May, 2010

We would love for you to join us for our annual

Anniversary Celebration
We opened Shades of Green on Mother’s Day 29 years ago,
and we always mark this occasion with a party.
Come listen to the melodic music of our favorite guitarist, George Gaytan,
while enjoying Blue Bell Ice Cream along with our famous homemade treats
and beverages prepared especially for you by our talented staff.

Sunday, May 9th 11:00 am until 3:00 pm

HONOR YOUR MOM

Moms play an incredibly important role in our lives, and Mother’s Day is the official day
to honor them. Whether you are celebrating this special day with your mother, your grand-
mother, or your children’s mother, spoil them anyway you can and shower them with gifts.
From fragrant roses that will continue to bloom all season to exotic orchids to enhance their
surroundings, windchimes to ring in each new day, fountains for relaxation, or unique statu-
ary to embelish their garden, Shades of Green is the only place to shop!

Our first ever You will be able to view

ART IN THE GARDEN and purchase pieces from
will be showcasing extremely wonderful artists such as
talented artists and artisans Beth Eidelberg, Melanie Fain,
from the local area. and jewelry maker, Louise
The varied displays will be set Oppenheimer. This is just
up throughout the beautiful a taste of what is in store at
setting of Shades of Green. this special event.

Saturday, May 22 10:00 am until 4:00 pm

We will be CLOSED on Monday, May 31 to remember those who gave

their lives to protect our precious freedoms.
 This is our second year to host this event, and we
are teaming up with the Animal Defense League
who will bring dogs and cats, puppies and kittens
in need of good homes. If you are looking for a
new pet, stop by and see the adorable animals
who are ready and eager to be adopted into loving
homes. All animals will be neutered and will have
all appropriate shots as well as heartworm and
May 15 flea preventive. They will also be microchipped.
Adoptions will be available As a thank you, each pet adopted comes with a
from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm. $25.00 gift certificate from Shades of Green.

COLOR THAT LASTS

If you want carefree color that will last for seven to nine months of the year, we would like to sug-
gest some of our favorite perennials. No annuals or flowering shrubs or trees can out-bloom them.
Consider salvias. Salvias greggii, coccinea, Indigo Spires, nemorosa, mycrophylla, guara-
nitica, blepharophylla, and farinacea are some of the best. Other outstanding performers
are lantanas, plumbago, cupheas, skullcap, zexmania, thryallis, turk’s cap, gerbera daisies,
scabiosa, blackfoot daisy, ceratostigma, erigeron, German carnations, asclepias, and bulbine.
Also think of duranta, esperanza, and Gregg’s mist flower.
To make the most of your perennials, feed them with our Magical Mix (equal parts Land-
scape Essentials and Color Essentials) about once a month. When planting, use generous
amounts of compost and water your plants in with Thrive to expand their ability to gather
water and nutrients from the soil. Remember that perennials normally return year after year,
so consider them permanent plants.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING

