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Salt Lake City
Weather Courtesy of:
Have a Look
Around the Site:
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Be a Guest Gardener:
Gardeners love to learn from other gardeners "over the fence." We would love to include a tour and/or an article from one of our readers!
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Contact Information:
E-Mail:
Contact Us
Telephone:
(801) 487-4131
Fax:
(801) 487-2030
Address:
3500 S. 900 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Hours:
Monday - Saturday
9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Closed Sunday
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FEATURED QUOTE :
"In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends." ~Kazuko Okakura
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An arrangement of fresh flowers will brighten a room, bringing the beauty of nature indoors. Picking fresh flowers that you have grown yourself is one of the delights of gardening, but whether you are picking your own flowers or buying cut flowers, you will want to do all you can to get the most from your arrangement.
Picking Flowers
When picking flowers from your garden, do so early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Cool them quickly by placing them in a bucket of water left in a cool place for an hour or so. This is especially important in hot summer weather.
Buying Cut Flowers
If you are buying cut flowers, look for bright, fresh-looking flowers that are just starting to open. Avoid flowers that have been standing in the sun or have been exposed to car exhaust fumes. Flowers with yellowing leaves on the stem or those with slimy stems have been in water for quite some time and are unlikely to be very satisfactory. When you get your flowers home, put them straight into a bucket of water without unwrapping them and leave them in a cool place to revive.
Clean Vases
Make sure your vases are perfectly clean. The stains in vases are usually bacteria that will get to work blocking the water uptake to the flower stems. Stains that are difficult to remove with normal cleaning may be removed by filling the vase with water and adding a few drops of household bleach. Allow the vase to soak for a couple of hours; then rinse well.
Clean Water and Preservatives
Clean water is essential for cut flowers. You can change the water in the vase daily or use a floral preservative. Check the vase often to see if it needs filling. Some flowers with woody stems drink a lot of water, especially in the first two or three days after cutting.
Preparing the Flowers
Cut off a couple of inches of stem with sharp shears and be sure to remove any leaves that would be below the water level in the vase. Any left on the stem will rot quickly and pollute the water.
Daffodils, jonquils and tulips should not be placed with other flowers immediately after cutting because their secretions can block the stems of other flowers, causing their vase-mates to collapse. Place them in a separate vase for an hour or two. Then seal the tips of the stems by dipping them in very hot water before adding them to a mixed arrangement.
If flowers develop a bent neck, they probably have an air lock in the stem and are unable to absorb water properly. Recut the stems under water and place them in cool water for a couple of hours.
Most flowers absorb water best if cuts are made between nodes or joints. This is certainly true of carnations and hydrangeas. Never crush the stems, as the damaged tissue will not absorb water well, and the water will become polluted. Sharp, clean cuts are best.
When creating an arrangement from your garden, remember that foliage goes nicely with flowers--try some ferns or other greenery in your arrangement. |

Are you planning on putting a stone path in your lawn or garden? If so, you've got a great opportunity for some great garden design. Don't just plunk those stones atop your sod! There are many low-growing perennial plants that are just great between stones in a path, and will add more personality to your garden than mere grass.
To help you select the best ground cover, consider:
- The amount of sunlight reaching your path (full sun, partial shade, full shade), because different plants thrive under different conditions.
- The amount of traffic the plants will need to endure. Light traffic means the plants will be stepped on once or twice a week. Moderate traffic is once a day. And heavy traffic is similar to walking on your lawn several times a day.
- The type of soil (poor or rich) and moisture conditions (wet or dry).
- Appearance: plant height, texture and color. If the path is heavily traveled, or people will be running on it, keep the plant height low, or use a plant that bends easily (you don't want people tripping over the plants).
Improve the growing conditions when you carve out the soil for your new stone path. It's difficult to grow anything in a trampled area. The soil gets so compacted that roots cannot deliver water and nutrients to the plant. Add good drainage as well as a layer of topsoil at least 1 in. deep around the stones so your ground cover can thrive.
Finally, help your new ground cover prosper with a weekly soaking (the plants need to stay moist) and a weekly hand weeding. And if you'd like to keep the plants short between the stones, consider plants that tolerate mowing, such as thyme and ajuga. |
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By: Tamara Galbraith
Summer's in full swing, and your previously glorious flowers are starting to look a little ragged around the edges.
Many plants will benefit--and even rebloom--after a mid-summer session of "deadheading," that is, removing spent flowers and/or stems to promote new growth.
