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Early Bloomer
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SEPTEMBER 2019
growth spurt seven acres of inspiration
It’s that time! September at Rock City Gardens is an exciting time. Thousands of baby plants are growing strong in anticipation of making their debut just in time for the beautiful winter season. While many of you are getting kids and grandkids back to school, and bidding summer farewell, our talented growers have been busy carefully nurturing cuttings and seedlings. Our homegrown annuals are known for their colorful blooms, lush foliage, and robust size – all of which would not be possible without the TLC that our team of growers provides. Two weeks prior to receiving new young cuttings from our suppliers, we thoroughly clean our greenhouses. They’re pressure washed from top to bottom, then liner trays are filled with sterile potting media and placed under a misting system for 2-3 days. This ensures that the soil mix is thoroughly moistened before planting begins. Greenhouse temperatures are regulated for optimal rooting. It’s all a labor of love in anticipation of their big arrival!
As soon as the cuttings arrive, armed with latex gloves and a spray bottle of alcohol, our growers carefully insert the newly arrived cuttings into the liner trays. This precaution ensures there is no cross-contamination. When the baby plants are rooted and mature, they’re carefully planted in appropriate pots filled with our custom soil mix. Those pots are then transferred to our greenhouses or flower house, and cared for until they are ready to sell. This summer we renovated two more of our greenhouses to provide cooler growing conditions for our flowers. The increase in heat and humidity has necessitated the installation of evaporating cooling systems. This should enable us to have our annuals ready sooner so you can enjoy them at their peak of perfection.
We’re growing in the right direction! One of our attributes that we
Our pottery area is also
Adding to the beauty of
take great pride in at Rock
undergoing a transformation.
our grounds, this summer
City Gardens is our continual
Artificial turf has been
we added aerators to our
aesthetic improvements.
installed and a smooth,
pond. Intense summer heat
Making your gardening and
gravel walkway was added
encourages algae to grow on
shopping experiences as
to make shopping for pots
the surface. Our solution:
pleasurable as possible is
a pleasant experience. Our
we installed aerators in the
important, including improving
impressive selection of pots
pond that increase air flow
“how” you navigate inside our
is one of the largest in the area.
and reduce algae growth.
garden gates.
It’s now easier to navigate
Pretty innovative!
During your next visit, you’ll notice that we’ve paved the inside of the bromeliad house, which makes shopping for these exotic beauties easier.
between them and find just the right size and color for your home and garden. Several new shipments of
Let us know what you think about all the new additions and growth!
pots are arriving this month!
An interesting side note to
We also installed tiered
the new renovation: All of the
shelving in our shade house.
pavers are reclaimed materials
By doing so, it widened the
from old hardscape jobs, giving
aisles and positioned the plants
the space an eclectic style.
at eye level for easy shopping.
The art of “reuse” at its best!
COMING SOON! Our new Garden Café – just inside our garden gates and near the Garden Boutique. Enjoy an iced or hot coffee and a delicious selection of fresh pastries, baked daily, while you stroll the gardens. It’s a delicious addition you don’t want to miss.
COMING SOON!
Garden Café
WE GROW FOR YOU! Our talented growers are busy propagating beautiful, homegrown annuals just for you. Here’s a snippet of what’s growing as we speak – and will soon be ready for your enjoyment!
COLEUS with its lush, variegated foliage and big names like Fifth Avenue, Sunset Boulevard and Royalty stands up beautifully in the garden. Our NEW Chili Pepper cultivar from our “Flame Thrower” series promises to be hot and sassy.
SALVIA in shades of blue and a NEW “Mysty” series variety is making a beautiful debut. It’s a shorter growing variety than the well-known Mystic Spires.
CROTONS are known for their colorful foliage. Available in 1-gallon size, they are wonderful in containers or landscapes. Varieties including Golden Bell, Piecrust, AFD-7, Excelente, Eburneum and Zanzibar will certainly pique your interest.
