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Western Gardens

Turf Training – Train your Lawn

March 29, 2018 by Western Gardens

Welcome Friends! Glad you dropped in to learn about saving water and money by Turf Training.

Save Water and Money by training your lawn to grow deep roots

You can train your dog and train your lawn too!

You cannot teach a lawn to fetch the paper or to roll over. Even though some say that it can play dead, in the winter!  Now that your lawn is coming out of the dreary winter, it’s time for turf training. You can train your lawn to grow deep lawn roots, so that you can cut your water bill during the summer and your lawn can be happy during those hottest Utah summer weeks. Turf Training is more painful for the owner than the lawn itself, but by July, it is possible to be watering your lawn once every two weeks or less, depending on your soil type.  I know it works; I’ve lived it.  This plan is for established lawns; new turf requires other care.  Follow these steps and you too can have a well trained happy green lawn.

  1.  This month (April & into May), do not water your lawn!  Mother Nature is taking care of watering lawns for you.  DEEP INFREQUENT watering creates deep roots and thriving healthier plants.
  2. Aerate your lawn.  Perfect time is just before one of our spring rains.
  3.  Apply the proper spring fertilizer.  Follow the directions explicitly.  Again, the ideal time is just before a good rain to wash it into the turf.
  4. If you haven’t already, apply pre-emergent.
  5. Keep your finger OFF the automatic sprinkler system. Do NOT water your lawn.  You are in turf training mode.  I know it is painful because the sun is shining and spring is here, but don’t do it.  Your lawn is stretching its roots deep.  Let them go!
  6. In May, repeat #5 unless one of the following occurs…
    • Mother Nature hasn’t watered for 3 weeks. Time to water.
    • When you walk across your lawn, your footsteps don’t bounce back up.  Time to water.
    • When you look across your lawn, you notice a dull bluish green tone in spots.  Time to water.
  7. DEEP WATER – Put a good inch of water or so on your lawn.  Placing a tuna can on your grass will let you know when you’ve watered sufficiently.  All this water will soak down deep and you will train your lawn, by withholding watering cycle, to stretch deep for the water.  The roots will grow deeper and in the hot summer months of July & August, your lawn won’t get as stressed out.  Its roots will be cooler down deep.
  8. Repeat steps #6, #7 and #8.

As you can imagine, it will take time to train your lawn to grow deep roots.  That is why it is important to begin first thing in the spring.  For established Kentucky Blue grass, you may need to follow this method for two seasons, but it can be done. 

This method to train your lawn is not meant for flower beds, newly seeded lawns, newly placed sod, trees or shrubs.  Learn from our experts those proper watering techniques.

Watering Lawn Methods graphic by Texas Smartscape

http://www.txsmartscape.com/design_tools/water_conservation.asp

Watering your lawn in spring? Train your lawn to save water and money.

Article submitted by Wendy P

Filed Under: Lawn Care, Outdoors, Tips & How To's, Yard Care Tagged With: deep lawn roots, drought tolerant grass, spring lawn care, summer lawn, turf, turf training, turf watering, watering lawn, watering lawns, Western Gardens

Harmful Garden Insects: Organic Management

July 18, 2017 by Marjorie Carter

 Welcome, Friends! Glad you’re here for some tips to organically manage those pesky harmful garden insects so you’ll have produce left to harvest!

Harmful garden insects can be managed organic methods

All yards and allotments will have harmful garden insects every year; it’s part of nature.  These insects need to eat in order to feed the beneficial insects.  Eliminating ALL the harmful insects from your garden would be time, labor, and resource intensive. You also run the risk of depleting the food source for beneficial insects and other animals that feed on the harmful critters.

Wise Goal – An important and wise goal is to control the harmful garden insects enough to reduce the damage to your garden to a manageable level.  Meaning that by harvest time, there is something left for you to eat.  Losing one or two tomatoes is manageable and probably hardly noticed, but an entire decimated crop means there’s a problem to address. 

aphids are harmful garden insects that can be easily controlled

Aphids – One year we had aphids on our herbs which was easily treated by spraying the affected plants with neem oil, a wonderful organic product found at Western Gardens.  This significantly reduced the number of bugs.  They were further kept at bay by some helpful ladybugs, also found at your garden shop. 

Neem Oil is safe organic product. Read label

We were careful to thoroughly wash our herbs before eating them to remove any remaining aphids. Washing anything you harvest before eating it is always a good idea anyway.

