Welcome everyone to the first issue of the Our Nursery and Garden Center newsletter. We thank you all for signing up and are very excited about all the information this newsletter will offer.

Our goal is for you, our valued customer to use the newsletter as a tool to answer many of your gardening questions. As we at Our Nursery and Garden Center celebrate the company's 27th year, we look to you and say thanks for helping our business thrive.

Even though winter has been holding on well into the early spring weeks we still have an excellent selection of material. Our Garden Center offers choice material from the best growers. We have locally grown trees, shrubs, evergreens, groundcovers, custom-grown annuals and perennials are offered as well as delivery and installation services, bulk and bagged soils and mulches, containers and garden decor.

Stop by our garden center after our grand opening on April 1st and let us help you make your landscape dreams come true.

By Tamara Galbraith

Looking for a breathtaking rose that is as beautiful as it is tough? Take a taste of 'Rainbow Sorbet,' one of the 2006 All-American Rose Selections winners.

Developed by hybridizer Ping Lim of Bailey Nurseries, this upright floribunda provides a splash of color that keeps going all summer long. The cupped, 3" flowers are edged in deep pink, with each petal fading to yellow-pink, then burnt orange in the center.

Glossy, deep green leaves accompany the delicate flowers on this 5' shrub. Speaking of leaves, 'Rainbow Sorbet' is especially good at holding off black spot, which makes it an excellent choice for gardeners in humid areas.

Some noses have reported Sorbet's scent as being strong, while others describe it as "lightly sweet." One thing is for sure...you'll find 'Rainbow Sorbet' to be a carefree garden treat that looks good enough to eat.

Now is the time to feed all types of established lawns and to plant new ones from seed. You can also plant lawns from sod this month.

Mow, feed, and water all lawns. Warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, dichondra, and zoysia, are waking up from winter dormancy. As soon as they start growing, begin mowing weekly with a reel mower to the correct height for each. Mow common Bermuda to 1 inch, hybrid Bermuda to 1/2 or 1/4 inch, St. Augustine to between 3/4 and 1 1/4 inches, and zoysia to 3/4 to 1 inch height. Cut Adalayd grass with a rotary mower between 3/4 and 1 inch in height. Cool-season grasses, such as fescue, ryegrass, and bluegrass, are still growing fast; mow them weekly with a rotary mower to 1 1/2 inches in height. Feed all established lawns now with a complete lawn fertilizer - containing phosphorus and potassium as well as nitrogen - to get warm-season grasses off to a good start and keep cool-season grasses going longer. A healthy well-fed lawn is better able to withstand pests and diseases and choke out weeds.

While nitrogen gives your lawn top growth and a healthy green color you can see, phosphorus and potassium feed the roots and growth systems of the plant that are unseen but just as important. Phosphorus and potassium are longer lasting in soil than nitrogen, so one feeding a season with them is often adequate. After this complete feeding you can switch to a less expensive, pure nitrogen fertilizer if desired, and feed warm-season grasses with it once a month for the rest of the growing season.

Feed most turf grasses at the rate of 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of turf. Feed dichondra one-half this strength and the new tall, drought-resistant fescues three-quarter strength. (The latter respond best to frequent but light applications of fertilizer.)

Apply fertilizer when the ground is damp and grass blades dry, and follow up by watering deeply. Otherwise you risk burning your lawn. If you're willing to pay the price, add coated slow-release fertilizer on a cool-season lawn at this time of year. Cool-season grasses need little or no fertilizer during the warmer months of the year.

Irrigate all lawns now, according to their individual needs, when rains aren't adequate.

Choose the best time to plant. Both warm- and cool-season grasses may be bought as sod, and cool-season grasses can be planted from sod any month year-round. Although you can plant both warm- and cool-season grasses from seed this month, wait if you possibly can to plant cool-season grasses. Fall is a better time to plant them because fall planting gives cool-season grasses planted from seed more time to establish a root system before summer heat arrives. When planting warm-season grasses, wait until the weather has warmed up in your area. (If you plan to plant zoysia, it's best to wait until June.)

Study lawn types before planting one. How do you choose which grass is right for you? Begin by looking around your neighborhood. Talk to the owners of good-looking lawns. Don't just choose for appearance, though. Consider how much traffic your lawn will have to take and how willing you are to fuss over it. Also consult your Cooperative Extension Office and reference books on lawns before choosing a lawn that's right for your area and needs. Experienced nurserymen are another source of information; they usually know which seed or sod has performed well in your neighborhood. Above all, consider drought resistance.

Plant new lawns. Regardless of the type of grass and method of planting you choose, be sure to prepare the site thoroughly. If you're planting an invasive grass, such as Bermuda or an invasive variety of zoysia, first install edging to keep it from creeping into borders.

For all lawns, rototill deeply, add plenty of soil amendment, and level and lightly roll the ground. Sprinkle seeds evenly and cover them with mulch. Either roll stolons with a cleated roller to press them into the soil or partially cover them with topsoil. Keep your freshly planted lawn damp until established. Sprinkle it twice or three times daily, but avoid watering late in the day.

By Tamara Galbraith

If there isn't a shape, size or color of dahlia that takes your breath away...well, you need to keep looking, because there's one out there that will.

Dahlias (Dahlia variabilis) are one of the most diverse types of flowers in existence. What's even more amazing is that most varieties start from an ugly, potato-looking tuber before developing, swan-like, into a tall, lithesome beauty.

The color range alone is outstanding. While developing a true blue dahlia continues to evade hybridizers, gardeners can find just about everything else: red and white peppermint striped petals, peach with maroon tipped petals, pure white, pale yellow, burnt orange, soft pink...the list goes on.

Dahlias range widely in flower shape and petal arrangement, as well. There are spiky cactus dahlias, playful round pompon dahlias, waterlily dahlias, peony dahlias, orchid dahlias, and more. Some are considered "formal" as opposed to "informal." Some have petals which curl inward, while petals on others curl under, or maybe not at all.

The list is endless and, of course, most gardeners can't -- and shouldn't -- stop at just one plant. The dwarf varieties make great border accents, and also tend to do well in hotter, drier regions of the U.S. All dahlias prefer full sun, but make plenty of room for them - some varieties can get up to six feet tall!

Lastly, dahlias are fabulous cut flowers and make a colorful, festive arrangement for any occasion.

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