Good Seed Farm 2009 Fall Newsletter

Growing With Us

Volume 8 Issue 4 Fall 2009

For a pleasant surprise, take a drive to Good-

Seed Farm on a sunny fall day. You’ll be amazed

how much fresh color we have and how healthy

our plants look. Fall is the best time to plant peren-

nials and shrubs, and we have plenty to choose

from right now.

We have a thousand mums to choose from,

each one perfect. The orchard house is full of fruit

trees, blueberry bushes, grapes, asparagus, straw-

berry plants and more. Our “quilt barn” is full of

bagged mulch and soil, and our bulk mulch piles

are full.

GoodSeed Farm is your personal garden center.

Bring a friend and shop in peace and quiet, no

crowds, no lines, no traffic, no hassles, just lots of

COLOR on a fall day!

Fall Shopping Hours Monday through Friday 10AM to 5PM

Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM

Sunday Noon to 5PM

GoodSeed Farm Hours:

We Have It!

BEEN HERE LATELY? We’ve switched things

around; our new post & beam barn marks the MAIN

ENTRANCE. Grab a cart and follow the “color trail”

around back where we’ve really expanded…

Mark your calendar for our first annual

FALL CLEARANCE SALE September 19 through September 30

See details inside!

“Steve’s Soapbox:” Time to Start Something...

Life is fleeting. We see this all around us as our

children (and then grandchildren) grow up. Things we

built just a few years ago somehow become decades

old, and we find ourselves repairing them. Our faces in

the mirror somehow morph into the faces of our par-

ents.

Here at GoodSeed Farm we measure time by

watching sapling trees we planted years ago become

giants. When we moved into our 160-year-old farm-

house, we planted a young London planetree in the

front yard, in hopes of someday getting some afternoon

shade. At that time the perennials along our front porch

were sun-lovers like phlox and catmint, and the porch

planters were filled with petunias.

Today we find ourselves replacing our sun-starved

perennials, and planting impatiens in the big planter

pots on the porch. Our house is noticeably cooler, and

we can relax in the shade after work in the exact spot

where we once baked in the evening sun.

The scrawny young oaks we planted to shade the

store parking lot have become stately landmarks with

pools of shade underneath. Our greenhouses enjoy fil-

tered shade beneath rows of Shademaster locusts that

were mere sticks when we planted them. As we travel

around Adams County we drive past many, many trees

we’ve planted over the past thirteen years.

Have you ever enjoyed walking down tree-lined

streets or relaxing in the shade of a park or college campus? Someone, long ago, wanted you to find respite there and

planted some trees. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Without exception, any piece of fruit you eat

today came from a tree that once, years ago, someone thoughtfully planted.

In uncertain times there is one thing you can do that, without fail, offers pleasure and satisfaction lasting beyond

your own lifetime, something future generations can enjoy effortlessly even before they, themselves, feel compelled to

make a lasting mark of their own. You can plant a tree. What could be more calming or satisfying?

In pioneer days a large swath of cleared land was a sign of success and prosperity. At this point in modern life

we’ve turned a corner, and planting trees is the way to mark our progress in life. In addition to all the benefits trees

provide, they are a symbol of permanence and plenty. As difficult as our circumstances may be at any given point in

our lives, we should always find the time and resources to create something lasting for the future. Planting and nurtur-

ing a young tree is just such an investment in our own humanity. It’s something small you can start, today, that will

someday be bigger than you are.

Today, start something bigger than you are. Plant a tree. Let us help.

Page 2 Growing With Us

CHECK OUT OUR EVERYDAY 50% OFF SPECIALS!

Each time you come to GoodSeed Farm pay special attention to our 50% Off Unadvertised Specials.

These are top-quality, stunning plants at their peak, at a special price for a limited time. Don’t miss out!

“I should have bought it when I saw it…”

Imagine that, not long ago, this Willow Oak was a

scrawny “runt of the litter” leftover at the end of the sea-

son. “Parking lot shade”, we thought as we planted it…

Page 3 Growing With Us

Marjorie’s Marjorie’s Marjorie’s Marjorie’s

Perennial PickPerennial PickPerennial PickPerennial Pick “Chicago Sunrise” Daylily “Chicago Sunrise” Daylily “Chicago Sunrise” Daylily “Chicago Sunrise” Daylily (Hemerocallis)

This spectacular daylily has been blooming continuously since June! We

originally picked it for its striking gold blooms on sturdy two-foot stems, ex-

pecting a few weeks of color, but months later it’s still forming new buds.

A perfect contrast with pink, purple or blue foliage and blooms in your

perennial garden, this is a very special daylily. It’s easy to grow in full sun.

