Open House Nov. 27-28. Blow out Poinsettia price!

Dear Viewer,  Get your Fresh Evergreen.  It has arrived!! Four things you should know about Fresh Evergreen. A Great Holiday Gift Idea!!  Many mothers and daughters have given each other a fresh evergreen container arranged for a Christmas gift.  Call Katie and she can come right to your house and create it.  What an easy gift that you can give every year that lasts all winter long. You can choose from many different evergreen branches, stems & other ad ins for your containers we have not had in the past.  Bert says this is the freshest evergreen he has ever seen. That is saying something!!  Stop in now and to see and smell it all. Want to have the Christmas tree smell without the hassle of a real Christmas tree?  Starting now you can have fresh evergreen put in your fresh flower arrangements.  The smell will fill your whole house.  Or pick up a sleeved bouquet of fresh evergreen to set around. Want your containers done by Thanksgiving??  You need to call or stop in soon!!  Katie is going to be busy creating containers trying to beat the Thanksgiving rush. Click Here to see the different fresh evergreen we have.  The pictures don't do this product justice.  You need to stop in and see it for yourself.   Why Stop At Our Christmas Open House? November 27 & 28. (Black Friday & Saturday) Best poinsettia prices of the year!! Our beautiful 6.5" poinsettia's will be at the best prices ever!!  Get here early on Friday to make sure you get some.  Check the shopper for the blowout price next week.  Great Snacks, Cider, & Coffee.  Val Hulleman of Dinner Destinations will be here providing snacks for you to try.  They are awesome!!  She will also have some on hand that you could purchase for the Christmas season. KSOU will be here!  Cami and KSOU will be here live on Friday from 10 until 12.  It is sure to be a fun event. Beautiful Flip Flops, decorated trees, and other new ideas for Christmas! Open House hours are 7-5 on Friday and 8-3 on Saturday. What have you missed on our blog? To see KSOU winners, new paintings, & awesome new candles click HERE.   Poinsettia's Do's & Don'ts DO place your plant in indirect sunlight for at least six hours per day. If direct sun can't be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or sheer curtain. DO provide room temperatures between 68 - 70° F. Generally speaking, if you are comfortable, so is your poinsettia. DO water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch. DON'T place plants near cold drafts or excessive heat. Avoid placing plants near appliances, fireplaces or ventilating ducts. DON'T expose plants to temperatures below 50° F. Poinsettias are sensitive to cold, so avoid placing them outside during the winter months. DON'T overwater your plant, or allow it to sit in standing water. Always remove a plant from any decorative container before watering, and allow the water to drain completely. DON'T expose your plant to chilling winds when transporting it. DON'T fertilize your plant when it is in bloom. History of Poinsettia's The plant we know today as the poinsettia has a long and interesting history. The fact is, that lovely plant you place in your home during the holidays was once used as a fever medicine! Native to Central America, the plant flourished in an area of Southern Mexico known as Taxco del Alarcon. The ancient Aztecs had a name for this plant found blooming in the tropical highlands during the short days of winter:cuetlaxochitl. Not merely decorative, the Aztecs put the plant to practical use. From its bracts they extracted a purplish dye for use in textiles and cosmetics. The milky white sap, today called latex, was made into a preparation to treat fevers. The poinsettia may have remained a regional plant for many years to come had it not been for the efforts of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779 - 1851). The son of a French physician, Poinsett was appointed as the first United States Ambassador to Mexico (1825 - 1829) by President Madison. Poinsett had attended medical school himself, but his real love in the scientific field was botany. (Mr. Poinsett later founded the institution which we know today as the Smithsonian Institution). Poinsett maintained his own hothouses on his Greenville, South Carolina plantations, and while visiting the Taxco area in 1828, he became enchanted by the brilliant red blooms he saw there. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began propagating the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens. Among the recipients of Poinsett's work was John Bartram of Philadelphia, who in turn gave the plant over to another friend, Robert Buist, a Pennsylvania nurseryman. Mr. Buist is thought to be the first person to have sold the plant under its botanical name, Euphorbia pulcherrima (literally, "the most beautiful Euphorbia"). Though it is thought to have become known by its more popular name of poinsettia around 1836, the origin of the name is certainly clear! © Paul Ecke Ranch All Rights Reserved Become a Fan on Facebook Check out our new facebook page HERE. And while you are there become a Fan!! Thanks for your time.   Sincerely,   Justin Schuiteman Ground Effects justin@scgroundeffects.com

How to get your plants ready for winter.

