Everyone Should Have a Cactus

Cactus – any of numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions of the New World, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems, and typically having solitary, showy flowers.

 

These pointy little plants can have a happy life without water as long as the sun is shining on them. The way they photosynthesize is unique in that they do most of the work when the sun is down. The plants keep their stomas, or pores, closed during the day as not to lose water. Because of the dry condition that most cacti live in, this is very important. Instead they open up at night to “inhale” the carbon dioxide and use that throughout the next day for photosynthesis. This process if you would like to know is called crassulacean acid metabolism.

All of the photosynthesis is done in the cactus stem, where as most plants use their leaves. They also hold the water in their stems, which are usually larger with shallow root systems so they can react quickly to catch water.

If you are planting a cactus at home, make sure you have a good spot for it in a sunny window. When picking your pot, you don’t need to go big. Remember these guys have shallow roots so they do not need that much room. Come in and check out our selection, and remember you can mix and match with cacti and succulents to make a beautiful planter.

 

Call 403-526-3447 for questions!

 

The pictures of cacti and succulents are from a Thailand flower market, but many are available at the Windmill Garden Centre . Enjoy!

The Peace Lily

The second plant we are going to talk about is Spathiphyllum aka the peace lily! Peace Lily’s are a great house plant and one of the few that continuously flower. They are easy to take care of and don’t particularly need a lot of light. What they do need however is more consistent watering. If you do let it dry out however, it will tell you right away. The look of a Peace Lily that needs water is pretty obvious and it will perk up right away when watered.

The only thing people may worry about is the slight toxicity of Peace Lily’s. If you have a pet that likes to nibble plants, maybe consider our last plant, the spider plant.

The white flowers come from the centre of the plant and if in the right conditions will continue to bloom. If the leaves are looking a little brown it could be one a few reasons:

1. Too much light. High light will burn it.

2. Not enough water. or…

3. Not enough humidity. Mist your Peace Lily to save it from our dry winter prairie weather!

We have peace lilies in 4″ pots all the way up to 2 gallon. Come see them!

Tropical Plants Everywhere!

We have received a ton of tropicals at the greenhouse to make up for the lack of bedding plants we now have! That way, while you are inside this winter you will have the joy of seeing green plants. We also have some nice flowering tropicals, like the lipstick plant- in many different varieties, the goldfish plant, and the peace lily. Lot’s of our tropical plants you can see inside the butterfly house where we have created an indoor exotic garden.

Remember how much plants can do for your home. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also help clean the air in your house. Come down to see us and pick out your next green friend!

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New Friends in the Butterfly House

So we’ve had a few additions to the Butterfly House that we didn’t really expect. First off we spotted some new baby quail! Very cute I must say! Then we found that some of our atlas moth caterpillars had hatched and the caterpillars are eating and eating, getting ready to make a cocoon.  Here are some neat pictures, but nothing beats coming in and seeing it in person!

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Fall Sweaters, Tulips… and coffee??

 

Well, the weather is still pretty nice (knock on wood), but there is that crispness in the evening and the morning that is nagging us to get our sweaters out. This means that some preparation is in order to get ready for fall. We have just recieved our fall bulbs, and we have our fall lawn fertilizer out. Our mulch is on sale right now for $1.00 off/bag! Other than that, some fall pruning and then let those perennials, trees and shrubs go dormant, and put the annuals in the compost bin.

Once you have your bulbs planted and you’ve tucked those plants in for their winter nap, what better way to kick back than with a hot beverage. What would you think if the Windmill Garden Centre could serve you up a tasty London Fog, or a yummy mocha? We hope to be able to do that for you very soon, so when you come down to look at our Christmas trees you can have a hot tasty coffee treat! If you are excited about this leave a comment or like this post on facebook. We would love to hear your thoughts!

We do still have perennials, trees, and shrubs which are still alright to plant as long as you water, water, water! Anywho, make sure to leave a comment, and have a happy weekend.

Love the Windmill Garden Centre

Bumble Bees and Buterflies

I recently went camping to Elkwater in the Cypress Hills and on a hike saw some beautiful wild butterflies and bees! Plant a butterfly garden and a few bee attracting plants and you too could have some nature photography to do. Let’s stay green so we don’t lose any more bees!!

Here is a local woman who makes delightful treats with the help of bees! Click Here!

And here is some nature photos! Enjoy!

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Ugly Nest Caterpillars

There have been many people coming in lately with a silky mess in their trees. These are most likely Ugly Nest Caterpillars. Right now these guys have eaten their share of leaves in your tree but are getting ready to change to a moth and fly away from your sight all together. They are protected by their nests at the moment and cannot be treated with poisons. So don’t even bother! If these little devils are really bugging you, you can try removing them from your tree by hand. Simply cut off the branch nesting these caterpillars and throw them in a garbage bag, or burn them. They will not harm your tree, and they have most likely already eaten all they needed so no more leaves will go missing. Relax your garden and trees will be fine. Nature can be a little bit messy.

For any other garden concerns please call us or come to see us at the Windmill Garden Centre!

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Atlas Moth Back in Town!

We have the Atlas Moth once again. We have been asked to share when it is out so that our butterfly/moth lovers can come and take a peek! We hope you can come down to see this lovely piece of nature up close and personal!

 

Blue Morpho Madness

The butterfly house is stocked full of Blue morphos these days, and they aren’t afraid to land on you!

Come down for a beautiful experience with some beautiful butterflies!

We also have some great summer sales on right now. All bedding plants and flowering hanging baskets are on for half price, and our perennials are all 30% off! Come visit this weekend!

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Another great Butterfly Release!

Thank you to everyone who came out sunday as well!

We hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

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