For a terrific combination, plant it with “Palace Purple” coral bells or Gaura

“Passionate Rainbow”, or next to a “Crimson Pygmy” red barberry.

Ornamental Grasses Make A Difference Fast and Easy

Ornamental grasses make excellent screen

plants to hide unsightly propane tanks and air con-

ditioners, or for privacy around patios and decks.

They develop faster than shrubs. Designers mix

them with perennial flowers and woody plants,

sometimes massing them for showy effects.

Grasses range in size from tiny pillows to huge

clumps over ten feet tall. They come in a range of

colors from dusty blue to pink and purple.

A good way to compare grasses is by looking at the size they will be when they are fully grown. This way you can

space them properly and allow enough space for them to develop to their fullest. Most grasses do best in full sun with

plenty of moisture, but grasses are quite adaptable and will do well almost anywhere. Most are perennials and will re-

turn each year larger. The only maintenance they need is to be cut to the ground in late winter each year and fertilized.

Here’s a rundown on some of our favorites:

Miscanthus, commonly called “maiden grass”, have a very graceful habit, softly drooping and waving gently with

the slightest breeze. Some have “zebra stripes’, others have stripes along the leaves. Our favorites are “Gracillimus”,

“Little Kitten”. “Adagio” and “Purpurescens”, which turns gradually turns purple during the fall season.

Pennisetums or “fountain grass” work well in perennial borders or mixed with shrubs in foundation plantings.

Most have showy upright seed heads. We like Pennisetum “Hamelin” the best.

“Karl Foerster” feather reed grass has attractive wheat-like seed stalks that stand straight up, great for mixing with

foundation shrubs and hiding unsightly utility meters. “Shenandoah” switch grass gradually turns purple during the

season, and grows in a tidy upright clump that looks great in foundation plantings.

Fluffy dusty-blue clumps of ornamental fescue like “Elijah Blue” are terrific mixed with low perennials in the

front of the border. They are very drought-tolerant once they’re established, and stay nice and compact for years.

Pay attention to the hardiness zone when buying ornamental grasses, or you could buy varieties that aren’t hardy

perennials in this area. People often ask us for “pink pampas grass”, shown often in mail order catalogs but not hardy

in Ohio winters. Red Pennisetum is popular for planters. We think of both of these as annuals, so we don’t warranty

them and charge less for them than perennial grasses.

Maiden Grass (Miscanthus gracillimus) in our show gardens...

200 Storer Road

Peebles, Ohio 45660

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CHILLICOTHE OH

GoodSeed Farm COUNTRY GARDEN CENTERCOUNTRY GARDEN CENTERCOUNTRY GARDEN CENTERCOUNTRY GARDEN CENTER

200 Storer Road

Peebles, Ohio 45660

937-587-7021

www.goodseedfarm.com

Sept. 19Sept. 19Sept. 19Sept. 19----30303030 FALL CLEARANCE SALE!FALL CLEARANCE SALE!FALL CLEARANCE SALE!FALL CLEARANCE SALE! Our entire tree and shrub inventory discounted from 10% to 66%! Closeout prices on roses. 50% Off on all our ornamental grasses.

October 3October 3October 3October 3 MILLER’S ANNUAL BBQ PICNIC MILLER’S ANNUAL BBQ PICNIC MILLER’S ANNUAL BBQ PICNIC MILLER’S ANNUAL BBQ PICNIC See us at Miller’s on Wheat Ridge for gorgeous mums, fall pumpkins and select plants. Stop at GoodSeed Farm afterwards!

October 31October 31October 31October 31 LAST DAY OF THE SEASON! LAST DAY OF THE SEASON! LAST DAY OF THE SEASON! LAST DAY OF THE SEASON! We’re closing earlier this year! See below for limited Christmas tree hours.

November 24November 24November 24November 24 CHRISTMAS TREES ARRIVE! CHRISTMAS TREES ARRIVE! CHRISTMAS TREES ARRIVE! CHRISTMAS TREES ARRIVE! Hours 3PM-6PM week-days, Noon-6PM weekends through December 13ththrough December 13ththrough December 13ththrough December 13th.

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GoodSeed Farm

COUNTRY GARDEN CENTERCOUNTRY GARDEN CENTERCOUNTRY GARDEN CENTERCOUNTRY GARDEN CENTER

CHRISTMAS

TREE

HOURS Our retail store closes

October 31, but we’ll be

offering fresh cut and

live Christmas trees

from Thanksgiving

week through December

13th. Christmas tree

hours are 3PM to 6PM

weekdays, Noon to 6PM

weekends, closed

Thanksgiving day.

HARDY MUMS GoodSeed Farm is the place for

premium quality perennial mums.

They’re worth the trip!