2009 Victoria Gardens' Gift Guide

Aren't these just the cutest? At just $7 each these handmade lil' critter ornaments are definitely our favorites.

2009 Victoria Gardens' Gift Guide

These adorable lil' critter ornaments and figurines are everybody's favorite this year. At only $7 each they are affordable gifts or delightful decorations for your own home.

2009 Victoria Gardens' Holiday Gift Preview

These tools are so beautiful and well-made, any gardener would be thrilled with such treasures.


Cast iron figures like this flying pig (We also have fairies, flying cats, winged rabbits, and flying Scotti-dogs) range in price from $6 to $22.


Terrariums make a stylish gift for avid gardeners or house-plant neglecters with black thumbs. They need very little attention to keep these pre-planted terrariums looking fabulous.


These Moroccan-style lamps hold pillar candles and can be used inside or out.


These delicious smelling, handmade soaps are crafted from all natural ingredients right here in Ulster County.


We have a wide assortment of healthy, lush house plants to brighten your winter windowsill or to give as gifts.

Fresh Cut Chistmas Tree Info

While they're growing, Real Christmas Trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases and emitting fresh oxygen.

The farms that grow Christmas Trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas Trees are grown on soil that doesn't support other crops.

Real Christmas Trees Are Renewable.

Real Christmas Trees are grown on farms just like any other crop. To ensure a constant supply, Christmas Tree growers plant one to three new seedlings for every tree they harvest.

On the other hand, artificial trees are a petroleum-based product manufactured primarily in Chinese factories. The average family uses an artificial tree for only six to nine years before throwing it away, where it will remain in a landfill for centuries after disposal.

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Don't just take our word for it - see what other environmental experts have to say on the subject...

• Smithsonian.com shares ways to make your holidays eco-friendly by using a Real Christmas Tree.
• TreeHugger.com gives tips for selecting a "green" Christmas Tree
• The American Forests organization also supports the growth and use of Real Christmas Trees for many reasons.
• According to an article in Newsweek, experts recommend that you should "always go real."
• Focus Organic.com reminds consumers that choosing a Real Tree is not going to harm forests, making it a wise environmental choice.

Water this week! Your Plants Will Thank You.

Why water?
Why do your plants need water in November?

It's true, plants have lost their flowers and their leaves, but most plants are still growing. This is the time of year where trees and shrubs put on new root growth. The forecast for this week is clear and beautiful - great for those of us still outside raking and planting bulbs, but moisture is evaporating from the soil.

Water will help now and later.
You want your garden soil to be moist when the ground freezes.

That's because during most winters in our region, we experience a warm spell, usually around January, where the ground thaws. A plant's root growth is activated by the warming soil, and if there is no water near the roots, growth can be stunted or damage can occur like winter-burn.

So take a minute this week, step out into this glorious weather, and give your plantings a big drink.>

15% to 50% off!

Pictured above: Fritillaria (Yes, they're deer-resistant!)


Bulbs Are 15% off!
And we have oh so many deer-resistant varieties!


When they bloom in May, Allium 'Ivory Queen' is the most asked about plant in our gardens. "What is that plant?" Everyone wants to know.

Alll of the Allium are deer-resistant, and we love them. We brought in many new and unusual varieties of Daffodils, Fritillaria, Hyacinth, and Grape Hyacinth, which are all deer resistant also.

And for those lucky gardeners with fencing, we have some jaw-droppingly gorgeous varieties of tulips.

Nursery Plants Are 50% off!
What do we have left?

We have clumping bamboo, and regular retail prices for clumping bamboo range from $70 to $130. So with 50 % off, clumping bamboo at $35 to $40 is a steal.

We have a selection of Lilac, Rose of Sharon, White Dome Hydrangea, Little Leaf Holly, Japanese Maple, Little King River Birch, Royal River Birch, Rosa Rugosa, Bridal Wreath Spirea, Dwarf Sweet Gum, Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, Early Fragrant Viburnum, Ornamental Bonfire Peach, Calycanthus, Clethra, and an assortment of grasses.

We have a handful of perennials left, so if you are looking for something in particular, give us call (845-658-9007).

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Still haven't carved a pumpkin for your doorstep?

We're having a pumpkin sale!

small pumpkins $2
large pumpkins $4

Have a safe and spooky Halloween!

Pumpkin Fest Success

Despite the rain we were so happy so many of you stopped by for our very fist Pumpkin Fest. Pumpkin painting and face painting were a big hit.

