Summer is rolling through and July is almost here! Whispering Springs Nursery of Jasper, Georgia hopes you and your family have been enjoying the warm weather and are spending some fun time outdoors! The upcoming date of July 5th is known as, “Build a Scarecrow Day,” and since scarecrows are important to gardens, we thought we’d explore this unique day.

Why Scarecrows in July?

It does sound a bit strange to have a day for scarecrows in July. Most of us associate these straw-filled friends with fall decor, not summer. However, from a farmer’s perspective, scarecrows are necessary for keeping birds away from crops while they are growing in the fields – which occurs in the summertime! So although they have become a decoration in the fall (the time of harvesting crops), now is actually when they are needed most during the growing season!

DIY Scarecrows

Interesting in making your own scarecrow, or at least sometime to deter the birds from your garden? Here are some easy DIY ideas:

• Traditional Scarecrow: When you think about a scarecrow, this is the type that everyone pictures when you say the word. They are meant to look like people working in the garden, and can be made in a variety of manners. Simply gather your materials, build your scarecrow and post him in your garden. Plenty of DIY tutorials can be found online should you need help. In general, you will need the following supplies:
  • A Frame – Build a wooden “T” or cross to hang the scarecrow on or use another item, such as a large, metal stake to stick in the ground.
  • Old Clothing (pants, shirt, gloves, etc.)
  • Stuffing- Use straw, leaves or rags; newspaper can be useful, but needs to be covered for weather in a plastic garbage bag. Some even use empty 2-liter soda bottles, connect them & create a body frame.
  • Head & Hat- These are optional, but may give your scarecrow the right look to scare away unwanted birds from the garden.

• Pie Pan Scarecrow: This ‘scarecrow’ does not look like a person. It is simply an empty aluminium pie pan tied to a wooden pole or stake with about a foot of string. The idea is that the pie pan is shiney and able to move and twist in the wind, creating an erratic clanking noise when it moves, causing birds to be scared away by the reflection and noise.

• Moving ‘Bird Scarers’: Many stores sell these bird scarers, such as the owl with the wobbly head and the flying falcon bird deterrent. Other make simply add tricks to their traditional scarecrows, such as: adding pie pans to hang from the sides, using hats or other clothing that will flutter or move in the wind, and by adding old CDs and other reflective materials. DIY tutorials can also be found to create moving pieces that act as pinwheels, but that are created out of bottles, spare parts and sometimes even trash!

Scarecrow Tips for Success

Although scarecrows are meant to keep birds and even some other wildlife like deer and rabbits away, doesn’t mean that it will continue to work forever without a little work on your part. Be sure you move your scarecrow(s) around, try to add reflective elements or noisy pieces the wind can make move, and you may even consider changing up your traditional scarecrows wardrobe every now and then.

If you decide to make a scarecrow for your garden, we sure hope these tips help! Also, we welcome you to stop by Whispering Springs Nursery this summer to check out our inventory and say “hi!” We look forward to seeing you this summer and please, have a safe and fun Independence Day!

Questions or concerns? Please contact us at Whispering Springs Nursery today at 770-893-1254.

Have a wonderful & safe Fourth of July from Whispering Springs Nursery!

It seems incredible, but summer is already almost upon us again! At Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, Ga., we want to make sure your garden is properly prepared for summer, so check out a few of the following tips to get ready!

WikiHow’s Three W’s

WikiHow has some great tips for preparing your garden for summer, which include the three W’s. These stand for:

• Watch
• Water
• Weed

Check out this short video to learn more about how to use the three W’s in your garden/landscape preparation:

Other Prepping

• Mulching– We said it before, but mulch really is a valuable gardening tool! By mulching the areas around your plants with pine straw, wood chips, rocks, etc., you’ll help your plants stay hydrated and the soil retain moisture and a lower temperature.
• Fertilize– Use organic fertilizer to give your plants nutrients they may be in short supply of.
• Pest Prevention– If you use treatments (like sprays) for bugs and other garden pests, be sure to do this in the morning or at night. Just as with watering, your plants are susceptible to burns and damage by the sun if your use liquid on them in the midday heat of summer.
• Lawn Mowing– Be aware of the type of grass your landscape has and check for proper mowing heights. It is not a good idea to cut your lawn too low in the summer (tempting as it may be).