Harmful garden insects include the Leaf Miner

Leaf Miner – Last year, our challenge was leaf miner larvae on our Swiss chard.  In this case, we simply discarded any leaves that had been extensively chewed.  Otherwise, we snipped off the parts that didn’t look as appetizing, like anything that had a visible egg attached to it (usually on the underside of the leaves), washed everything, and then enjoyed our tasty green salad.

tracks of leaf miner on pepper plant leaves

This year, now that we know to look for the leaf miner eggs on the leaves, we were more attentive with our starts for our garden and inspected them daily, looking for them or other harmful garden insects.  We found eggs on our pepper plants and did our best to remove them when the plants were small.  We used a piece of duct tape wrapped around a finger to remove the eggs.

duct tape wrapped around one finger helps lift off insect eggs from plants

We found that using a gentle fingernail was still too rough for the tender young leaves, so gently touching the tiny eggs with the sticky duct tape easily lifted them off.  

Eggs of the leaf miner on pepper plants

Once the plants were more mature and could withstand a little insect activity, we were less vigilant at egg removal, but still mindful of looking for eggs once in a while.  Read more on homemade remedies for treating leaf miners by clicking here.

harmful garden insects also include squash bugs

Squash Bug – This year, we planted pumpkins for the first time.  We had heard of the dreaded squash bug and had been looking for them but hadn’t seen any damage to the plants.  Then, just last week (late June), one of our pumpkin plants was nearly devoured overnight by something.

Squash bug eggs are easy to spot and remove.

We assumed it was the infamous squash bug.  This assumption was reinforced when, upon closer inspection of the plant, we found a mating pair of squash bugs with a third one waiting on the side-line and eggs attached to the underside of the remaining leaves and the stem. We posted photos of the damage to a Facebook gardening group and learned of some other likely culprits.  That night my husband went out with a headlamp and a bottle of neem oil to investigate.

earwigs are harmful but also beneficial

Earwigs – Someone suggested the damage looked like the work of earwigs.  My husband found several earwigs eating on the plant and a swarm of them hiding in a nearby crevasse. Earwigs are a complicated insect in the garden.  They are not only harmful, but also beneficial.  They aid in breaking down organic matter (composting) and they also eat aphids and other harmful insects. However, when there are too many of them around a young susceptible plant, they can be very destructive.  We could also see evidence of earwigs damage on a few leaves of nearby tomato plants.  This minimal damage doesn’t pose a risk to a plant that has hundreds of leaves to perform.  In comparison, the pumpkin plant had only a dozen leaves to start with and most of those were very damaged. 

earwigs eating pumpkin plant leaves

My husband sprayed neem oil on the earwigs on the plant, in the swarm nearby, and even in their nest. It’s still uncertain whether the plant will survive though it already shows signs of new growth. We monitor it closely to prevent another insect attack that would probably kill it.

Another organic alternative that works to kill earwigs is diatomaceous earth, which also now offers a nice dispensing bottle which helps cut down on waste and mess.  Check it out at Western Gardens.

diatomaceous earth is a natural organic product to control crawling insects in the garden.

As for the squash bugs, not the main culprits to the pumpkin plant, they were probably snacking on it also.  We’re still removing eggs as we find them (using the duct tape trick mentioned above) and killing any adults.  Their numbers can quickly get out of hand. Again, diatomaceous earth works well to control squash bugs.

Beneficial vs Harmful Insects – Lady bugs, praying mantis, and birds are a few examples of creatures that feed on the harmful garden insects; hence, we like to see these around around the yard.  When considering how to handle any harmful garden insects, the first reaction should generally not be total annihilation.  Rather, try to reduce their numbers and also allow the beneficial insects and animals to do their part until the plant is mature enough to withstand the damage. 

Good luck and happy hunting!

CLICK HERE to read about beneficial insects you want in your garden.

10 beneficial insects you want in your garden! If you spot these in your yard, you're in good shape!

Filed Under: Flowers, Gardening, How To, Insects, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, harmful garden insects, harmful insects, How To, organic management, organic pest controls, Utah gardening, Western Gardens

June Gardening To-Do List

June 8, 2017 by Western Gardens

Welcome gardening friends!  So glad you stopped by!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

Do you love to work in your yard, but aren’t sure of all the things you should be doing?  Then you’re in luck!  We’ve put together a list of things to do in June!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June gardening to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have a cherry tree, you won’t need to worry about treating for Cherry Fruit Flies.  Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

June Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant shrubs, trees and evergreens

➺Fertilize vegetables every 4 weeks with a slow-release fertilizer, and
fertilize roses

➺Watch For Insects show a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert if you suspect a problem

➺Fertilize Lawns and apply iron sulfate if needed (to green up your grass)

➺Watch For Insects like grasshoppers, potato bettle, squash bug & spider mites.  If you suspect a problem, take a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert.