We occasionally hear the comment that some of our plant prices are somewhat higher than
‘other places.’ We would like to comment on this for our customers.
When comparing ‘apples’ to ‘apples’ we are very competitive, sometimes even cheaper than
our competitors. When purchasing plants from box stores, however, the comparison is closer
to apples and prunes. Even though the plant name and pot size may be the same, what is in the
pot is not. Here are some differences.
v Often our pots of annuals have multiple plants per pot A Color Note
vs. one plant in a pot.
v The soil our plants are grown in is of good quality so the Because the weather
plants develop good root systems that will continue to support remained cool longer
the plants after they are taken home. Lesser (cheaper) plants than usual this spring,
are grown in soil containing a lot of bark and if not heavily and many of our colorful
continuously fed, they will quickly yellow and decline through plants were slow to grow
no fault of yours.
and were not available for
v The varieties of plants we carry are adapted to our area
so you will not find varieties of plants that will not bloom, or sale as early as usual.
produce, or even grow in our unique soils and climate. We
frequently hear complaints about plants purchased elsewhere– Wi t h t h e w a r m e r
–wisteria that won’t bloom, fruit trees that won’t produce, weather we have now
shrubs that turn yellow, and flowering plants that just die. experienced, additional
v We have a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff that plants are now arriving,
can guide you in your selection of plants and inform you as and we are well stocked
to their care and maintenance so you will be successful with with colorful annuals,
your purchases.
We greatly appreciate your business and always strive to
perennials, & tropicals.
offer you quality and good value.
 This ‘n That
Seedballz are a fun new,
all natural planting technique.
They are small balls of com-
pacted soil that are filled with
various types of seeds equal to
8 packages of seeds. All you do
to plant them is drop them on
the soil and step on them. With
a little water and sunshine they
will delight you with bright bou-
quets of colorful flowers.
In addition, Seedballz hold
special significance because
they are hand rolled by people
with special needs. Whether you
purchase them for your garden
or as unique gifts, they are guar-
anteed to bring joy to many.
The CINCH is an
adjustable plant hanger.
This is a creative system
for hanging almost any
shape or sized pot. It
is made of stainless
steel so it is strong and
durable and can be
used indoors or out. It is
so sleek that you won’t
even notice it.
Your New
Favorite Gloves
We have found the most
comfortable gloves available.
The outside of the fingers and
palms are coated with foam
latex so they are durable,
flexible, and long wearing.
But here is the best part.
The actual gloves are made
of bamboo fabric that is so
soft you will not want to take
them off, ever.
One of our managers who
we won’t name, Wendy, had
purchased some other of our
great gloves, and she prompt-
ly returned them when we got
the new bamboo gloves in.
These are gloves you have
to try to appreciate.
MAY
Gardening Calendar
a Stock up on Dr. T’s for mosquito control––also
empty any standing water on your property
a Release ladybugs to control garden pests
a Continue semi-weekly applications of liquid
seaweed/molasses to strengthen plants and
prevent spider mites
a Plant eggplant, okra, beans, and peppers
a Feed all flowering plants with Magical Mix (equal
parts of Landscape Essentials and Color
Essentials) to maximize and extend bloom periods
a For summer color plant caladium bulbs and
gladiolus corms
a Apply beneficial nematodes to control grubworms
and fleas
a Apply Semaspore Bait for grasshopper control as
soon as any young grasshoppers are noticed
a Keep hummer feeders clean and filled with fresh
nectar (1 part sugar to 4 parts water, boiled)
a Set out annuals––periwinkles, ageratum, purslane,
and zinnias for dependable, long-lasting color
a Stay watchful for the appearance of disease and
spray with Plant Wash or cornmeal tea if necessary
a Plant colorful tropicals for hot weather brillance
a Begin releasing trichogramma wasps for webworms
a Continue to mow your lawn regularly to control
weeds
a Take a moment to appreciate the many freedoms
others have fought to protect.
KEEP GRUBS UNDER CONTROL
As if the extreme heat and drought of last summer weren’t
stressful enough for our landscapes, grubworms seemed to
have thrived. They did tremendous damage to a lot of lawns,
and many people didn’t realize they had a problem until it was
too late to treat. Don’t let this happen to you. Be prepared this
year. As soon as you begin to see June bugs (the adult form
of the grub), apply beneficial nematodes to your lawn. If you
don’t see June bugs, plan to spray the nematodes beginning
in June.
What are you waiting for? Switch your Garden Ga-
zette to the e-mail format. Tell us next time you are
in, call us, or e-mail us at gardengazette@sbcglobal.
net (this address is only available for subscription
purposes). Please include the address where you are
currently receiving your newsletter so we can match
the names correctly.
 334 West Sunset Road Presort Standard
San Antonio, Texas 78209 U. S. Postage
210-824-3772 Paid
www.shadesofgreensa.com San Antonio, Texas 78209
Permit No. 548
Business Hours
Mon. - Sat. 9:00 to 5:00
Sun. 10:00 to 4:00 Address Service Requested

2010 SATURDAY SPRING SEMINARS

May 1 – Creating Beautiful Hanging Baskets ... This is one of our most popular seminars.
Donna will inspire you and teach you how to create beautiful, long-lasting works of art.
May 8 – Preserving The Harvest ... Connie Shepherd from the Texas Agri-Life Exten-
sion Service and Marilyn Magaro of the Texas Department of Agriculture will co-host this
informative seminar. Come learn how to can, preserve, freeze, or pickle all of that wonderful
produce you are growing.
May 15 – Gardening In The Shade ... Creating a beautiful garden in shady areas can be
challenging. Let us show you how it can be done successfully.
May 22 – Art In The Garden ... No seminar
May 29 – Festival of Flowers ... No seminar
June 5 – Tropical Color ... Tropicals provide an abundance of striking color through the hot
months of the year. We will share the secrets of keeping your tropicals healthy and blooming.
June 12 – All About Cacti and Succulents ... Our very own Jeff will guide you through
the prickly business of growing succulents. He will address all of the thorny issues regarding
this fascinating and diverse group of plants.
Seminars begin at 9:45 am (the coffee will be ready by 9:00). Parking can be
challenging during seminars so please follow our signs to optional parking areas.

WHEN IT’S OVER...

...It’s over. May is the month when cool weather plants reach the end of their growing
season. Pansies begin to yellow despite regular feeding, and the spider mites start to move
in. In the vegetable garden broccoli and spinach become infested with aphids and harlequin
bugs. Should you reach for the sprayer? NO. It is time to pull them up and replant. In the
flower department plant zinnias and portulaca where the pansies were growing. Broccoli can
be replaced with okra and eggplant. Sure we hate to see the cool weather plants go, but now
the heat lovers have their chance to show off!

A ‘MITEY’ PROBLEM
Like many other pests, spider mites are much easier to prevent than to control. We have
found that plants that are sprayed regularly with a liquid seaweed and molasses combination
are almost immune to spider mite infestations. Our Natural Solutions Seaweed & Molasses can
be diluted and sprayed safely on all spider mite-susceptible plants in the flower and vegetable
gardens, and your plants will be healthier overall. Semi-weekly sprayings have been shown to
be most effective. Do not let spider mites spoil your summer.