Winter Preparation for Spring Gardens
With American Nursery & Landscape Association

When fighting garden pests, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in spring. For healthy plants next spring, follow these tips:

Cleanliness equals healthiness. Proper sanitation is the best defense against pests and diseases. Fallen, rotting fruit is an ideal host for insects and diseases. Stage a complete cleanup under trees. Remove debris and garden waste and prune back perennials. Compost the refuse. Most organisms are killed at 130ºF.

Add manure fertilizer to the pile if the compost needs heating up. Once you've cleared away old debris, place fresh mulch on beds to protect them from winter wind erosion.

Attack pests while they sleep. In temperate zones, fighting insects only in warm months is a futile exercise. If you know the winter habits of your common garden pest, you can wage a more effective pest control campaign. Many insects (like Japanese Beetles) over-winter as grubs under sod. North Haven professionals can recommend products to apply in the fall.

Spading soil to a depth of one to four inches destroys cutworms and grasshoppers. Inspect fruit and shade trees for cankerworm eggs. The eggs are gray and shaped like flowerpots. Iris leaves are a favorite winter resting place for slugs, so remove the leaves after first frost.

Enlist natural allies. Not all creepy crawlers are created equal. Spiders, ladybugs, lacewings, firefly grubs, snakes, toads, and turtles will come to your aid by eating destructive garden pests. Feed birds during winter with seed and suet cakes and they'll return the flavor by devouring your tree-boring pests and other insects during spring and summer.

Plant: Pansies, Violas, Primrose and Cyclamen, Dutch Hyacinth and Tulips in mid-December. Plant shrubs that will give fruit color such as hollies, nandinas, Indian Hawthornes and mahonias. Finish planting fescue or ryegrass for overseeding.

Fertilize: Pansies and other winter color plants with Buds and Blooms Plant Food. Cut back on fertilizing indoor plants. Water is critical immediately prior to hard freezes to lessen cold injury.

Prune: Dormant trees and summer flowering shrubs. Remove any weak or dead wood. Keep mowing your lawn until the first frost stops its growth.

Protect: All tender annuals or flowering shrubs with frost cloth during severe cold spells.

Fall and Winter are wonderful times to redo your landscape.

• Our metroplex soil never freezes. Plants grow roots all winter.

• Our Garden Center is known for the best selection of quality trees and shrubs. North Haven also offers a planting service.

• Stop by and let our expert sales staff help you with the right selections for your landscape.

Poinsettia Care
by Debbie Jackson

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) have become a traditional part of the Christmas celebration. Today, poinsettias come in a wide range of red, pink, and white to help decorate our homes. What we think of as the poinsettia flower is really colorful bracts, resembling a smaller leaf form. The true flower is a cluster of small beads that are yellowish in color.

When choosing a poinsettia, look for a plant with good leaf color. A few yellow leaves are normal especially on dense plants as they have been wrapped up and shipped out to the retail store to sell.

One of the most important things to look for is for the true flowers to be tight and just breaking color. This will mean a longer lasting color in your home. Don't wait too late to pick up your plants. With proper care they can brighten your home for a month and more.

When you get home with your poinsettia, give it a location that is bright and draft free. Check the soil each day as most are grown in a potting mixture high in peat which dries out quickly.

Poinsettias make a wonderful welcome at the entry way, but make sure not to expose them to the winter weather. A warm house will cause the color to fade and the flower to mature more rapidly. It is best to keep them in a cool house, 68ºF and out of drafts.

Winter Plant Care
With American Nursery & Landscape Association

Winter's on the way and it's wise to know what actions you should take to ensure plant survival. Here's how you can keep winter worries to a minimum:

Outdoor Plants
Make sure plants are healthy going into winter. Some varieties benefit from one last feeding. Consult our nursery professionals to determine which plants in your landscape need this type of attention.

Check for pests. Many insects, like aphids and lacewings, feed until the first hard freeze. Pest infestations can force plants into an early dormancy that decreases winter survival.

Mulching protects roots and conserves moisture. One to two-inches of bark, three inches of pinestraw, or leaves under the canopy of the plant to protect it from sudden changes in temperature and soil moisture.

Continue watering if necessary. Outdoor plants need water, even when they aren't actively growing. Periods of extended drought make plants more susceptible to cold injury. Watering up to one inch per week is recommended during dry months

Avoid pruning within six weeks of the average first frost date. Late fall pruning can result in new growth that does not have time to harden off before winter.

Provide extra protection during hard freezes. Cover your most cold-sensitive shrubs with old blankets. If you use plastic, don't let it touch leaves – it conducts cold that can harm extremities.

Take a wait-and-see approach with plants that seem to have died from a freeze. They may return to life in spring. If so, prune any dead tips or branches back to just above the new growth.

