It's seems there's a lot of doom and gloom around these days.  Rather than succumb to it, I head into my garden if the weather is nice, or my snug greenhouse if it is not.  Or take time to visit a local garden, like our own beautiful Abkhazi Garden, shown here.  I believe gardens are a joy, and there's nothing like time in the garden to refresh your spirits.

As the days get shorter, it's time to bring the garden inside.  Forcing flowering bulbs to bloom in our homes in December and January has traditionally been one of the best and easiest ways to do this.  In this newsletter, you can read about how to grow fragrant Paperwhites and gorgeous Amaryllis indoors - or you can get information about classes our stores are offering to show you creative ways to use these beauties in your home.  Our Paperwhite Kits - different every year - are always a favourite hostess gift.

Another tradition you can count on is that Dig This will have a terrific selection of unique, well-priced garden-themed gifts for the holiday season.  We're excited about the new items we've brought in this year - everything from tools and gadgets to please the hard-core gardener through to garden-inspired home decor items to help make your home bloom all through the holidays.

Just remember, when your spirits need lifting, nothing does it like the garden.  And when it's too cold or wet to be in the garden, a visit to Dig This is always a pleasant alternative.

Elizabeth Cull, Franchise President

Our stocks of plump Paperwhite bulbs and Amaryllis have arrived.  Paperwhites are a member of the Narcissus family (same family as daffodils) and are traditionally grown indoors in winter.  As their name suggests, the blooms are white.  While the flowers themselves are small, there are many of them and they are wonderfully fragrant. 

Growing them is so easy.  You need a (1) water-tight container, (2) stones, gravel or glass beads to hold the bulbs above the water, and (3) the bulbs.  Paperwhites look best grown in odd numbers:  3, 5 or even 7 to a pot gives the best display.  Plant them now for blooms in 4 to 6 weeks.  Plant several more pots in the coming weeks and you'll have continous blooms well into January.

Amaryllis is a spectacular bulb with huge, showy flowers.  We have so many different varieties this year - the old favourites like Red Lion, but also many of the new specialty varieties.  Depending on the variety, amaryllis bloom within 4 to 12 weeks.  Plant now for blooms at Christmas and beyond.

Several of our stores are offering classes in forcing bulbs. 

Dig This Broadmead Village      

Tuesday,  November  4th 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm and Wednesday, November 12th 10am - 12:00 noon.

Dig This Sidney

Tuesday, November 4th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The Dig This staff will show you how to plant Paperwhites and Amaryllis in several different ways, and will demonstrate the use of decorative materials in glass containers to make stunning displays for Holiday decorating. Seating is limited so register early!

Cost  $25.00.  Each participant will receive a $25.00 gift certificate.

As we approach Christmas, each of our stores is making room for new items. That means there are bargains to be had!

While items vary from store to store, it’s worthwhile checking out your local Dig This to see what they have. Some stores still have a few pieces of our all-weather garden furniture for sale at 25 to 40% off the original price. The downtown store at Market Square is clearing out all its Christmas decorations on at 70% off. Broadmead, Sidney, Nanaimo and Oak Bay have fall display items on sale, including fall table linens at some stores.
 

Early evenings mean we are turning the lights on earlier each day. For a more romantic alternative, try our flameless “Smart” candles.

These real wax candles have a very realistic flame, without the danger of open fire. If you set them to the “timer” setting, they will turn themselves on each evening at the same time, run for 5 hours, and then shut off. Turn them on once and then forget them!  Effortless atmosphere!

(This is a re-print of our article in last year’s newsletter.)

How can I get my Amaryllis to rebloom next year?

The technique recommended for years has been growing the plants on through the summer outdoors, and then inducing dormancy by stopping watering in the fall and placing them in a dry cool spot indoors for 10 to 12 weeks. The reason for this is to try force blooming for a specific period, usually Christmas.

However, for bigger, healthier plants, some experts recommend allowing the bulb to continue growing vigorously as long as possible, so it will reward you with better blooms in January or February.

To encourage your bulb to rebloom the way the cultivar Blossom Peacock (shown above) has done, just follow these six steps:

• Once the flower is finished, cut off the stem just above the bulb nose. Give amaryllis bright light on a sunny windowsill or under plant lights.
• Feed and water. Apply a standard water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at half the recommended strength every two weeks.
• Keep bulb in a pot sized "just right". As the bulb grows and the pot fills with roots, move it up to a bigger pot that's just slightly larger than the bulb. I like to use tall, narrow clay pots.
• In summer, move the pot outdoors into a sunny spot and treat it like a container plant. Continue fertilizing until the middle of August. Don't allow the soil to dry out, but avoid keeping it soggy.
• In fall, before there's a chance of frost, bring the plant inside and place in a sunny window or under plant lights. The leaves may yellow and die off by late December. During this time, keep the plant moist, not wet; most importantly, don't let the pot dry out. The buds for the new flowers should appear in January or February, but sometimes they bloom as late as March.
• After flowering, resume feeding and keep the pot in a sunny window or under plant lights until it can go outdoors again. Big vigorously growing bulbs will produce offsets – little baby bulbs – which you can pot up to grow to flowering size in a couple of seasons.

All our spring-flowering bulbs - tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and many others - are now on sale 25% off. With the cooler weather, this is the perfect time to plant bulbs for a beautiful show next spring.
 

We’ve just received new supplies of this most interesting plant. And good news – the price has dropped dramatically since it was first introduced for sale over a year ago. The pines now sell for $34 each.

The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) is one of the oldest and rarest plants on earth, dating from the age of the dinosaurs, 200 million years ago. In one of the major botanical finds of the century, the Wollemi Pine was discovered in a remote canyon in Australia in 1994 by an avid bush walker. Prior to that, it had only been known by fossil records, and was thought to be extinct. Today, only 100 mature trees survive in the wild.

Conservation of this prehistoric survivor is backed by the National Geographic Society. Royalties from each tree sold fund conservation of endangered and threatened plant species.

This is a great gift, and for plant addicts, a “must-have”.

For more information go to: http://www.wollemipine.com/
 

Thank you to all our customers who came out to make the Nanaimo Grand Opening a smashing success. And congratulations to our contest winners:

• Brenda Wright from Ladysmith was the winner of the patio set
• Mike DeJong from Nanaimo won the $100 gift basket
• Val Notte from Nanaimo won the $20 Dig This gift certificate