The Garden Enthusiast- Backyard Nature Station Update
September 2012
Fellow Backyard Nature Lovers,
Fall is here and the days of 100
degrees are behind us for this year. This is the ideal time for planting
perennials, fruits, and spring bulbs. It’s also a great time to extend you
gardening season by planting garlic, shallots, lettuce, cabbage, beets,
turnips, spinach, radishes, collards and more for a second season of crops.
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It’s time to bring in fall and holiday merchandise and we
need space!
September promotions include
Pottery 10-50%
off
Pamela Crawford
side planters and books 20% off
10% off Packing
Pearls
30% off organic
fertilizers and amendments
$10 instant
savings on Tree Huggers
Jeffersonian
weather instruments (unique) are 30% off
Pot movers and
lifters 20% off – in time to get your plants in for the winter
Triple Tube
feeders 15% off
K-Feeders only
$10
20% off Flower
Presses
Check for the SALE signs throughout the store.
There are further markdowns and additions in the clearance
section.
What's New in
the Store?
Birding: Stackers, Versa perch
(attracts more birds), window feeders; colorful handcrafted birdhouses by local
artist Joe Turner; new additions to Jim Jackson’s selections of birdhouses
including Georgia State
Garden art: Glass art and lanterns
by local artist Yvonne Skenes, welcome signs, chimes, wind spinners
Tool Shed: After a long absence from manufacturing,
Plant
Nanny Products are once again available. Check out the variety
at http://thegardenenthusiast.com/plnaisba.html (these
should be in the middle of next week – waiting for the shipment); Cedar Seeders recipe and seed pouch organizers; Radius ergonomic
weeder
New Botanical Interests Certified Organic Seeds, Non-GMO
Seeds and Heirloom/Open Pollinated Seed are now in.
The October issue of Birds and Blooms featuring ‘Enjoy Fall
Birds’ is in the store now.
Because many of you asked, we now take American Express.
Upcoming Events on Main Street
The
following events are sponsored by the Old Town Tucker Merchant’s Association
(OTTMA). Proceeds benefit the Main Street District.
December
8th - Christmas on Main
March
2, 2013 - Chili Cook-off
GREEN
MARKET ON MAIN – Old Town Tucker’s own farmer’s market Sundays from 10am - 2PM
on Main Street through October 28th (only 6 left!)
Classes &
Events
(Note: preregistration is requested
– class size is limited – call 404-474-7072 to register or for more information)
Saturday, September
29th (10:00am-12:00pm)
- Five
Ways to Make Your Pictures More Interesting (Chuck Holmes): Flowers
and plants are beautiful, but — as some smart person once said
— there’s no reason you can’t make your pictures of them even better and
more interesting. This session takes up five ways you can make your
digital photographs of flowers, plants, and nature scenes much more
striking. The techniques include framing your shot in the camera, perspective,
size, color (or lack of it), and digital manipulation with low-cost or free
software. Bring your camera and shoot some truly different
pictures. Cost: $25
Sunday, September 30th (1pm-2:30pm)
– Pruning to Retain the Natural Form of Plants (Barbara Dorfman): This
presentation will cover the tools you will need, timing and when to ignore the
rules, renewal pruning on overgrown shrubs, how to thin overly dense hedges,
where to remove tree branches and why, and how to predict the way plants will
respond to pruning.
Saturday,
October 6th (1-3pm)
– Mycology 101: With a Hands on Tutorial for Building your Own Mushroom Log
(Brady Bala): Learn the basics of Mycology by
starting your very own mushroom culture. Cost: $35 (supplies and mushroom log
included)
Saturday, October 20th (10:30-11:30) Plantings for Birds (Pam Higginbotham) Native plantings are stressed,
especially those that provide food (berries, seeds, and the like) or are
habitats for insects (which draw in all of the insectivorous birds – warblers,
wrens, bluebirds, vireos, etc. to your yard).
Saturday, October 27th (10am-12pm)
- You
will have the opportunity to address your gardening questions and concerns with
a member of the Dekalb Master Gardner Association, Jane McLean! Come in any
time during the 10 -12 time frame to meet Jane.
Saturday,
November 10th (1pm-2pm) – Trees of Our Lives Dawn Hines, Master
Gardener): Small
Native Trees for the Landscape
2012 Best
Backyard Squirrel Photo Contest!!!
Contest ends on
September 30th so get your photos in quickly! The photos will be posted in the
store for public voting from October 2nd through October 10th.
The image with the most votes wins! The winners will be announced on
Saturday October 11th!! Prizes will go to 1st, 2nd and 3rd
place!!
Contest is open to
professional and amateur photographers alike. New entries only–no previous
submissions please! Images must be the creation of the entrant. One entry
per person.
~1st Place 2011 Photo Contest~
Community
Events (& SPIRIT)
Love
books – read more: Friends of Tucker Library will have a book donation drive
from 10-1 this Saturday, September 22. The following Saturday, October 20 they
will have their book sale from 10:30 - 3:30 in the meeting room of the library.
