Have you ever wished you could enjoy the beauty of hydrangea blooms year-round? I know, there are always silks--right? Actually there's a very simple way to preserve hydrangea blooms so that you can enjoy them in your home at any time of year.

One of the easiest ways to preserve these flowers is to allow them to almost completely dry on the plant. Do not collect them until the flowers have developed a papery feel. As hydrangea flowers age on the plant, they may develop muted tones of blue, purple, rose, violet and green.

Simply cut the blooms at the stem length you desire to fit your vases and place them in water. Strip off all the leaves and then find a cool, dry closet or low-light room. The blooms will still continue to take up water. Check the water level and add more as needed, until the blooms no longer draw any water. Then drain the vase so the stems can dry. Now you can place them in any vase without water for a permanent centerpiece!

By Tamara Galbraith

It's hard not to fret over your landscape when snow begins to fall, isn't it? A couple of inches collect on the ground and we're out there with brooms and blowers, frantically fussing and fluffing our precious plants.

Believe it or not, a light layer of snow is actually good for perennials. Certainly, heavy wet snows can weigh down and break branches, but for the most part, snow is an excellent insulator against the really frigid temperatures that may injure plants.

Snow on the ground prevents injury to roots, which generally can't withstand extreme cold. The roots of most landscape plants will be injured at soil temperatures below 10 degrees F, with more sensitive perennials injured at soil temperatures just below freezing.

Also, keep in mind that If you're using salt on icy sidewalks and driveways, any plants in the immediate vicinity can be affected when the salt eventually leeches into the soil. For melting purposes, a better solution is to use one of the environmentally safe salts, such as calcium chloride.

Sand or kitty litter will work well for creating traction, and are also the most pet-friendly solutions, as any salt-based products can cause a toxic reaction when eaten and are also harmful to the pads of an animal's feet.

By Tamara Galbraith and also Bennett Garden Center's very own Bonnie!

Winter is a great time to gather your gardening thoughts, reflect on them, and plan for next year.  As you start thinking about the new year, consider making some "New Year's Garden Resolutions."  Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started:

1. Try something new:
   Diversity in the garden is a great thing!  Turn your garden upside down and try something totally different, or if you’re not feeling that adventurous, consider planting something you have never tried before.
   
   Looking for suggestions?  How about roses - they have come a long way in the last few years.  Breeders have improved their hardiness and disease resistance, and have made them "garden-friendly" by reducing the level of maintenance required to keep them looking good.  Many of today's rose varieties are easy to incorporate into existing shrub and perennial borders. 
   
   You might consider some of the Easy Elegance Roses, which will be carrying a new two-year guarantee in the Spring of 2008:
   
   Yellow Brick Road:
   Lemon-yellow blossom maturing to butter-cream; height 2-3'
   All The Rage (New):
   Multi-colored, coral bud opening to apricot; height 2.5-4'
   Kiss Me:
   Fragrant; Double, clear pink blossom; height 2-3'
   Little Mischief:
   Compact, ever-blooming deep pink blossoms; height 2-3'
   Pink Pearls:
   Compact, low-growing with deep pink frilly blossoms; height 1-3'
   Macy's Pride:
   Lemon-yellow buds open to creamy white, aging to pink; height 3-5'
   Sunrise Sunset:
   Fuchsia pink petal blending to apricot at center; height 2-3'
   Superhero (New):
   Perfect red blossoms all season long; height 3-5'
   
   I promise, you won't be disappointed.  And of course, these will all be available at Bennett Garden & Gift Center.
   
   
2. Don’t Beat Yourself Up for Failures:
   I guarantee that even Martha Stewart has accidentally killed plants.  Many times a plant death isn’t even the grower's fault--plants, like the rest of us--don't live forever.  If the plant's demise was your doing though, learn from your mistakes and just move on.
   
   
3. Learn to Like Spiders (hey, at least learn to tolerate them!):
   Repeat after me..."Spiders are our friends. Spiders are our friends." Don't automatically reach for the Raid or rolled-up newspaper every time you see eight legs and a bunch of eyes staring back at you. Remember, the earth would be overrun with pests like flies, fleas and much more were it not for our fanged friends. If a spider or other relatively harmless bug gets in the house, try carefully catching it in a small container and releasing it outside before instinctively smashing it to bits. Or, if you're like me, allow a few out-of-the-way spiders to hang around. They'll keep your fungus gnat and earwig problems at bay, for sure. (Learn to identify the more harmful brown recluse and black widow spiders, however, and use orange oil on them if you spot them.)
   