Container Plants
Again, make sure plants are healthy going into winter. Check for pests and treat if necessary. Reduce the frequency and strength of fertilization during winter for plants that are not actively growing. Water-soluble or slow-release fertilizers are preferable.

The heating systems in most homes tend to decrease humidity levels. Supplemental misting or changing the location of plants can improve health. Most plants tolerate a few months of lower light levels while over-wintering. But check plants occasionally. Look for symptoms of light deprivation. These include yellowing or pale foliage, dropping or drooping leaves, and leggy growth. If necessary, move to an area with higher light levels or supplement with grow lights. North Haven can offer advice for dealing with this problem.

Take it easy when reintroducing plants to the great outdoors. Sunburn of foliage commonly occurs when plants are brought into intense light too quickly. After all danger of frost has passed, acclimate over-wintered plants gradually. Give them a few days in an intermediate zone, like a covered porch or under a tree canopy, before moving into full sun.

Spring is a good time to see if plants are potbound. Are plants wilting, do they have poor color, are leaves drooping? Lay the pot on its side and gently tap it out of its pot. Are the roots crowded? Or even growing through drainage holes? If so, it's time to repot.

North Haven is a great source for colorful and practical containers, as well as potting soil mixes and fertilizers. Those items, and these over-wintering suggestions, are about all your plant needs to look great going into spring.

Winter Bird Feeding
by Carolyn Oldham

What's the most colorful, varied and fascinating kind of wildlife you can attract to your backyard? The answer is birds, of course. What state has the largest number of recorded species? Texas! A well-planned backyard habitat can attract a surprisingly large number of bird species. Here are the best tips for attracting and feeding the backyard winter birds of Texas:

Provide a variety of seed types. Black-oil sunflower seeds attract the greatest number of species. My preference is safflower seed because it attracts a lot of desirable birds such as cardinals, chickadees, titmice, house finches, jays, doves and woodpeckers. It has a limited appeal to less-desirable species such as starlings, grackles, house sparrows, and squirrels. Most ground-feeders such as doves, juncos, winter sparrows and towhees prefer white millet. Offer thistle seed to goldfinches, house finches and chickadees. Remember many inexpensive grocery store mixes contain lots of filler seeds (milo, oats, wheat, and flax) that birds don't eat.

Offer high-energy protein rich foods such as peanut butter and suet. These will attract the insect eating birds such as chickadees, wrens, woodpeckers, and titmice. It's probably best to mix the peanut butter with cornmeal or oatmeal and then spread it on tree trunks or fill holes drilled in logs hung from trees. Beef suet is available at grocery store meat markets or in pre-made suet cakes. (I recommend almond or peanut).

Offer fruit to attract robins, mockingbirds, thrushes and waxwings. Try dried fruits like raisins and currants, which have been softened in warm water. Also fresh fruit (sliced apples and oranges) is appealing. Fruit can be offered on a platform feeder or a plate on the ground.

Birds not only need water to drink but also to keep their feathers clean and fluffy to provide insulation against the cold. A shallow, easy to clean birdbath is best. Keep it filled with fresh water.

Provide different types of feeders to suit the feeding habits of various birds. Offer seeds on the ground either in a platform feeder or sprinkled in a brush pile made by loosely stacked-up tree trimmings and cut twigs. White millet and safflower are good to use here to attract doves, juncos, white-throated sparrows, towhees, and cardinals. Use tube feeders filled with safflower or sunflower to attract chickadees, titmice, and house finches. Use a special "finch feeder" filled with thistle for the goldfinches. Hopper feeders attract the larger species like doves, cardinals, bluejays, chickadees, titmice, and wrens.

Place feeders where they are easy to see, convenient to refill and close to natural shelters, such as trees and shrubs. Evergreens are ideal as they provide maximum cover from winter winds and predators. Good choices here are hollies, nandinas, cleyeras, mahonias, eleagnus, wax myrtle, cherry laurel. Most importantly, have a good pair of binoculars and bird identification book handy at all times, so you can add a new species to your personal checklist. Birding as a hobby currently ranks second only to gardening as America's favorite pastime. North Haven has all your bird and gardening supplies.

The most important way to assure that your tree stays fresh and green is to get a tree that has been properly handled before you get it by buying your tree at North Haven Gardens.

Our trees are shipped straight to us by the grower. As soon as they arrive, we make a ¼ inch cut across the trunk base to improve water absorption. We then carefully spray each tree with an anti-transpirant product. This seals the foliage to help it stay green and moist. Each North Haven tree is individually displayed in it’s own pail of water. Selection is easy and pleasurable.

Here are a few tips on caring for your tree:

• Water regularly. Trees absorb several quarts of water each week.
• Test lights and check for frayed cords before trimming the tree.
• Situate the tree away from heat sources like television sets, fireplace and heaters.

More people are buying our fresh cut trees every year. Many travel long distances to get here. They know that getting a top quality tree adds to holiday pleasure.

