DEADLINES COME AND GO
Cameron Rees, General Manager
When the starting gun was fired last fall, the tentative completion date for our new greenhouse was early March. But things never go exactly according to plan, do they? The reality is things like permits, weather, shipping delays, and conflicting schedules force plans to change.
It was obvious early on in the project that the March date wasn’t going to happen, but luckily that didn’t stop things from moving right along. Since winter, the progress has been steady. Everyone has done their best to push things forward as quickly as possible, and although we’re still not done yet, we’re getting closer to completion.
I’m still not sure exactly when things will be completely wrapped up and turned over to us, but if I had to put money on it, I’d be betting sometime in June. We’ll see!
In the meantime, we’re just going to keep plugging along and taking care of business… and that means all of our customers, like you.
The springtime buildup transitioned into the Mother’s Day buildup, and if there was any open space around here before, it’s getting filled up very quickly. We have a lot more scheduled for next week as well. That’s just the name of the game this time of the year.
Mother’s Day, veggie gardens, landscape projects, spring planting... there are a lot of reasons behind outdoor gardening projects right now. Just keep in mind, that despite our ongoing construction project, we’re still in full swing and are here ready to help you in any way we can. We hope you come and see us.
And to all the moms out there... I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
—Cameron Rees
MOTHER’S DAY
Gifts for all those who WEar the “mom hat” in your life!
Whether family, friend, or co-worker, let’s celebrate those who step up to be caring and loving people in our lives. Mother’s Day is May 12th and Skinner’s has lots of options to say “thank you!” We have beautiful hanging baskets bursting with color and patio containers with an array of foliage and flowers. We are filled to the brim with amazing houseplants too! Air plants are another unique gift to give, low maintenance and easy to take care of for that super busy mom! If veggies are the thing, we are ready to point you to our selection. At Skinner’s, we can help you customize any container you find to make that gift as unique as they are! And don’t forget about tools and accessories or garden decor! Come in and we’ll help you find just the right thing!
“THYMELY” ADVICE:
Winter Damage, Rose Slugs, and Rust... Oh My!
Now that spring growth is well underway, problems that tend to come along with it will start to show up, too.
WINTER DAMAGE – We’re seeing a lot of that this year. The cold in January did a number on many things, but the extremely dry weather we had early in the fall and the unseasonably warm weather in late fall and early winter set many things up for more damage than normal. If you’re seeing things not growing back like they normally would this spring, that may be what you are seeing. Our advice is to watch and wait. Take things out or cut things back once you know for sure it’s dead, but until you are certain, wait. Often damaged plants will leaf out later than normal or sprout up aggressively from the base of the plant... IF they haven’t already been removed from the garden.
ROSE SLUGS – Also known as Rose Sawfly, these small green worm-like pests typically show up in May and feed on the roses in your garden. They hang out on the undersides of the leaves, they are small and well-camouflaged, so even when you are looking right at them it’s easy not to see them. They feed on the soft tissues on the underneath side of the leaves, leaving skeletonized leaves in their wake. Those leaves quickly dry up or turn brown or bronze. That’s typically when folks notice the problem. The plant will eventually grow out of it, but it will look bad for a while. Scout for the problem early...like now...and react when you see the first signs of a problem. The damage can easily be prevented if you catch things early. Use a strong blast of water to dislodge them from your plants or spray with Fertilome Horticultural Oil or Fertilome Spinosad.
K-STATE EXTENSION/ROSE SAWFLIES
RUST – Cedar-apple Rust is quite common in our area. This fungal infection spends part of the year living on susceptible apple trees and the rest of the year living on our one and only native juniper, more commonly known as the Eastern Redcedar. The infection on the Eastern Redcedar, although a little wild-looking, doesn’t really do much harm to the tree. However, on susceptible apple varieties, severe damage to the leaves and the fruits can occur. A preventive fungicide like Fertilome F-Stop should be applied at regular intervals according to the label from about mid-April to late May/early June.
