This winter, we had the exciting opportunity to bring Fox Valley Tree Care into our Vande Hey Company family. Along with the expansion of our services to include tree care and removal, we are thrilled to bring in a team of highly skilled arborists and green industry professionals. With that, we look forward to sharing their knowledge and tree care expertise through our newsletters, blogs, and other content. Read on to learn about Wisconsin’s common tree pests and diseases, how to identify them, and Fox Valley Tree Care’s recommendations to help preserve our local tree populations. Protecting ..read more

Autumn is here! Yet, with plenty of fantastic fall days still ahead, now is a great time to tackle a few easy tasks that will elevate your backyard and outdoor patio landscaping for seasons to come. In fact, fall is a key season for yard maintenance, setting the stage for a lush and vibrant landscape come spring. Read on to discover our top recommendations for creating a beautiful spring landscape through fall preparation: Raking Leaves in Phases One of the most obvious and necessary tasks in fall landscape maintenance is raking leaves. While it may seem like a purely aesthetic endeavor, ther ..read more

The snow has finally melted, those first few signs of growth are peeking out of the planting beds, and the sun is warming up a little more with each passing day. Many of us are starting back in on lawn and landscape care, hoping to nip last year’s problems in the bud, and setting sights on improvements for the coming season. Here at our garden center, we receive many questions and concerns this time of year, and strive to help you build a backyard you’re confident in and comfortable with. Here are a few of our most common spring inquiries and the solutions we recommend: I had dandelions an ..read more

The sun is warming, the birds are singing, and each day is a step closer to the long-awaited spring! If you’re already planning out your vegetable garden, dreaming of bright bursts of colorful annuals, and eager to get your hands back in the soil, you aren’t alone. Now is the perfect time for planning, though, and we’re here to get you started with our 7 top trends for the 2022 season! Supporting Wildlife and Pollinators There’s been much justified “buzz” about pollinators recently, but “wildlife friendly” gardening encompasses a wider spectrum, including native birds, fascinating creatur ..read more

Spring is around the corner and, if you’re feeling like we are, you’re beginning to get that itch to get back into your yard.  So what can you start in on while there’s still snow cover?  You may know that winter and early spring pruning can be beneficial to your landscape, but you also may find yourself hesitant to begin.  What exactly should you be pruning this time of year?  More importantly, what SHOULDN’T you be pruning?  And once you’ve determined what to trim, how do you go about it?  Read on for the when, why and how of winter pruning, plus our “rules of ..read more

To cut down, or not to cut down? Now that fall has arrived, many gardeners find themselves wondering whether they should cut back their perennials and seasonal plantings now or wait until spring. For most perennials, the answer depends on what you want from your landscape during the winter months. If your concept of the perfect winter scene is an uninterrupted, pristine blanket of snow, plan on cutting back and clearing out the perennial border each fall. Clearing out expired perennials such as hostas and daylilies will give your beds a much cleaner appearance, and are far easier to prune ba ..read more

Summer is in full swing, the gardens are full of luscious plants and beautiful blooms, and you probably have seen a wealth of insects, birds, and butterflies buzzing around your yard and beds. These small creatures, also known as pollinators, play a crucial role in plant reproduction and sustaining our ecosystems. In fact, 75% – 95% of flowering plants need help with pollination, relying on animals like birds, bats, bees, butterflies, and beetles to transport their pollen as they move from flower to flower. In recent years, these hard-working helpers have seen a decline in populations due in ..read more

Early summer brings with it the excitement of watching your beds bloom, your vegetables sprout up, and your trees blossom. But the unwelcomed presence of fungus can put a damper on your yard, affecting your garden’s yield, damaging foliage, and inhibiting growth. The good news is that most fungal problems can be solved and prevented with a bit of knowledge and early planning. Here are a few of the most common fungus we see in the early summer, and how our experts recommend handling them: Powdery Mildew- Powdery Mildew is a common fungus that produces whitish spots on plant leaves, making f ..read more

We’ve reached that unique time of year when the sun begins to warm our daytime hours, but the ground is still cool and the nights downright frosty (literally). And chances are, your beautiful winter container arrangements are beginning to look…. well… a little crispy. Its the time of year that makes us all eager for fresh life and colorful blooms. But how early can you plant spring containers and what, exactly, is available to use? Read on for spring planting guidelines and our favorite cool weather blooms! Cold tolerant annuals are those flowers that prefer cooler temperatures, and tend to s ..read more

Here in Wisconsin, the spring season can be a bit of a tease. Just when you think it must finally be here for good, you wake up one April morning to find your lawn covered in a fresh blanket of snow. After a long winter, though, most of us can’t wait to get out into the yard, dig our hands into the soil, and start watching seeds grow into luscious crops. Whether you’re a first time gardener, a new homeowner, or a longtime hobbyist, you may find yourself wondering: Isn’t it time to get started?! The good news is: Yes! Our team of gardeners and horticulturists teamed up to share a few rules of ..read more