Information and Resouces for the Do-it-Yourselfer - Great Lakes Landscaping

~ The Gardener ~

In this Issue:
        Publishers Notes
        Grasshopper Humor
        Water Garden Depth
        Deer Damage Control

Email Tip
Useful Links

~ Publisher's Notes ~

Spring is finally here for REAL! Looking over our shrubs/landscaping,

I can see it really has been a mild winter. Buds are numerous,

and especially large. The dogwood bloom is going to be spectacular!

Now is a great time to add some fertilizer to all your early blooming

shrubs and bulbs. Water in well, if using granular food. We're in

the process of potting shrubs up, splitting plants, etc., and food is

extremely important when leaves are just emerging. A little goes a

long way. Walk around your landscaping with a bag of fertilizer,

(one WITHOUT weed killer in it), and just throw a small handful
around the roots of each shrub, and a scatter it over your flower beds.

We've been selling scads of our drip emitter kits! Now is the time

to add drip irrigation to an existing landscape. Lay your drip trunk

line on top of your shrub bed, place emitters and tubing where you

need them, and bury the whole thing a inch or two below the surface

in your mulch. That's all there is to it. No winterization, the lines

just expand and contract with the cold and ice.

~ Grasshopper Humor ~

A grasshopper walks into a bar and the bartender says,

"Hey, we have a drink named after you!''

The grasshopper looks surprised and says,
''You have a drink named Steve?''

~ Water Depth ~

Our last letter mentioned that the best depth of a water garden

was 24" in the center. It's worth noting that OASE ponds are

tailored to an 18" depth. If you are in the north, as we are, 18"

doesn't cut it, and you are asking for trouble over-wintering your

fish. However, anywhere else, you are probably fine at 18".

Our site builders have been busy, and we've put our OASE

water gardens / filters online. They come with / without a skimmer,

and work well where you don't want to have to fool with building

a waterfall. The Aquascape ponds have a falls built in, which

means you need to build up and create a berm for the falls.

Also online: Most of the OASE replacement pumps. Nautilus,

Powermax, and Atlantis. These pumps have 3-5 yr. warrantee.

~ Deer Damage ~

What can be done about it? If you live in the suburbs, a

golf course, anywhere civilization has encroached on nature,

you know what a problem deer are... A friend and customer

once gave me a 1" stack of papers she had downloaded off

the internet in the hope of educating herself and me on what

to do about it. Unfortunately, all of the experts had very

little to really help! Deer will eat almost anything if they are

hungry enough! If you have deer, avoid: Yews, rhododendron,

azaleas, hosta, and all of your favorite plants, too!

Just kidding. Here's what we do: Deer repellant sprays are

very unreliable. They work until the deer get used to them.

Just use a minimum number of deer treats. Only use what

you can easily cover or protect through the winter. Once the

grass has turned green, the deer usually leave you alone.

Get some burlap from your local nursery or feed store. Use

binder twine and first tie up the shrubs, then put a SINGLE

layer of burlap around them. Any more will cut off needed

light. If you plant a LOT of yews or other deer favorites, the

animals will smell your landscaping from miles away. Just

plant what you really must. You'll find a happy medium of

what won't attract too many deer, and will satisfy your need

for ornamentals.

~ Email Tip: Sending Web Pages ~

Ever want to send a web page that you like to a friend?

This is easily done. While visiting the page, select "Mail"

from your browser tool bar. In the drop down menu that

appears, select either "send page" or "send link". NOTE:

If you send the whole page, it can be a large email download.

Some programs don't do well with that, particularly if your

friend has an older computer. I like to send just the link.

Click your choice, and send the email that will appear.

Sending a link allows you to type a message to your friend

easily, too, telling them about the web page, and why you

think they might like it! Try it!

~ Useful Links ~

Useful links at Great Lakes where you can get spring supplies:

Water Garden Supplies, complete kits, bacteria, filter media,
lights, Aquascape Designs and OASE, most shipped next day:
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/watergardens.htm

Wholesale Bare Root Plants, (TIP: Plant wildflower, perennial,
ground covers just below surface, about an inch, water well.)
Some items on overstock sale until April 15th.
Ships on Mondays for orders through the Thursday before.
Occasional delays from wet fields:
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/plants.htm

OASE Fountains, order EARLY, as they take about a month to ship,
each being custom built by OASE to order, per nozzle, HP, lighting:
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/fountains.htm

Vista Outdoor Lighting Kits and Supplies, ship next day, most items,
some lights take a few days to get here first, it's hard to stock
every item, but we try:
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/nite.htm

Irrigation Supplies, sprinklers, controllers, NEW this year-
DRIP IRRIGATION KITS and misc.drip supplies to irrigate your
shrub beds and landscaping:
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/irrigation.htm

See you in next week,
Spike

Contact me here ~
http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net/question.htm

I enjoy hearing from you!

Web Site: http://www.greatlakeslandscaping.net