisans

from the local area.The varied displays will be set up throughout the beautiful setting of Shades of Green.

We will be CLOSED on Monday, May 31 to remember those who gave their lives to protect our precious freedoms.

Come listen to the melodic music of our favorite guitarist, George Gaytan,while enjoying Blue Bell Ice Cream along with our famous homemade treats

and beverages prepared especially for you by our talented staff.

Sunday, May 9th 11:00 am until 3:00 pm

You will be able to view and purchase pieces from wonderful artists such as

Beth Eidelberg, Melanie Fain, and jewelry maker, Louise Oppenheimer. This is just

a taste of what is in store at this special event.

Moms play an incredibly important role in our lives, and Mother’s Day is the official day to honor them. Whether you are celebrating this special day with your mother, your grand-mother, or your children’s mother, spoil them anyway you can and shower them with gifts. From fragrant roses that will continue to bloom all season to exotic orchids to enhance their surroundings, windchimes to ring in each new day, fountains for relaxation, or unique statu-ary to embelish their garden, Shades of Green is the only place to shop!

HONOR YOUR MOM

Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, May 22 10:00 am until 4:00 pm

We occasionally hear the comment that some of our plant prices are somewhat higher than ‘other places.’ We would like to comment on this for our customers.

When comparing ‘apples’ to ‘apples’ we are very competitive, sometimes even cheaper than our competitors. When purchasing plants from box stores, however, the comparison is closer to apples and prunes. Even though the plant name and pot size may be the same, what is in the pot is not. Here are some differences.v Often our pots of annuals have multiple plants per pot

vs. one plant in a pot.v The soil our plants are grown in is of good quality so the

plants develop good root systems that will continue to support the plants after they are taken home. Lesser (cheaper) plants are grown in soil containing a lot of bark and if not heavily and continuously fed, they will quickly yellow and decline through no fault of yours.v The varieties of plants we carry are adapted to our area

so you will not find varieties of plants that will not bloom, or produce, or even grow in our unique soils and climate. We frequently hear complaints about plants purchased elsewhere––wisteria that won’t bloom, fruit trees that won’t produce, shrubs that turn yellow, and flowering plants that just die. v We have a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff that

can guide you in your selection of plants and inform you as to their care and maintenance so you will be successful with your purchases.

We greatly appreciate your business and always strive to offer you quality and good value.

COLOR THAT LASTS If you want carefree color that will last for seven to nine months of the year, we would like to sug-

gest some of our favorite perennials. No annuals or flowering shrubs or trees can out-bloom them.Consider salvias. Salvias greggii, coccinea, Indigo Spires, nemorosa, mycrophylla, guara-

nitica, blepharophylla, and farinacea are some of the best. Other outstanding performers are lantanas, plumbago, cupheas, skullcap, zexmania, thryallis, turk’s cap, gerbera daisies, scabiosa, blackfoot daisy, ceratostigma, erigeron, German carnations, asclepias, and bulbine. Also think of duranta, esperanza, and Gregg’s mist flower.

To make the most of your perennials, feed them with our Magical Mix (equal parts Land-scape Essentials and Color Essentials) about once a month. When planting, use generous amounts of compost and water your plants in with Thrive to expand their ability to gather water and nutrients from the soil. Remember that perennials normally return year after year, so consider them permanent plants.

A Color Note Because the weather remained cool longer than usual this spring, many of our colorful plants were slow to grow and were not available for sale as early as usual.

With the warmer weather we have now experienced, additional plants are now arriving, and we are well stocked with colorful annuals, perennials, & tropicals.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING

This is our second year to host this event, and we are teaming up with the Animal Defense League who will bring dogs and cats, puppies and kittens in need of good homes. If you are looking for a new pet, stop by and see the adorable animals who are ready and eager to be adopted into loving homes. All animals will be neutered and will have all appropriate shots as well as heartworm and flea preventive. They will also be microchipped. As a thank you, each pet adopted comes with a $25.00 gift certificate from Shades of Green.

Adoptions will be availablefrom 9:00 am until 2:00 pm.

May 15

MAYGardening Calendar

a Stock up on Dr. T’s for mosquito control––also empty any standing water on your propertya Release ladybugs to control garden pestsa Continue semi-weekly applications of liquid seaweed/molasses to strengthen plants and prevent spider mitesa Plant eggplant, okra, beans, and peppersa Feed all flowering plants with Magical Mix (equal parts of Landscape Essentials and Color Essentials) to maximize and extend bloom periodsa For summer color plant caladium bulbs and gladiolus cormsa Apply beneficial nematodes to control grubworms and fleasa Apply Semaspore Bait for grasshopper control as soon as any young grasshoppers are noticeda Keep hummer feeders clean and filled with fresh nectar (1 part sugar to 4 parts water, boiled)a Set out annuals––periwinkles, ageratum, purslane, and zinnias for dependable, long-lasting colora Stay watchful for the appearance of disease and spray with Plant Wash or cornmeal tea if necessarya Plant colorful tropicals for hot weather brillancea Begin releasing trichogramma wasps for webwormsa Continue to mow your lawn regularly to control weedsa Take a moment to appreciate the many freedoms others have fought to protect.