Dear Viewer, Repainted, Redecorated, & Ready for the Holiday Season Our showroom has had some improvements and changes done and it looks awesome!  Make sure to shop by and see the cool new faux painting done on our walls. (My favorite is the one with the brick, shown above.)  Also all of our holiday containers and Flip Flops are being set out right now for the Christmas Season.   Want to Use Your Outdoor Containers Year Round? Our shipment of beautiful fresh evergreen, pine cones, berries, curly willow & dogwood will be here  the week of the 16th. Click Here to get a sneak peak of some of the items we are getting in.  Get some ideas of how your containers could look this winter HERE.  Let Katie create a beautiful container for you that will bring life to your front door all winter long.  Or if you want to do it yourself we will gladly help you. Have Questions?  Give Katie a call at 722-4600 or send her an email at katie@scgroundeffects.com   Fall To Do Checklist Pull up all of your annuals. Cut back frost damaged perennials, but you can leave the ones with interesting seedheads or shapes, especially ornamental grasses and sedums.  You can cut back perennials in early spring also it is just nice sometimes to have it done. Make sure to keep weeding!  Get the weeds now and you will save yourself a lot of work in the spring. Get your trees wrapped with a protective tree wrap now.  It prevents sun scald and also prevents rabbit and rodent damage over the winter.  Remove again in spring when plants send out new growth. Avoid cutting Roses back to far.  Don't use the white rose cones -- they can actually cause more damage.  If there are long shoots cut them back a little.  For some extra winter protection put a little mulch around the base of the rose. Make sure your evergreens, trees, and shrubs go into winter with enough moisture.  That shouldn't be a problem this fall.  But if we suddenly get a couple weeks of dry weather you might want to give these plants a drink. To provide a little more protection for your evergreens spray wilt proof on them after the ground is frozen but the temp is above freezing.  This will help prevent winterburn. Detach your garden hoses to prevent your outdoor faucets from bursting. After the frost give your lawn one final mowing. Upcoming Events Christmas Open House: November 27-28         Poinsettias at unbeatable prices!! Christmas Seminar: December 5         The only one of the year to gather valuable insight on what's new! Need Your Landscape Cleaned up this Fall? Let us come to your place and make sure your landscape is ready for winter.  Give us a call and let Ron take care of your place.  722-4600 or email him at ron@scgroundeffects.com   Become a Fan on Facebook Check out our new facebook page HERE. And while you are there become a Fan!! Thanks for your time.   Sincerely,   Justin Schuiteman Ground Effects justin@scgroundeffects.com P.S.  If you are thinking of doing some landscaping next spring give us a call this fall as our schedule for spring is starting to fill up.

We Have Pumpkins!!

Dear Michael, We Have Pumpkins!! Stop in now to pick up some pumpkins for decorating for fall.  We have a wide array.  From the normal to the very unusual, there are many to choose from.  Check out more pictures HERE.   Become a Fan on Facebook Check out our new facebook page HERE. And while you are there become a Fan!! Free Flowers Given away Daily!! Listen to Cami on KSOU (93.9) daily from 10 til 2.  Email her that you listen to the show for a chance to win free flowers.  Tuesday through Friday winners will receive a flower in a bubble vase.  Monday winners will receive a beautiful bouquet delivered to you by Cami herself!! Get your Hydrangea's Blue I just returned from a trip to Ohio to visit a nursery and saw some beautiful new plants!  They found out an interesting fact out about Endless Summer Hydrangea.  The best time to add Aluminum Sulphate to your Hydrangeas are Sept 15 and Oct 1.  This will get your hydrangeas to be more blue next year.  If you want your hydrangea's more blue, stop in and we can help you out. Coming The Week of November 16th Stop in and check out our striking variety of fresh evergreen, pine cones, and berries available for your outdoor containers.  Choose from our many unique containers or bring in your own.  Pick out what you want yourself, or let us custom design it for you. Upcoming Events Christmas Open House: November 27-28         Poinsettias at unbeatable prices!! Christmas Seminar: December 5         The only one of the year to learn about home decor!! Need Help Maintaining your Landscape? Don't know what to trim or don't have time to do it?  We are now offering a year long landscape maintenance plan.  We can show up as often as weekly or as little as once a year.  Ron Reinders will be heading up this department for us and is very excited about helping beautify their landscapes.  If you are interested or have any questions call us at 722-4600.   Thanks for your time.   Sincerely,   Justin Schuiteman Ground Effects justin@scgroundeffects.com P.S.  We still have some beautiful fall flip flops and the Christmas ones are just beginning to show up in the flower shop!!