Local Watering Regulations

As summer approaches it is good to find out what your local water restrictions are in your specific county. A quick Google search should bring up your county’s watering restrictions. If your county is strict due to a drought or other reasons, looking into conserving indoor and outdoor water for your plants is a great plan to get around this.

Whispering Springs Nursery

We certainly hope some of these tips will help give you some ideas to get your garden or landscape in shape for summer! If you have questions, concerns or simply need some gorgeous new plants, please stop by Whispering Springs Nursery. Also, please feel free to reach out to us by phone at 770-893-1254 or via social media, like on our Facebook page!

Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, Georgia knows that it is the time of year for outdoor events to really start rolling. From garden parties to graduations to weddings, the spring and summer months are simply ideal times to move events outdoors. To help we thought we’d offer a few tips and ideas to get your outdoor space ready for guests!

Basic Preparation

• Clean up the area by removing any toys, random items (like lawn or gardening equipment) and debris sticks, branches, dead leaves and foliage off of your lawn.

• Regularly water and mow your lawn. By keeping your lawn care on a nice schedule, your green space is more likely to stay healthy and well-kept for your event.

• Watch out for troublesome insects. Pests such as fire ants, bees and mosquitoes, have the potential to make your guests pretty miserable. Ridding yourself of these pests may include trying a ‘whole lawn’ treatment for insects, but be very careful of using harsh chemicals that may affect your garden plants. If you have an edible garden, using pesticides and chemicals may not be an option at all. For mosquitos, try removing any standing water that mosquitoes could use to lay larvae in. For ants, use an ant spray or try a natural solution, to eradicate the ant hills before they turn into a huge problem at your event. Bees and wasps may be a bit trickier; in serious cases a pest control or wildlife removal service may need to be called.

Landscape Upgrades

• Add a Water Feature. Whispering Springs can build water features with beautiful flow, that provide maximum sound and enjoyment while looking like a natural feature on your property.

• Add an Arbor, Pergola or Bench. Nothing dresses up your green space more than a lovely wooden accent! We can build you a gorgeous pergola to weave stunning vines and flowers through for a wedding, or craft you a bench (or two!) for a lovely place to sit in your garden.

• Add softscapes to your yard. Whispering Springs offers homeowners a variety of softscape services, including adding perennial beds, seasonal color beds, deer-resistant plants (common problem in Jasper), or landscape design including hardscapes and plantings.

As you can see, our Landscape division offers so many features to get your yard ready for your next big event! We offer landscape advice, design and installation for softscapes, hardscapes,  irrigation, water features, fencing, arbors and much more.

Whispering Springs Nursery hopes that your outdoor event is fabulous, but we’d love to help get your green space ready in any way we can help, from flower suggestions to landscape design and installation. Please contact us today or stop by sometime to discuss how we can help you!

The past couple of weeks Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, Ga., has had a Greenhouse Growing Series of blog posts, explaining why some gardeners prefer to grow in greenhouses instead of outdoors. As a nursery, we at Whispering Springs grow much of our vast plant selection in our greenhouses. To recap our past posts, some reasons to greenhouse grow are to protect your plants from pests and the elements; to collect solar energy to heat your plants, which do this by releasing thermal energy slowly through the night; and sometimes the look of a greenhouse (shape, style, function, etc.) may be appealing and give your green space a more little character and value. For Part Three of Greenhouse Growing, we shall review the growing seasons and challenges that come with greenhouse growing.

Growing Seasons

One of the great features of greenhouses, are their ability to allow gardening all year round. This means you’ll have all four seasons of gardening and growing to look forward to once your greenhouse is up and running!

• Spring– Use this time to create seedlings. Start the seeds in trays and then move them into larger pots as they grow into seedlings. When all chances of frost are over, they can be moved outside.

• Summer- Summertime is the ideal time to start perennials and fall flowers.

• Fall- Get a jump on the holidays by starting your holiday plants, like amaryllis bulbs or Christmas cactus, during this time.

