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As summer draws to a close and annuals and perennials begin to fade, it's time to add a splash of color to your fall landscape with mums. Ashcombe offers 40 different varieties in nearly every shade imaginable - yellow, orange, white, red, pink and purple! Each year Ashcombe offers the very latest varieties and this year is no exception. We will be adding these new 'girls' to our already superior selection of garden mums:
GOLDEN MARILYN - early blooming golden yellow SPICY CHERYL - two-tone bronze season extender ANDREA - two-tone bronze season extender FALL CONCERTO - two-tone orange season extender DAZZLING STACY - early blooming bronze COURTNEY - late blooming pink daisy There are four different blooming periods for mums: Early - around September 1st; Midseason - around September 15th; Late - around October 1st and Season Extender - around October 15th. Ashcombe offers two basic sizes of mums. The 41/2" size pot is perfect for centerpieces or gifts or can be transplanted into your garden. The larger size mums are in 9" pots and are typically used in the garden or placed in pots for fall decorating. Also this year, we will have some mums in hanging baskets to replace any of your fading annual hanging baskets. Though many garden centers advertise their mums as HARDY, it is not guaranteed that mums will survive the winter and come back year after year. We advertise our mums as garden mums, however, these are the same mums that everyone else is selling. Follow these basic steps to increase the hardiness of your mums:
2) Plant in a sunny spot with good drainage. 3) In winter, protect with straw, leaves or tree branches. 4) Uncover mid-March and cut back. 5) Keep trimmed to 8" until July 4th. 6) Can be divided every other year. Ashcombe is changing gears to get into the fall season and there will be some wonderful additions to our line of merchandise! New Fall Items in Garden Supplies Ashcombe is changing gears to get into the fall season and there will be some wonderful additions to our line of merchandise!
Going on Vacation? Dri-Water timed release will water your plants for 30 days! It can also be used for those hard to reach hanging baskets. Dri-Water is a gel that releases water when it comes in contact with the soil. Also try Dri-Water drip irrigation in a box. It lasts for 90 days! Ashcombe Fundraiser Every year our wholesale department hosts a winter fundraiser. This fundraiser is open to any church, school or tax exempt organization. We offer certain plants at wholesale cost so you are able to put a mark up on the product and make a profit. We offer our own home-grown poinsettias in many different sizes and varieties, home-grown cyclamen, wreaths and much more. All of our fundraisers have always been a great success. If you would like more information or would like to be put on our mailing list, please contact Melissa Carlin in the Wholesale department. A Reminder From Our Bakery The holidays are just around the corner! We will be accepting Thanksgiving orders on baked goods from Thursday, November 1st through Saturday, November 17th. Christmas orders will be taken from Monday, December 3rd until Wednesday, December 19th. These orders can be picked up on Saturday, December 22nd or Monday the 24th. Please keep in mind that Ashcombe is closed on Sunday. For your convenience, we will have a complete list of baked goods available for orders. You can pick up a list at the deli in September. Thank you so much for your continued patronage!
Visit us during our annual...
HAYRIDES & PICK-YOUR-OWN PUMPKINS
SCARECROW MAKING
APPLE BUTTER BOIL CIDER PRESSING DEMONSTRATION HARVEST FOODS FARM ANIMALS CORN MAIZE HAY WORLD Outdoor Decorating A Great Alternative To The Fall Mum Does your garden need more fall color? For many gardeners, late season color is synonymous with chrysanthemums. Today's mums are not entirely winter hardy here in Zone 6, and many gardeners are frustrated by the need to replant them annually. If you would like your garden to be different, or if you want a plant that is truly perennial, why not try some fall blooming asters? Our native asters represent one of the greatest untapped resources for late season color. The two most common species in cultivation are Aster novae-angliae and Aster novi-belgii. Both species were found by the first European settlers growing from Nova Scotia to Georgia. Seeds were collected by colonial botanists and sent home to England, where the plants were much appreciated not only for their rich purplish-blue flowers, and their tall clean growing habit, but also because they bloomed in autumn, when abundant flowers in such colors were scarce. This splendid late blooming habit earned them their very English name: Michaelmas Daisies. The feast of Saint Michael and All Angels occurs on the 29th of September, just when they are at their peak in English gardens. Although popular in Europe, until recent years our native aster has been vastly under-used in American gardens. Most of the credit for breeding improved varieties must be given to English and German nurserymen who began making selections in the late 1890's and continue to introduce new ones every year. Fortunately, asters are making a comeback in the United States and for good reason. Blooming in autumn, asters give fresh color to a garden when most plants are beginning to decline. Asters produce tidy mounds of small, dark green leaves that become covered with single or semi- double daisies usually in late August or September. Plants are very floriferous, producing large numbers