Landscapes for LIFE

Wet, dry, wet, dry; you think it’s been a bad year for yards and yard work? You are right. There’s been a lot of stress on trees and grass. Somehow weeds seem to thrive no matter what the conditions.

So, in our ever-friendly way we’re going to offer you a couple of suggestions about what should come next. Around here, here being central and lower central Illinois, it’s a big late to re-seed a lawn. We’ve seen lots of plugs cast aside so we know there is a lot of aeration going on. Our suggestion is to schedule aeration for spring. It will do more good then as the next step will be to over-seed the yard. Get your appointment made and mark the calendar. You do know the 2012 calendars are on sale already don’t you.

If you truly are looking to do some fall yard work we commend you. It’s a great time to be outdoors and enjoying the crisp air. Raking leaves seems to be a thing of the past for many who have leaf blowers but what great exercise it is to get out and rustle the leaves into a pile. Do it! If you happen to see children around invite them to jump into the pile. Do it yourself if you can. Remember how it was “back in the day”?

People with trees appreciate them, even if there is some effort of tidying up in the fall. Many do not realize that this is a wonderful time to plant trees. They will get established nicely, develop a good root system and will be nourished by the snow through the winter. Likewise, let’s put in some fresh shrubs and some new perennials for they also will be going dormant soon and will draw their strength for spring growth from the winter moisture.

Here at the nursery, shop and office we are busily creating the wreaths, roping, and other greenery which will soon be taken to our shop in Virden, IL. There’s something about the whiff of evergreen in the air that sets the mood for the next set of holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving. Every year we’ve been in business has proven to be a year of gratitude and this is no exception. We all know there are ups and downs in every situation, in every phase of life. Join us in acknowledging how fortunate and blessed each of us truly is. Thanksgiving is an American holiday, a tradition formally established by President Lincoln in 1863 when he asked the nation to give thanks for the whole country. We all have much for which to give thanks, beginning with our American heritage.