The Early Bloomer - May 2013

The Early Bloomer seven acres of inspiration

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

MAY, 2013

Bring the Good Life Outdoors

in this issue Bring the Good Life Outdoors Flowers for Your Butterfly Garden Fresh Picks From Our Garden Boutique

Container Garden of the Month The Gardens Seminars How Does Your Garden Grow?

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outdoor living ideas

Bring the Good Life Outdoors The word is out: Rock City Gardens now provides fullservice hardscape design and installation. Whether it’s an outdoor room, pool deck, sitting wall, garden walkway, decorative gravel or paver driveway, we have the skill and quality materials to make your outdoor spaces as unique and comfortable as those inside your home.

Outdoor rooms are designed to seamlessly expand your home. And bringing the good life outdoors for friends and family is a great way to keep the conversations flowing. From stately fireplaces to elegant outdoor kitchens, the custom design options are numerous, including wood boxes, water features, brick ovens, wine cabinets, and lighting. We use Belgard hardscape and installation products, and we’re the only Belgard distributor on the Treasure Coast. Rock City provides a two-year guarantee on all of our installations and Belgard provides a lifetime warranty on all of its products.

Rock City’s experts can design and install your new outdoor living area or you can purchase materials directly from us for your next great DIY project. We’ll bring the skill and experience—you just bring your imagination! To schedule a consultation, please call our General Manager, Wade Baxley at 772.589.5835.

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new varietals

Flowers for your Butterfly Garden

Buddleia

May is an ideal time to start a Butterfly Garden. Butterfly habitats are often lost to human activity, so cultivating a new one is an easy way to see more beautiful butterflies around your home. Before you choose the plants for your new garden, it’s best to select the site where they will be grown. Keep in mind that butterfly gardens can be as small as a container

Lantana

garden or as large as a field.

You’ll need to grow plants that caterpillars like to eat (Host Plants) and plants that adult butterflies enjoy (Nectar Plants).

We have a large variety of host and nectar plants in our flower houses ranging in price from $4.99 to $12 each. A few of our best sellers include: • Buddleia (also known as the “Butterfly Bush”)

Gaillardia

• Lantana • Gaillardia • Pentas • Coreopsis

Pentas

Butterfly garden plants should be heat tolerant. When you plant your garden, water it daily in the beginning and then taper off over a 4-week period. Summer thunderstorms can influence your watering frequency. By planting a garden that butterflies love, you could have a yard full of butterflies throughout the summer growing season.

Visit Rock City Gardens this month and discover the many plants and container options available. Our knowledgeable associates will be happy to help you select the best varietals for your home and your new butterfly garden site.

Coreopsis 4

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garden boutique

Fresh Pick: Plant Stands You’ve been asking for more decorative plant stands, and they’re here! Our Garden Boutique now has a generous collection of beautiful plant stands.

With a wide range of sizes and styles, you’ll find gorgeous selections for the interior of your home as well as your outdoor areas. From 3-tiered, iron stands and wicker containers to a unique, dried flower floor stand, our new collection is worth a trip to Rock City Gardens. For more information, please call Diane at 772-589-5835.

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Container of the Month Each month, The Early Bloomer will feature a new container garden. We couldn’t resist sharing this beauty secret for May. Planted within a tall glazed urn are purple verbena, dusty miller, white sunpatiens, black and blue salvia, purple and white striped angelonia, and pink zinnia.

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the gardens seminars

Join Us! Join us at Rock City Gardens for our informative seminars. We offer a wide range of topics, so there’s something for just about everyone. Seminars are free and open to the public. We simply request that you reserve a seat so we are properly prepared. We occasionally conduct workshops, which may require a small fee to cover the cost of materials.

May Seminar/Workshops:

May 4th

Saturday, May 4th - 10:00AM Butterfly Gardens Seminar Kindly RSVP to margaret@rockcitygardens.com

Saturday, May 11th “Kids Create a Pot” Workshop for Mother’s Day Drop by anytime between 9 am and 4 pm and let your kids create a special Mother’s Day gift. ($10 per pot, including the container and flowers)

We Grow for You Don’t forget that May is the deadline for preordering your fall flowers. Our “We Grow for You” program enables you to order the exact color, varietals and quantities so your garden is set and ready to enjoy during Vero Beach’s vibrant peak season. For more information or a personal consultation, please contact Rhonda Lowe at 772.589.5835 or Rhonda@rockcitygardens.com.

May 11th

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

A helpful tip for selecting a Butterfly Garden site: Butterflies prefer to feed in sunny areas protected from the wind. You’ll probably want the garden where you can see it yet not right next to heavily trafficked areas (nectar flowers may attract bees and other stinging insects). It should also be in an area away from pesticide use.

seven acres of inspiration

9080 U.S.. Hwy 1, Wabasso, Florida 32970 772-589-5835 RockCityGardens.com

The Early Bloomer Š Rock City Gardens