Cash For Clunkers at Ground Effects

Dear Viewer,   This has been the most pleasant summer in a long time.  I am thoroughly enjoying it and so are all of our plants.  They are looking awesome.   "Cash For Silk Clunkers" Everyone has heard of the Cash for Clunkers program that the government is doing for the car industry.  Since the government is not doing the same program for the interior of peoples houses we are going to have our own program for you.  Are you sick and tired of that old silk arrangement or have one that isn't getting it's use?  Bring it in to the Flower Shop and get 30% off a Flip Flop or Silk Arrangement in the Showroom.  For more details stop in. We are still doing weekly specials.  You won't want to miss next weeks special of the week in the Garden Center.  Be sure to check out the special next Monday.  Just click  HERE. We Have Everything You Need For Landscaping We have had lots of people call in the last couple of weeks wondering if we have Rock or Mulch.  Not only do we have rock and mulch but we have all of these landscape supplies: Landscape Rock: Our landscape rock is top quality.  It is washed and doesn't have any gravel in it.  It is the cleanest landscape rock around. Hardwood Mulch:  Is a mix of different hardwood trees.  It is a darker brown color and is shredded.  It is perfect for your landscape and lays down very nice. Recycled Mulch: A lighter chipped up mulch that works great for groves and other large areas because it is a little less expensive. Edging: We have bullet edgers(concrete interlocking edgers) and vinyl edging to make the border of your landscape.  We have at least 6 different colors of bullet edgers all on hand. Retaining Wall Block: We have at least 7 different styles of block in more than 6 different colors.  We have all of this on hand so you can pick it up right away.  If we don't have it (Which doesn't happen very often) we can usually get it within a week. Plastic & Fabric: We can cut off any size you would like for any project. Class A:  A crushed rock that is used as the base for your paver patios or sidewalks. Granite Dust:  A pink dust that is used for the top layer of your paver patio or for the base of your retaining wall to help make it more level. How to Make Designing Your Landscape Easy!! I have seen it many times.  People come in look around for awhile and then get this panicked look.  "Where do I start.  What am I going to do.  How am I supposed to do it."  Is this you or someone you know?  If it is let me(Justin), Katie, or Ryan help you out.  We can make putting plants around your house an utter joy. Here are the 5 steps to a Beautiful Landscape. Take pictures and/or measurements of the area you would like to put plants in. Bring pictures and/or measurements in and talk to one of us. Walk around and point out which plants or colors of plants you like.  We can give you suggestions of plants we think would work well.  We can take note or pick them out to set out. We can set it out at Ground Effects to see what it would look like at your house.   And when we are done take a picture to send home with you.  Like the picture below so you know where to plant them.        or we can bring the plants to your house and set them out. Whalla!!  You have a spruced up landscape ready to be planted.  You can plant them yourselves or we can send out our planting professionals to plant them for you. Tomatoes: The fungus among us! We have had a lot of questions about yellowing, dead or dying foliage on the bottom halves of tomato plants in the last few weeks.  The weather this summer has been a perfect breeding ground for all types of fungus. Here are a few tips to help you get the best out of your tomato plants.  Water in the morning, this lets the foliage dry out before the night when fungus is the most active.  Make sure your plants have good air circulation, get rid of any other foliage that is crowding out the bottom of your tomato plants.  Mulch around the bottom of your plants with wood chips or even grass clippings, this helps keep in moisture and also prevents soil and water splash back on to the foliage.  Crop rotation, move your tomatoes to a different spot in your garden every year, this prevents exposing your plants to soil borne fungus that you may have encountered the year before.  If you have done all of these and are still having problems, we recommend spraying your tomatoes with copper fungicide.  This spray is approved for organic gardening and there is little to no harvest limitations after spraying.  Even though it is an organic product, we still advise using with caution, avoid spraying the fruit if possible and wash fruit very well before eating. If you have any questions about your tomatoes or any other pest or disease questions feel free to call Ground Effects.  Happy Gardening! Thanks for your time.   Sincerely,   Justin Schuiteman Ground Effects justin@scgroundeffects.com