of daisy-like blooms. New varieties have been bred which provide waves of splendid color many gardeners crave. Richly colored clouds of flowers - white, lavender, purple, blue, mauve, pink and carmine. The name aster comes from the Latin word for "star", referring to the shape of the flower, which is composed of a yellow disk surrounded by overlapping rows of thin petals or ray flowers in a rainbow of colors. Plants vary in size usually from 1 to 4 feet. Hence there is an aster for almost every place in your garden. When buying asters, pay attention to the eventual height of the ones you are buying. Asters can be pinched like mums to control height and increase number of blooms In fact, the plants you buy from Ashcombe have been pinched several times. To do this at home, simply cut back 4 to 6 inches of growth from each growing point once or twice in spring and early summer. Your last pinch should be no later than early July as plants will begin to set bud. A sharp pair of hedge trimmers will do the job. The result will be a more compact, dense plant covered with flowers. Most garden asters are easy to grow. They prefer a sunny location in well drained, fertile soil. If the taller varieties are not pinched during the early season as described above, they may require staking. Aster divaricatus, the white wood aster, is an exception. It loves partial to deep shade and tolerates dry soil. This plant has handsome purplish black stems with clean heart-shaped leaves. In autumn, it is covered with clouds of white daisies providing abundant color in the late shade garden. Ashcombe offers a selection of 20 different asters, varying in color and height including:
Recipes of the Season
APPLE COFFEE CAKE
Mix as for cake batter. spread batter in buttered pan. Cooking apples as
needed, slice Slice cooking apples into thin, even slices, and arrange to cover cake batter. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this over apples. Bake in 350ƒ oven to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drabble sweet cream over apples. Put back in oven to finish baking about 20 minutes longer.
PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES Beat egg yolks, sugar, oil and pumpkin together until smooth. Combine remaining ingredients, drop by rounded teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350ƒF. for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and fill with filling. POINSETTIAS A Holiday Tradition The holiday season is slowly approaching and you'll soon be picking out your tree, stringing lights and hiding presents. We'll have plenty of wreaths and garlands for decorating outside; but inside, you'll want brilliantly colored poinsettias to warm your heart and home. Red and white poinsettias have always been a traditional symbol of the holiday season and we'll have a great selection in all sizes to fit your decorating needs. For the 'untraditional' we always have new and unusual poinsettias and this year we will be offering 9 new varieties. Look for these new eye-catching poinsettias available beginning in mid-November. WINTER ROSE PINK - Related to the ever-popular Red Winter Rose, curled bracts are pink with curled dark green leaves.
PLUM PUDDING - Sure to be a big hit - the first true purple poinsettia.
CORTEZ CANDY - Light pink blush color, rounded growth habit, and large upright bracts. CORTEZ FIRE - Scarlet color with large upright bracts. HOLLY POINT - This FloraStar winner has unique gold and green variegated leaves with bright red bracts. GOLD STAR PINK - Variegated leaf with pink bracts, very compact plant.
HEIRLOOM PEACH - Variegated green and white leaves with peach bracts. HEIRLOOM RED - Variegated green and white leaves with red bracts. JESTER - Uniquely presented deep scarlet bracts with dark green leaves. The care of these unique poinsettias is the same as any other. They prefer bright, filtered light in a spot free from drafts and extreme heat. Let the plant semi-dry between thorough waterings. RE-BLOOMING To grow your plant over summer and to bloom next holiday, keep it growing and cut back in May. Each time the plant grows about 4 inches, cut half of the new growth off. Water lightly and feed once a month. Putting it outside in the summer is fine, and re-pot only if necessary. Cut back until August and bring inside in September, before cool weather sets in, and place in a sunny window. From late September to late October, the plant MUST receive 14 hours of total darkness at night. Even a little bit of light during this crucial time will set the plants flowering back. Use a closet or other dark area to block out street lights. Then remove the poinsettia and continue growing as before.
Message From the President Fall is a wonderful season with the changing of the leaves, cooler nights, and activities that interest the whole family. Here at Ashcombe, we've tried to make this a family place with October hayrides, pick-your-own pumpkins, a corn maize, a hay jump and other activities focused on the young and the young at heart. Our farm animals include 2 donkeys, 3 llamas, 5 sheep, 2 goats, a pig and a duck. They enjoy visits at the back of our parking lot where they live year-round in their own 'farmyard.' School groups have come to Ashcombe for years to enjoy the pleasures of the season. Those who visit Ashcombe for the first time are always delighted! In addition to the fun, our displays and free hand-outs offer a high degree of educational value. This fall, be sure to experience Ashcombe again...or for the first time. --Glenn M. Gross
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