February eNewsletter 
Stave Off Winter Madness
Something happens about the third weekend in January. All of a sudden, it seems, you can actually notice the days getting just a wee bit longer. Can March 21st be far off? Closer yet is the Wisconsin Public Television Garden Expo in Madison. Hope to see you down there. It’s a great show and comes at just the right time to stave off winter madness. We won’t have a booth this year but we will be doing presentations on Saturday and Sunday, 13 and 14 February.
Slowly Increase Watering
Alas it is still winter but there are some chores you certainly can attend to. Within the next few weeks you can - very gradually - begin increasing the water to those plants you brought inside for the winter. Hold off on the fertilizer for a bit longer. You don’t want these plants to start growing too soon or you’ll have long, spindly (and fragile) plants to set out come May.
Look Global - Buy Local
No better recreation for gardeners than to pour over all those catalogs that have been arriving in recent weeks. Use them for ideas, inspiration and planning, but hold off before you put in an order. Check out our web site for this spring’s availability list. More often than not we’ll have the same plants you see in the catalog but odds are ours will be cheaper, you won’t incur shipping costs and your plants won't arrive beat up and dried out. You’ll find a lot of people encouraging “buying local” for the sake of the environment and to support area business people - a concept we whole-heartedly endorse! Don’t forget, if you can’t find a plant, give us a call and we’ll try to locate it for you.
Prune Some Vines and Fruit Trees Now
For those of you willing to venture outside this time of year, you can start doing some early season pruning chores. Grape vines, hardy kiwi and fruit trees can all be taken care of at this time. Vines, like hardy kiwi (shown above), that bloom on new wood can be pruned back now. The rabbits will appreciate the convenient, free lunch afforded by the discarded branches - maybe they’ll even stay away from your valued trees and shrubs for a while.
Summer blooming "Limelight" Hydrangea, shown at right, is one of the summer blooming shrubs that can be pruned in winter. Not all hydrangeas are alike, so please look up pruning for your specific variety - a good reminder to keep the tags for plants you buy this season!
DO NOT Prune Spring Flowering Shrubs!
DO NOT prune any of your spring flowering shrubs; you’ll only prune off the dormant flower buds that formed late last summer and fall. Spring-blooming lilac, shown left, is one of the shrubs you don't want to prune in winter.
Cure for Cabin Fever Classes Coming in March
This year we’re running a series of workshops and presentations the last week of winter. We’re calling it “Mayflower March Madness - The Cure for Cabin Fever”. Keep an eye open for a mailer or click here for details. The photo below shows a fused glass workshop, just one of a number of classes we're offering. Don’t hesitate to sign up. Each year many sessions fill early.
OK, one more thing. If you are really desperate and you need a “green” fix, feel free to stop by even though we’re not open. And if, in your winter time musings about last season, you think of anything that might have made your shopping experience at Mayflower better, send an email to jan@mayflowergreenhouse.com. We’ll give every suggestion serious consideration.
Happy Gardening,
Jan Wos, Owner of Mayflower Greenhouse
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