2nd workday for the Henderson Park Master
Gardener and Friends of Henderson Park Project will be this Saturday, September
22nd from 9 am to 12 pm. They will continue weeding and will put fresh mulch on
everything that has been cleaned up. Weeding tools, wheelbarrows, shovels and
maybe wagons are needed to do the work planned for Saturday. If you can
bring wheelbarrows and wagons that would be a great help.
The Dekalb Master Gardener’s
Association (DMGA) will have their September Meeting on Monday the 24th at the
North Lake Public Library at 6PM. The program will be ‘Let's Grow Daffodils’
presented by Carolyn Hawkins. Carolyn will identify which bulbs will
perform best in our area, give reliable sources for bulbs, and discuss how
to keep bulbs happy and reviving bulbs after blooming (some bulbs can last over
60 years).
You do not have to be a master gardener to attend this free program and it is a
great resource to meet those with a lot of gardening knowledge.
Friends
of Kelley Cofer Park located at 4259 N. Park Drive in Tucker will hold a
community meeting on Monday, Sept. 24 at 7:00 PM at the Tucker Recreation
Center (4898 Lavista Road, Room #2). Discussion will include their partnership
with DeKalb Parks & Recreation and Park Pride. They will recap their first
year activities and provide updates on current park projects and plans for the
future. They
invite your input and involvement in improving the park. For more information,
contact [email protected].
The
Tucker Butterfly Garden’s (4898 Lavista Rd in front of the historic Browning
Courthouse) next workday is Thursday, September 28th. For more information contact Dawn Hines at [email protected].
The Tucker High School Quarterback
Club’s Golf Tournament is on Monday, October 1, at Smoke Rise Country Club. The
cost will be $100.00 per player or $400.00 per team which covers cover green
fees, the cart, and a "goody" bag with assorted items (hat, etc.).
There will also be raffle tickets for a chance to win merchandise from the Golf
Pro Shop, etc. Beginning at 5:00 they will have a "Social Hour" in
the Men's Grill area and patio (weather permitting) for those that don’t play,
can't get off work, or want to come later to show their support for the program.
They will have a cash bar and will be asking for monetary contributions for the
QB Club. Checks can be made payable to Tucker Quarterback Club (please
reference or note the Golf Tournament) and can be sent to: Milton Pate, MILTON
PATE ARCHITECTS, INC., 2201 Moon Street, Tucker, Georgia 30084.
Rivers
Alive cleanup takes place Saturday, October 6, 2012 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, at 4315 Cowan Rd., Tucker, GA 30084 (actually, the woods behind the old
Health Department. ** Heavy rain date is Saturday,
October 20th, 9-12pm. Please email for more information and to sign
up at [email protected].
Browning Courthouse Day - Saturday,
October 13 from 10 am to 2 pm - This
year in addition to the archive displays, Vickie Watkins will host a one
hour workshop on Genealogy Research. Frank Russell and Bill Thomas who both
participate in Civil War Re-enactments will talk about that war and its impact
on the people of Tucker and DeKalb County and on our nation.
BIRDING
Many
people ask us about when to take hummingbird feeders down. You can leave
hummingbird feeders up year round. The Ruby- throat which is the primary
hummingbird we see in Atlanta migrates through mid-October. Now is the peak
time to have your feeders out to catch their antics even though you may
continue to see some into November. If you
keep your feeders out, you might get a chance to see other species of hummingbirds
such as the Black-chinned or the Calliope which are western species.
Fall
migration is taking place. Get out and enjoy the nice weather and check out the
new birds in your garden.
Bird of the Month: House Wren 
A House Wren weighs about as much as
two quarters, but their small size does not keep them from harassing and
pecking much larger birds. They have been known to drag eggs and young out of
nest sites they want – even occasionally killing adult birds.
The oldest known House Wren was nine
years old.
It has one of the largest ranges of
any songbird. It breeds from Canada through the West Indies and Central
America, southward to the southernmost point of South America.
The House Wren eats a wide variety
of insects and spiders, including beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, and daddy
longlegs, as well as flies, leafhoppers, and springtails. They also eat snail
shells, probably for the calcium they contain and to provide grit for
digestion.
The House Wren clutch size is 3-10
eggs with 1-2 broods. Incubation period is 9-16 days. Nesting period is 15-17
days. Eggs are white, pink-white, or grayish, speckled or blotched with reddish
brown.
Ongoing at The Garden
Enthusiast-Backyard Nature Station
Wish List
–something caught your eye in the store? Add it to your wish list and tell your
friends and family!
Gift certificates
Hope to see you soon,
Linda, Brittany, Jessica, Jeremy
& Greyson
The Garden Enthusiast - Backyard Nature Station
2316 D Main Street
Tucker, GA 30084
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 6PM
Sunday 10am - 5PM
Monday Closed
Contact us at 404-474-7072 or
[email protected]
