Winter 2002Newsletter

Every spring we have requests for perennials before the plants are ready for sale. If you are one of these anxious gardeners we have just the solution!

This year, Ashcombe has forced some perennials in a warm greenhouse. These will be ready early and can be enjoyed indoors until it is time to plant outdoors. They have been grown in an attractive purple pot, sure to bring visions of spring to your windowsill. A care sheet will provide all the information you need to successfully transplant them outdoors. Look for 'Purple Pot Perennials' to become available in early March.

Ashcombe is a great place to work! Join us during our Spring Open House and fill out an application for seasonal positions available for spring and early summer. call 766-7611 for more information

Visit our display garden that re-creates the faces of Ashcombe over the years from a small roadside stand in 1962 to the premier garden center that we are today.

We invite all former employees to register for our 40th anniversary homecoming! Visit the homecoming table on March 2nd and sign up for a 40% OFF COUPON, and please accept our invitation to our summer picnic to celebrate our 40 year history.

We welcome you to share in the fascination of the world of herbs during this annual event dedicated to the history and uses of herbs.

Ashcombe is proud to offer a large seed display with varieties from Burpee, Rohrer, Botanical Interests and Plantation Seed Company - which boasts over 200 varieties of perennials!

We also offer exotic seeds from Johnson Seed Company. These contain hard to find varieties of perennials and annuals.

Don't forget to check out our bulk seeds - peas, beans and corn are all available in pound quantities.

Onions and seeds potatoes will be in-store by late February with a wonderful selection for your planting pleasure. Shop early for the best selection!

With spring just around the corner, our Garden Supplies department will have many new and exciting items to dress up your garden: new arbor gates and trellises; copper, steel and bamboo wind chimes; resin and concrete garden figurines; cast iron, cast aluminum and mosaic patio furniture designs; bird baths and so much more!

Spring bulbs (for late summer and fall bloom) will be arriving in late February. Shop early for the best selection of dahlias, gladiolas and rock garden varieties! Let us beautify your yard and garden this year, as we enjoy our 40th year as the area's premiere garden center! (1962-2002)

Americas native Pussy Willow, or Salix discolor, is only one of the 300 species of willow known in the world. Pussy Willows are native to wet areas of the Eastern US and are deciduous shrubs that can grow to 20 feet in height. They produce long branches lined with fuzzy 11/2" ornamental catkins in early March that are wonderful to cut and bring indoors. Salix caprea, or goat willow, is another species of willow closely related to our native Pussy Willow. This species grows to 25 feet tall and has slightly larger, showy catkins. In fact, this is the willow usually sold commercially by florists in the spring.

All willows are extremely fast growing plants that love moist, even wet locations, but will grow in drier sites as long as the soil is not too shallow or chalky.

The willow species listed above are hardy to at least Zone 6 and need full sun to produce their best growth and most abundant catkins. Willows grow quite large unless they are periodically pruned back.

Willows respond beautifully to pruning. In fact, the more you cut them, the nicer they will be, for hard pruning stimulates lots of branching.

The best time to prune Pussy Willows is at the same time that the decorative catkins are forming, or if you want to cut branches for bouquets, prune shrubs back right after 'harvesting' the catkins.

Cut pussy Willows back to any height you like, even to the ground if your shrubs are getting overgrown. Always use sharp pruners and make your cuts above growing points along the stems where you see a catkin or leaf node. If you cut above nodes that grow along the outside of branches, new branches that sprout there will grow outward and be less likely to cross over other stems.

Crossing branches are undesirable, for they shade each other and can create a dense thicket of stems with few catkins. When cutting catkins for bouquets, it helps to harvest any crossing branches first.

Pussy Willows can easily be forced to open their catkins 1-2 months before their normal bloom time by cutting them and bringing them indoors. February is the best time to cut Pussy Willows for forcing.

Watch for willow buds to begin swelling and filling with sap. When catkins are swollen but still unopened, cut branches with sharp pruners right above a catkin or other growing point.

Choose a mild sunny day with temperatures above freezing for harvesting. Do not cut stems longer than three feet, for long stems are difficult to force.

Bring branches indoors and submerge them in a tub full or warm water for 24 hours, or stand them up in a bucket and give them a prolonged shower. Next, either crush the cut stem ends with a hammer, slit them up 3 or 4 inches, or peel away several inches of bark to encourage stems to absorb maximum quantities of water.

Wrap bouquets of branches in damp newspaper to preserve humidity and stand them upright in a bucket of clear, warm water doused with a commercial floral preservative. Set in a cool dark place for a day or two until stems begin to show color.

Remove from newspaper and move stems into a cool, brightly lit spot out of direct sun. Lightly mist branches daily to discourage bud drop and refresh water weekly. Your Pussy Willows will open beautifully and last for 2-3 weeks.

As we start the new year, each of us has hopes of a better year than last. Here at Ashcombe, we want your experience with us to be the best it can be. Our growers are continually producing plants that delight even the most particular gardeners.

In a discussion with an associate who joined us recently she mentioned that before working here, she always got her plants from us but one year decided to try another source. Needless to say she was back with us again the following year because the plants she bought at Ashcombe performed better. Our motto for years has been "Growing to Please You" and this has been our focus for the past forty years. As we celebrate this anniversary we want to thank each of our customers for their continued confidence in Ashcombe and hope your year will be a good one.