We are open again after being closed for the month of January. We are starting 2010 with a whole fresh, new look in our Gift Shop, a beautiful slate looking floor as well a golden tan color to the walls.

Even as you read this Janet and Sondra are at market selecting new merchandise for Spring and Summer. We are very pleased that Greenhouse Garden Center has added even more organic and natural products to our inventory to enhance your gardening experience.

We have a 2010 Calendar of Seminars and Events available now as well as the 2010 list of over 150 rose varieties that are now available for preorder and will be arriving in May. Does your yard need a face lift. GGC Landscape division can help.

Now is a great time to meet with our designer and schedule your job so that when summer comes you, your family and friends will be enjoying a great outdoor living experience at your house. Our winter hours are in effect Monday-Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sundays 10 AM to 5 PM. We look forward to seeing you!

Feb. 6, 2010 "Growing Oyster Mushrooms", Guest Speakers - Dan and Rachel McClure owners of Nevada's own Perennials, 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. Dan and Rachel will discuss growing Oyster mushrooms for home use with some great recipes included. The cost of the seminar is $30.00 and includes an organic Oyster mushroom kit that will produce up to 5 pounds of mushrooms in 2 to 3 flushes. Seating is limited and reservations are required. To make reservations or for information call Greenhouse Garden Center at 775-882-8600.

Feb. 20, 2010 "Bonsai-Getting Started", Guest Speaker-Travis Unruh Co-Owner of Green Lizard Landscape, 11 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Travis has wide experience in creating unique and unusual Bonsai plants and gardens. This class is free, however, there will be a full range of Bonsai pots, supplies, and plants for sale. Seating is limited and reservations are required. To make reservations or for information call Greenhouse Garden Center at 775-882-8600.

Deer and rabbits are two of the biggest nuisance critters in Northern Nevada. They are not viewed as cute by the time Greenhouse Garden Center gets the frustrated gardener in our store. The problem with both deer and rabbits are that they quickly get used to and figure out repellents so what works this month may not be effective next month. Repellents work most effectively when they are rotated and when a physical barrier is also used. Effective fencing should be at least 6 feet high for deer and 3 feet high for rabbits. If that is not practical or possible then Greenhouse Garden Center has a variety of smell and taste repellents that can be rotated through out the seasons when deer and rabbit damage is occurring.

Deer and rabbits eat just about anything but they can also be very damaging to landscaped areas and will even kill young trees by eating and damaging the bark especially during winter months. These two species have become habituated to the increasing encroachment of humans into their environment and have found easy pickings in populated areas. Many of the repellents on the market are effective for deer and rabbits both.

PHYSICAL BARRIERS:

1. Fencing that at 6 feet high for deer and 3 feet high for rabbits
2. Deer Netting is flexible and won't hinder plant growth. It can be watered through and sunlight penetrates through it. The netting can be customized to the size of the area that needs to be protected.
3. ScareCrow is an automatic, motivation activated outdoor deterrent. When triggered the ScareCrow sprinkler instantly releases a short but startling burst of water, scaring the deer away. This product works day and night for up 4 months on a single battery.
4. Yard Gard Electronic Pest Repeller emits sonic and ultrasonic bursts of sound when motion activated. This product can protect up to 4000 square feet. Instructions recommend using the Yard Gard in conjunction with another form of repellent for maximum effectiveness.

SMELL AND TASTE BARRIERS:

1. Dr. Earth Fertilizers have a fish base and that smell can act has a deterrent for both deer and rabbits. It does not appear to be as effective with jackrabbits. This is an organic product which can be used year around and be applied to all types of vegetation.
2. Shake-Away Coyote Urine Granules creates the illusion that predators are present in the lawn or garden. This product is not intended for use on plants. It is used as a perimeter barrier and can cover up to 1440 linear feet in the 48 oz. size.
3. Deer Away Big Game Repellent Liquid Spray Kit is designed to be used on ornamentals in the dormant and early spring season to protect them from deer and rabbit damage. Check out the coupon in this newsletter for this product. This cannot be used on edible crops except in the case of special instructions for fruit trees. Deer Away should only be applied to dry plants and only under conditions favoring prompt drying of spray (lightly breezy, mild dry weather with low relative humidity). This product will treat 30-36 ornamental shrubs 4 feet high.
4. Messina Deer Stopper is a liquid spray approved for organic growers. This product is safe to be used on fruits and vegetables. Deer Stopper can be applied in any season and in any type of weather.
5. Liquid Fence Deer And Rabbit Repellent is available in liquid form and can be applied safely on most plant material. Deer and rabbits are repelled by both taste and smell.
6. Plantskydd is an organic repellent which is dried blood in a vegetable oil/water solution that can safely be applied to all plants.
7. Plotsaver Deer Barrier System is an organic, reusable system designed to be erected around vegetable garden and then removed when it is not necessary. The deer repellent is sprayed on to a barrier ribbon and attached to poles surrounding the garden area.

