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NOVEMBER 2017
A Bounty of Beauty seven acres of inspiration
gardening
A PAUSE FOR POTTERY We love this bit of ancient history: The first use of functional pottery vessels was for storing water and food around 9000 BC. Glass was then discovered in Egypt around 8000 BC, when overheating of kilns produced a colored glaze on the pottery. And the potter's wheel? It was invented in Mesopotamia sometime between 6,000 and 4,000 BC. Source: The American Ceramic Society
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Thanksgiving Vessels A BOUNTY OF BEAUTIFUL POTTERY FOR THE SEASON
Each year, Americans gather for a day of feasting, football and family. While today’s Thanksgiving celebrations would likely be unrecognizable to guests of the original 1621 harvest meal, it continues to be a day for family and friends to gather for a bountiful feast. For many people, it’s their favorite holiday of the year. For we Florida gardeners, it’s the welcoming of cooler autumn temperatures that we love about this time of year. It’s a time to re-plant and re-decorate for the season ahead. Container gardens are one of the easiest and most colorful ways to enhance your home and garden for the holidays. Thankfully, Rock City Gardens has a plethora of decorative pottery, containers of all shapes and sizes, and beautiful cachepot. Whether it’s elegant pots to welcome guests at your entrance, brightly colored containers to spruce up your outdoor living area, or a wildly exciting piece of bright Talavera Mexican pottery, you won’t find a larger, more diverse selection of pottery for miles around. They’re also the perfect vessel to showcase our harvest of stunning fall flowers.
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November’s Harvest
VERBENA » VERBENA Available in cascading or upright, our verbena are a lovely addition to container gardens, hanging baskets, and landscaping. And these beauties have the added benefit of attracting butterflies. Choose from various shades of blue, red, pink and purple. MAINTENANCE: Minimal pruning and water LIGHT: Full Sun
GERANIUM » GERANIUM Rock City is synonymous for growing gorgeous geraniums, and this season doesn’t disappoint. Our geranium greenhouse is a stunning display of color with shades of red, pink, lavender, salmon and white. Large, colorful blooms turn any pot or cachepot into a garden showstopper. MAINTENANCE: Occasional deadheading LIGHT: Full Sun
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PETUNIA
PENTAS
» PETUNIA This season’s SupertuniasTM are proven winners in our book. They come in 12 wonderful flavors as our head grower affectionately calls them, including our newest color: honey. These vigorous bloomers are versatile enough to be planted in your landscape or cascading over a beautiful pot.
» PENTAS Our Starcluster series perform beautifully in landscaping as well container gardens. In addition to red and rose color options, this season we’re introducing two new shades: pink and apple blossom. Pentas are perfect pot fillers and easy to care for.
MAINTENANCE: Easy! They are self-cleaning
required LIGHT: Full to Partial Sun
and require no deadheading. LIGHT: Full Sun
MAINTENANCE: Easy! No deadheading
Stop in before the holiday rush! Rock City’s garden associates are prepared to help you select perfect pottery and flowers for your Thanksgiving entertaining. 5
R E AD E R QU I Z
Hey, Gardener!
Wha•da•ya•know?
Brad´s Musings Goodbye to humidity Hello to cooler air
Root out your genius with these fun trivia questions!
1. What was the first Thanksgiving really about? 2. What was the first synthetic material created by humans?
Perfect weather for a stroll where plants are grown with care Need help selecting flowers?
3. Where did geraniums originate?
Want everything to look pretty? That is what we do daily Come see us at Rock City
master - gardener level
When did the geranium gain popularity in american gardens? Check our Facebook page this month for the answer.
about the poet
Brad is a long-time Rock City Gardens’ associate.
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Hey, Gardener! Wha•da•ya•know? Answers: 1) It was designated as days of prayer, not feasting. 2) Clay 3) South Africa
ASK DOC ROCK Q: Aside from culinary options, what are different ways I can use fresh herbs? A: Common herbs offer plenty of convenient, healthy options for everyday use. They have a rich history of use as disinfectants, eco-friendly cleaners, and natural beauty treatments. For example, certain herbs, such as lavender and sage, when crushed and added to a bowl of baking soda and water, become a soft scrubber for kitchen surfaces. Fragrant herbs like rosemary and mint ward off insects, including fleas. Add bundles of lavender in your closet to protect your clothes from moths. If perfumes aggravate your allergies, try rubbing fresh marjoram on your wrists for a naturally sweet fragrance. And after that next garlicky meal, consider nibbling on a sprig of parsley for a natural breath freshener. For even more useful tips, visit Rock City Gardens. We grow over 50 varieties of fresh herbs! 7
SP E CIAL E VEN TS
Homegrown flowers along Rock City’s Ponytail Path
INSIDE OUR GARDEN GATES It’s where gardening knowledge has been shared for decades. Where exquisite home and garden décor, stunning flowers and outdoor living spaces have generated rave reviews. And where a peaceful garden stroll soothes the soul.
seven acres of inspiration
Open seven days a week. Visit soon. U.S. HWY 1
IN WABASSO
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772.589.5835
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ROCKCITYGARDENS.COM
Rock City Gardens is a long-standing supporter and fan of Vero Beach Magazine. Their stories shine a light on just how special our community is – from the people who live here to our unique environment. Here’s a peek at our new advertising campaign debuting in this month’s issue. Visit Rock City soon to discover beautiful surprises inside our garden gates.
G AR D E N B OU TIQU E
Holiday Pop!
Our new Love Pop greeting cards unfold into extravagant, miniature surprises. These wildly popular 3D works of art debuted on ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank! Available in designs for any occasion, anytime of year, Love Pops are another noteworthy experience at Rock City’s garden boutique.
How Does Your Garden Grow? We are deeply thankful for each of you — our loyal readers, followers, clients and staff. Like so many of you, we turn to our gardens for solitude, nourishment and enjoyment. We share a love of nature and gardening. As you gather with family and friends this holiday season, we hope you, too, will give thanks for the bounty of beauty found all around us. Happy Thanksgiving!
Closed Thanksgiving Day
seven acres of inspiration
9080 U.S. Hwy 1 Wabasso, Florida 32970 772.589.5835 RockCityGardens.com
Monday through Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday 9:00am – 5:00pm © 2013-2017 Rock City Gardens