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OCTOBER 2017
October Gardening
seven acres of inspiration
GA RDENING
T I M E TO
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Dare we jinx it, but storm season will soon be behind us. And good riddance! Our community was spared the catastrophic devastation experienced farther south of us last month, and for that we are grateful. Now we look ahead and work together to restore our community to its natural beauty. Few things soothe post-storm woes like refreshing your gardens and landscape. It’s like a breath of fresh air with a promise of beautiful new growth to come. Mother Nature has an uncanny way of cleaning out the clutter that had accumulated. Her timing was naturally perfect since now is considered an ideal time of year to re-plant. Your plants and flowers will have ample time to establish a healthy root system over the next 6-9 months before summer sets in again.
SUPERTUNIAS® These big bloomers love the sun. Available in 10” pots and an assortment of colors, you’ll not only enjoy their colorful displays – you’ll love that no deadheading is required. They can reach up to two feet in height in your landscape and will trail beautifully over the edges of container gardens or baskets. Easy maintenance and lots of color – we think they’re simply ‘super’!
October is also that optimistic time of year when the promise of cooler temperatures is just around the corner. Our plants and flowers couldn’t be happier. While we don’t like to play favorites, this month’s featured flowers at Rock City Gardens are exceptional.
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POST STORM PLANNING As you ponder how to prepare your post-storm landscape and gardens for the upcoming winter season, consider these recommended steps before planting your new beauties: 1. If your plants were standing in water following the storm, rinse and clean them with fresh water. This helps prevent the spread of potential disease to wounded plants. 2. Prune and remove the damaged and dead parts of your plants. Enough time has passed that you can see where new growth is happening. Make sure to cut in the new growth, so the plant can form a barrier against infection. 3. After you’ve cleared away debris and assessed which areas of your landscape needs new plants, take note of sun levels throughout the day so you can select plants and flowers with the proper light requirements. And then the fun begins as you establish beautiful new plants, flowers and trees for the upcoming season!
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Rock City Gardens associates will gladly help you select just the right homegrown plants and flowers for your garden needs. Visit soon!
SUNPATIENSTM Vibrant and proliferous, SunPatiens are absolutely stunning planted in garden borders and container gardens. Also known as Impatiens, their growth pattern creates beautiful mounds of color. And this year, Rock City has grown 10 glorious colors from which to choose. These heat tolerant flowers enjoy full sun and regular watering.
G A R DENING
HERBS As you gear up for the holiday season, what better way to prepare than with delicious, healthy and aromatic herbs. We’ve grown over 50 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs for your enjoyment. From full sun to part shade, our garden associates will guide you in the right direction for the varieties best suited for your growing needs.
BABY WING BEGONIA This vigorous plant has an upright, mounding growth that is covered in blooms well into the season. Perfect for your landscape or as the center of attention in a container garden. Choose from bicolor, pink, red or white. Begonias perform best when planted in areas that receive part to full shade during most of the day.
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R E AD E R QU I Z
Hey, Gardener!
Wha•da•ya•know?
Brad´s Musings Fall is in the air. A creepy movie is out with a clown.
Root out your genius with these fun trivia questions!
1. Which flower, when you squeeze its sides, resembles a dragon opening and closing its mouth? 2. What causes a cranberry to bounce and float in water?
Wow! That was one crazy storm! Even some trees have fallen down. Now it is time for October.
3. What are the longest living organisms on earth?
Are you ready for a Halloween scare? Come see what’s new at Rock City Please enter if you dare!
master - gardener level
What is Angiosperm? Check our Facebook page this month for the answer.
Hey, Gardener! Wha•da•ya•know? Answers: 1) Snapdragon 2) tiny pockets of air inside the fruit 3) Trees!
about the poet
Brad is a long-time Rock City Gardens’ associate.
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ASK DOC ROCK Q: Which plants and flowers withstand severe weather best?
A: No plant is totally impervious to hurricanes or other severe storms, but some are able to withstand strong winds and heavy rains more than others. Native plants and trees are naturally strong contenders. Just look around at the number of palm trees still standing after epic storms. Sure, their fronds are rattled but most are still standing tall. Though not native, brilliantly colored Thai Hybrid crown of thorns and bougainvillea are beautiful examples of flowering plants that are strong and sturdy. Crotons, with their large variegated leaves are another hardy, tropical plant that seem to weather the storms with ease. Rock City Gardens is a wonderful resource for plants appropriate for every season.
Rock City’s garden associates stand ready to help you select new plants and flowers for your landscape and gardens.
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GA R DEN BOUT IQ U E
Dressing up for Halloween was never more fun. Our beautiful ponchos are perfect.
G AR D E N B OU TIQU E
‘Thanksgiving Friends’ placements are conversation starters and make holiday planning a breeze!
Hey, Pumpkin! It’s October and the Garden Boutique is full of your seasonal favorites. Our famed fall home and garden décor returns with new delights to spice up your holiday plans. Whimsical ponchos and frighteningly fun Halloween ornaments are must-haves. Decorative pumpkins in a wide array of styles and sizes are worthy of the greatest pumpkin patch display. And beautifully designed and disposable Thanksgiving Friends placements set the stage for an easy and delicious holiday meal.
Rock City’s new ‘Love Pop’ greeting cards are exquisite and available for all occasions.
Our personal favorite? The Garden Boutique’s new and noteworthy ‘Love Pop’ cards. Available for all occasions, these pop-up creative cards feature gorgeous 3D designs that will brighten and delight your lucky pals. And we love that there’s plenty of room for penning your personal note.
SP E CIAL E VEN TS
Rock City Gardens is a proud supporter and fan of Riverside Theatre. Here’s a sneak peek at one of our ads making a debut in this season’s playbills. We hope
“A stunning display of artistry!”
to see you at the show!
seven acres of in spiration
IVY GERANIU
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★★★★★
5-STAR GAR
DEN AWARD
WINNER
Born and bred at Rock City, this bright sh hanging out in owstopper lo beds and pott ves ed gardens. A daily sunshine ll she requires and the occa is sional groom ing. RO C KC I T Y
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S P E C I A L E VENTS
Restoring Our Lagoon ANNUAL BENEFIT 2017
Thursday, November 9th 6:00 PM Rock City Gardens Cocktails & Hors d’oeurvres | Buffet Dinner Silent Auction | Musical Entertainment & Dancing S’mores and Desserts by the Fire To secure tickets call 772.794.0701 or
CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS!
Join us!
Our largest event and long-standing tradition is coming up next month. If you’ve never attended the Indian River Land Trust’s annual benefit hosted by Rock City Gardens, it’s worth every minute of your time! We’re proud to have hosted this event for the past 13 years. Impressive funds have been raised to save our Indian River Lagoon by preserving the wildlife habitat, protecting our scenic waterfront, and providing access for public recreation and education.
How Does Your Garden Grow? As you contemplate what to plant next, consider fruit trees beyond the common citrus. As Rock City’s owner and author of the gardening column in Vero Beach Magazine suggested, you might enjoy the “useful and attractive” avocado tree. They are well suited for our coastal climate and avocado trees are absolutely gorgeous in your landscape. Avocados also conveniently ripen after you’ve picked them from the tree. It takes seven to 10 days for avocados to ripen, allowing you to choose when to harvest them. Guacamole, anyone?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
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