   
4. Be Good to Mother Nature:
   We have all been hearing a lot about "Going Green" this past month--it's a good message that makes a lot of sense, and I really believe we need to pay attention to it.  There are very simple things we can do in the garden to help our planet, and can you think of a better place to go green!  Think about trying to wean yourself and your plants off synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.  We will be carrying some new, organic products next year and will be armed with information to help you make this transition.  You also might consider starting a compost pile, or think about planting native and/or water-wise trees, shrubs, and perennials in your landscape.  And don't forget to mulch, and use natural materials when doing so.  It's about giving back to, and building up Mother Earth.  Watch our website for future information on this very important topic!
   
   
5. Give Something Back:
   Participate in or start up a community garden in your area. Share your love of gardening with kids and seniors. Got too many zukes? Take them to your local food bank. Gardening is at least twice as much fun when someone else benefits from your labor of love.

The recent weather is letting us know that winter is right around the corner.  Following is a list of tasks and projects to complete in the garden before the snow flies:

• Finish planting bulbs before the ground freezes.  Roots grow and develop as long as soil temperatures remain at or above 45 degrees F.  Remember to plant in groups and water well after planting.  You don’t want to fertilize, but do mulch after planting.
• Continue to mow your lawn until the grass is dormant.  Long, unmowed grass that goes into winter encourages rodent damage and increases the  risk of snow molds. 
• Clean up leaves and garden debris in beds.
• Dig up cannas, elephant ears and caladiums after a frost.  Cut the stems back to 4-6 inches and dig the plant up.  Wash the soil off the bulbs and let them dry in the sun.  Place the bulbs in a container and cover with peat moss or sawdust.  Place in a cool room or basement and check every 3-4 weeks for signs of rotting.  Throw the rotten bulbs away.  Pot the bulbs up in March and place in the garden after the last frost in the spring.
• Label or stake the location of perennials, especially those that are later to emerge in the spring.
• Keep reserve piles of mulch near your landscape beds.  Apply a 2-3 inch layer around your plants, especially your perennials, when they are completely dormant and ground is freezing, generally late November or early December.  Mulch will keep the ground frozen and help to avoid the freezing and thawing of the ground that can take place in winter.  This cycle of freeze and thaw can heave the plant out of the ground, which exposes the roots to killing temperatures.  Mulching is a great tactic for helping your shrub roses and hydrangeas survive the winter also.
• Protect newly planted trees and shrubs from mice or rabbits by putting up a barrier of hardware cloth, poultry wire, or plastic guards.  The tender bark of young trees, roses, burning bush and many fruit trees is very tasty in the winter.  Make sure the barriers extend well above the usual snow line.
• Fertilize trees and shrubs with a nitrogen fertilizer after leaf drop.  This will promote root growth now and shoot growth in the spring.  Roots will continue to grow until the soil temperature drops below freezing.
• Water evergreens as needed until the ground freezes.  Cold winter winds can remove moisture from the foliage of plants such as junipers, pines, yews and spruces.  Without moisture evergreens will develop brown, deadened areas in the spring.   You can apply an anti-desiccant such as Wilt-pruf to help avoid this problem.  Two or three applications may be necessary depending on the winter.
• Cut back your ornamental grasses NEXT SPRING.  Grasses provide great winter interest when the foliage is left standing.  The standing foliage also protects the crown of the grass during the cold winter months.
• Houseplants should be inside by now.  As they drop their leaves, keep them clean and watch for pests.  Spider mites love the dry environment indoors, and scale insects can increase in numbers quickly.  Stop in and let us recommend a product you might want to have on hand, just in case.
• Pot up amaryllis bulbs to brighten up your home this winter. Stop by the Garden Center and check out our selection.
• Get your soil ready for spring planting by adding organic matter.  Dig in shredded leaves, manure, compost or rotted straw.  These will have a chance to break down over the winter and provide you with much improved soil in the spring.

For more information go to www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/tips.

When the days get shorter and before the snow begins to fly, what time is it?

Tool time!

During fall and winter, we don't get to spend as much time in the garden because of the colder, shorter days and wet weather. So why not spend some quality time with your garden tools?

Thoroughly clean them and store those you won't be using again until next year.

Remove any rust on metal portions with a wire brush and wipe with a oily rag (a general-purpose oil will do). For wood handles, use boiled linseed oil. Sharpen and oil pruners.  Drain and clean sprayers and store upside down.

Store them in a protected area, and your winter tool time care will keep them as good as new for next spring and summer.