KEEP GRUBS UNDER CONTROL

What are you waiting for? Switch your Garden Ga-zette to the e-mail format. Tell us next time you are in, call us, or e-mail us at gardengazette@sbcglobal.net (this address is only available for subscription purposes). Please include the address where you are currently receiving your newsletter so we can match the names correctly.

This ‘n ThatSeedballz are a fun new,

all natural planting technique. They are small balls of com-pacted soil that are filled with various types of seeds equal to 8 packages of seeds. All you do to plant them is drop them on the soil and step on them. With a little water and sunshine they will delight you with bright bou-quets of colorful flowers.

In addition, Seedballz hold special significance because they are hand rolled by people with special needs. Whether you purchase them for your garden or as unique gifts, they are guar-anteed to bring joy to many.

As if the extreme heat and drought of last summer weren’t stressful enough for our landscapes, grubworms seemed to have thrived. They did tremendous damage to a lot of lawns, and many people didn’t realize they had a problem until it was too late to treat. Don’t let this happen to you. Be prepared this year. As soon as you begin to see June bugs (the adult form of the grub), apply beneficial nematodes to your lawn. If you don’t see June bugs, plan to spray the nematodes beginning in June.

The CINCH is an adjustable plant hanger. This is a creative system for hanging almost any shape or sized pot. It is made of stainless steel so it is strong and durable and can be used indoors or out. It is so sleek that you won’t even notice it.

We have found the most comfortable gloves available. The outside of the fingers and palms are coated with foam latex so they are durable, flexible, and long wearing. But here is the best part. The actual gloves are made of bamboo fabric that is so soft you will not want to take them off, ever.

One of our managers who we won’t name, Wendy, had purchased some other of our great gloves, and she prompt-ly returned them when we got the new bamboo gloves in.

These are gloves you have to try to appreciate.

Your NewFavorite Gloves

Presort StandardU. S. Postage

PaidSan Antonio, Texas 78209

Permit No. 548

Address Service Requested

Business Hours

334 West Sunset RoadSan Antonio, Texas 78209

210-824-3772www.shadesofgreensa.com

Mon. - Sat. 9:00 to 5:00Sun. 10:00 to 4:00

2010 SATURDAY SPRING SEMINARSMay 1 – Creating Beautiful Hanging Baskets ... This is one of our most popular seminars. Donna will inspire you and teach you how to create beautiful, long-lasting works of art.May 8 – Preserving The Harvest ... Connie Shepherd from the Texas Agri-Life Exten-sion Service and Marilyn Magaro of the Texas Department of Agriculture will co-host this informative seminar. Come learn how to can, preserve, freeze, or pickle all of that wonderful produce you are growing.May 15 – Gardening In The Shade ... Creating a beautiful garden in shady areas can be challenging. Let us show you how it can be done successfully.May 22 – Art In The Garden ... No seminarMay 29 – Festival of Flowers ... No seminarJune 5 – Tropical Color ... Tropicals provide an abundance of striking color through the hot months of the year. We will share the secrets of keeping your tropicals healthy and blooming.June 12 – All About Cacti and Succulents ... Our very own Jeff will guide you through the prickly business of growing succulents. He will address all of the thorny issues regarding this fascinating and diverse group of plants.

Seminars begin at 9:45 am (the coffee will be ready by 9:00). Parking can bechallenging during seminars so please follow our signs to optional parking areas.

WHEN IT’S OVER......It’s over. May is the month when cool weather plants reach the end of their growing

season. Pansies begin to yellow despite regular feeding, and the spider mites start to move in. In the vegetable garden broccoli and spinach become infested with aphids and harlequin bugs. Should you reach for the sprayer? NO. It is time to pull them up and replant. In the flower department plant zinnias and portulaca where the pansies were growing. Broccoli can be replaced with okra and eggplant. Sure we hate to see the cool weather plants go, but now the heat lovers have their chance to show off!

Like many other pests, spider mites are much easier to prevent than to control. We have found that plants that are sprayed regularly with a liquid seaweed and molasses combination are almost immune to spider mite infestations. Our Natural Solutions Seaweed & Molasses can be diluted and sprayed safely on all spider mite-susceptible plants in the flower and vegetable gardens, and your plants will be healthier overall. Semi-weekly sprayings have been shown to be most effective. Do not let spider mites spoil your summer.

A ‘MITEY’ PROBLEM