A Gardener must have patience!

Hello fellow gardeners!

The weather in Medicine hat is wonderful! We have seen some record highs this winter and have avoided the severe -40 temperatures. Good for us! With all this sunshine we might feel like getting our hand dirty with a little planting. However, lets be patient.
The weather is nice, but remember when it snowed last week? It just might happen again! As a zone 3 planting area we should at least wait until April to plant. Our trees and shrubs will come in next month, and our perennial house will be opening then as well. We also have some nice bulbs to start inside at this time like begonias, and cannas and callas.
What else can you do in this great weather? Try not to dig around too much. The ground isn’t too thawed and you might just end up playing in the mud. What you can do is day dream about your garden this summer. What do you want to plant, and where? Do you want to try a raised bed this spring, or do you want to turn that bright corner of your lawn into a bright coloured flower bed? Throw some ideas around, be crafty, come in and look at our new pottery to get some ideas about what direction your garden will take this summer. Or come in and get a house plant if you just can’t fight the need for green!

Check this site out for some tips on what to start doing when April hits!

And Here is a peek at some of our perennials, and a few shots of Medicine Hat, oh and there is Bev our perennial house expert!

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Happy Spring Everyone!

Yesterday it was offically Spring! If you live in Medicine Hat that means snow, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start planning our summer gardens. The following websites will help you with composting tips and other cool ways to stay green this summer.

Here…
and Here!

Also check out Medicine Hat’s bedding plant of the year and see if you want it in your flower beds this year!
Medicine Hat’s bedding plant of the year is rudebeckia!

Rudebeckia is a great flower to plant in the prairies and it attracts butterflies!

Our First Butterflies

We have some new additions to the Windmill Garden Centre, and they sure are pretty!!

And of course some other additions are growing under the windmill as well. Spring is only 11 days away and we are getting ready! Take a look!

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Fungus Gnats! Ewwee!!

Who has gone to water your beloved house plant and been greeted by those little black icky flies. If you have please don’t worry!!

Fungus Gnats are gross and icky looking but they are really quite easy to get rid of. They are a common winter problem for indoor house plants.
The adults fly up when you water the plants, while their larvae feed on decaying plant matter, fungus and sometimes the roots of the plant. If you notice them act quickly! The faster you get rid of them the less likely they will get to your other plants.

First of all check if you have been over watering your plant. Fungus gnats LOVE wet soil and will thrive in it. Most plants like to dry out between watering so just hold back and it should be fine. If you try this and you still find these little guys, you have some options.
1. Get some sticky tapes, to trap the adults and keep them from laying more eggs (females can lay up to 200 eggs in the soil it is living in).
2. To kill the larvae you may apply an indoor safe insecticide to the plant like Trounce. It is completely natural and non-synthetic, made out of plant and animal oils, mainly chrysanthemums. It does not harm children or pets. Please follow directions given and do not use harmful insecticides inside your home.

As a preventative measure always try to buy good soil and eliminate natural habitat by allowing plants to dry out between watering.

If you are feeling nerdy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciaridae

Thanks for reading and remember to follow our blog for more posts!

Indoor Plants a Reminder of Spring

Hello all!

Here is a look at some of our beautiful tropical plants we have down at the windmill. We have a HUGE selection of succulents, cacti, and tropicals for your home. Indoor plants not only provide you with beauty in your home, but they also help keep the air clean. Some of the top plants that we have are the Areca palm, Boston fern, dracaena, English ivy, Peace Lily, Rubber plant, and Weeping fig.

Adding two to three houseplants a room is the most effective way to keep the air clean in your home for your family. Give them lots of room between each other for air circulation and try not to put them near a draft or a place where the temperature changes suddenly.

Even if you do not have a green thumb you may be surprised at how good you are at looking after a houseplant. A majority of them like to dry out between watering, and there are even a few that don’t need too much sun.

Here’s some photos, and remember if you can’t figure out what will do best in your home come down and our staff will give you some tips.

Thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to our blog on the side via email.

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SEEDS!

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Spring may not have fully arrived, but all of our seeds have!

We have started getting ready for spring at the Windmill Garden Centre, and we have all you need to get planting at home. Some seeds you might want to start now are:
-Geraniums
-Perennials
-Onions
-Impatiens
-You may also start some vegetables, like peppers or tomatoes; however keep in mind that you will need to transplant them at least once before they go outside.

As for Bulbs we now have Cannas and Begonias for starting indoors. Start them now so you can have a beautiful display in the summer time.

If you need any help come down and see our friendly staff and they will be happy to help you.

A New Page For the Windmill

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Hello everyone!

Welcome to the new webpage for the Windmill Garden Centre. It should be 100% up and running in a short time so please keep checking back. We will be keeping everyone updated with what is going on here so feel free to follow this blog by clicking follow button right beside this post!
For now we will let you know that we have plenty of new flowering plants in for Valentines Day. So come in and pick up a new Orchid for your loved one! We also have Azaleas, African Violets, Primroses, Hibiscus, and the ever so fragrant Gardenias. See you soon!