➺Thin Out fruit trees for a better yield

➺Control Powdery Mildew on apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines,
grapes, peas, roses & euonymous

➺Treat For Cherry Fruit Fly when cherries begin to turn pink, unless already
using fruit tree spray

➺Control Peach Twig Borer once a month with spinosad

➺Watch For Slugs & Snails control with bait or other techniques

➺Adjust Sprinklers if needed, for increasing heat

➺Move And Replant Bulbs if the foliage has died down

➺Watch For Lawn Insects and treat as necessary

➺Prune & Fertilize flowering shrubs

➺Watch For Signs Of Lawn Disease take a sample to a garden expert if you
suspect a problem

➺Control tobacco budworm on geraniums & petunias

➺Control Weeds before they set & disperse seed

➺Plant Outside
Until June 15th: carrots & endive
Until July 1st: cauliflower, parsley, swiss chard, rutabaga
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
Until Sept 1st: radishes

*This is not an exhaustive list.  If we’ve overlooked something important, feel free to leave a comment and we will add it to the list!

If you’re local to the Salt Lake area, come in to any of our locations with questions or samples!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

Filed Under: Gardening, Tips & How To's, To-Do List, Utah Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, How To, June gardening to do list, lawn, Lawn Care, tips, Utah, Utah gardening, utah gardens, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

Use Living Flowers for Centerpieces during Easter and Spring

April 14, 2017 by Jenn Crookston

Use living flowers for centerpieces this Easter. Contains basket, tulips, bunnies, fake grass and plastic eggsIt’s pretty safe to say the very best part of Spring is the beautiful living flowers for centerpieces.  I love having fresh flowers in and around my home.  I love the instant brightness they bring and the amazing smells…it’s like bringing sunshine right inside the house.

As I plan my spring and Easter decor I love to plan for flowers anywhere and everywhere I can.  While I love a beautiful spring bouquet I especially love finding ways to use fresh flowers inside that I can then transfer outside so they can continue to grow and beautify my home.
Easter table centerpieces with tulips and ceramic bunniesFirst up I have this adorable Easter Table Centerpiece.  Using just a few items (many you may already have on hand) you can create the perfect centerpiece for your Easter dinner that will last for years to come because you can take that Tulip bulb and plant it in your yard!

Easter Table Centerpiece Supplies:
Basket
(I used a long skinny one I had on hand, you could use any variety)
Fake Grass
(or real grass if you plan ahead and grow some – see growing Wheatgrass)
Small Bucket
Fake Eggs
Ceramic Bunnies
Live Flowers
(I used a tulip, but again any flower would work.  Dainty primroses and colorful pansies are also great living flowers in centerpieces.)

First gather your supplies, plant your flower in the bucket and then place the bucket in the center of the basket and arrange your fake grass.  Once you have the grass arranged place fake eggs in the grass, mine had a hole in one end so I made sure to place the egg so that wouldn’t show.

I used two ceramic bunnies in front of the basket to bring the whole Easter look together. Simple and oh so cute.
Geraniums are a great way to use living flowers for centerpieces.
Once bunnies and Easter eggs are past being in season it’s time for a new Spring Centerpiece to take over the table.

Spring Table Centerpiece Set Up:
I found this cute blue crate at Target and flipped it upside down then added these little chubby birds and tiny cake stand from Hobby Lobby.  The Love Grows Here crate is also from Target and I love that it comes lined with plastic so adding flowers that need watering won’t damage it or anything under it.

I added two geraniums in their little plastic store bought containers, they are a perfect fit!
Easter table centerpieces with geraniums
While I love love love how both of these centerpieces turned out I think my very favorite part is that when I’m ready to make a change for the next season/holiday I get to plant these flowers outside and watch them continue to grow, I don’t have to throw them away in 7-10 days like we have to with cut flowers.

I highly recommend finding ways to bring living flowers into your decor.  I promise they’ll put a smile on your face every time you walk past them.

Filed Under: Crafts, Flowers, How To, Tips & How To's Tagged With: DIY, easter centerpieces, flowers, home decor, living flowers, living flowers centerpieces, spring centerpieces, use living flowers in centerpieces, Western Gardens

utah gardening to-do list in April

April 2, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Utah Gardening To-Do List in April | Easy Garden Tips | How to Garden in Utah | Beginning GardenerFeeling overwhelmed with so much to do in your yard?   Wondering where to start? lawn? vegetable garden? flower beds?  Check out our helpful Utah Gardening To-Do List in April for the Wasatch Front in Utah.  If you live in a similar growing season, this list can work for you too.