• Winter- Use your greenhouse to protect annuals and other tender plants during this time. Winter is also a great time to grow cold-hardy vegetables, like spinach or kale.

Greenhouse Growing Challenges

While the benefits of having a greenhouse are incredible, there are still a few challenges to contend with on occasion:

• Pests- If insects that are considered to be ‘bad bugs,’ get into your greenhouse, it is very easy for them to quickly infest it. This is because they will have plenty of food, water, shelter, and no natural predators around to eat them up. Keep your eye out for any pests!

• Plant Diseases- Viruses, mold and fungi enjoy warm and humid conditions, making your greenhouse a perfect spot. Combat these by keeping your greenhouse well circulated and by isolating any affected plants.

This completes our Greenhouse Growing Series! We do hope this short series has been informative.  Regardless of whether you choose to grow indoors or outdoors, please stop by Whispering Springs Nursery sometime. We would love to show you around our vast selection of plants and flowers, and help you create some incredible garden plans for your home!

Questions or concerns? Please contact Whispering Springs Nursery today and don’t forget to give us a review or comment on our Google+ page!

Located in Jasper, Ga., Whispering Springs Nursery offers a variety of plants to choose from, the majority of which are grown onsite in greenhouses. Just as a brief recap of our Greenhouse Growing – Part One post from last week, we are explaining why some gardeners prefer to grow in greenhouses instead of outdoors. A few reasons to greenhouse grow are to protect your plants from pests and the elements; to collect solar energy to heat your plants, which do this by releasing thermal energy slowly through the night; and sometimes the look of a greenhouse may be appealing and give your yard a little character.

Other advantages to greenhouse growing include: Starting seeds earlier, wintering over tender plants, growing exotic plants and growing vegetables year round.

Using Your Greenhouse

The features of your greenhouse greatly depend on the style and type that you purchase or build. Some greenhouses have extensive setups, with electricity, temperature control, shelving and seating, irrigation, etc. While these features are impressive, they are pricey and generally unnecessary if you’re a hobby gardener. Pre-made greenhouses can usually be purchased at your local hardware or home store (Lowes/Home Depot) or can be made from ‘scratch’ with some wood and plastic covering.

For the purposes of this blog, let’s review some of the features EVERY greenhouse needs to be functional:

• Greenhouse Benches: No, these are not for sitting; these benches are the tables that your plant trays go on. Greenhouse benches or either wooden or metal, and have mesh or holes that allow for water drainage. DIY greenhouse benches are relatively easy to build.

• Ventilation: Proper ventilation is a must in any greenhouse because it helps to control the temperature of the space. You should have either vents that can be opened on the top or sides of the greenhouse, flaps that can be rolled up or an electric fan system that comes on automatically depending on the rise or fall of the temperature. It is typical practice to prop open vents and doors during the day and to close everything up at night (varies by weather of course).

• Temperature Control: Shade clothes can be used to aid in lessening the amount of sunlight in the greenhouse during the summer months; this can prevent the temperature from rising too much. Shade clothes can be removed for wintertime. The above mentioned vents also control internal temperature.

• Humidity: While high humidity is pretty normal in Georgia already, you may need to add even more to your greenhouse for specific exotic and desert plant species. You can add humidity one of two ways:

  • Add trays of pebbles with water in them under your plants or…

  • Place stone or marble chips under your plant tables and water them. (Both methods will cause humidity as long as the rock is damp enough to allow evaporation to occur.)

Stay tuned for Part Three next week, when we go over the growing seasons and challenges that come with greenhouse growing. Until then, come visit our Whispering Springs Nursery greenhouses and see how we grow our gorgeous variety of plants. We would be happy to help you and give you some suggestions for what to get started growing!

Questions or concerns? Please contact Whispering Springs Nursery today and don’t forget to give us a review on our Google+ page sometime. Happy gardening!

Whispering Springs Nursery knows just how tough and disheartening the crazy weather can be when it comes to motivating yourself to do your outdoor gardening in the rain, cold, etc. One solution we’ve found is to grow our plants in greenhouses. While greenhouse growing isn’t ideal for everyone, it can be a great choice for those with the time, space and funds to get it started.