Greenhouse has all of these products and more in stock. Come in and we will help you find a suitable approach to dealing with deer and rabbit damage occurring on your property.

No plant is deer- or rabbit-proof! Garden plants are often browsed by hungry animals if there is little or no greenery to eat in the surrounding area. Also, animal likes and dislikes may vary regionally. The plants listed below are resistant or considered the second or third choice when dining on plant material. A rule of thumb is that most plants with fuzzy leaves, a strong odor, a strap leaf or a needle, and drought tolerant natives fall into the resistant list.

1. Paperwhites and amaryllis are still available for forcing for early Spring color.
2. Vegetable and Flower seeds are in. The best selection is now.
3. Spray dormant oil and dormant disease on fruit trees, roses, berry bushes
4. Apply Casoron pre-emergent now for best results this month.
5. Continue to attract birds with clean water and food, thistle socks and suet and seed mixes.
6. Apply Soil Sulfur or FST to your landscape for better greening and growth.
7. Spray Wilt-Pruf on holly, rhododendrons, euonymous, and Oregon grape to prevent leaf burn.
8. Apply Maki to control voles if you've noticed runways in your turf or live near an open field.
9. Late February start salting the pond for healthier fish.
10. Late February/early March prune summer blooming shrubs- pink spiraea, Rose of Sharon, potentilla, and ornamental grasses. Wait to prune spring blooming shrubs such as lilacs, forsythia, white spiraea, or Snowball Bushes until after each one flowers for best results. Wait to prune Roses until tax time
    - April 15.

If you are looking for the perfect flower to bridge the gap between winter and summer, consider the primrose. Like a ray of sunshine on a damp and gloomy day, primroses (primula) provide early spring blooms in almost every color of the rainbow.

They prefer cool temperatures, and moist, rich, well-draining soil (with lots of compost). Primroses can tolerate full sun in spring but definitely prefer afternoon shade once temperatures get warmer. They can easily be grown indoors during winter, provided that you maintain cool night temperatures in your home (below 65 degrees), filtered sun and moist soil.

The most popular types of primroses include English primroses (Primula vulgaris/polyanthus), Fairy primroses (Primula malacoides) and German primroses (Primula obconica). All are heavy bloomers and well suited for garden planting or in containers.

Originally from England, most English primroses now are grown along the Pacific Coast. They produce large clusters of flowers above the foliage, with dwarf varieties just a few inches above the foliage and taller hybrids growing up to one foot above the foliage. They are available in almost every color shade.

German primroses are often called perennial primroses, since they can often come back to re-bloom the following season. They have larger rounded leaves, and grow up to 12 inches high, with taller flower stalks. The flowers come mostly in shades of red, rose and salmon.

Fairy primroses have a more delicate look, with smaller leaves and flower clusters on 6-12" stalks above the foliage. They generally are available in color shades of pink, lavender and white.

So if the winter blues are getting you down, chase them away with some perfect primroses!

Pre-order your roses now for Valentines Day arrival.

The rose is a symbol of love, hope, joy, passion, remembrance, and condolence. No flower has been the subject of plays, songs and poems more than the rose.

The history of the rose goes far back. The Greeks revered the red rose as having come from the blood of Adonis; the Romans used roses in their parties and thought nothing of carpeting the floor with rose petals; the Persians associated the rose with the heart; the early Christians made the rose a symbol of love in connection with the Virgin Mary and Christ's Blood.

The Victorians even talked in roses, and some of that language still survives today. A red rose, of course, signifies respect and love. A yellow rose, in Victorian times, meant a jealous suitor but today means friendship. The white rose signified innocence and purity. In the U.S., white roses are often used at weddings and have acquired the additional meaning of happiness and security. Pink roses are often used to signify appreciation or gratitude. White and red roses together signify unity. White roses fringed in red have come to mean the same thing.

The Victorians used more than just colors. Two roses bound together signified an engagement. A thornless rose signified love at first sight. A wilted rose, of course, signified rejection. There were also meanings in rosebuds, half-open buds and roses in full bloom, as well as meanings in the number of roses given; fifty roses, for instance, signified unconditional love and twenty-five roses were given as congratulations.

For Valentine's Day, rather than give any number of individual roses, why not give a rose plant? There may be no meaning in the language of roses for a whole rose plant--but in the language of gardeners, it's surely a gift of love!