Tear Sheets for Your Customers
Educate your customers and connect with them like never before. Thanks to Green Profit Magazine for organizing a ready-made class on livegood and hardgood topics in the form of a leaflet to give to customers who want questions answered, myths debunked, and a reason to be in a garden environment, regardless of the season. Just select the leaflet you want and print to your own printer.
Tear Sheet Inventory
Click on each title to be directed to the Green Profit tear sheet that you can print and distribute in your store. Topics range from plant information to lawn maintenance to water gardening to bird feeding. Be THE source consumers turn to for answers.
General Gardening Information Encouraging Healthy Plants So, you've bought your plants – annuals, perennials, maybe some ornamental grasses and flowering shrubs – but what can you do to help ensure they'll succeed in your garden and stay strong throughout the season?
Gardens That Go Bloom Who wouldn't want a garden that blooms from March to November? Even better, one that keeps our visual interest throughout the year – be it flowers, berries, ferns, seed pods or ornamental grasses draped in snow. What's your biggest obstacle to achieving a continuously blooming garden? It's your buying habits and the way you think about gardens. But we're here to change that. It's time to think about your garden as a progressional landscape, not just a bed that has a big-bang of blooms in June and fades with the heat of August.
Extending the Season While some consider fall the end of flowers in the garden and simply a time for cleanup and bulb planting, it doesn't have to be that way. The autumn season can be a brilliant time in any garden, and you aren't limited to just mums and pansies, either.
Fall is for Planting Experts know that the best time to install plants is in the fall, and this rule of thumb goes for trees, shrubs, perennials and even lawns.
Winter Interest in the Garden Traditionally, most of us view autumn cleanup and maintenance activities as a "putting the garden to rest" ritual. Snow falls, and we wait inside for spring to arrive before we begin to admire our gardens once again. Yet, the truth is that you may be missing out on a rewarding season if you view your garden this way. As Vincent Simeone, author of Wonder of the Winter Landscape, writes, "Unlike any other season of the year, winter defines the essence of a garden. It strips away the layers to reveal the garden's inner soul. Truthfully, there is nothing more enchanting than a garden in winter."
Fall Planting Bulbs For most of us, spring is about more than green popping leaves, green blades of grass and green shoots in the gardens. Spring bulbs add that first flare of color to our landscapes, be it in the reds of tulips, the yellows of daffodils or the purple of hyacinth. Yet, many gardeners wait with trepidation to see if the bulbs they planted the previous fall will even poke through the soil. Proper bulb selection, good soil preparation, fertilizer, mulch and planting techniques will all help coax these signals of spring from their dormant states.
Made for the Shade The shade garden has a reputation for being difficult and having limited plant choices, but that's a myth we need to put an end to. In fact, as we'll show here, it's one of the more versatile types of gardens you can work with. The possibilities are endless, and it can be one of the most enjoyable places in a landscape on a hot sultry day in summer.
Inside Out The concept of garden rooms may seem a recent one, fueled by our modern suburban quest for natural living. But it's actually a lifestyle that goes back hundreds of years, to the great Italian, French and English estates with fountain gardens, kitchen gardens, yew hedges and boxwood borders. You need not reside in a palatial estate to create garden rooms in your own yard, regardless of how modest it may be. The concept works well around any size and style of home, provided you follow a few basic principles to get started.
Culinary Gardening What's not to love about a garden dripping with edible fruits and vegetables? You can take advantage of the harvest in a multitude of ways, from dedicated vegetable gardens to mixing herbs and veggies with your flower beds, to containers, trellises or raised beds of culinary delights. Planning for such gardening requires little more than what you probably already do regarding your flowers. Except, in the case of edibles, you'll want to think more about the harvest. Plus, you can plant in successions, so that once one batch of lettuce or tomatoes is done producing, another is ready to harvest.