Realize that you may not need to do everything on this list; skip over those that do not apply to your yard.

Take the entire month to do the list.  None of us can do it all in one day off.  Enjoy the process of being out in your yard and digging in the soil.  In other words, stop to smell the roses or other blooms this month.

If you need some inspiration, stop by your local independent garden center like Western Gardens in West Valley or Salt Lake City.  We would love to show you our #1 quality material, expert knowledge, and friendly personal service to inspire and help you be a satisfied and successful gardener.  Your success is our success.

Press HERE for the April Gardening To Do List.

Here are a few blooms at Western this last week.

cold crop starts at local independent garden center in Utah geum bloom at western garden centers utah utah hellebores at western gardens celery starts on a rainy day at garden center salt lake city western gardens shipment of heuchera pansies of all colors at garden center in utah buttercup primrose blooms at western garden centers utah bees love saxifraga at salt lake city western garden centers unique succulents at salt lake and west valley city garden centers burkwood viburnum in bloom west valley western gardens

Drop in and see more!

western gardens two locations in utah

Filed Under: Gardening, To-Do List, Utah Gardening Tagged With: april gardening to do list, april gardens, burkwood viburnum, buttercup primrose, garden centers in Utah, gardening to-do list, hellebores, heuchera, local independent garden centers, pansies, primrose, saxifraga, succulents, Utah gardening, utah gardening april, utah gardening to-do list in april, viburnum, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

Warm Weather Plants for Porch Pots

June 14, 2016 by Jenn Crookston

Hi there, I’m so glad you stopped by!

If your porch pots or window boxes need some freshening up, don't miss this list of warm-weather plants to add! Beautiful and perfect for summer.

Did you start your porch pot or window boxes early in the Spring?  Are you ready to refresh your plants that may look a little past their prime, and get some warm-weather flowers in there?  Then you’ve come to the right place!  I’m sharing some of my favorites flowers to freshen up my pots.

warm weather 2

This year I started my flower pots and window boxes early (you can see how my window boxes started here and how my pots started here). I loved finding plants and flowers that brightened up my porch while we still had unpredictable weather with snow and cold snaps.

Now that we’re in to summer, it’s time to add warm-weather plants to my pots and window boxes…plants that will do well in the heat of Utah summers.

I’m sharing 10 gorgeous flowers that do well in the heat and will really make your pots and window boxes stand out this summer!
western gardens 3

Warm-Weather Plants for Porch Pots:

  1. Petunias
  2. Hawaiian Mahalo
  3. Bacopa Snowtopia White
  4. Pentas
  5. Lantana
  6. Million Bells
  7. Sweet Potato Vine (gorgeous for spilling over pots)
  8. Lobelia
  9. Bidens (usually just comes in yellow, this year Western Gardens has it in red and orange too!)
  10. Portulaca

Click NEXT for photos of each of these flowers, so you can see what they look like before you go to the nursery!

Western Gardens | Utah

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Filed Under: Annuals, Container Gardening, Flowers, Gardening, Utah Gardening Tagged With: flowers, Gardening, porch pots, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens, window boxes

DIY Tabletop Terra Cotta Fire Pit

June 7, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hi there, thanks for stopping by today!

DIY Fire Pit: Make Your Own Campfire At Home For Less Than $5 | Western Gardens

Do you love camping with your family in the summer?  Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire with the people you enjoy most?  Me too!

Some of my favorite memories are of camping in the mountains, at the lake, in the desert, and even in the backyard!  I can’t wait to make the same memories with my boys…but since I’m 20+ weeks pregnant, sleeping on the ground isn’t very appealing.
DIY Fire Pit: Make Your Own Campfire At Home For Less Than $5 | Western Gardens

So we’re bringing my favorite part of camping right to our front porch—campfires!

There’s nothing better than sitting around a camp fire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores and just spending time together, laughing and telling stories. Currently we live in a great little townhome community— without a backyard—so building a fire pit was out of the question.

I couldn’t let that stop me!

DIY Fire Pit: Make Your Own Campfire At Home For Less Than $5 | Western GardensI took matters into my own hands and made a mini fire pit out of a terra cotta pot for our front porch!  I took my husband, who is definitely the brains of our family, into Western Gardens and he picked out this terra cotta pot with holes in the bottom.  The holes allow more oxygen to enter the pot (just like on a charcoal grill), which will let the fire burn longer.

Longer lasting fires are perfect for those summer nights when the kids are playing, grown ups are chatting and you want to be able to make more s’mores when you get that craving (which happens a lot when you’re pregnant!).

Click NEXT to get the simple instructions!