Greenhouses: An Introduction

Whether you chaulk it up to climate change, pollution or any other number of factors, the weather patterns affecting the state of Georgia have definitely changed over the past decade. The ‘unpredictable’ weather of this past winter, and even the extremely rainy and hot to cold days during this year’s spring, may have dampened your desire to get outside in your garden. However, hobby gardeners and serious horticulturalists alike can both benefit from using a greenhouse to grow their organic and/or edible gardens.

Functions of a Greenhouse:

• Provides protection from the outdoor elements, such as storms, extreme temperature changes, damaging wind, snow, etc.

• Allows the ability to regulate plant and soil temperature within the compound. The sunlight that warms the air within the greenhouse is releasing thermal energy slowly throughout the night to keep the plants warm.

• Collects solar energy; light is easily converted into heat due to the light materials the greenhouse is made of (usually clear glass or plastic).

• Provides some pest control for the ‘bad’ garden bugs and animals that tend to eat up your plants or edibles; you can skip the chemical sprays to keep them away.

Types of Greenhouses:

• Hoop Houses

• Cold Frames

• Hot Beds

• Shade Houses

• Coolers

• Growth Chambers

• Germination Chambers

Greenhouse Types and Structures
AGS 250 Horticulture Science
via online at yc.edu

This concludes part one of our WSN blog’s greenhouse series; however, be sure to check back next week for a more in depth look at controlling temperatures, humidity, and more, in your new greenhouse.

Questions or comments? Please contact Whispering Springs Nursery of Jasper, Ga. anytime! Our lovely team will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

It’s the time of year when people start moving outside to enjoy their yards and gardens; and also when they begin watering their plants more frequently due to the warmer weather. Most Georgia counties have posted water restrictions that must be obeyed during this time of year, making some plants not exactly the most viable of options as others may be (especially in the case of a drought). Whispering Springs Nursery has a few ideas to help you conserve water in your Georgia garden and landscape, so check them out below!

Eco-Friendly Garden Ideas

• Go on a Sustainable-Garden Tour- These tours can give you great  ideas about how you may wish to proceed with your eco-friendly green space. (Plus, they’re just fun!)

• Permeable Pavement–  This material is made of concrete that is bound together loosely, so water can penetrate it; this reduces runoff and improves water flow to surrounding plants. Many people use permeable pavers in their garden areas.

• Use Mulch- This helps the covered soil to retain moisture longer than ‘exposed’ soil.

• Create a “Rain Garden”- These gardens are designed in shallowly built areas of the ground (usually depressions are dug in the ground), that capture rainwater running off of roofs and/or pavement. This is a huge helper for stormwater runoff that can overflow local drainage systems and spread pollution into our water systems.

• Plant Native and Drought Resistant Plants- Not all native plants are considered ‘drought resistant,’ however, native plants do tend to do well without extra watering of effort. Drought resistant plants need less water (as the name implies); or plant low water-use trees around your yard as another option.

Species Specific

The following are just a few suggestions of hearty, drought resistant and native plants for your Georgia landscape or garden:

• Annuals: Vinca, Amaranths, Cocks Comb, Gold Button Plant, Petunias, ‘Byron’s Beauty’ (Passiflora), Cosmos, Mexican Sunflower, Moss Verbena, Hybrid Blue Salvia, Zinnias, etc.

• Perennial (Natives): Lilies, Blue Stars, Queen Ann’s Lace, Red Honeysuckle, Yellow Yarrow), Clematis, Pink Sundrops, Blackberry Lily, Asters (native species), Purple Cone Flower, Spiderwort, Woodland Ageratum, Cross Vine and more.

Whispering Springs Nursery of Jasper, Ga. enjoys bringing new ideas to fellow gardeners, but did you know that we also specialize in landscaping services? Softscapes or hardscapes, we do it all! Please contact us today about our landscape design services for your property at 770-893-1254.

There are plenty of ways your garden can save water; a little research can save you a lot of time and money, plus help the environment & give you and your family a beautiful green space to enjoy!