Newsletter 21 – July 23, 2009

Perennials 20% Off     Broccoli Soup   

Shrub of the Week: Barberry    

Blooming Butterflies

Pick of the Week: Penta

 The optimist says the glass is half full.

The pessimist says the glass is half empty.

The engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Perennials Now 20% Off

So far, the month of July has provided us with beautiful gardening weather.  The long range forecast calls for more of the same, partly cloudy, highs in the upper 70’s with occasional showers throughout the period.  What great news for gardeners!  Even better news is that beginning today, July 23, gardening can cost you less.  All perennials at America’s Best are now 20% off their regular price.  Our perennials are in great shape; after all they’ve been cared for every day by experienced gardeners.

This offer always brings a rush of shoppers anxious to see what additions they can make to their landscapes at special savings.  So hurry out today for the best selection. 

This offer does not include our fall asters and mums, which will be ready to beautify your gardens soon. 

Have you heard of the Adam and Eve Virus?

It takes a couple of bytes out of your Apple.

Joke 1

Herbs Added to Buy One Get One Free Offer

In addition to our gorgeous hanging baskets and summer annuals in flats and five inch pots, herbs are now included in our Buy One Get One Free offer.  Basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, scented geraniums and more are available to add beauty to your garden as well as flavor to your cooking.  What a great time to fill your patio and garden areas with fresh plants.

The Star Trek Virus:

Invades your system in places where no virus has gone before.

Joke 2

Special Pricing on All Edible Fruit-Bearing Plants

All remaining fruit-bearing plants now have special 20% savings.  Included in this offer are apple, peach and pear trees; grapes, gooseberries, currants, and blueberries.  Some of these plants come complete with fruit.

Let’s Celebrate National Blueberry Month

July is the month fresh blueberries are bountiful in the market.  There’s nothing like a few with your morning cereal, in homemade blueberry muffins, or atop a late night bowl of ice cream.  The good news is that you don’t have to make the trip to the market to get them.  Blueberries can actually be grown right in your own garden. 

North Country Blueberries, which are hardy to 35 below, grow 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. The shiny, bright green foliage makes them a fine shrub, and each plant will produce up to five pounds of fruit per plant per year at maturity.  Come out today, and let us show you how easy it is to grow your own blueberries right outside your back door.  We have reduced the price on our blueberry bushes to help get you started.

The Texas Virus:

Makes sure that it’s bigger than any other file.

Joke 3

SHRUB of the WEEK – Barberry

Our featured shrub this week is the barberry.  All barberries have beautiful foliage, are low maintenance, and grow well in sunny areas.  Generally resistant to deer and rabbits, they will grow into a dense hedge with good fall color.  Birds welcome the small berries produced by these shrubs for winter food.

Royal Burgundy barberry has dark burgundy color spring and summer which holds well into the fall.  Classified as a dwarf, this variety grows 2 ft high by 3 wide at maturity.  Crimson pygmy barberry is the same size as Royal, but is redder in the summer and oranger in the fall.  Rose Glow barberry’s new growth is rosy pink in the spring, changing to an excellent orange fall color.  Rose Glow is taller and could be used for a fence row hedge. 

The Health Care Virus?

It tests your system for a day, finds nothing wrong, and sends you a bill for $4,500.

Joke 4

Al’s Pick of the Week

The Penta, sometimes called the Star Flower because of the star-shape of its brightly colored blossoms, is our featured annual of the week.  Pentas bloom during the warm days of summer and into fall in shades of red, pink and white, and are extremely attractive to butterflies.  Hummingbirds also feed on the blossoms, especially the red ones.

Blooming Butterflies

Speaking of butterflies, July 15 through August 9 you can experience butterflies up close at Olbrich Garden’s Blooming Butterflies.  For more info on this family event, visit http://www.olbrich.org/events/butterflies.cfm

The Airline Virus:

You’re in Dallas but your data is in Singapore.

Joke 5

Mosquito Control

If you are tired of mosquitoes driving you inside, it’s time to reclaim your outdoor living space.  Bonide’s Mosquito Beater is the solution.  Available in a ready-to-spray quart container, the 2.5% Permethrin in this product protects up to 5000 square feet.  Simply attach to a garden hose and spray your lawn and shrubs to control mosquitoes, flies, gnats, and other flying insects.  This product has low odor and is safe for reentry as soon as it dries.

For standing water, Mosquito Dunks are very effective at killing mosquito larvae before they mature into biting adults.  Made from a highly specific biological pesticide, mosquito dunks will not harm people, pets, wildlife or fish.  Simple to use, once a month just place anywhere standing water accumulates around your home.  You’ll be rid of mosquitoes for the whole season.  Each dunk will effectively treat up to 100 square feet of surface water.  They may be broken in pieces to treat smaller areas.

The Public Television Virus:

Your program stops every few minutes to ask for money.

Joke 6

New Recipe Contest!

Beginning this week we have the first of three recipe contests for recipes featuring veggies from the garden. Each week one lucky person will receive a $25 gift card to America’s Best Flowers. We’re looking for that special recipe you can’t wait to make every year when your garden is harvested.  The one you take, by popular demand, to your family reunion or church picnic. To enter the Week 1 contest, email your favorite broccoli or green or wax bean recipe to ed@americasbestflowers.com with subject line of RECIPE CONTEST.  This week’s entries are due by Sunday, July 26.  We’ll announce the winner and publish the winning recipe in next week’s newsletter. 

To help you plan ahead, here is a list of all recipe contest categories:

Week 1 Favorite Green Bean or Broccoli Recipe  (submit by July 26)

Week 2 Favorite Zucchini Recipe (submit by August 2)

Week 3 Favorite Tomato Recipe (submit by August 9)

And the Niki virus that:

Just does it.

Joke 7

BONNIE’S KITCHEN

Here’s a recipe I like that utilizes your broccoli fresh from the garden (or farmer’s market).

Broccoli Soup

Recipe courtesy of the Neelys                                                   4-6 servings

4 T butter, room temperature

1 ½ lb fresh broccoli

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 T all-purpose flour

4 c low sodium chicken broth

½ c cream

Homemade croutons, recipe follows

Melt 4 T butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt and pepper, and sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and bring to a boil.

Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in cream. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot. Serve hot, with homemade croutons.

Homemade Croutons:

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut day old French bread into cubes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and ¼ t red pepper flakes. Mix well. Spread seasoned cubes onto a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

Sewing Lesson

My granddaughter came to spend a few weeks with me,

and I decided to teach her to sew.

After I had gone through a lengthy explanation of how to thread the machine,

She stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and said in disbelief.

“You mean you can do all that, but you can’t operate my Game Boy?”

Joke 8

SEE YOU SOON!!!