Special Note:

Last weekend was cold and wet, and we completely understand that it deterred some of you from coming out to our Spring Veggie Gardening Seminar. We had a great time with those of you who made it – thank you! – and we want all of you to have the same opportunity.

So we are hosting the Spring Veggie Gardening Seminar again this Saturday, February 24 at 10 am.

We’d love for you to join us to learn our tips and tricks for vegetables that grow in our zone. Plus, a new feature we have this year is the addition of Organic Vegetables and Herbs to our plant selection.

You can register for our FREE do-over event on Eventbrite.

And now to our Night Pruning story…

To continue with the theme of songs, I found a particular song running through my head over and over the other night. The girls were at orchestra rehearsal one evening when I got home, and I felt like I might just have enough daylight to run the mower around the backyard before the sun set. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like these winter months when it gets dark so early there is barely any sunlight after work to have fun in my own garden!

But as we approach spring the sun is going down later, and so as it turned out I did have enough time to mow, and then I decided that there was just enough twilight to start a new project – pruning a rather large crape myrtle. I knew it needed to be done, since we are at the tail end of crape myrtle pruning season. Fortunately, the continued cool temperatures we have had this winter have kept the trees from putting out any leaves just yet. So I started snipping. I think it’s been a few years since we pruned this particular tree because it had long, spindly branches. It’s a tall crape myrtle, so a ladder is needed, and usually I just end up climbing into the tree to reach most of the branches.

With loppers in hand, I trimmed until the last rays of the sun went below the horizon, and then fortunately our patio lights were just bright enough to allow me to keep going. And as the sky darkened, I started singing “Night Pruning” to the tune of R.E.M.’s song Nightswimming (it is from their 1992 album Automatic for the People – a great album with lots of songs you’d probably recognize from the early 90s.) Anyhow, here I am, standing somewhat precariously in a now-pruned crape myrtle, singing at the top of my lungs. I just hope my neighbors didn’t hear me. But I entertained myself with my creative lyrics and the crape myrtle is well-shaped, ready for its spring flush of growth and summer explosion of flowers.

For pruning tips, including for crape myrtles, be sure to watch our Pruning Video. We also have our Crape Myrtle Care Guide available on our website.

After a rainy weekend and lots of pretty cool overnight temps for February, I’m ready for some real spring weather to head our way. And right now, the 10-day forecast doesn’t disappoint. As we roll towards the end of February, it’s time to plant veggie gardens, butterfly gardens, and fruit trees, and it’s time to prune back many shrubs and trees to get them ready to flush for the spring. It’s the perfect time to be out in the garden. Sun-kissed afternoons that warm you up but don’t make you want to run inside for the a/c. And mark your calendars for our annual Spring Fling. It’s coming up on March 9th, we’re going to have some fun new mini seminars throughout the day, gift card giveaways, and a Container Gardening Make and Take. Come see us and let’s make it the best spring ever!