The earliest Mother's Day celebrations we know of were ancient Greek spring celebrations in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods; the ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno. But those were in honor of one particular mother. England's "Mothering Sunday," begun in the 1600's, is closer to what we think of as "Mother's Day." Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, "Mothering Sunday" honored the mothers of England.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis started a drive to establish a national Mother's Day. In 1907 she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother's church in West Virginia--one for each mother in the congregation. In 1908, her mother's church held the first Mother's Day service, on May 10th (the second Sunday in May). That same day a special service was held at the Wanamaker Auditorium in Philadelphia, where Anna was from, which could seat no more than a third of the 15,000 people who showed up.

By 1909, churches in 46 states, Canada and Mexico were holding Mother's Day services. In the meantime, Ms. Jarvis had quit her job to campaign full time. She managed to get the World's Sunday School Association to help; they were a big factor in convincing legislators to support the idea. In 1912, West Virginia was the first state to designate an official Mother's Day. By 1914, the campaign had convinced Congress, which passed a joint resolution. President Woodrow Wilson signed the resolution, establishing an official national Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

Many countries of the world now have their own Mother's Day at different times of the year, but Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, and Turkey join the US in celebrating Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. Britain still celebrates Mothering Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent--but they now call it Mother's Day. By any name, and at any date, it's a special day to honor a special person.

Having trouble thinking of a gift? Why not do something a little different for Mother's Day? Instead of giving her a bouquet of roses, plant her a rose garden! If she already has a rose garden--add to it! If she lives in an apartment, consider a potted rose plant--many roses will do quite well in containers (ask us for suggestions).

Why give one bouquet that will soon fade away, when you can give years of pleasure from living roses instead?

Although it takes most clematis plants a few years to become established, they are fairly easy to care for once they mature, providing masses of blooms throughout much of the growing season. They have one shared requirement--that is their need for support. They can be attached to fences, trellises, arbors, gazebos, garden objects or other plants such as climbing roses or tall shrubs with similar needs.

Clematis prefer to have their feet in the shade and their heads in the sun for at least 5-6 hours per day. They prefer rich, fast-draining soil amended and their roots protected by a layer of mulch. It's important to water clematis regularly, especially in hot weather. Most varieties will continue to produce blooms repeatedly provided they are fed every 4-6 weeks during the growing season and decorative seed heads are removed after each bloom cycle.

We have a great selection of clematis just waiting to find a new home in your garden. We invite you to visit us and see how spectacular and versatile this wonderful plant really is. It truly is the Queen of Vines.

One of the challenges many gardeners face is how to add texture and interest to the landscape. One of the best ways to do this is by adding ornamental grasses to your garden. They have a natural fountainous growing habit and many produce beautiful flower blooms that will light up any garden.

Ornamental grasses are incredibly low maintenance, grow quickly, and are naturally disease and insect resistant. Add to that, their natural swaying movement in even the slightest of breezes and you have plants that add unparalleled beauty to any garden setting.

Another great feature of ornamental grasses is the fact that they come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and color. There are many grasses that are perfect for creating borders and others that provide a nice backdrop to other plants or look perfect as individual featured specimens. The colors range from gold, green, silver and blue to shades of purple, burgundy, red and orange.

While most ornamental grasses prefer moist soil conditions, most become quite drought tolerant once established. They require very little fertilization and can get by with a single feeding of plant food per year. Most shorter varieties require no pruning at all (short of removing any spent flowers) and the only maintenance taller varieties require is a crew cut in late winter (down to 4-6" inches above ground level) to encourage new growth in spring.

We have a great selection of ornamental grasses just waiting for an opportunity to add interest and beauty to your garden.

Even though our daytime temperatures are finally rising, our evenings are still cool. This means that if you plant with starter plants, rather than seeds, you can still enjoy certain varieties of vegetables that next year you might want to get an earlier start on. Those would include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, onions, parsley, parsnip, and peas.

Cucumbers, a delicious addition to any salad, or simply sliced with some home-grown tomatoes, and drizzled with a high-quality olive oil, have become a common element of the home garden. 'Lemon,' 'Orient Express' and pickling cucumbers are all popular varieties.

Sweet corn should be planted from April to August, with May and June being the optimal time. They also like 8 hours a day of sun, with well-amended soil, so let them be good neighbors to your cucumbers. Try 'Golden Jubilee' for fun.