Perennial Gardening Your Own Perennial Primer (The Plants that Let You Invest in Your Landscape, Long Term)
They're hot. They come in more colors, shapes and seasons than you can imagine. And the best part? They come back year after year. Perennials include everything from the classic delphiniums of your grandmother's garden to funky new breeds of heuchera and the unfurling fronds of ferns in the shade. Whatever look you want to create – from cottage garden to Mediterranean scape, poolside retreat, slope-side color, privacy fence or an enchanted forest – perennials can help you out.
Perennial Garden Basics Perennial gardens are perfect for gardeners of all levels and interests. Here are some tips for planning, planting and maintaining a garden for year-round enjoyment.
Hanging Baskets & Containers Creating Hanging Baskets A guide for designing, planting and caring for your own hanging baskets There's more than one way to add vertical color to your porch or landscape. Tall plants make an obvious choice but so do hanging baskets. Whether you've got an expansive veranda to decorate or a tiny apartment balcony, a hanging basket gets plants up off the ground, to eye level or higher, and can add a burst of color where flower beds and patio containers can't. Already-planted hanging baskets are easy to find in any garden center, but so are the materials needed to plant up your own hanging basket. Here, we'll give you an easy guide to creating your very own hanging basket; plus, you'll get tips for longterm care.
Creating Beautiful Containers Just like all other aspects of your home's décor, container plantings to adorn decks and patios should reflect your own tastes and personal style. Many gardeners plan combinations around color schemes, often taken from exterior house paint or garden accents and furniture. It's certainly not our intention to stifle creativity but if you're looking for some inspiration, here are two combos sure to impress your friends and neighbors.
Creating Upright Containers These days, yards are getting smaller; gardening space is getting tinier, and for most of us, time is getting more and more limited. All of these factors have driven the hot new trend of vertical or upright gardening – growing gardens up, instead of out. The good news is that creating a container garden isn't hard. We'll give you some tips on choosing the right container, plants and how to care for it. The design possibilities are endless; but you don't have to be a floral designer to mix and match the plants you like.
Trees, Shrubs, and Lawns Flowering Trees and Shrubs Landscape designers often refer to trees and shrubs as the bones of a garden or landscape – the elements that provide structure. But you can also think of flowering trees and shrubs as the things that will extend your gardening season and bring color and interest to your yard in even the dreariest months. They can offer blooms, fall foliage, berries, interesting shades of bark, and different textures. Another bonus: many flowering trees and shrubs are low maintenance and don't require much work once they're settled in the ground.
It Had To Be Yew (And Other Shrubs that Meet Your Needs)
They lighten the landscape and provide structure to your garden. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, textures and fragrances. They can serve as hedges, screens or the backbone of a foundation planting. They're shrubs, and with all they're capable of, the name should be longer – or at least more audibly pleasing. In any case, here are the basic facts about choosing and caring for a nursery stock investment.
Keeping Lawns Healthy Understanding the need for and effects of a well-planned fertilizer program is the first step in not only keeping up with, but actually making the Joneses jealous. Of course you can always have a lawn service apply your fertilizer program but for a significant cost savings (and most likely better results) you can easily do the job yourself. Here's what you need to know to effectively feed and protect your lawn all year long.
Houseplants Houseplant Helper As with any garden, choosing plants for inside your home or office requires more than just grabbing what looks attractive to you. While some houseplants love direct sun and warm, humid climates, others will fade rapidly under those conditions. Let's take a look at some of your houseplant options, location by location.
South is North, Out is In: Avoiding Tropical Trouble with Indoor Houseplants As you walk through our garden center, do you know how to pick an appropriate tropical houseplant? In general what you should consider occurs before you even leave your home. Know the site you have first, then choose a plant that will adapt. You should be saying to us, "These are the conditions I have, what would you suggest?"
Bromeliads If you're looking for a forgiving plant that will easily adapt to your home's conditions, bromeliads are a great choice. A member of the pineapple family, this tropical plant comes in about as many sizes, shapes and colors as you can dream up, and their blooms are long lasting.