We thought many of our long time customers would like to see what the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden had to say about our founder, Ralph Pinkus, at a recent dinner. Ralph was honored for his many contributions to the Dallas Arboretum, of which he was the first president and to horticulture in Dallas in general.

Ralph Pinkus, founder of North Haven Gardens, always had a keen interest in plants. As a boy in Philadelphia, he earned every merit badge relative to plants and nature. As a young man, he gained valuable knowledge on his many visits to Bartram's Gardens where he learned the common and botanical names of thousands of trees, shrubs, and flowers. He attended Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, majoring in landscape gardening and Horticulture. By the time he arrived at the New York Botanical Garden, he was already acknowledged by his peers and employer as an expert. During World War II, he and his wife Muriel moved to Guatemala where he propagated cinchona trees for use in making quinine. Following the war, he moved his young family to Dallas and quickly learned the local market. Soon after he founded North Haven Gardens. In 1971, while serving on the Parks Committee of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, he met fellow garden enthusiasts. Nell Denman and Gordon Rose. They formed the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society, and Mr. Pinkus was its first chairman. He remains on the Board of Directors and continues to be an invaluable friend and guiding force.

Many of you are 2^nd and 3^rd generation customers here at North Haven Gardens. You and the Pinkus family have been friends for many years. We're proud to share this honor with you.

The Gift Corner
by Betty Hargrave

The staff at North Haven would like to be the first to wish all our wonderful customers —

Our floral department has turned a section of the retail store into a holiday wonderland. You’ll find a collection of beautiful old world Polonaise glass ornaments. Our collection is displayed on a black cloth background with spotlights to really show the delicate beauty of these classic glass ornaments.

We have the dancing Santa for the Santa collectors as he dances to "Jingle Bell Rock". The singing wreath is the perfect fun gift for anyone. We will have somemore of our musical animals featuring a singing Gorilla and a singing Frog.

Look for the House of Hatten collection to this season. These are beautiful hand-carved wooden decorations in a variety of sizes. There will be a darling snowman that could be used as a centerpiece and other smaller collections such as angels, elves, and swans that can be used for hanging on the tree, or from a chandelier over the breakfast room table.

If you are a collector of primitive decorations, be sure to look at the wonderful collection of hand made Saints, snowmen, birds, and angels. These ornaments will give that special heirloom touch to any primitive holiday design.

A gift of one of the outstanding books from our Book Nook will be most welcome by any gardener. Add some bulbs, gloves, or a garden plant to complete the gift package.

Consider getting something to decorate a patio with our elegant teak furniture available in a wide selection of styles and uses. We will continue to have an array of fountains and garden art that would be a perfect gift for the garden enthusiast.

We continue to offer a wide selection of planters in many different and unique styles from the lovely, elegant silver plate to primitive little
watering cans with an antique look. Of course, for the lovers of blue and white, we have a great selection of these lovely planters in many styles and sizes.

If you know somebody who would enjoy the company of the winter birds, we have a good collection of birdfeeders and a variety of birdseed to attract just the birds you wish to share your backyard with.

Our large greenhouse is full of wonderful plants for any part of your home. Plants make perfect gifts. And of course, the North Haven Gift Certificate is always a welcome gift for any gift giving occasion.

Take time to browse in our gift shop for wonderful Holiday ideas!

Heirlooms of the past....treasures for the future. When the Polonaise Collection was introduced by Kurt S. Adler, Inc. in 1994, it was met with a burst of enthusiasm from glass connoisseurs around the world The line has become incredibly popular since then.

The Poloniase Collection is a dazzling array of glass ornaments, which includes highly sought after limited editions, a vast assortment of unique boxed sets and individual pieces. These spectacular ornaments are handcrafted by artisans in Poland who practice a skill handed down from one generation to the next. Created in the age-old tradition of masterblowers, each piece is meticulously shaped in fine detail. They are then silvered, lacquered and carefully hand painted in the most vibrant colors.

Be sure to visit our Christmas Shop at North Haven to see these beautiful classic ornaments and get the best choices while they last.

Native Trees and Shrubs
By Marcia Gillen

The late Benny Simpson (research scientist, Texas A&M Research and Extension Center, Dallas) would say, "the one thing Texas will never have enough of is water; but Texas will always have plenty of extreme weather." We sure learned that this summer. Let's look at some native trees and shrubs that thrive in our harsh weather and clay soils.

There is a non-native shade tree that is a "Cadillac" of trees for our area. It is the Chinese Pistachio, that is drought tolerant, good fall color, and no disease or insect problems.
The harsh weather conditions of this year have proved the wisdom of selecting for our landscapes native and non-native plants that are drought tolerant and adapted to our soils.

Herbal Lemon Tea Bread
1^st Place Winner, Herb Tea Off, Dessert Category

½ cup margarine