Don't miss the deals of the week!

Dear Viewer,   Summer is half over already.  Can you believe it?  Hopefully this cool weather stays around for awhile!  It is great weather to plant some things around the house to add some beauty to enjoy. Be sure to Check out The NEWSLETTER ONLY coupon on the bottom of the page!!!   June is Cool Weekly Specials Beautiful Plants Everywhere Get Em' Done This Weeks Special will give you beautiful blooms the rest of the summer into fall. Can you guess what weekly special is?  These plants are starting to bloom around town right now.  They bloom in white mainly but there are some new varieties that bloom in blue or pink based on soil acidity.  They also come in tree form.  Make a guess of what you think it is. To see if you were right click HERE. New plants have arrived!! In the last week 4 truckloads of plants have arrived!!  Make sure to stop in and see all of the new beautiful plants.  Our selection is still awesome and we are getting more trucks in weekly.  Everything is looking fresh and springlike, especially after all of the rain we just had.  Myth of The Summer: You can only plant in Spring or Fall. I have heard this said a lot in my 10 plus years working at Ground Effects.  However this is something that is not true.  You can plant throughout the whole year.  We plant spring, summer, and fall until the ground freezes.  If you plant in the summer you just will have to water your plants a little more.  My theory is to get the plants in the ground soon so they can so they can develop a good root system and thrive.   The plants are already "planted" in pots and they will love being out of the hot black plastic pots and in the ground. What's Wrong with My Plant? Many people have been coming in wondering what is happening with their rose bushes.  Some have had bugs eating their leaves and others have had some fungus or other problems.  If any of these things are happening to your roses stop in and pick up some Rose spray.  It is easy to apply and works for a wide variety of problems. Things to Get Done Soon or to Think About Doing: Get out in your landscape and weed!  After all of this rain weeds are starting to thrive.  Go out in your landscape and pull the weed while it is nice and wet.  It makes it a lot easier for you to pull them.  Deadhead or snip off any spent blooms on annuals, and geraniums.  Fill in with new annuals if some have died or aren't up to snuff. If any of your plants are still not coming out of their spring funk.  Tear them out and replace them with something new. Trim back spent blooms off your Salvia, Coreopsis, Nepeta, and old stocks on your daylilies. Don't be afraid to trim back any overgrown perennials.  They often look better after being cut back.  Trim and reshape flowering shrubs after they are done blooming. Look around your landscape and see if you have anything that will bloom come fall.  If not stop in and pick up some asters or in a month we will have some beautiful mums. Hydrangea's on Special this week: 25% off   Hydrangea Twist N Shout Hydrangea Endless Summer Hydrangea Limelight Above are our 3 most popular Hydrangeas.  Twist N Shout is new this year and is the first lacecap that is hardy for this area.  Endless Summer is the first Hyrdrangea developed in our climate that blooms on first year growth.  Limelight is one of my favorite hydrangea's and is filled with white cone shaped blooms for long periods of time.   Thanks for your time.   Sincerely,   Justin Schuiteman Ground Effects justin@scgroundeffects.com Double Punches Bring this coupon in to receive double punches on your Ground Effects Loyalty Card for the rest of the week on plants and fresh flowers.   Offer Expires: July 23, 2009: Not valid on block, rock, pavers, edging, or other hard goods.