No Fear Orchidacaephobia: the fear of killing orchids – or it could be if the Phobia People officially recognized it as a legitimate fear. In any case, you're here because you like the trendiest of all home décor plant statements. And that's what an orchid is – a style punctuation mark. But bringing home and caring for an orchid, for many of you, is like seeing the dentist, being afraid of the dark, feeling panicked in small spaces, clutching the armrests on an airplane, not to mention the fear of mimes (or the lesser known fears of palindromes (aibohphobia) or of bathing (abluthophobia). But with some basic knowledge, you'll find orchids to be one of the more tolerant plants.
Water Gardening Aquatics for All Have you ever considered installing a pond but couldn't imagine you had enough space? Or maybe you live in an apartment or condominium and don't think you can possibly water garden. Here are two do-it-yourself projects that will have water trickling and aquatic plants thriving, in no time adding to the ambience of any area. Just follow these easy steps to create a container pond and no-mess fountain.
Simple Water Gardening Have you ever gone on a cruise and wondered why you chose this particular venue over all others? You could have gone on a train ride to the mountains or a plane to a safari in Africa. The attraction of water is the calming effect it has on practically everyone. I would venture to say that anyone who has a water feature, even a small one, at their home will find it the gathering spot for family and friends.
Winterizing Your Pond You've spent the spring and summer enjoying your pond or water features, but now it's time to put them to bed for the upcoming winter. As is often said, a pond is like a living creature and it will suffer or die if neglected. Winter preparation is crucial to the health of a pond and the fish and plants that live there. Read on for some tips and proven techniques to keep your pond healthy over the next few months.
Season-Long Satisfaction The hard part is done. You installed your water feature with the proper pump and filtration system, included appropriate plants and fish, and you've already spent many nights relaxing by the waterfall, enjoying your backyard hideaway. But, the crystal clear water and healthy fish won't miraculously last forever. You've got to perform regular maintenance and follow some simple rules to prevent common summer pond problems.
Gardens and Birds Frequent Flyers Not only are they two of the most common hobbies for Americans, birding and gardening are amazingly similar. Both involve observing colors and habits; watering and feeding; enjoying nature and of course, deterring pesky intruders. Like gardening, birding is an activity for all seasons, offering year-round enjoyment for all ages and all levels of interest. So, when you're planning your garden, think about the birds, too. You can incorporate feeding areas, feeders and birdbaths into your design and create a true backyard habitat.
Feed the Birds Here's some basic information about the different types of seed, feeders and houses available. It's important to have a basic understanding so you can choose the correct feeder style and mix of seed for the birds in your area. This information is general and it's always best to talk to the staff at your local garden center before purchasing seed, houses and feeders.
Miscellaneous Twist Don't Shout
Americans are tough. We skydive, we mountain bike, we haul our kids and their friends to the mall and the pizza parlor and live to tell about it. The last thing we need in our busy lives is to pull a muscle or tweak a ligament when puttering in the garden. But instead of ignoring the pain or pretending the weeds will go away on their own, wouldn't it be nice to have the know-how to make gardening chores easier? By choosing the right tools and using them properly, you'll be able to make gardening more fun – and more productive, too.
Preparing for Winter Pests As winter approaches, we bundle ourselves in coats and seek warmth and shelter in our homes. Unfortunately, we're not the only ones. Various animals seek exactly the same thing. Some of them we want, and we can help them survive through the freezing temperatures. The other pests, we need to strongly discourage – which is a nice way of saying, "Get rid of them."
Concrete Tips Repairing minor concrete damage around the home is a project you can often complete in one day
Centerpiecing Together Your Garden Nearly everyone would like to dress up their garden with a fountain, a bench or a piece of statuary. But how do you know where to begin? The selection of pieces, shapes, styles and colors that are available today can be overwhelming.
Why Mulch? Sure, mulch makes garden beds look great, but it also serves some more noble causes.
Early Spring Lawn & Garden Preparation Preparing your turf in early spring is the best way to ensure a healthy green yard throughout the year. The same is true for the rest of your garden, including tree and shrub pruning and pest management. Here are some excellent tips from the experts at Utah State University Extension to get you started.