Here's a quick guide of deadheading techniques for different types of flowers:
Pinch off individual dead flowers on balloonflower, bellflower, daylily, delphinium, foxglove, hibiscus, hollyhock. (Also included: some irises that will rebloom in the fall, depending on the variety.)
Do an overall snip of dead blooms (about 2" below the flower) on blanketflower, columbine, globe thistle, goldenrod, geranium, Jacob's ladder, salvia, coreopsis/tickseed.
Cut off the entire spent flower stem to either a side shoot or to the plant's base on baby's breath, bleeding heart, cardinal flower, catmint, coral bells, foamflower, gaura, Jupiter's beard, lavender, lupine, mullein, painted daisy, pincushion flower, coneflower, Shasta daisy, speedwell, spiderwort, Stoke's aster.
(Listening to The Grateful Dead while deadheading is, of course, optional.)
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Product Spotlight: Gardner & Bloome®
Soil Building Compost

Gardner & Bloome® Soil Building Compost is a premium, all-purpose planting and garden soil amendment that is excellent for seed top-dressing, bare-root planting and mulching.
It is fortified with nutrient-rich ingredients, including chicken manure, bat guano and kelp meal. It helps improve aeration as well as increasing moisture retention in soils, promoting healthy root growth. |
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How often should I water my lawn?
Answer:
The key to a healthy lawn is to water deeply but infrequently. Deep and infrequent irrigation stimulates root growth, resulting in healthy, drought tolerant, and pest resistant turf.
Most lawns require between 1" and 1.5" of water per week. But the height of your grass can also contribute to water needs. A lawn maintained at 2-3 inches in height will hold more water than a lawn maintained at 1.5-2" of height, which will be more subjected to heat stress in summer. Soil type also comes into play, since sandy soil holds water less effectively than a heavier clay type soil.
To determine how long it takes to water your lawn at the required rate, place several shallow containers such as margarine containers in different areas of the lawn for 15 minutes while irrigating. Measure in inches the depth of water from the containers. The average depth of water in these containers, multiplied by 4, is the inches of water per hour emitted by your sprinkler system. Then adjust your sprinkler timers accordingly. If you notice water runoff prior to achieving full irrigation, then you will have to water in a couple of cycles spaced at least half an hour apart to allow for complete penetration.
A lawn should be watered when the soil begins to dry out, but before the grass actually wilts. If you notice footprints in the lawn that don't bounce back after you walk on it, or areas with a blue-green or smoky tinge, then your lawn is stressed. The lawn should be watered before these signs of wilting are obvious. You will find that most lawns, though, will need to be watered at least twice per week, usually less in spring and fall, and only during periods of extended dry weather in winter if your lawn doesn't go dormant. Obviously, if your area is under water restrictions, do the best you can within those restrictions.
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Summer is perfect for grilling! This quick marinade makes flavorful, juicy chicken ready for the grill in less than 30 minutes. Serve with homemade potato salad and grilled vegetables for a great summmertime dinner in less than an hour.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/3 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed coriander seed
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or 1/3 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
- 3 teapoons liquid smoke
- 1/3 cup olive or peanut oil
- 6 chicken breast pieces with ribs
- 1 zipper-style plastic bag, one-gallon sized
Step by Step:
- Open one gallon size zipper style plastic bag.
- Add spices: onion, garlic and chili powders, paprika, ground cumin, crushed coriander seed, black pepper (or crushed black peppercorns) and salt; mix together in plastic bag until well combined.
- Add 3 teapoons liquid smoke to spice mixture and drizzle with olive or peanut oil.
- Knead mixture through plastic until thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator and rinse under cold water, patting dry with paper towels.If chicken breasts are large, cut in half with chef's knife or butcher knife so that pieces are uniform
- Place chicken into zipper style plastic bag. Seal zippered bag and thoroughly toss chicken in marinade until it covers all pieces.
- Push air out of the bag and seal, placing into a bowl in the refrigerator (in case bag leaks) and allowing to rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Clean rack and turn grill to high, closing cover until grill is hot.
- Prepare clean grill rack by oiling lightly or by removing rack with potholders, moving away from fire and spraying with nonstick spray.
- Remove chicken from bag and place onto grill breast side down, allowing chicken to sear on both sides over high heat, about 4 minutes per side.
- Turn off one burner and transfer seared chicken to this side of grill, cooking over indirect heat and turning often, about 18-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
Yield: 6 servings.
Recipe courtesy of "Cooking for Pleasure" by Jeanine Harsen.
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