THE HOLIDAY SEASON
HAS STARTED!

Yeah, it can be hard to wrap your head around the holidays this year when it seems like we were just in summer. But embrace the chill in the air and enjoy some of our many popular holiday activities:

• Wreathmaking starts on November 9th and continues until December 23rd. Book your reservation soon to hold your spot. Certain weekend days are very popular. Click here for more details.
• The After Hours Christmas Shopping Event is back on December 5th, from 6pm-8pm. There will be some great deals on holiday items and some snacks too! Wreath machines will be open late that day.

Ongoing activities:

• Create a Fairy Garden here at the Gardens. For $25, you will get a pot, soil, three starter plants and fairy dust. This activity is available any day, however, reservations are required. For more details, click on the Classes link at the top. By the way, this might be a good Christmas present...
• A Soup-er Scavenger Hunt - Starts Nov 7. A fun little activity on our Nature Trail. Walk along our historic Nature Trail to try to spy 20 woodland friends, fairies, and holiday figures. When you’ve spotted everything on the list, come back to the main building to collect a sticker or candy prize. This activity supports Helpline House. Please bring a can of soup when you visit!
• Pine Cone Bird Feeders - For the young ones. Come on in to make a few simple pine cone bird feeders, using a cone, some almond butter, and bird seed. This should take only about 5 minutes. $5 gets you two cones. Plus it's a lot less messy when you make them here!

WREATH-MAKING:
AN ANNUAL TRADITION

IT'S FEELING CRISP OUT THERE

Now that the smoke and heat are behind us, we can finally enjoy fall. As it gets cooler, plants slow down and divert their energy to winter survival. There are things we can do to help our plant friends prepare for the long winter and emerge in the spring extra strong:

• Do a light mulching of your garden beds with compost. Compost helps add organic matter to soils that have been depleted by all the watering we needed to do over a long dry summer. This layer also protects roots from extreme cold and as we move into the next year, holds onto moisture and keeps the roots cool.
• In general, you don't need to fertilize established plants at this time of year, because you don't want to encourage new growth that might be damaged by frost or a deep freeze. However, for established woody plants, applying Soil Science Bloom Driver or EB Stone Ultra Bloom encourages root and flower growth for the upcoming season, especially for lilacs, camellias, rhododendrons and fruit trees. These products have a low amount of nitrogen but high enough phosphorous.
• It's a good idea to give your lawn one more dose of fertilizer before winter. This helps give roots a boost so your lawn comes back stronger in the spring. Pick a time that's not too rainy (or the fertilizer will just wash away) and before a deep freeze when the grass is dormant.
• Before we get into our storm season, it's good to thin out tree and shrub branches that may be encroaching on your paths, driveways or above your house. As long as you're not removing more than 20% of the overall volume of your plants, you are not setting back their health. It’s better to make those pruning cuts yourself rather than having the wind or wet snow do the trimming for you.
• If you have veggies growing, such as leafy greens, you should consider covering them with a cold frame or cloche to extend the season.
• Consider getting some Reemay or protective material (Harvest Guard) to cover your tender plants before a cold spell. Also, you may want to move potted tender plants to a protected area before such a spell.