IS IT TOO COLD TO PLANT?

We have been asked if it has been to cold to plant or put out your annuals.  With the weather we have been having over the past few weeks, you would think it is late September here in Minnesota.  Its May 15th, and just two weeks ago I was watching snow flakes come down as I was having coffee in the greenhouse.
Just to let you know, the temp would have to stay at 32 degrees for two days straight to have any effect on your annuals.  At this time of the year it is cool, but I myself would not worry about it.
New variety of annuals are coming in this week, and stop by for some hand picked varieties of them that will be arriving this Thursday.  We are getting some in that you can't find at other nurseries.

Free Design Before and After Pics

Please stop in with some pictures of the garden spot you want to transform, we can show you before and after pictures of what it will look like.  Just bring them in on a drive or email them to mark@hallanursery.com     We can print the after picture with a list of the plants you will need.

Buying Plants For Your Garden

When buying plants from a garden center, inspect them closely and avoid any pots with very dry soil. Look also for yellowing leaves, since this may this may mean the plant is starving, or for any ragged leaf edges, since this could be insect damage.
It is also a good idea to avoid buying plants that are past their bloom because you will not benefit from the bloom of the flower. Ask the staff if it is a continues bloom for the spring and summer or just a onetime bloom.
When putting them out in your garden or pots consider the area you live in. In Minnesota we can have frost up till June, but that rarely happens. We had frost here at Halla Nursery in Chaska last Monday May 2nd.
Any transplants you buy will need potting almost immediately, to ensure each plant has enough room to develop. To do this, gently remove the transplant from the cell pack and put it in the a pot with your soil. Remember to do this very quickly as you don't want the roots exposed for any length of time. Loosen up the roots before surrounding them with water. Water the transplant as soon as you can.

Weekly Specials

Specials for May 8 to May 14, 2011

- 20% off all hanging plants

- Join our garden club for $10 and get a $10 Gift Card
and 5% off all future purchases (excluding sales items) Stop In or Call Us to Join

- Buy three perennials and get one free

- 20% of all pots

- Get free landscape consultation

- Bring your yard or area before and after photos, and we'll
display them for all to admire

Specials for the week of 5-1 to 5-6-11

• 20% off of seeds and spring bulbs
• Join our Garden Club for $10.00 and get a $10.00 Gift Cerificate plus 5% off of all future porcgases (excluding sale items)
• Monrovia Knockout Shrub Rose $30.50
• Blooms Spring to Fall
• Great purplr flower
• Monrovia Ramopo Rhodondendon $31.00
• Spring Bloom with a stunning purple flower

Minnesota Gardens

Planning your Minnesota Garden can be an easy task when you plan ahead for the work to be done.  If this is your first time gardening, we recommend the following steps.

The most important step is to look at your soil to tell what kind you have.  Grab a handful of most soil and squeeze it in your hand, if it forms water droplets most likely its holds to much water and needs peat moss, cattle manure, and  bacteria (mycorriazae).

We have used Peat Moss and Cattle Manure compost in our beds and in the plantings for our customers and find that it amends the soil to help with drainage and nutrients.  Another tip would to use the straw or leaves you might have put over your gardens the past season.  Turn soil over at least eight inches deep or call us to have it tilled.

The next step is to look at how much sun your garden gets.  Do you have a shade or a full sun garden?  The sun’s rays will change throughout the season with most home gardens.  You might have full sun in the spring but as the trees leaf out that spot might become partial shade to full shade by mid season.  I use the date June 20^th, the summer solstice for my starting point.  That is when the sun is at its highest point of the season.  Try to remember back the year before and see what your garden or that area was like mid season. This will determine the plant varieties you should use.

Laying out your garden is all up to you, the most common with flowers is tall in the back and the shorter in the front.  I have seen many variations, it really is what is pleasing to you.

When it comes to planning your vegetables it’s a whole different ball game.  Read the information on the packet of seeds you are planting.  If you are growing pumpkins you will need a large  area, as the vines will spread out as they grow.  Planting corn next to carrots will block the sun that the carrots need  Planting your vegetable garden in rows north to south will give your plants the best exposure to the sun. I put the layout and the plant information in an envelope to review at the end of the season.  You would be surprised how much that will help you on your next year’s garden.

If you are a first time Gardner  stop into Halla Nursery to have one of our experienced staff members help you with it.  We will be happy to make recommendations so your garden brings you the results that you desire.

For your larger projects our designers will meet with to do a complete design for your yard, there is no charge for this service when you purchase the plants from Halla Nursery.

To get more information on your garden, please check out hallanursery.com our Halla Gardens Blog and join us on Facebook for great coupons.

Welcome to the Halla Nursery Garden Club Blog "Minnesota Gardens"

We want to thank all our past customers and the new ones that are still to come.  At Halla Nursery, we are just as frustrated at the weather like you.  I looked out the window today May 1^st, and thought it must be October as I watched the snow flakes come down.  It’s all about the weather at times, 70’s two weeks ago and now light snow.  What’s a gardener to do?  We wait and wait for that one break to let us know when its time to get down and dirty, and it shows up at our doorstep when we least expect it, strange how the weather works at times.

At Halla Nursery we are making some changes to expand the way we do business. We are having classes from building a pond in your backyard, having Master Gardner’s in to answer your questions, to having local Farmers Markets on the weekends.  We welcome your garden questions, and will post them on this Blog as well as our website hallanursery.com we would love to post your garden pictures as well, so send them in to mark@hallanursery.com

            We will be doing daily Blogs about what we are doing, but most importantly what you should be doing in your Minnesota Gardens.