Everyone raved about "Doc" our tarot card reader, and we will definitely be having him back again next year.

We had some amazing entries for the squash-based baking contest, but the winner of the $100 gift certificate was a ginger pumpkin pie (made from fresh pumpkins!) entered by Cheryl Alloway.

Yay Cheryl!

Deb Martin performed live music and the scary tale of The Brave Woman and the Flying Head, kept the audience on the edges of their seats. Although she later lightened the mood with a rendition of I'm Being Eaten By a Boa Constrictor.

Thank you to everybody who made the day a success and so much fun.

Four Days 'til Pumpkin Fest

Only four days until Pumpkin Fest!
This is just a peek at our pumpkin displays.

Join us on Saturday for the food and festivities from 10 am to 4 pm.

Deb Martin will be performing from 12:30 to 2:30 with live music and storytelling.

We are featuring a tarot card reader and a face painter.

All of our decorated pumpkins will be for sale.
And all of our plants will be 50% off.

See you there!

Five days 'til Pumpkin Fest

Only five days left until Pumpkin Fest at Victoria Gardens!

Enter the baking contest for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate!

Annick Magac Wind Sculpture at Victoria Gardens

Winter Rye Cover Crop for Your Vegetable Garden

Sowing a winter annual crop following the harvest of summer annual vegetables has long been recognized for its importance in conserving soil and water and maintaining or increasing soil organic matter levels. Winter Rye is regarded as one of the most suited small grains for winter cover crop use because of its wide adaptability, tolerance to extreme winter temperatures, and ease of establishment.

We highly recommended rye, because of its superior winter hardiness and the production of relatively large amounts of persistent mulch, as a cover crop for home vegetable gardens.

We have Winter Rye in stock as well as "Fall Magic" Grass seed for an autumn lawn reseeding
.

30% Off Hedges

Look at the fall color on this hardy orange! It is so amazing. These shrubs bloom with white flowers in late winter/ early spring, and their branches stay a bright green color even after they lose their leaves. They would make an incredible hedge.

Actually we have a lot of great hedge plants still in the nursery: clumping bamboo, Holly, fantail willows, Beauty Bush, Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls', Spirea, Viburnum, little river birch, forsythia, rose of Sharon, lilacs, Andromeda, PJM Rh...odies, Rosa Rugosa, yellow button bushes, Clethera 'Pink Spires', dappled willows, 'Pink Diamond' hydrangeas, Thujas, and Washington Hawthorns.

So we're putting all this hedging material on sale. Everything on the list is 20% off!
If you buy 6 shrubs, they're 30% off.

Terrariums Step by Step

Start with an attractive glass container.


Pick plants that like high humidity.


Pour charcoal into the bottom of your container.


Charcoal acts as a filter,


and keeps your terrarium from smelling "boggy."


Add potting mix.


Plant your selected plants into the mix.


Firm them in.


Victoria likes to use a group of three different plants.


Use moss to cover the exposed mix.


The moss makes the terrarium polished.


Lush and lovely.


Your terrarium will need very little maintenance.


When the very top of the soil mix starts to look dry, a few squirts from a spay bottle should keep your terrarium moist.

Designing in Scale: Trees That Stay Small

Forest Pansy Redbud
Full sun to part shade.
Cold hardy to -20 degrees F.
Grows 25' tall and 25' wide.





'Limelight' Hydrangea Standard
Full sun to part shade.
Cold hardy to -40 degrees F.
Grows 6' to 8' tall and 6' wide.






Ninebark Standard
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo'
Full sun to part shade
Cold hardy to -40 degrees F.
Grows 10' to 12' high and 6' to 8' wide.





Pagoda Dogwood
Cornus alternifolia
Full sun to partial shade.
Cold hardy to -40 degrees F.
Grows 15' to 20' high and 15' to 20' wide.







'Quickfire' Hydrangea Standard
Full sun to part shade.
Cold hardy to -40 degrees F.
Grows 6' to 8' tall and 6' wide.





Styrax japonicus fargesii (Japanese Snowbell)
Full sun to part shade.
Cold hardy to -30 degrees F.
Grows 20' to 30' tall and 20' to 30' wide.





Dappled Willow Standard
Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki'
Full sun.
Cold hardy to -30 degrees F.
Grows 10' to 15' tall and 15' to 20' wide.