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What’s Happening at GAIA’S! |
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C Gaia’s Garden’n Gallery |
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Garden Greetings,
Join us May 5, 2012 for Bad Girls Art Gallery Garden Open House! We are pleased to announce that Gaia’s is back in business with a retail storefront! We have been invited by Bad Girls Art Gallery at 183 Eglin Pky NE FWB FL 32548 to set up shop. We want to offer you edible plants—herbs and vegetables– as well as the native plants we have been specializing in since we started. We also will have monthly classes on all things gardening (from seed selection to preservation). I am also offering classes to take us back to our old-fashioned (but becoming new again!) basics—sewing, canning, crocheting, etc. Check out Bad Girls calendar for upcoming classes offered at the Gallery from all of our talented artists! Hours: Monday—Thursday & Saturday 10a-6p Friday 10a-8p Sunday Noon-5p
Some classes I will be offering: Organic Gardening Series: Organic Fertilizers; Natural Pesticides, Beneficial Insects, Companion Planting, Soil Amendments: Mulch/Compost, Plant Propagation, Seed Saving, Hydroponic Gardening, Vegetable Gardening in Florida (Fall & Spring class) Theme Gardens: Sensory Gardens, Edible Landscaping, Wildlife & Butterfly Gardens, Moonlight Gardens, Herb Gardens (Medicinal & Culinary), Dooryard Gardens, Oriental Gardens, Houseplants Food: Gaia’s Natural Food Buying Club, Movies, Organic Vegetable Gardening, Edibles, Food Preservation (Canning, freezing, drying) Crafting: Basic Sewing 101 & 102 (learning to sew), Project Sewing (sewing a specific item), Quilting, Basic Crocheting (101 & 102), Mosaics
And as always if you want to learn something, drop us a line with your suggestion and we’ll see what we can do!
We are also changing the way you can get safe and natural products from us. We will be offering them to you through affiliate programs. You get the great products know & love while we get commission from your purchases. Please take a moment and look at the current programs we are offering. For a full listing, click here!
As we research and find different green companies and products we will update our website, so make sure to check back often or if you’d like our monthly newsletter, please send your email to get it in your inbox.
If you are concerned about where your food comes from consider joining our food buying club. We offer local food at near wholesale pricing which nourishes our bodies while helping our local farmers by keeping our money in our community. For more information, click here.
Please check out our Landscape Services section to see what new consulting we are offering. If you are interested, or know of someone who may be interested, please email for more information.
Please visit our website … we offer an array of information to keep you informed of issues we feel are very important to us and our planet! Be sure to bookmark our website: www.gaiasgardengallery.com .
We have changed our emails, so be sure to add us to your address book to ensure you continue receiving information from us. info@gaiasgardengallery.com shelly@gaiasgardengallery.com newsletter@gaiasgardengallery.com
Gardening Tips:
Click here for monthly planting guide!
PERENNIALS: REDUCE WATER USAGE – Some ways to reduce water usage as we head into the drier months: Install soaker hoses. Wind the hose (which is usually made of recycled rubber) among the plants to allow water to seep into the ground. Set up a micro-sprinkler system to water individual beds. The sprinklers keep the water close to the ground and take care of only small areas so you won’t be wasting water on sidewalks and roads. Ready to install systems are available, if you are interested in one call us and we’ll price a system for you. Select drought tolerant plants, some of which are gaillardia (blanketflower), coreopsis, gaura, and lantana. Keep the drought-tolerant types together and water them less frequently. We have a FREE book here at the shop called Waterwise Florida Landscapes from Florida’s water management districts and complements of Gaia’s Garden’n Gallery and Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance. A must have to plan your landscaping to promote water conservation using the principles of xeriscape. Maintain a 2-3 inch layer of mulch. Some larger growing perennials can have more mulch added, but no more than a 4-inch layer. Too much mulch may keep water from moving into the root zone during drought. WATERGARDENS: Some winter trimming may be needed. Most can be done during the later part of the month (especially if spring arrives early). If plants begin lots of growth, you may as well get them pruned now. Plants used near the water gardens may also need pruning to keep them from interfering with water plant growth. Here’s a list of other chores we can do now: Clean filters as needed. Remove leaves from water’s surface. Trim off any old flowers or seedpods. Feed fish only when weather begins to warm. HIBISCUS PRUNING: IS THERE EVER A GOOD TIME TO PRUNE HIBISCUS? Most plants are in bloom year – round unless affected by cold. Some gardeners actually prefer a freeze to justify pruning back their hibiscus. When the plants are pruned, there is a lag time between new growth and flowering (sometimes 6 months or more). Here are some tips to keep your hibiscus in bloom: Wait until late February or early March to do the pruning in cooler locations. Cut back or remove tall, lanky shoots to branch angles or trunks within the plants. Some may be cut back to the ground. Trim back 1/3 of the plants older stems (either to the ground or to branches within the plant) to allow new shoots to develop and renew growth. Remove any dead or declining shrub portions. Give plants a light feeding of low-nitrogen blossom-booster type fertilizer. We carry Earth Juice Bloom (0-3-1), a liquid concentrate organic fertilizer here at Gaia’s. Keep soil moist with regular waterings. CITRUS: Winter protection may be needed as trees could be in full bloom by the end of February. You can plant citrus trees if the daytime temperatures are at least 70° F and nighttime temps are above freezing. The end of Feb is a good time to transplant your containerized trees into the landscape. Prune now before the trees jump into spring growth – REMOVE limbs that are in the way of maintenance; LOWER height if needed (most citrus trees give best production when allowed to grow 12 feet or taller); REMOVE shoots (suckers) arising from below the graft; SHORTEN limbs that may be susceptible to breakage by over laden fruit. Keep up a steady watering program. Trees coming into growth are ready for a feeding. In warmer locations this can be by the end of the month, but feedings can be delayed until March. As new growth begins, you may notice aphids feeding on new shoots. They only affect young leaves and can cause them to curl – control is often applied to new trees whereas older trees aren’t treated. You may notice ladybugs and lacewings (beneficial insects will be available at the shop soon) giving good control of aphids in citrus. Where needed, a soap spray usually gives good aphid control, please follow label directions. HERBS & VEGETABLES: South Florida gardeners are adding a combination of warm & cool-season crops where Central and North Florida planters still have a choice: they can either add more cool-season crops or prepare the soil for warm-season plantings. Keep fertilizing crops while they are producing as many continue to grow and give good yields – this is very important with herbs, broccoli, collards, and strawberries. Stop feeding only when you know production is over or crop is removed from the ground. Whiteflies are a major problem on many vegetable plants during the winter months; they especially like cabbage, collards, broccoli, and cauliflower. They build up slowly and cause plants to lose vigor and decline. Control with soap spray when first detected; be sure to get under the leaves to control immatures. You may also see aphids, caterpillars (be careful some may be butterfly caterpillars), mites, and root-knot nematodes. Our selection of gmo-free, organic, heirloom seeds are in, stop by and pick them up while the selection is good!
MacCubbin, Tom (1999) Month by month gardening in Florida. Enjoy - have fun - get your hands dirty!
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