Hornbaker Gardens retail area in the peak of the season!
Hey all you garden friends! A quick note to let you know most of our plant lists for 2012 are now posted on our website. We are still working on a few, but those will be posted soon. Now is a great time to do some garden planning. Browse away! http://www.hornbakergardens.com/catalog/
Our customers often ask what happens to the plants that don’t sell during the season. We want to give you a peak “behind the scenes” of what things look like out here when everything is tucked away for the winter.
I should have posted this a month or more ago, but thanks to some really mild weather so far, there is still probably time to give some protection to your varieties of Hydrangea macrophylla. These would include ‘Endless Summer’, ‘Glowing Embers’, ‘Merritt Supreme’, ‘Lemon Daddy’ and several others.
By dumping a bag of mulch in the middle of the plant, you will protect some of the lower buds from the cold air, giving you a better chance of getting more and earlier flowers next summer. To the left is a picture of a young plant into which we dumped a bag of mulch back in late November.
NOTICE: RECALL OF “FIREGEL” POURABLE GEL FUEL
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in conjunction with a number of manufacturers and distributors, has announced the recall of a variety of pourable gel fuels including those bottles distributed by Bird Brain, Inc., and sold here at Hornbaker Gardens. The pourable gel fuel can ignite unexpectedly and splatter onto people and objects nearby when it is poured into a firepot that is still burning. This hazard can occur if the consumer does not see the flame or is not aware that the firepot is still ignited. Gel fuel that splatters and ignites can pose fire and burn risks.
For a full text of the recall click here.
If you or anyone you know has purchased gel fuel from us, immediately cease use of the product and call us for a full refund.
We will have the new solid gel, single use cans of fuel available for sale when we open for business next spring. Your beautiful fire pots will be glowing again with this safe new fuel gel.
Several weeks ago, I published an entry on Heptacodium miconioides, better known as Seven Son Flower. The picture then showed the plant in full flower. I said at the time that I would show the later fall color, after the white flowers turn red. Here is a picture of the same plant, taken in the third week of October, showing the nice red color. I like this plant more all the time.
Seven Son Flower--Fall Color
Pottery Alley at Hornbakers is ready for winter weather.
Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8 from 8 am to 5 pm
We are firing up the grill for lunch between 10:30 and 2:00 both days. We appreciate our loyal customers so come on out, let us say “Thank you” in person, and we’ll feed you as well.
There will be final markdowns on plant materials, a huge pottery sale, and much more. Click here to get a complete listing of specials.
Our last day of the season is Monday, October 10. Stop out and visit us one more time this year! We truly appreciate your business.
Fall is the best time to catch moles. They are reusing their runs much more often in the fall than they do in spring and summer. So if you see a freshly used run, you can catch that mole with a good trap.
The best trap that we have found is The Mole Eliminator, which is a scissors type of trap. We sell it here at the gardens for $34.99. When the mole trips this type of trap, he is a dead mole. The old type of trap, with the sharp prongs that stab into the ground don’t work nearly as well. They tend to pull themselves out of the ground when the trap is tripped. The mole might get pricked, but he often wriggles free or doesn’t get stabbed at all.
The action on The Mole Eliminator is sideways, so the trap does not pull itself out of the ground. We catch a lot of moles with this device! You will notice that we put a nylon cord on the trap. This makes it easier to trip and move, and also makes it more visible so that you don’t run over it with a mower.
The pictures show the steps. We press a couple of feet of the run down first. Both scissors are inserted into the mole run so that when the scissors are opened, they are perpendicular to the run. Press down the trap with your foot so that the disc that dangles from the top of the trap stays in the center. There is no “catch”. The trap is simply in a state of equilibrium. When the mole goes through the run, he will push up on the disc, taking the spring-loaded trap out of equilibrium, and the scissors snap shut, squeezing the mole to a quick death.
I was mowing yesterday in the early evening, and came upon a Heptacodium miconioides, better known as a Seven-Son Flower, which we had planted several years ago up on the hillside, somewhat hidden by some larger plantings below it. I was stunned by the show of white flowers of this wonderful shrub, just starting to go into full bloom in mid-September.
But the white show of flowers is just the start. An even more spectacular show will occur in October and November when the calyces (sepals) turn reddish. I’ll try to remember to post another picture when that happens.
This excellent shrub was introduced from China in 1980, so it hasn’t been around here very long. It is large, growing 10′ to 20′ tall, with a spread of a little less than its height. It has an irregular, cloud-like canopy, and grows in full sun to partial shade. The exfoliating bark adds interest in winter. It is hardy to Zone 4.
Seven-son Flower is not your perfectly formed and coiffed shrub, so it is not for every landscape. But if you have a place for a large, unusual shrub, Heptacodium will give you a real show every autumn.
Heptacodium miconioides (Seven-Son Flower)
(815) 659-3282 | mail@hornbakergardens.com | 22937 1140 N. Ave.,Princeton, Illinois 61356 | Directions and Hours
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