Who doesn’t love peppers? Whether you prefer the sweet mild taste of green, red, and yellow bell peppers, or the spiciness of jalapenos, April, May and June are the months you need to plant for summer harvest. We advise that if this is your first time growing peppers, you start out with bells. The habanero peppers are extremely hot, with cayenne peppers falling in second place for heat. If you want to be adventurous, make your first hot pepper the jalapenos, as they have quite a bit of bite, without the heat of the habanero. If you are a "seasoned pepper grower" -- try the THAI peppers!

Don't miss out on squash, beans and celery, too.

To ensure that you always have fresh vegetables on hand, consider storing and freezing part of your harvest. Onions, garlic, potatoes, squash and pumpkins need to be cured first. Simply brush off any dirt, spread the produce out on newspapers in a breezy, warm, dry place, and allow to cure for three or four days. They will then be ready for storing in a cool, dry place for up to several months.

Freeze extra tomatoes by dipping them in boiling water for one minute, peeling them, and then freezing them whole in plastic containers. For most other small fruit, freeze them on a baking sheet, and then store in a plastic bag in the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them.

We’ve given you a good starter list for late spring, mid-summer produce to grow. Now stop reading, run to our garden center, pick up what you’ll need, and join the growing ranks of home-growers!

"That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"

William Shakespeare

The presence of roses in gardens transcends time. Roses have always been, are today, and will forever be, not only a plant member of our gardens but most often the featured plant in our gardens. And this happens simply by default, because nothing has as great a floral color impact in your garden as a rose.

Humans have an ongoing love affair with roses. And to that end, we have created many different garden designs, most of which leave space for the rose. Whatever your garden style, a rose is a welcome addition.

Roses in English gardens are tucked in with lavender, foxglove, daisies, and delphinium. They appear in wildflower gardens with poppies, forget-me-not, love-in-a-mist and clarkias; they stand in rows in formal rose gardens and gather in circles in the informal rose garden, and please believe us, they are in vegetable gardens too. Roses are planted en masse as a flowering hedge, roses are planted in commercial settings, roses are in our cemeteries, and roses are growing in the wild. We think you may be getting the picture.

There are thousands of different roses, wild or species, hybrids, old roses and modern roses. There are China roses, Gallica roses, Damask roses, moss roses, Bourbon roses, hybrid perpetual roses, rugosa roses, macranth roses, ramblers, and polyanthas. And we haven't even begun to talk about the roses in our garden center!

New varieties we have in stock this year are 'Pink Double Knockout'™, 'Sunny Knockout'™, 'Carefree Spirit', 'Cinco de Mayo', 'Legends', 'High Voltage', 'Rock & Roll', 'Sweetness', 'Lady Bird', 'Kimberlina' and 'Enchanted Evening'. Two of these varieties--'Carefree Spirit' and 'Cinco de Mayo'--are 2009 All American Rose Selections®.

The Jackson & Perkins Ultimate Collection Roses® are rose varieties developed exclusively for Independent Garden Centers. K&W is proud to carry 'April in Paris', 'Change of Heart', 'Lady Bird', 'Nancy Reagan', 'Ronald Reagan', 'Laura Bush', 'Spellbound', 'Sweetness', 'Enchanted Evening', 'Kimberlina', 'Janet' and 'Scent From Above.'

We welcome you to join us in the garden center for a stroll through the roses--right now selection is great. Don’t forget to leave a few spaces in your garden to plant your favorite ones.

Do I really need two fruit tree varieties to produce fruit?

Answer:
Yes and no. Citrus trees like lemons, limes, and oranges are self-fertile and require no pollinator. Most apricots, figs, nectarines, peaches and persimmons are self-fertile; only a few varieties need a second tree to help them produce fruit.

Our staff of garden experts knows which trees make the best "mates" for others, and will be happy to help you with any questions.

Product Spotlight: Demdaco® Willow Tree and Garden Angels 

The Willow Tree line of hand-carved sculptures by Susan Lordi speaks to us in quiet ways to heal, comfort, protect and inspire.  The very simplicity of these figurines will communicate peace and serenity to you and those you love.

If you want your angel statuary to be the focal point in a garden room, then perhaps these symbolic sculptures, standing at an average of 5 ½ inches, are not what you’re looking for.  However, consider the charm of a stroll in your garden, and the sight of one of these angels from beneath a low-growing evergreen.  If you’re lucky enough to have some forested land, coming unexpectedly upon the Angel of the Garden is sure to bring a smile to your face.  Need a conversation starter?  Plan your next party around a monk’s table under a pergola and group these small yet emotionally powerful totems as your centerpiece. 

The angels most apropos for a garden setting are the Angel of the Garden, and the four figurines representing the four seasons.  Each one carries a sentiment that is sure to bring charm to any garden setting.