Western Gardens | Utah

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Filed Under: Crafts, Outdoors Tagged With: DIY, Fire Pit, How To, how to's, Terra Cotta Pot, tips, Utah, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

7 Best Flowers for Beginning Gardeners

May 20, 2016 by Jennifer Day

Hi there! I’m so happy you’re here!
Just starting out in the garden? Not sure what to plant? Check out 7 plants for the beginning gardener! Beautiful and easy to grow flowers.

Are you just starting out in the gardening world and looking for a great list of flowers that are easy to grow AND beautiful?  Then you’ve come to the right place!

But first, I come to you with a confession—I was a Black Thumb most of my life. What’s a Black Thumb you ask? If a Green Thumb is someone who can make a garden blossom and grow, a Black Thumb is the opposite—a plant killer.

Yes, it’s true.

I grew up with parents and grandparents who loved gardening, and who created beautiful yards and gardens every year. Their yards were curated beautifully and I loved spending time with the fragrant blooms, feeling a sense of tranquility and peace in their spaces.

When we bought our home several years ago, I thought for certain that I would have that same ability.

But, I was wrong. I should have known better. After all, I almost killed a nearly-unkillable plant while working for my Dad in college. I’d only remember to water it when it started wilting. And that was about once a month!

After a sad attempt at gardening the first Spring in our home, I basically gave up altogether. My husband takes care of our lawn and landscape, and we have never actually had flower beds—just beautiful trees and bushes. Things that are hard to kill!

This year, however, my black thumb has turned GREEN, and I hope you will join me on this journey!

Because I’m a beginner too, I am going to share with you 7 of the best plants for a beginning gardner. So grab those gardening gloves and shovels and let’s get to work!

Click NEXT for 5 TIPS before you start planting your flowers!

Western Garden Centers | Salt Lake City | Sandy | West Valley UTAH

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Filed Under: Annuals, Container Gardening, Flowers, Gardening, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening Tagged With: flowers, Gardening, How To, tips, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

Cool Season Vegetables vs. Warm Season Vegetables

May 19, 2016 by Vanessa Myers

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here!

Do you know when to plant your veggies? (Hint: cool and warm season veggies aren't planted at the same time!) These handy lists will tell you what's what and when to plant!

Are you itching for beautiful weather so you can get your veggies planted?  You are not alone!  Fresh vegetables are the highlight of most gardens, with fresh, healthy and delicious produce.  Just make sure to plant the right veggies at the right time to get the best results!

Vegetable garden season is upon us and many gardeners are happily planning out their shopping trips to the nursery. It’s tempting to put out every kind of vegetable that you want to grow, all at the same time.

However, it’s important to know whether the types you are planting are cool season vegetables or warm season vegetables so that you can plant them at the appropriate times and help ensure the best crop possible.

Click NEXT to see the Cool Season Veggies and when to plant them!

Western Garden Centers | Salt Lake City | Sandy | West Valley UTAH

Image by *Jay~bay* under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License

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Filed Under: Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: cool season vegetables, food, Gardening, How To, tips, Utah, vegetarian, veggies, warm season vegetables, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

10 Veggies to Plant Now to Save Money Later

May 18, 2016 by Jenn Crookston

Hello! So glad to you’re here!  header

Do you love fresh, delicious produce, but you also love saving money?  Then you’re in the right place!  I’m sharing ten of my favorite veggies that not only taste better grown at home, but’ll keep more green in your wallet, too!

I am blessed with a household of children who love to eat veggies.  When I hear parents planning/plotting ways to get more veggies into their children’s diet I say a silent prayer of gratitude that isn’t a battle I have to fight!

But because we love our veggies so much, we tend to fly through them, especially during the summer months, when it’s hot and a heavy meal is too much.  This year, instead of running to the grocery store every other day, we can just run out to the garden!

Let me start by saying, if your family hates tomatoes, growing them yourself probably won’t make your kids suddenly love them (even though they definitely taste better than store-bought!).

So before you start planting, think of things your family enjoys and build around that.  Eat a ton of spinach?  Plant a ton!  Love kale, but hate spending $5 every week for a bag of organic baby leaves?  Put that on your garden list.  Save money by planting what you’ll actually eat and cross them off your grocery list!

There are a ton of great veggies that grow well here in Utah.  My list saves me money every year and they taste amazing fresh from the garden (and yes, I know a tomato isn’t botanically a vegetable, but in our house it falls into that category!).

Click NEXT to see what 10 garden veggies are saving me money!

Western Garden Centers | Salt Lake City | Sandy | West Valley UTAH

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Filed Under: Gardening, Tomatoes, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening Tagged With: food, Gardening, How To, tips, veggies, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

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