“Bumble Blue” AGERATUM is NEW and promises intense flower power and to be a magnet for butterflies!
DWARF MORNING GLORY in our beautiful “Ipomoea Sun Series” is a dwarf release with pink, blue, red or violet blooms. Its variegated foliage is especially interesting.
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SUNPATIENS will offer a fabulous collection of colors! Hot Coral, Tropical Rays, Orchid Blush, Deep Rose, and White are bright and fun.
CHRYSANTHEMUM commonly known as Mums, are a beautiful reminder that fall is just around the corner! Our “Cheryl� series in #1 size pots are available in delightful colors including Frosty White, Golden, Jolly Red, Sparkling Yellow, Spicy Orange, and Pink.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
After the Storm
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM ROCK CITY GARDENS
We are incredibly thankful that Hurricane Dorian did not make a direct impact on our community, including our neighbors just to the north and south. Thanks to our hard-working staff, Rock City Gardens was well prepared. Our garden associates spent days before the storm preparing and protecting the nursery and inventory, and equally long days putting it all back together immediately afterward. As a result, we will open our garden gates on Saturday, September 7th. Our thoughts and prayers are with our Bahamian neighbors. They are facing a long recovery as they literally re-build their lives and homes, and cope with their losses. If you are considering donating to a charitable cause to assist with the recovery, we encourage you to check the organization’s rating and experience at CharityNavigator.org. You’ll find well-established and rated organizations that are diligently working to provide humanitarian aid. While we averted a potentially devastating outcome here, we realize that many of you are cleaning up your landscape, re-opening your businesses, and trying to get things back to normal. Rock City Gardens is available to help with clean up if needed. To schedule a time, please call our office at 772-589-5835. Rock City Gardens is a drop-off location for hurricane relief supplies. Please see the backcover of The Early Bloomer for more details!
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HARDSCAPE
Q: What is a hardscape? A: Aptly named “hardscape,” the industry term was first used
Hardscape designs, like outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, are also a natural extension of your home. “Softscape” is all the living material we grow and provide. Together, they make a beautiful and functional element to your landscape. Rock City Gardens is quickly becoming the “go-to” source for custom hardscape designs and installation.
ASK
in the 1970’s and refers to hard materials that are built into a landscape. These can include areas like driveways, outdoor kitchens, pool decks, water and fire features, retaining walls, walkways, and any other area made up of hard-wearing materials such as wood, stone, granite, brick and concrete – as opposed to softscape, the living plants in your landscape.
For more details about hardscape designs and installation, contact Rock City Gardens at 772-589-5835.
Brad´s Musings
School is back and football is starting, not a better time of year; Time to make the yard look amazing, then watch your game and cheer; Bust out the chips and bring on the wings; Don’t worry about the weather! Go team go! is what I hear ‘cause I’m married to Heather!
about the poet
Brad is a long-time Rock City Gardens’ associate.
GARDEN BOUTIQUE
GARDEN BOUTIQUE
Let there be light! For outdoor living – or bringing the natural elements indoors – our new, handcrafted lamps available in the Garden Boutique are the perfect accessory. Made from real cocoa, banyan, jackfruit and alibangbang leaves from the Philippines as well as other sustainable material, they are especially suited for coastal living. Outdoor lamp selections include bulbs that are sealed for protection and a heavy-duty cord. It’s a perfect addition to your loggia or outdoor room. We love these unique lighting features for their natural beauty, functionality and sustainability. Starting at just $62, we have a wide selection of affordable designs – while supplies last!
HURRICANE RELIEF COLLECTION
We’re helping bring some hurricane relief to our Bahamian neighbors. The following items may be dropped off at Rock City Gardens during normal business hours September 7th– 15th. We will ensure the items are delivered to the appropriate location in Indian River County so that they can be dispersed in the Bahamas as needed.
9080 U.S. Hwy 1 Wabasso, Florida 32970 772.589.5835
acres of inspiration
RockCityGardens.com
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